The Sky isn't the Limit Anymore

by battlestar2586

This is focused primarily on my own character's and Mikumo's relationship, but will at times focus on Hayate and Freyja, and some other pairings. This will also include a story line that takes place AFTER episode 26, so if you haven't watched the anime, you might want to. Hayate X Freyja, OC X Mikumo, WILL include graphic violence, M-rated lemons and more. On (temporary?) hiatus

17. Chapter 17 (Hooray, content!)

Hello everyone, here's the newest chapter, as promised. To be honest, I'm almost certain these chapters will eventually hover around 13,000 to 18,000 words, mainly because I like to read big, long chapters as opposed to loads of tiny chapters. In any case, read and I hope you all enjoy!

---

15 minutes later, the Aether's flight deck

Hayate, Mirage, and Chuck had just finished putting on their suits as Messer walks up to them, the latter wearing his ISDF pilot suit. The Grim Reaper looks at them with a cautious expression.

"I know I have a lot of explaining to do, or rather have things that need to be explained, but if you all could believe me this one time when I say that I couldn't describe everything that's happened since I...left if I wanted to. I'm sorry." Messer says with a sizable amount of remorse in his voice.

Hayate remains calm as Chuck and Mirage nod with various emotions in their gazes.

Chuck recovers first and quickly as he grins. "Man, just try not to get shot down this time, will ya?" Chuck then turns serious. "We really missed you, even if some of us won't admit it."

"It's not that, Chuck." Mirage lightly punches Chuck's shoulder before turning to Messer. "Messer, try not to be so cold this time around; we were comrades before and we still are. Just think about how we feel before you retreat into your shell."

Messer looks at Hayate, who is giving him a cryptic look. Before Messer can say anything, Hayate cuts him off.

"Look, Messer. First off, it's not like you to be this way, so don't think too hard about it. Second, the best way I think you could make up for this crap is to not pull the stuff you pulled back when; if you have a problem that you can't solve yourself, then don't go at it by yourself. When everything is said and done, you'd probably have hurt more than you'd have helped." Hayate's demeanor was level.

"Hayate..." Messer trails off as Arad walks up to all of them.

"Alright, here's the deal. My Siegfried has work that needs to be done on it, and it will take longer than we have before Delta Platoon is supposed to launch. Also, in light of the Elysion's primary systems being crippled, I will be taking command of our forces in the field. Mirage, you're my XO, just like before. Until I can launch, I'll be coordinating movements and working with the ISDF's leadership on board. Best of luck to all of you."

"Yes sir." Mirage nods.

"Understood." Hayate replies.

"Aye sir." Chuck responds in his usual manner.

"You too, sir." Messer looks at Arad.

"I'll be in touch on the comms." Arad says as he walks away.

Shiro appears out of the elevator Arad called, wearing his usual black combat jacket, pants, boots and gloves, on top of the dual primary combat sword mount, including the sheaths, on his back and the sidearms on each of his thighs. He is also wearing angled forearm bracers and shin guards.

"I will not be able to join the rest of you in aerial combat until the Aether successfully and safely docks with one of the ISDF's carrier vessels. More so, I suspect that our new allies will be short on spare fighters and other equipment, so I will have to make do with what is available to me."

"Don't worry, Shiro." Mirage smiles at the bodyguard. "We can pick up your slack."

"Yeah," Chuck adds, "hopefully they don't give you an old fighter or something and expect you to fight."

"In hindsight, I assume most fighters have the same controls, the main difference being performance, so if that does happen to be the case, I should be fine." Shiro replies somewhat indifferently.

"The controls aren't the problem for someone who is familiar with piloting; it's the overall performance of the fighter, namely the Inertia Store Converter unit for each model. Granted, the VF-171EX didn't even have an ISC on it, but it had an EX-Gear equipped cockpit, which reduces the effect of G-forces on your body." Mirage explains.

Hayate clears his throat to get Shiro's attention. "Anyway, I don't think I should have to tell you this, but don't get gung-ho about flying combat in space. Trust me, your first time can be especially rough." Hayate then walks off as one of the mechanics call out to him. "Excuse me a minute."

As Hayate walks away, Mirage, Messer, and Chuck look at each other, concern plastered all over their faces as Shiro observes them.

"Is there something wrong with the Hayate is acting?" Shiro questions blankly.

"I'm not sure. He definitely wasn't like this before." Chuck says softly.

"Why do I feel like this is my fault..." Messer asked softly to himself.

"No one can really say it's your fault, Messer. Things were a rollercoaster of sorts after what happened to you, and Hayate found himself with heavier decisions and darker scenarios than he might've been ready for." Mirage says, saddened by the increasingly heavy atmosphere that surrounded her former student.

"I guess I really underestimated him, and it might've come across as belittling. Looking back now-" Messer says as Shiro cuts him off.

"Messer, was it? If this is bothering you to this large an extent, then meditate on what you can do to make up for past transgressions. However, now is not the time for that." Shiro says to Messer, who flinches at the abruptness. Chuck and Mirage glance at each other briefly before looking back at Shiro.

Sensing their unease, Shiro continues. "If I were to be completely honest, the events of the past 24 hours or so are the most likely cause for Hayate's change in behavior. He has witnessed mercenaries molest and assault both Freyja and Mirage while he was unable to help them; it seems natural for him to be this way."

Mirage flinches at the reminder while Chuck frowns at Shiro. "Oi, Shiro-"

"I am not finished. I did not say I am content with this change, I am simply explaining what I believe are the reasons behind this." Shiro looks at Mirage. "Please excuse my bluntness, Mirage."

Mirage shakes her head. "Don't worry about it, Shiro. Some things don't need to be thought about too deeply, and that was one of them. I can't say it doesn't bother me, but it isn't as bad as one would think; I'm more worried about Freyja."

Hayate comes back, helmet in hands, as the other Delta Platoon members finish talking. "Did I miss something?"

"No, we were just talking about the potential Valkyries I may be granted when we dock with one of the ISDF's carriers." Shiro responds.

"If I remember correctly, aside from the VF-30's, they have VF-25 Messiahs." Messer notes.

"Aren't those kinda old?" Chuck raises an eyebrow.

"They're about ten or twelve years old, but their performance is still suitable for them to be in service. As far as I know, they are not much slower than Siegfrieds or Kairos, however, Chronos are considerably faster. All things considered, unless we run into another squad of Durandals, our main opponents will be flying Nightmares, which can hardly compare to the fighters aforementioned." Messer explains.

The sound of alarms buzzing and a slight jerk makes them all aware of the Aether's separation from the Elysion, meaning any available fighters were going to launch soon. The pilots all turn to walk towards their respective fighters, Shiro excluded. As they walk, Shiro walks alongside them.

"How does the armament and armor compare to that of current generation fighters, or at least our opponents' fighters?" Shiro asks, half in thought.

"The armor on a VF-25 is considerably weaker than that of a VF-30 or even a VF-171, but I know for a fact they have multiple different equipment modules and packs that can be mounted to improve its performance significantly. Also, on top of boosters, the packs mainly feature missile packs of various sizes and calibers, but the Armored pack for the VF-25 features anti-ship guns, as well as the Tornado pack which features beam guns with supplementary equipment. I don't know if they'll be giving that out though, as they're normally reserved for team leaders or pilots with high clearance due to good combat records."

"Do those even get used often enough to get restrictions on them? They are at least ten years old, so I imagine the ISDF has a large fleet of Chronos, right?" Hayate wonders aloud.

"They do, it's just that they may not want to lend Shiro one on the grounds that they don't know how good of a pilot he is." Messer explains.

"That reasoning is justified; I have only flown into combat once, in which case I was shot down, which I surmise does not look good for my record. Giving me an older generation fighter with minimal additional equipment would minimize potential losses." Shiro stoically notes.

"Still, Lieutenant Colonel Takamura or Major Barchenowa should've at least let their deck crews know that you're a bit more important than one of the regular pilots running around for either Chaos or the ISDF right now." Mirage frowns at Shiro's objective nature.

"I very much doubt they haven't; they know Shiro's relation to Mikumo and have probably seen his performance as a pilot to be satisfactory enough to warrant giving him appropriate resources." Messer says.

"The real issue is their sheer numbers; I hope our leadership has or is formulating a plan to deal with this properly. The previous attack seemed to rely solely on sheer numbers in their attempt to overwhelm us, aside from that group of fighters that shot me down. I doubt our enemies' leadership will make the same mistake again." Shiro rubs his chin as they reach the bays where Delta Platoon's Siegfrieds were stored.

Messer looks at Hayate, Mirage and Chuck as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. The other three nodded to him, as if they understood his intent. A nearby explosion rocks the ship as more alarms begin to blare, this time, the tone and pace more aggressive. The voice of Ernest sounds over the intercom.

"Aether flights, prepare for launch. Due to engine problems, the Hermera will be delayed up to 45 minutes; the Aether has broken orbit and is in the process of linking up with the closest ISDF carrier, Enterprise. Her two sister ships, the Lionheart and Arcadia will be operating within ten klicks of each other. All units be advised, the ISDF battleship Hammer of Sol is currently engaging five hostile battleships near the Aether's orbit exit point. Alpha Platoon will deploy to assist and defend the ISDF Hammer of Sol as the Aether moves to dock with the Enterprise. Beta and Delta Platoon will defend the Aether; Gamma platoon will move to engage hostiles in the vicinity of the Enterprise. Good luck, everyone!"

Hayate, Mirage, Chuck, and Messer all climb into their respective Siegfrieds, outfitted with Super Packs, as Shiro turns to walk back to the elevator up to Walkure's changing room.

As he walks away, Chuck grins at Messer. "Man, sure was convenient for your higher-ups to let you park your Siegfried next to ours, eh Messer?"

Messer, surprisingly, gives Chuck a small smile. "I convinced them it was better for my plane to be stored somewhere where it would actually fit rather than somewhere they could keep an eye on me."

Mirage gives Messer a half cocky smile. "Hehh, when did you learn to stretch your superiors' patience?"

"Same time you learned to stop relying on textbook moves like your life depended on it." Messer was clearly joking along with them at this point.

"Fair enough." Mirage sighs.

"Welp, it only took a near-death experience for you to pull that stick outta your ass, huh Messer?" This would have soured the mood if the three of them didn't see Hayate's cocky, shit-eating grin through their HUD's.

"Really now; have you finally found something to take seriously, Hayate?" Messer scoffs jokingly at Hayate.

Hayate's grin deepens. "Have you looked at my bird recently, Messer?"

By this point, their respective elevators had begun their ascent, so Messer couldn't actually see Hayate's Siegfried. As their elevators reached the top, Messer realized two things. First, the Hammer of Sol looked an infinite number of times larger than the Aether even from a distance. Second, his Siegfried was on the outer deck next to Hayate's while Mirage's was in the middle. While Messer would've pointed out/complained about the order, he also got a solid view of Hayate's Siegfried. It could only be described as a cross between his and Hayate's original Siegfried, in more ways than one. The wing trim was teal on the outside, like before, but there was another layer of solid black before the wing turned silver. Having noticed this, Messer's gaze drifted to the insignia on Hayate's Siegfried: It was identical to his, except the skull was replaced with an image of his Siegfried's head unit, reminiscent of a knight. Messer hardly noticed the lights on his lane flash on, and barely managed to launch in sync with the rest of Delta Platoon as the buzzer signaled their takeoff. A trio of dark blue NUNS stealth cruisers was close to the Aether as they launched, their turrets turning towards them. Before any of them can react, multiple wide beams turn the ships into Swiss cheese. The cruisers list awkwardly away from the Aether before their hulls warp and turn orange. The resulting explosion rocked the Aether and Delta Platoon.

Messer, as if he didn't even notice the stealth cruisers' destruction, glances at Hayate as they align in to formation with Mirage at the tip, Chuck and Hayate on her left and right, respectively. Messer took up the rear behind Mirage.

"Hayate..." Messer says softly, his tone somber.

"Missed you too." Hayate says with a low tone.

"Delta Platoon, Beta Platoon launched before us, and they're going to hold the second line around the Aether. We're going to be the first line of defense. Hopefully, the Apex will be occupied enough with the ISDF's ships to not send us as many enemies as before, but stay on your guard."

Three "Yes Ma'ams" echo through the line.

"Mirage, should we attack to disable?" Chuck asks quietly.

There is a brief silence before Mirage responds. "No; we don't have that luxury. When the battle winds down, assuming we come out on top, if they surrender openly, then disable them, but for now, it's us or them."

"Understood."

Messer smiles, something the other three pilots immediately took note of.

"Something funny, Messer?" Mirage asks, curious.

"No, I was just remembering how you used to take an unnecessarily long time to make decisions, but now, you seem to be able to make quick, smart decisions."

"It's just something that needed to happen, Delta-3."

"Roger that."

"So does that mean I'm Delta 4 now and dancing boy over here is Delta-5?" Chuck jokes through the comms.

"Heh, you're only calling me that cuz' you're not as popular during the air shows as I am." Hayate shoots back.

"Oi, you two." Mirage snaps through the line.

"Yes Ma'am." The two respond in sync.

"Stop competing with the main attraction, you've got no chance." Mirage had a surprisingly confident smile on her face, much to the disdain of the other two pilots.

"You mean Walkure?" Messer asks, half joking, half curious.

Mirage exhales audibly while Chuck and Hayate face-palm.

"Wasn't that obvious already?"

"Dude, after this, we're taking a vacation."

"And by we, we mean you and Kaname. Maybe me and Freyja too."

"I-"

"Nope."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"We don't need to."

"Look, I-" Messer starts, but is cut off by Chuck calling out enemy movements.

"Hostiles incoming! Three squads at our 11 o' clock! Two more at our 2 o' clock!"

"Delta Platoon, engage, watch each other's backs!" Mirage orders as she and Hayate automatically accelerate in almost complete sync with each other.

The lead squad of VF-171's were all equipped with Super Packs, and were presumably VF-171EX's based on their grey body paint and the visible gunpod on its starboard dorsal fuselage. The other two squads of VF-171's appeared to be standard issue fighters, a theory supported by their navy blue body paint. The VF-171EX's fire off all of their guided missiles at the outnumbered Delta Platoon before switching to Gerwalk mode and reversing away from them as the standard Nightmares blast past them on a clearly aggressive flight pattern. Mirage and Hayate split apart briefly, both of them entering Gerwalk mode and blasting half of the missiles apart before realizing that every missile had only one target: a certain gold Siegfried flying some distance behind them.

"Delta-4, missiles incoming!" Mirage yells.

Chuck grins as he switches to Battroid mode and fires off missiles in his chest-mounted launchers. His missiles impact the incoming missiles, creating a massive screen of explosions. The two squads that charged past Hayate and Mirage all switched to Gerwalk mode to avoid being decimated in the screen of explosions, only to come under heavy fire from Messer, who had stayed in between Chuck and the duo. Two of them were torn apart as Messer gunned one down with his railguns and beamed the other in half. The remaining four turned towards him, only to get barraged by more missiles from the impromptu smokescreen Chuck had created. Only one managed to avoid getting instantly blown to bits, having used maximum thrust just in time to avoid the missiles. His respite was short, however, as the Grim Reaper lived up to his name, shooting off both arm units of the lone Nightmare before shredding the chest. At this point the other two VF-171 squads had arrived, with the first squad of VF-171EX's in tow. The new squads split apart and fired their anti-air and medium range ordnance in a path that covered Delta Platoon's left and right, blocking their path with explosions. A fourth squadron pulled towards them from behind, also firing their anti-air and medium range missiles in a cone pattern. Finding themselves in a tight situation, they all split up without a word being said. Messer went forward, blasting a Nightmare that attempted to stop him in Battroid mode. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Messer, Hayate fired off enough missiles as he flew upwards to both distract and destroy the Nightmares behind him, giving Mirage and Chuck a chance to escape. Mirage peeled left, firing a few beams as she rolled away from the indiscriminate firing of the Nightmares surrounding them. Chuck zigzagged his way under, over and around the beams that the EX Nightmares were raining down upon him. Unfortunately, having the radome on his dorsal fuselage meant he had somewhat reduced maneuverability compared to the others; the fact reared its ugly head when Chuck felt his Siegfried jerk from a Nightmare behind him scoring a lucky hit on his wingtip. The damage itself wasn't very consequential, but the impulse from the 30mm quantum beam cannon caused his Siegfried to veer slightly toward the right, into the path of another shot. Luckily, it impacted the enhanced shield under his wing, but again, it resulted in a slight movement from the impulse. Chuck struggled to regain control as the Nightmares recognized his increased vulnerability. The other three pilots, now outside of the cluster of Nightmares, watched in horror as half of them descended upon their fellow pilot and cook.

"Delta-4! Get out of there!" Mirage yelled as she shot a Nightmare apart while using his wingman as a body shield.

Hayate immediately shot towards Chuck whilst remembering not to expend all of his propellant in the process. He shot apart a Nightmare in his way before blasting another his beam pod. A third attempted to body block him, but Hayate, having learned how to control his Siegfried effectively in Battroid mode, simply switched, spin-kicked the Nightmare, and blasted it using his momentum before continuing onwards. Messer watched, impressed and surprised, before turning to Mirage.

"Shall we?" He asked coolly.

"When were you such a gentleman?" Mirage joked with a light smile as she dodged and kicked a Nightmare in Battroid mode charging her.

"I've tried, okay?" Messer responded as he shot the Nightmare barreling towards him from Mirage's kick.

"Weren't you always the one to tell us to do and not try?!" Mirage teases Messer as she jets off and snipes a Nightmare near Hayate with her beam pod.

"Very funny." Messer half growls as he boosts after Mirage, tearing apart a Nightmare attacking from his side.

"Chuck! Are you okay?!" Hayate yells as he weaves his way in between hostile beams towards Chuck whilst returning fire from his beam gun.

"I've been better, otherwise, I think I'm fine!" Chuck responds, having recovered. His Siegfried was in Battroid mode, and was missing its left arm shield, along with a piece of its chest armor.

"Have you been slacking off on your training, Chuck?" Messer asks as he steadies next to Chuck and fires away at the three remaining Nightmares. One loses its arm and gunpod, the impulse knocking it into a nearby asteroid. Meanwhile, the other two fly away, leaving their comrade behind.

"That's not funny, man."

Mirage pulls next to them in Battroid mode. "For the record, he actually wasn't slacking on his training because we haven't been training any more than normal. It's not like we've had any time to practice lately."

"I was trying to make a joke."

"..." The other three pilots stare at Messer in silence, both through their HUDS and through Battroid mode.

"Do we laugh or groan?" Chuck asks without humor.

Messer exhales. "Let's just get a move on."

Mirage laughs earnestly. "A. I'm in command right now. B. At least you tried."

Messer twitches before a smile breaks out on his face. "Yes, ma'am."

"Delta Platoon, this is Beta-1. What's your status, over?" The Chaos squad leader rings them.

"Beta-1, this is Delta-2, acting flight commander. All active pilots accounted for and operational. We've cleaned up the hostiles in this sector, and judging by the scans..." Mirage trails off as she cues Chuck.

"The Aether is cruising through sector K5, on approach to K6. The ISDF Hammer of Sol is stationed in sector J7. We'll link up with the ISDF Hammer of Sol and proceed to sector J10 and link up with the ISDF Enterprise." Chuck says, looking to Mirage for confirmation.

"At this rate, we'll be able to link with the Hammer in approximately 20 minutes. We'll clear out any hostiles in our path, as we get closer to the Hammer, her AA defenses should provide enough cover for us and the Aether. Everyone up?"

A chorus of "Yes ma'ams" echoes through the line.

Mirage turns to Chuck. "Delta-4, go get your bird fixed up. The damage probably isn't too bad, but better safe than sorry."

"Will you guys be alright without your favorite side character? Someone's gotta be the one to call out all the enemy's movements." Chuck grins widely at his squadmates.

"Now who's the one who reads too much shounen manga?" Hayate retorts quietly.

"Still you." Mirage and Chuck respond simultaneously.

"What's shounen manga?" Messer asks.

"Ugh, just go, Chuck." Hayate pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Don't have too much fun without me!" Chuck laughs as he transforms and flies back to the Aether, some distance behind them and Beta Platoon.

Hayate watches him leave before sighing. "Jesus, and I'm the one who doesn't take everything seriously."

"You used to not take anything seriously. Now you take half of the things around here seriously." Mirage retorts.

"As long as he focuses on the important things, I think everything else is irrelevant." Messer adds.

"That sure didn't take long." Hayate mutters.

"What didn't take long?" Mirage and Messer ask in unison.

"Don't worry about it. Is Arad going to ring in or what? It's been too quiet on his end." Hayate changes the subject.

Messer and Mirage look at each other, silently agreeing to let it go for the time being.

"This is Delta-1. All Chaos flights, status reports." Arad voices, as if on cue.

"Alpha-1, all members accounted for and operational. The Hammer is being assaulted by three different groups of stealth cruisers and carriers, but is still fully operational."

"Beta-1, all members accounted for and operational. Second line has not been breached."

"Gamma-1, Gamma 5 is down...no sign of pilot ejection. Gamma 1,2, 3, and 4 are fully operational. The Enterprise is under heavy assault from Apex battleships and fighter squadrons."

Mirage looks at Hayate and Messer before tuning in. "Delta-2, Delta-4 is en route to the Aether in need of repairs. All other active members accounted for and operational."

"Roger that, Delta-2. What is Delta-4's status?" Arad's voice carried a hint of concern.

"Delta-4 is still operational, but is damaged. I made the call for Delta-4 to return to the Aether."

"Understood. Alpha, Beta, Gamma flights, resume operations as per last given orders. Delta Platoon, a word."

The three remaining pilots switch to the secure line.

"What is it, sir?" Mirage asks.

"I understand your call to send Chuck back, given the fact that this fight isn't even close to over yet, but next time, send someone back with him, and switch out with Beta Platoon until the pair returns. The Hermera is taking longer than expected to launch, and we're stretched thin because of it. We cannot afford to lose anyone this early on."

Mirage nods. "Understood."

"Also, my Siegfried is taking longer than expected to get running, so I will most likely launch alongside Chuck. Hang in there, you three."

The three pilots nod in affirmation.

"Messer, how're you holding up?" Arad asks his former second-in-command.

Messer seemed taken aback for a moment. "I am fine, sir."

Arad hums briefly. "Alright, I hope whatever happened with you after Al-Shahal fixed you up, but if there's anything going on during this battle, you better not hide it. That's an order-"

"I fully understand, sir. I will not make the same mistake again." Messer looks his mentor directly in the eye.

Arad nods. "Mirage, I assume you've gone over the plan with Beta Platoon?"

Mirage hums in affirmation. "We're on approach to the rendezvous point with the Hammer, so far we've been able to handle everything that's been thrown at us."

"Good. I've received word from Lieutenant Colonel Takamura that the Macross warship hanging in the back is carrying VF-25s. How many they're carrying, and what kind of equipment they have, we don't know. The one thing he did confirm is that only their best pilots will be flying them."

"Wait, that doesn't make sense. Didn't we just fight those on Ragna?" Hayate cuts in.

"No, those were VF-29s. Still, why did they send VF-29s piloted by less than veteran pilots?" Messer adds.

"We don't have enough information to figure everything out; however, data on those VF-29s' flight patterns showed that there is a high probability that they were unmanned."

The three of them grow silent at hearing this. An alert signaling proximity jolts the three pilots.

"171s incoming!" Messer warns over the comm.

Hayate and Mirage both turn to see a dozen Nightmares flying towards them, each loaded with enough missiles to annihilate the Aether.

"This is going to be a long fight..." Hayate groans quietly.

"Well, it's not like we'll be running out of things to do." Mirage says half sarcastically.

"Shall we?" Messer smiles thinly at the duo.

"You're too used to ordering me around." Mirage smirks.

"They're not gonna shoot themselves down." Hayate grins.

With that, the three switched to fighter mode and accelerated towards the cluster of Nightmares, a cloud of explosions ensuing.

---

The Aether, outside Walkure's changing room

Mikumo, Freyja, Kaname, Makina, and Reina are all in the process of applying the pink, holograph-basing gel onto their bodies when they hear a knock on the door. Given that only Mikumo and Kaname had fully applied the gel to their bodies, but had yet to put on their chest pieces, Kaname quickly attaches it to cover her modesty before walking to the door. The rest of them cover their chests with the gel before attaching their chest pieces. The door opens to reveal Shiro, in his combat gear. He looks at Kaname, then at Walkure, his eyes slowly widening as he took in their appearance. Kaname flushes slightly, as do Freyja and Mikumo. Shiro's eyes narrow slightly before he regains his usual stoic composure.

"I apologize for interrupting your changing time, but I have just finished inspecting the... stage on which you all will be performing. If you are not busy at the moment, I have a few questions I would like to ask all of you that pertain to your safety."

Kaname quickly looks back at the rest of Walkure sans Mikumo, who are quickly but are carefully putting on the gel on their arms and legs. "Um...can you give us a moment?"

Shiro bows lightly. "Of course. Please excuse my interruption."

With that, he quickly steps away from the doorway, the door sliding shut behind him. Kaname breaths out softly before turning back to the rest of Walkure.

"What was he here for?" Makina asks.

"Maybe a good look at us?" Reina smirks.

"Reina." Kaname's tone made Reina stiffen slightly.

"Sorry."

"He said he's here to ask us questions about our safety, and he mentioned that he looked at our stage module, so I can imagine he's got a few questions."

"I think he might be worried about how it'll hold up in battle." Freyja softly remarks, thinking back to the first battle of Ragna.

"Well, are you all ready?" Kaname asks.

Mikumo doesn't say anything, her eyes clouded with thought before Freyja nudges her. Mikumo stiffens, the action so subtle, only Freyja noticed. Mikumo turned to look at Freyja.

"Mikumo-san, are you ready?"

Mikumo smiles. "Of course I am."

Freyja makes one of her signature strange grins as she leans towards Mikumo. "You weren't thinking of Shiro, were you?"

Mikumo's eyes widen briefly as her cheeks turn pink. She quickly regains her composure before turning to the door. "Perhaps. Were you thinking of Hayate?"

Freyja's rune twinkles but she doesn't flinch. "Yeah, I was."

Kaname walks over to the door, opening it to see Shiro leaning against the wall next to it.

"Shiro, we're ready."

Shiro nods, though his eyes seem distant. As he walks in, he looks at all of Walkure, and the articles that covered their bodies. He stood there briefly before sitting close to them.

"I just have a few questions pertaining to the details in how you all perform." He gazes intently at them. "Is that what you all wear on stage? I imagine it is some form of holographic displaying material?"

Kaname nods, looking to Makina.

"It's a gel laced with micro-projectors that are linked with primary projector units on our chests, skirts, and feet that display whatever outfits we choose to wear when we perform." Makina explains before demonstrating. As her body glows and is covered in her signature pink outfit, she continues to explain. "We wear electronic nails that change our outfits with a specific movement, so we can change on the fly depending on the song we sing."

Shiro nods, visibly in thought. "And there is nothing to cover you from enemy fire or shrapnel like projectiles?"

The members of Walkure glance at each other. Freyja tries to give Shiro a reassuring smile.

"We don't have anything like that, but that's why we have you guys. We normally don't have that kind of incident."

Shiro frowns slightly. "And your stage module, am I correct in assuming it is reinforced glass laced with ceramic and metallic polymer materials?"

Makina looks at Shiro, surprised. "You can tell what it is just by looking?"

Shiro nods. "I used to work with materials of the same nature, but I stopped after I discovered that it shatters violently when enough pressure or force is applied to it."

Before any of them can retort, Shiro continues. "Also, is there no secondary barrier should the initial barrier be broken?"

Kaname opens her mouth, but quickly closes it, giving Shiro the answer he didn't want to have to confirm.

"So, you all have performed, in space, with no protective equipment of any kind on your persons, in a stage module with no backup shielding functions, meaning that if broken, all of you would be sucked into the vacuum of space with basically no chance of survival." Shiro said this as a statement, his face dark with thought.

"Look," Kaname sighs. "that's the best we can do, and if you've paid the smallest amount of attention to us since you've arrived, you'd know-"

"that it'd kill you faster to stand idly and do nothing rather than risk yourselves on the battlefield?" Shiro finishes for her, and to everyone's surprise, Shiro had a ghost of a smile on his face, although it was laced with bitterness and pain.

"I did not come here to raise doubts or try and convince you not to sing like this; I would just prefer you all have some sort of failsafe, for my peace of mind. Having said this, I have something for all of you."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out five square objects that appear to be microchips, except that they were the size of his palm. The circuits were pulsating a blue similar to the lines that adorned Shiro's swords, and at the bottom, there was a solid red rectangular mass that the circuit lines originated from.

"I cannot go into detail on what these are, but rest assured, they are last resort measures should the worst scenario occur." Shiro explains as he hands one to each member of Walkure.

"What do they do?" Mikumo asks, speaking up for the first time since Shiro entered the room.

Shiro exhales softly. "If you have to use them, I will tell you, but I would much rather you not have to. In short, simply keep it on your person, as long as it is making contact with your body, you will be able to activate it with a specific movement."

"Which is?" Reina asks quietly.

"If you are in trouble, chances are you will do this on instinct, but in case you forget, clench your non dominant hand into a fist as fast as you can." Before any of them can actually do so, Shiro adds, "Don't do it now though, I am uncertain as to whether or not it will work twice, so save it until it is absolutely necessary."

All of them went to securing the chip-like object to their belts. After they had finished, Freyja smiles gently at Shiro.

"You seem to really care for our safety, Shiro-san."

Shiro looked at Freyja and subtly tensed before responding. "Indeed. Although I have never been one to enjoy praise and attention, I do find satisfaction in helping others however possible. I suppose that kind of mindset is unrealistic, isn't it?"

Mikumo, who was sitting next to Shiro the whole time, nudged his shoulder. She gave him an earnest smile, and Shiro tried desperately to not stare at her alluring and ever so attractive face. "I don't think it's bad to think like that, Shiro. You forget, you're talking to the idol group that jumps out of shuttles to mentally crazed and violent individuals for a living, yet we don't crave or seek attention or praise. Our audiences gather of their own free will and we wouldn't have it any other way."

Makina and Reina hum in agreement.

"Yeah, that's not unrealistic at all! In fact, I think it's great you think like that, it's a sign of earnest will to help others!" Makina smiles with a forthrightness her fellow singers had come to know and appreciate.

"On top of that, you always seem to succeed, so I can't find any problems in that." Reina adds, leaning against Makina.

Shiro frowns. "Hardly. I failed to protect all of you, most of all, you, Mikumo." He glances at her stomach. Although there was no visible scar, remembering the exact place she was pierced by the mercenary's knife took no effort. He then glances at Freyja.

Shiro is pulled from his thoughts as Mikumo puts her hand on his. Mikumo leans toward him, her alluring smile still present. "Shiro, I admit, I don't know many things but if there's one thing I can be certain of, it's that if there was anyone else in your place that day, I doubt half of us would still be alive, and I doubt I wouldn't be strapped to a lab table being experimented on by whoever's after me. Don't discredit yourself."

The others nod in agreement, smiles present on their faces.

"I believe in you, Shiro." Mikumo tilts her head slightly.

After a few moments, Shiro exhales softly and smiles lightly at Mikumo. "Thank you." He looks at the rest of Walkure. "All of you."

"We should be the ones thanking you, Shiro." Kaname replies.

After a minute had passed, Shiro spoke up. "By the way, Makina."

"Yes, Shiroshiro?"

Shiro was about to ask his question, but Makina's nickname for him made him stop. "I-what?"

"What? You need a cute nickname, so I gave you one!"

Shiro stared blankly at her for a few seconds. "It does not flow like the other nicknames you gave everyone else." His expression is completely blank.

"Well, what do you suggest I call you?" Makina asked, feigning exasperation.

"My name?"

"I am!"

"...Anyway, I wanted to ask about the fighters that the ISDF uses. According to 1st Lieutenant Ihelfeld, aside from the standard VF-30's they fly, he mentioned the possibility of them having VF-25's. Do you know anything about either of them?"

Makina raises an eyebrow as she leans back. "Hmm, let's see...I don't know much about the VF-30, I mean, the last I heard of it, it was designated YF-30. If the designation's changed, that means they must've started mass-producing it; I mean, they had to have, they have an air fleet comprised of them. If I remember correctly, the VF-31A Kairos and the VF-31 Siegfried were based off of the VF-30. By that reasoning, there shouldn't be that large a difference between the three of them. Having said all that, however, I looked at them, and the weapons are different."

"How so?"

"VF-30's don't carry arm-mounted gunpods like the VF-31. They feature a single gunpod, which means that gunpod is significantly more powerful than the arm-mounted gunpods a VF-31 carries. They also have what appears to be a missile-loaded container in place of the beam pod unit on a VF-31."

"So, VF-30's do not carry the same amount of weapons, but the collective firepower is the same?" Shiro asks, his eyes lost in thought.

"Yeah. As for VF-25's, I know even less about them. They're pretty old in the fighter world, but if the ISDF still uses them, then that means they must have SMS backgrounds, or who knows, they might be the SMS under a new name."

"What's the SMS?" Freyja asks.

"The SMS stands for Strategic Military Services, and they're basically military contractors, like the PMC division of Xaos." Kaname explains. "They were the main force that discovered and put and end to the Frontier-Galaxy Conspiracy seven years ago. They were also a group of highly skilled and well armed pilots, along with their own fleet of Macross-class warships."

"Back to the VF-25, can you tell me anything about it?" Shiro was still in thought.

"Well, as far as I know, the VF-25 and all the other fighters of its time were based off of the YF-24; even the VF-30 is similar in design to the YF-24. Having said that, the VF-25 was unique in that, it had multiple variants that were mass produced and used in service." Makina looks up slightly as she explains.

"Are the Siegfrieds Delta Platoon flies not also variants of the VF-31 Chaos deploys?" Shiro asks.

"Well, yes, but as far as I know, only Delta Platoon flies the VF-31 Siegfried, everyone else flies the VF-31A, which is the mass produced model. The VF-25 had a base model, a recon variant, a sniper variant, an air superiority variant, and a commander variant. Granted, our Siegfrieds also follow that pattern except for the sniper variant, but they're not modded for conflicts on the scale that the VF-25 saw action in. Also, HayaHaya and MiraMira fly support variants to, well, support us." Seeing Shiro nod, she continues. "I'll be honest Shiro, I can't cover everything. Unfortunately, you're gonna be somewhat in the dark going in."

Shiro nods, eyes half-clouded in thought. "I understand. Thank you for the information."

Makina frowns. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

Shiro looks up, his face as stoic as ever. "Do not worry about it. I know that I seldom have all the information I will need; I will make do with what is available to me."

Kaname, Mikumo, and Freyja look at him with mixed expressions.

"Aren't you worried?" Kaname asks, concern etched on her face.

"You don't seem concerned in the slightest." Mikumo adds, no different.

"Shiro-san, I know you're capable, but-" Freyja quietly shifts.

"Do not mistake my calmness for arrogance. I am well aware of the risks involved with going into situations with insufficient intelligence. However, I have been in such a situation before, so it is better not to dwell on it for too long."

Makina and Reina pout at Shiro, who doesn't react to their puffed cheeks and slightly narrowed eyes. He pulls out a data pad from behind him and begins to type on it. As he types, he hears a huff and looks up to see Freyja pouting at him. He then turns to Kaname, who is frowning at him, although her frown resembled a pout. Shiro then turns to Mikumo, who is wearing a neutral face.

"Is there something I did to bother them?" Shiro asks nonchalantly.

"You should really consider our feelings, Shiro." Mikumo notes with a hint of heat in her voice.

Shiro was about to ask why, but stops when he sees Mikumo begin to pout at him. Scanning the room to see all five members of Walkure pouting at him in their respective ways causes Shiro's eyes to widen briefly as he recalls a memory. He suddenly leans forward just enough to hide his face while putting a hand over his mouth. His shoulders begin to shake subtly, but just enough for Walkure to notice. Before they can ask if he is okay, a sound begins to emanate from him, one that surprises all of them. A low chuckle turned into an audible laugh that made Mikumo and Freyja flinch slightly. As quickly as it began, his laugh subsided as he leaned back slightly, revealing the smile on his face. It was neither a large toothy grin nor was it a thin smile; it was in between the two, and while the other four members of Walkure were simply shocked by the turn of events, Mikumo tensed as she felt her chest tighten slightly. She almost didn't notice the heat rising to her cheeks as Shiro sat back, using his left arm to support himself and the right to rub his left shoulder.

Shiro exhales softly. "I don't know how anyone is supposed to take any of you seriously when you all make a face like that." His smile turns into thin grin as he looks at the singers sitting before him.

For a moment, none of the girls did anything except gape slightly at him.

"Y-you laughed..." Reina mutters.

"Again..." Makina quietly adds.

"Really now, Shiro." Kaname rubs her temples before smiling gently.

Shiro raises an eyebrow ever so slightly. "You act like you saw two stars collide."

Freyja smiles, playfulness evident. "Mikumo-san looks like she's seeing stars, Shiro-san."

Shiro turns to Mikumo to find her staring at him, her lips parted almost invisibly, light pink dusting her cheeks. He gently puts his hand on hers, causing the violet-haired singer to stiffen and let out a near inaudible squeak as her eyes snap to his. Only Shiro and Freyja hear the sound escape Mikumo's lips, and while Shiro tensed after hearing a sound that one would expect to hear from Freyja come from Mikumo, Freyja smirked at her senior in singing.

"Is something wrong, Mikumo-san?" Freyja grins widely at Mikumo, who shivers at seeing the large and admittedly creepy smile on Freyja's face.

"N-no, I'm fine." Mikumo replies, the blush fading as Shiro removed his hand from hers. The feeling of his warmth replaced with the cool of the room made her feel hollow, similar to before the incident on Voldor.

Shiro was going to comment, but the ship's intercom buzz cut him off.

"Captain Okumura, please report to hangar A2. Repeat, Captain Okumura, report to hangar A2."

Shiro briefly showed mild surprise before turning to Walkure. "It appears I am needed. Remember what I told you; save those devices until you absolutely have to use them." The hint of concern betrayed his calm demeanor. Shiro walks out, followed by Walkure.

All of them nod, serious looks on their faces. The seriousness on their face quickly melt away into soft, expectant smiles.

"You better keep us safe, Shiroshiro!" Makina makes a peace sign.

Reina adds her fingers to make the 'W'. "Don't let the others outdo you."

Kaname gently nudges Reina before turning to Shiro. "Take care out there. This is your first fighter battle in space, isn't it?"

Shiro nods. "Yes, it is. Hayate already gave me some warning."

"We'll be counting on you, Shiro-san." Freyja tilts her head as she puts her hands behind her back.

Shiro couldn't resist a light smile at the sunny Windermerean girl. "I will do my best."

Without a word, the four of them went inside the changing room, leaving Mikumo alone in the hall with Shiro.

Mikumo fidgets slightly, her cheeks the same color as the gel on her body. She looks up at him, concern plastered on her face. Before she can say anything, Shiro gently wraps an arm around her side and pulls her in close. Mikumo instinctively opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out; her body refused to resist. Shiro then put a hand on the back of her shoulders, keeping her close to him. Mikumo slowly moved her hands on Shiro's chest, despite her body being so close to Shiro's. Mikumo turns her head slightly to look at Shiro as he released her slightly. Their eyes met, and Mikumo silently took in a breath in a futile attempt to stem the pace of her racing heart.

"Mikumo." Shiro softly whispers to the violet-haired singer.

Mikumo shivers with an emotion she'd never felt before. "Y-yes, Shiro?"

"Are you scared?" Shiro looks at her intently.

Mikumo glances away briefly before her crimson eyes return to Shiro's onyx eyes. "I am."

Shiro's calm demeanor melts to reveal a glimmer in his eyes that Mikumo had neither seen before nor had expected to see in his eyes. "About this battle?"

Mikumo's voice quivers slightly as she buries her face in Shiro's shoulder. "I normally don't think too hard about this..."

Shiro gently begins running his hand through Mikumo's lengthy violet hair. "In all honesty, I'm worried about your safety more than anything else right now."

Mikumo tilts her head up to look at him. "You aren't worried about how the battle's going to go?"

Shiro's expression creases into a small frown. "That is a part of my concern; my other largest concern is how I will perform. I can't be another burden the others with my shortcomings."

"What shortcomings?" Mikumo quietly retorts.

Shiro looks at her, finding no signs of sarcasm or humor. He smirks briefly before regaining his stoic composure. "Even I have my weaknesses and faults, Mikumo. If I truly had no shortcomings, none of you would have been injured since the time I became a member of Delta Platoon. Amongst other things..." His face falls slightly until he feels a soft, smooth hand caress his cheek.

"Shiro, nobody's perfect, and as far as I know, you can't teleport anywhere whenever you want. To be honest, I'm almost glad that you couldn't save me from getting hurt recently; it opened my eyes to the reality of what I do for a living. Up until recently, I never considered the risks of being on stage." Seeing Shiro's eyes widen briefly, she wraps her arms around his neck, bringing the two of them ever closer together. "Don't get me wrong, my passion for singing and feeling the wind hasn't and probably will never go out; I just won't chase that feeling like a blind, ignorant child."

Shiro smiles at her, although this time, there was a hint of playfulness in it that made Mikumo's heart skip a beat. "Well, by age alone, you are technically a child."

Mikumo pauses to register Shiro's words before her smile turned into a pout. Shiro chuckled quietly; Mikumo's pout turned into a look of curiosity as she met his eyes again.

"Speaking of which, how old are you, Shiro?" Mikumo's eyes focused on Shiro's with intent.

"Mikumo, a lot of my personal information is going to have to stay private." Seeing Mikumo frown, he continues. "What I choose to tell you must stay between the two of us, for reasons I can't yet explain."

Mikumo nods.

Shiro exhales softly. "If you read my application profile, it says I'm 22. The truth is, I have been conscious for approximately 15 years now, soon to be 16."

Mikumo's eyes widen at hearing this. "You're a bit younger than Hayate."

"Correct. Having said this, I think it's obvious to anyone who knows my real age that I didn't have anything close to what can be considered a normal childhood. Quite the opposite, actually; my early and intermediate life has comprised mostly of violent bloodshed, greed, betrayal, and pain; hence why I keep it a secret." Shiro's onyx eyes narrowed to reveal a tumultuous storm swirling in them.

"I...I didn't mean to bring up something uncomfortable for you, Shiro-" Mikumo quietly says before Shiro gently tucked her in his arms, more firmly this time. A soft squeak escapes her as her eyes bulge at being cradled by her otherwise unemotional guardian.

"It's fine, Mikumo. It seems, we are more alike than we realized. The reason I'm telling you this is because I don't want you to experience what I have. You deserve to experience a life that won't destroy everything and everyone you hold dear. That's why, despite all the stress it causes you,having your world turned upside down by a reality check is the best thing that could've happened to you." Shiro releases her enough for her to lock eyes with him, and instead of a dark pain emanating from his eyes, there was a dark glimmer of hope in them. Instead of relief, Mikumo's heart panged; she felt both immense hope and a complete lack thereof coming from Shiro's eyes.

Mikumo clenched her fingers as she held them on Shiro's shoulders. Ignoring the fact that her body screamed for more contact, Mikumo fixates her gaze on her bodyguard. "Shiro, has anyone in your life cared about you the way you care about me?"

Shiro's eyes widen slightly at seeing Mikumo manage to be both inexplicably attractive and cute while being sincerely serious about him. "If such a person existed, I have not met him or her yet. I do not expect people to care about me, usually it is expected to be the reverse. It is something I have long since grown accustomed to." His arms dropped from her body; Mikumo wrapped her arms around his neck.

Mikumo frowns slightly. "No one's ever told you they were happy to see you? That being with you made them happy? That life without you would be sad? That they simply enjoyed your presence, however minimal?"

Shiro shakes his head as he puts a small distance between himself and Mikumo. "No, none of those; I suppose I do not know what it is like to live with people who appreciate and/or enjoy me or my presence. However, I still have had people who I would still consider my friends, or at the very least, comrades." Shiro's face darkens. "If they aren't cursing me in whatever afterlife exists." He thought darkly. Shiro is pulled from his thoughts by Mikumo pushing herself closer to him.

"Shiro, I want you to know, right here, right now, that I fully appreciate everything you have done, and everything you will do for me." She pauses to gently kiss his cheek before snuggling her head close to his neck. "So, in return, allow me to be the important person in your life beyond the simple bodyguard contract." Shiro's eyes had widened more than ever before, and Mikumo couldn't help but enjoy the sight of pure shock on the normally composed bodyguard.

With that, Mikumo released herself from Shiro, an alluring and attractive smile on her face. She took a step back when Shiro's arm suddenly shot out, grabbed her wrist and gently but firmly yanked her back into his arms. Mikumo's eyes bulged as she quickly realized they were a mere inch away from Shiro's. Despite being aware of Shiro's arms wrapped snugly around her waist and just under her arms, she felt herself melt into his arms. The heat that burned her cheeks ran throughout her body, multiplied by the realization that their foreheads were touching. They closed their eyes and remained in the same position for a minute. They opened their eyes, confirming their mutual, undeniable attraction.

"Captain Okumura, please report to hangar A2."

Shiro sighs, his desire to remain with Mikumo obvious. Reluctantly, he separates from her, but not before gently kissing her on her forehead. The star singer responded with one of her own on Shiro's cheek. They shared a look of understanding before going their separate ways. Mikumo walked back into the changing room to find the other members of Walkure waiting for her, their usual outfits displayed.

Kaname puts a hand on her hips, a knowing smile on her face. "What took you so long?"

Mikumo pauses briefly, debating on whether or not to tell them the events of the previous ten minutes. "We talked."

"And?" Makina and Reina ask simultaneously.

Mikumo smiles, pink dusting her cheeks. "He teased me."

Freyja's face forms one of her unique smiles. "Ship confirmed."

Mikumo and Kaname both look at the Windermerean singer. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Makina puts a hand on Freyja's shoulder. "Fre-Fre, you shouldn't break the fourth wall like that."

"What are you talking about?" Kaname looks at Mikumo, who smiles and changes into her signature Walkure outfit.

"Everyone's got their own mysteries, Kaname. Perhaps it is best not to dwell on it too long." Mikumo said cryptically.

"Still the Mysterious Venus, as always, huh Mikumo?" Kaname chuckles quietly.

Meanwhile, Shiro was walking toward the elevator to the flight deck when a familiar voice entered his thoughts.

Did you do that to spite me?

Shiro exhaled softly, responding in his mind. "To what exactly are you referring to, Star Singer?"

The voice of the Star Singer huffed. You know exactly what I'm talking about. The kiss.

Shiro smirked, both in his mind and in reality. "To be honest, it was both." Shiro's face turns composed. "My affection for her is genuine, and you've been in my mind long enough to confirm this. As for you being against it, I do not believe you are in any position to do anything about it."

Another huff. You are a lot more blunt in your mind than when you interact with others.

"Not really; I could go on to explain how, despite having mind control abilities, you still cannot gain a modicum of control over my mind, and that leads to me doing whatever I please, but the truth is, in my mind, I am very much straight to the point. I thought you would appreciate this."

I can read your thoughts, so right now, it just comes off as rude.

"What's rude is entering someone else's mind and making yourself at home in it. Any normal person's mind would've been shattered by the amount of mental processing power it would take for one mind to house two fully unique consciousnesses. What's more, not telling the person whose mind you've entered until after you've already done so. "

You are not wrong, however, I did not have a choice. Not only that, but for whatever reason, your mind seems to have a large quantity of excess space. Enough to hold not only my consciousness and memories, but yours as well.

"You know, it would be most helpful if you could tell me why you had to move from Mikumo's mind to mine; wouldn't it be easier to help her learn about her abilities if you were still in her mind rather than mine?" Shiro was approaching the door to the hangar by this point.

I would, but judging by the way things are going right now, I doubt I will have enough time to fully explain.

"Then just give me the short version."

Not everything can be condensed so easily.

"Everything can be condensed. Obviously, there will be details that need further explanation, but I need a concrete reason as to why you've jumped ship into my mind for a reason other than for amusement."

Fine. Long story short, Mikumo's personality wasn't supposed to become its own; it was supposed to merge with me, and because it didn't, me staying in her mind could have had resulted in both of our personalities fracturing. The confliction between our personalities is too much for her physical brain to handle right now. Maybe in time, we can merge.

"If the two of you merge, will the Mikumo everyone here knows still be present?"

If we had merged earlier, no. However, at this point, and because of your actions, her personality is her own. Therefore, if we merge, both of us will still be present in everyday actions. That is a distant future, however, and we must focus on the present. For now, I will help your body in dealing with her.

Shiro stopped at hearing this, although to the personnel around him, it looked like he was waiting for the door to open. "What?"

The materials that make up your muscles and bones, they do not resonate well with Mikumo and Walkure's singing. By now, you should understand that they can transmit their thoughts and feelings through their singing.

"That much, I understand."

Each feeling and thought has its own specific wavelength that causes vibrations through whatever it comes into contact with-materials, air, space, and so forth. Most of the time, it is harmless.

"And for me?"

A few specific wavelengths could cause your bones to shatter, and your muscles to liquefy. Said wavelengths are connected to their feelings towards you, primarily negative feelings, but in general, strong feelings. Even the two weakest singers of Walkure are capable of incapacitating you, which should terrify you, comparing them to Mikumo.

Shiro had since entered the hangar to find Arad and Chuck next to each other, their respective Siegfrieds behind them. Chuck's had mechanics rushing left and right, bringing replacement super parts for his damaged Siegfried. Arad's Siegfried had the two super boosters suspended on chains above it, in the process of being installed.

"As concerning as that is, I do not anticipate any of Walkure to have any negative feelings towards me. Unfortunately, this has only raised many more questions for me, but we do not have the time to discuss any more. I suppose I'll have to trust you for now."

Indeed. Because, for all intents and purposes, you are my host, I will not negatively impact you. Intentionally, that is. I also do not have the intention of controlling you; Mikumo seems to like you a lot, and if I'm being honest... A sigh sounds in Shiro's mind, and the bodyguard mentally nodded.

"I will not force you to do or say anything, Star Singer. Like I mentioned earlier, you have been in my mind long enough to know what kind of person I am and some understanding of my intentions. I think it would be beneficial to both of us if we avoided any and all pointless conflicts."

Taking the silence as agreement, Shiro walks over to Arad and Chuck, who are engaged in a conversation. Upon reaching them, they turn and look at him with straight faces.

"Shiro, you're a bit late." Arad says to the stoic bodyguard.

"Apologies, Major. I was inspecting the stage module that Walkure uses to perform in from the Aether."

"You weren't putting any hidden cameras in there, were you?" Chuck asks with a strange grin.

"Even if I did have the intention of hiding a camera in the module, there are no places to hide a camera, as the entire upper module is transparent." Shiro replies, unfazed.

"Hey Shiro?" Chuck cocks his head towards Shiro.

"What is it?" Shiro, despite having a stoic expression, had a subtle air of annoyance around him.

"Are you straight?" Chuck had a straight face that rivaled Shiro's.

"What is he talking about?" Shiro thought to himself. Before he could answer, the Star Singer spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly.

He's asking if your... sexual preference is women...

"...seriously?"

"Yes, Chuck, I am straight." Shiro answers, half hoping he sounded normal, half wanting to slug the Ragnan pilot.

"You sure don't show it." Chuck scoffs, a grin on his face.

Before Shiro can retort, Arad clears his throat, grabbing the pilot and bodyguard's attention. "Shiro, I called you here because we've got a situation developing with the ISDF's carrier group. More Apex battleships folded in and they're getting boxed in."

Shiro faced Arad. "There must be a substantial amount of them to be able to block the ISDF's carrier group."

Arad nods. "Between the the Apex fleet's lanes of fire, and the flak from the ISDF's ships, it's too dangerous for the Aether to attempt to dock with the Enterprise without getting torn up."

"Which means, I will have to find another way to acquire a fighter." Shiro looks down slightly, in thought.

"Naturally. However, I worked out a way to get you airborne, if you're up for it." Arad says levelly.

Shiro tilts his head slightly. "Why do you say that as though I would not be?"

"Because you won't be able to stay on the Aether. You'll have to use the ISDF's stealth shuttle to get to the Enterprise for the reasons aforementioned." Arad says as an elevator lowers next to them, revealing the same geometric shaped hull of the stealth shuttle previously seen, though the shuttle itself was considerably smaller, just enough to fit in the ready bays for Siegfrieds and Kairos. The door opens to reveal two ISDF personnel; a male officer of average height with brown hair and dark brown eyes, and a female enlisted soldier with blue hair and green eyes. The two walk over to Shiro, both of them saluting Shiro, who salutes them back out of necessity.

"I am 2nd Lieutenant Alex Richards, and this is is Sergeant First Class Jane Smith. Captain Okumura, we have been ordered to escort you to hangar 11 on the Enterprise."

Shiro nods. "Understood. Is there a fighter prepared for me to pilot?"

Smith hums. "Sir, by the time we arrive on the Enterprise, the crews should have your fighter ready."

"What fighter has been prepared for me?" Shiro asks as he nods to Arad and Chuck before turning towards the shuttle.

"From what the mechanics described, I believe that they are preparing a standard issue VF-30 for your use, Captain." Richards says as they near the shuttle. The door opens, and Richards motions for Shiro to walk in first. Smith waits by the door as Shiro boards the shuttle.

Shiro nods. As the doors close, Smith enters the cockpit and the hum of the engines starting fills the cabin. As the elevator rises to launch deck, Richards eyes Shiro cautiously. Sensing his gaze, Shiro looks towards the Lieutenant.

"Is there something on your mind, Lieutenant?" Shiro asks without any emotion.

Richards exhales before looking at Shiro. "Yes, Captain. If I may be so bold, I would like to ask a few questions for you."

"We have some time on our hands before we arrive at the Enterprise, so you may as well." Shiro remained stoic.

Richards glances at the swords on Shiro's back, the tiniest glint of blue visible from behind him. "Those are swords, correct?"

Shiro frowned inwardly. "Yes, these are swords."

"What is it about everyone asking if the large, blade-shaped objects on my back are swords?"

It seems, the notion that someone using a blade larger than a knife in the day and age where ranged firearms are more common baffles most people. The Star Singer sounded similarly annoyed as Shiro was.

"Apparently."

Richards leans forward slightly. "Do you use those swords in combat?"

"Yes, Lieutenant. I use swords in combat, and I am quite proficient at doing so." Shiro's eyes narrow slightly.

Richards seemed to catch on to Shiro's annoyance. "Sorry, sir. I just did not expect an officer such as yourself to be skilled in close quarters combat and at the same time. It is something of a rare occurrence. That, and your choice of weapon for that instance, on top of being unexpected, is also rather unique."

"Are Captains Masaki and Takamura as proficient in close quarters combat as they are as pilots?" Shiro questions the lieutenant out of curiosity and annoyance.

Richards' eyes widened briefly. "Well, as far as I know, sir, I believe they are, on top of being respectable marksmen, er women."

"Then why does my having swords surprise you when you already know of two ISDF captains who have similar circumstances as my own?"

Shiro, don't you think you're being a little harsh?

"I don't know, sir. I just don't know of anyone who uses swords other than Captain Takamura, and she, along with Captain Masaki, are among a small group of people who actually use something other than a combat knife for close engagements."

"This can hardly be considered harsh, Star Singer. For starters, I am not angry so much as curious as to what people think when they see me. I do not care for their opinions, but it certainly helps to know how people view me before I interact with them."

"Lieutenant, there is nothing wrong with having a curious mind. What's important is the process by which you satisfy your curiosity."

"Sir?"

"In short, being direct with your questions is not always the best way to get information from others. Sometimes, it may come off as rude or blunt to a fault. Keep that in mind for the future." Shiro explains.

"Yes sir." Richards seemed to be processing Shiro's words.

The rate at which you process information before acting on it is both amazing and downright terrifying.

"Depending on how long you stay in my mind, you'll come to see that this speed is normal for me. If you haven't already figured it out, obviously."

"Sir, Lieutenant Colonel Takamura is contacting us from the Arcadia." Smith calls out from the cockpit.

Shiro looks at Richards, who returns his gaze.

"Who did he say he wanted?" Shiro asks the sergeant.

"He didn't specify, sir." Smith doesn't turn her gaze from the cockpit's windows.

Shiro glances at Richards before getting up to answer Ryu's call. "Lieutenant Colonel Takamura? This is Captain Okumura."

There is a pause before the comm picks up Ryu's voice. "Captain, confirm your status."

"I am currently being escorted by 2nd Lieutenant Richards and Sergeant First Class Smith to hangar 11 on the Enterprise." Shiro looks at Smith. "What is our ETA to the Enterprise?"

Smith taps a button on the console between her flight controls. "Our ETA is 5 minutes, sir."

Shiro nods. "Lieutenant Colonel, our ETA is 5 minutes. What is the situation of the Enterprise?"

"The Enterprise is under heavy assault from the Apex fleet. We're keeping their battleships at bay with our fighter squadrons, but several of their fighter squadrons have broken through our defense lines and are attacking the carrier."

"Are the carriers still functional, Lieutenant Colonel?"

A nearby explosion echoes through the comm before Ryu responds. "The Lionheart and Arcadia have only sustained minor damage, but the Enterprise's damage is getting worse the longer she stays separated from the rest of the fleet. By the way, once you get to hangar 11, there should be a flight engineer by the name of Vlad Iosef. He'll get you set up with a new bird."

The sound of gunfire and explosions rattle the shuttle; Shiro looks out the canopy and sees the Enterprise, the space around the sizable carrier blanketed with explosions and tracers. In the distance, Shiro could make out The delta wings of the VF-30s contrasted the arrow-shaped silhouettes of the VF-171s dogfighting with them. There was the occasional VF-31A darting around the battle space, but Shiro did not see any VF-31 Siegfrieds among them. Shiro made note of the multiple fires that had broken out on the nearest corner flight deck, some of them housing what appeared to be the wrecks of variable fighters, some VF-30s, most others VF-171s.

"Can the Enterprise hold out like this, Lieutenant Colonel?" Shiro asks as he scans the carrier. They were getting very close, and Shiro tensed subtly at how close some of the Enterprise's tracers got to the shuttle.

"Major Barchenowa is in command of the Enterprise; I know she'll be able to hold out, but the faster we get the Hammer of Sol to link up within the Enterprise's battle space and get the two joined with the rest of our fleet, the better."

"Speaking of which, do you know the statuses of Delta Platoon and/or the Hammer of Sol? I have not heard much from either." The shuttle jolts slightly as Smith slows it down, the shuttle nearing one of the expansive hangars.

"All members of Delta Platoon are alive, and their Siegfrieds functional. Major Molders has been coordinating with myself and Major Barchenowa, and I've been informed that they've successfully joined up with the Hammer. The two ships should be nearing the Enterprise soon enough. As for the Hammer of Sol, I have not been informed of any significant damage, so right now, it looks like the Enterprise's seen the worst of it."

Shiro turns his attention to the hangar, taking note of the large number 11 painted on the inside wall, seeing the crew members running back and forth, some pulling trolleys of parts to and from the ends of the hangar. The shuttle rumbles as it touches down.

"All things considered, I think things are going as well as could be expected, Lieutenant Colonel. We have arrived at hangar 11. I will update you and Major Molders when I have launched." Shiro says before exiting the shuttle. As he turns to exit, Smith calls out to him.

"Sir, you should take this." She hands him an earpiece.

Shiro takes it and puts it in his ear as Richards puts one in his ear. "These have been synced to be able to connect to both ISDF comm lines and Xaos comm lines. You should be able to contact Delta Platoon or anyone you'll need to contact. I don't imagine you'll be needing it since you'll be getting into a fighter soon enough, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

Shiro nods. "I agree. Do either of you know where I can find Vlad Iosef?"

"Da, he is here."

Shiro turns toward the voice and sees an aged man with sharp, blue eyes, gray hair and a similarly colored beard walking towards him. Despite the facial hair and obvious age, the man still had well kept hair and reasonably well-toned muscles. Vlad stopped a few feet from Shiro and eyed the bodyguard.

"You are the pilot who lost his first bird after a few hours of flying it?" Vlad spoke with a thick, heavy accent that Shiro didn't recognize.

Shiro maintained his expressionless state as he spoke. "Yes, I was shot down, and I need a new fighter."

"I don't really care about the circumstances, I just need to know whether or not you care about the fighter you fly. I'm not fixing birds just so people can crash them and expect another to be handed to them." Vlad says with a firm expression.

"If you mean to ask if I care about maintaining the fighter I fly, then yes, I do indeed care about the fighter I fly. I understand how costly a variable fighter can be, and I respect those who put in their efforts to maintain them." Shiro says calmly.

Vlad looks at Shiro carefully, no doubt assessing whether or not he meant what he said. After a minute, Vlad hums. "You really don't seem like the type to waste resources so carelessly. Come, the Major told me to have a fighter prepared for you, though that might change, depending on the circumstances."

Shiro glances at Smith and Richards, mild surprise on their faces. "I was not informed I had a choice in the matter; I also am neither in any position to to be particular, nor do I have any intention to be. My squadmates are currently fighting without me, and I have no intention of letting that situation continue for any longer than it needs to."

Vlad chuckles as they begin walking, his voice rumbling. "You sound just like one of my comrades from way back when. Always mission first, huh?"

Shiro answers without hesitation. "For all intents and purposes, Walkure is my mission."

Vlad chuckles again, this time haughtier. "All five of those women? Or just one of them?"

Shiro almost stops, an action that Vlad noticed, despite having his back to the composed bodyguard. "That is...complicated."

"Such is life with women." Vlad chortles quietly, ignoring Smith's glare on the back of his head. "I'm sure you know, even if your face and body language are neutral, you aren't, and people can figure out what you're hiding with little issue. So tell me, what's it like, being the one who has the responsibility and privilege of attending to Mikumo Guynemer personally?"

Shiro narrows his eyes at the grizzly mechanic. "To begin with, making that kind of information public would only invite conflict, as everyone in Delta Platoon protects all of Walkure, regardless of any relationships with the latter. If it were to be made known that someone in Delta Platoon was prioritizing a specific member of Walkure over the rest, I have no doubt that someone would incite a conflict over which member of Walkure is superior over the other because of this favoritism from a Delta Platoon pilot. That is contradictory to what Walkure is and should be: a team."

Vlad glances at Shiro out of the corner of his eye, his expression neutral. "Do you honestly believe that?"

Shiro doesn't hesitate for a second. "Yes, I do. Call it naivety, if you will; I simply believe the current dynamic of Walkure is the best out of all existing possibilities."

"It is not naivety if you understand there are other possibilities that may or may not be better than what currently exists." Vlad says quietly. "You also did not answer my question, Captain."

Shiro's frown stays on his face briefly. "Do you talk in this manner to other officers of similar or higher rank than myself?"

Vlad snorted near inaudibly. "Do you consider yourself an officer similar to the existing ones such as Captain Takamura or Captain Murasaki? Don't take my behavior as one of disrespect, Captain; I just know when rank is earned, a formality, or a special circumstance."

"And what do you believe I am?" Shiro asks as they near a separate hangar block within the massive space.

"You carry swords and are the personal bodyguard of arguably the most enigmatic and beautiful woman in existence. I don't doubt you have extensive combat experience, but let's be honest here. That rank of yours is just for operational independence pertaining to her, isn't it?"

Shiro exhales quietly. "I cannot believe a part of me actually wishes for people to be dense. If things like this can be figured out with a moderate amount of assumption and inference, I fear my most important secrets and information will not stay as such."

Vlad chuckles again. "Not everyone is as attentive as I am; this comes with the job of being a mechanic. If you can't pay attention to detail worth a damn, someone could die because of it."

Shiro glances at Vlad briefly. "This line of work emphasizes a considerable amount of interdependence; you should not hold yourself accountable if you do everything physically possible in your power, yet others die because they did not. If you do, you will certainly regret it later on."

Vlad turns his head just enough to look at Shiro, youth and seniority present in his eyes. "You sound like the voice of experience."

Shiro's eyes narrow slightly. "I sometimes wish I was not."

Vlad sighs as he turns around, a somber expression on his face. "I get that feeling often."

They reach the separate hangar block, where two bays are visible, one open, one closed. The open bay contains the sleek, sliver with red trimmed VF-30 that Shiro had seen flying around.

Shiro looks to Vlad, who nods. "It's yours. Try not to wreck it."

"I will try my best not to." Shiro then looks around. "Is there a suit I can borrow?"

Richards runs over to Shiro. "Captain, there should be a suit in the room to the left of the bay. I highly recommend you get changed as fast as possible; I've received word that Apex fighters are pushing our defense lines back."

Shiro was about to respond when a buzz in his ear grabs his attention. "Hello?"

"Captain Okumura?" Illya's voice raised through the earpiece. "What is your status? Have you reached the hangar?"

"Yes, Major. I have reached hangar 11, and have met with mechanic Iosef. I am about to get equipped and get ready for launch."

"Negative, Captain. Get everyone in that bay out of there, ASAP."

"Major?" Shiro tilts his head towards Smith and Richards, wondering if they were picking up on this, their expressions confused.

Shiro quickly went stiff at hearing the background chatter.

"Impact imminent! Collision point, hangar 11, block D-2!"

"ETC, 1 minute!"

"Carrier unit 3 shield strength at 25%! It won't deflect the ship!"

"Have we evacuated all personnel from the deck?!"

"Negative, Captain Okumura and Flight Engineer Iosef are still present, along with at least 50 crew members!"

"There's no time-"

There was static as the entire ship bucked and groaned, the sound of metal screeching filling the hangar block they were in. The rumbling turned into violent shaking, and as Shiro knelt down to steady himself, he turned to see the hull warp and bend until a large, navy blue object with geometric turrets pierced the inner hull. Shiro's eyes widened briefly after recognizing it as a stealth cruiser's hull. Shiro turned around and saw the flight mechanics, Smith, and Richards knocked off their feet, the female sergeant bleeding from the side of her head. Vlad had managed to brace himself against one of the walls, and as his gaze met Shiro's, an audible whirring sound made them both turn. What greeted them, was arguably the worst case scenario. Of the two turrets visible on the cruiser's hull, the larger one had survived the impact, and was now turning towards Shiro and the impact-shocked crew members behind him.

"Richards, are you injured?." Shiro calls out as he looks around the hangar.

"No, sir." Richards coughs, turning to Smith, who is bleeding from the side of her head.

The same whirring sound causes Shiro to snap his head toward the source. "Get everyone to safety. Now."

With that, Shiro drew both of his swords the moment the turret began firing two beams simultaneously in his general direction. Shiro dashed to a position in front of the downed mechanics and idle fighter, dodging the first 58mm beams being fired by the turret. He looked behind him briefly, counting the duration the beams fired lasted.

"The beam's continuous radiation time is more or less 8 seconds." Shiro made note of as the beam turret fired again. Shiro was ready this time, positioning his swords in such a way that he would always be able to affect the angle at which the beams made contact with his swords. The moment the beams made contact, Shiro rotated the swords in his hands, his left sword deflecting the beam up towards the ceiling, his right sword deflecting the beam down, burning a stream into the floor.

"Approximately 10 seconds between each firing interval."

Shiro turns towards the crew and personnel behind him. "Richards, is everyone out of harm's way?" He quickly turns and deflects another pair of beams, the left beam deflecting sharply towards a wall parallel to Shiro, the right beam deflecting up, taking out one of the lights on the ceiling.

Richards had just finished pulling an unconscious mechanic out of the general area. The VF-30 sat in the open hangar, completely exposed. "Captain, Flight Engineer Iosef is still present. He is currently arming a guided rocket launcher."

The turret fired another pair of beams, which Shiro quickly deflected at a perpendicular angle to himself.

"Just buy me a couple minutes, some Mudak locked my stuff behind three codes of safeties! Chert Poberi! Is this what you call safety?! An accidental discharge is better than being turned into flesh putty any day!" Vlad swears as he furiously mashes codes into a locker with a large case in it.

Shiro, the turret's going to fire again!

"Star Singer? How-"

Shiro turns and is met with a flurry of beams that he barely manages to deflect properly. The first two beams, Shiro instinctively split in half, the outside beams going wide and hitting the walls behind him. The inner beams, Shiro dodged by an uncomfortably close margin, the beams burning through his jacket and searing the left side of his abdomen and his right shoulder. The sword-wielding guardian grit his teeth in a mix of pain and concentration as more beams quickly shot out of the turret, the beams much shorter, but fired considerably faster. Each beam was quickly deflected into random directions, a few hitting the miscellaneous objects scattered throughout the hangar. Shiro coughed as the burst of lasers wound down, a small puff of steam exiting his mouth.

Shiro, are you all right? Why can't I feel your pain? I can't help you if you block off information from me! The Star Singer assaults Shiro's consciousness with her obvious concerns.

"Star Singer, I cut off my senses so you wouldn't feel my pain. As for the lack of information, my mind overclocks to assist and account for my enhanced muscle reflexes; I have to process a substantial amount of information during combat, and constantly having these little conversations with you takes up too much of my mind's processing capabilities, not to mention, my focus." Shiro coughs again, another puff of steam exiting his mouth.

"Vlad." Shiro calls out. "I hope you have finished loading that launcher." Shiro doesn't have time to listen for the mechanic's answer, as the beam turret fired again, this time with its original firing pattern. Shiro raises his arms to deflect the beams, but the pain from his shoulder causes his arm to stiffen. Shiro instinctively side-stepped to avoid taking any more damage, but ultimately realized too late that the beam his left arm was supposed to deflect was on a collision course with the fighter he was supposed to fly. The beam hits the engine of his fighter, the intake turning bright orange before warping and exploding. Shiro cursed inwardly, his eyes narrowed and his mouth curled downward. He glances off to the side to see Vlad holding a large box that the mechanic pulls a cover off of, revealing a four-barreled rocket launcher. Vlad wastes no time and aims it directly at the turret, a laser shining on the turret. He fires, four rockets sailing towards the turret before hitting it dead center between the guns. The turret explodes, and as the smoke clears, Vlad exhales a breath of relief at the remains of the turret, a hole blasted clean through its structure. The beam guns mounted on the left and right of the turret were only barely attached to what remained of the structure.

Shiro turns around to look at the remains of the VF-30 that was parked behind him. It was listing sideways, its wing leaning against the floor of the hangar. Its left engine, right from Shiro's perspective, was blown off completely. Half of the rear engine unit remained somewhat intact, but the intake of the fighter was nowhere to be found, presumably annihilated by the beam that hit it. Shiro sheathes his swords, frowning at the moderate pain coming from his side and shoulder and the now disabled fighter.

Shiro walks over to Vlad, who is placing the rocket launcher back into its case. "I hope this does not count as me destroying another fighter, although I would understand if you were to place the responsibility with me."

Shiro, don't be ridiculous. The fact that you and everyone behind you is still alive after being shot at by weapons made to destroy fighters and battleships is nothing short of an astounding feat.

"It does not change the fact that my only way of providing meaningful assistance to my comrades and actually being able to protect Mikumo and Walkure is now shot, literally."

Vlad raises an eyebrow at Shiro. "You're seriously asking me that?"

Shiro doesn't get a chance to answer, as the door on the end of the hangar block from which they all entered opens, revealing a dozen-plus soldiers, all in grey combat gear, some armed with rifles, others armed with large rocket launchers similar to the one Vlad had just used. A group of engineers, some pulling large carts of metal panels and tools follows them. All of the soldiers, were led by a male Captain in similar equipment. The captain walks over to Shiro and Vlad. He salutes Shiro, who responds accordingly.

"Captain John Bridges of the 2nd Infantry Assault Corps. I assume you two are Captain Okumura and Flight Engineer Iosef?"

"Da, that would be us. Come to evaluate the damage, sir?" Vlad asks, his tone neutral.

"Yes, that and I have been ordered to check on the statuses of you two and the flight crew that was assigned to this hangar bay." Bridges glances around at the multitude of scorch marks all over the walls and ceiling of the hangar area. "While we wait for the engineers to give me a status report on the hull, I would like a run down of what happened here."

Shiro looks at Vlad briefly before nodding. "Understood. You may find what I will tell you somewhat hard to believe, so I ask that you allow me to bring Flight Engineer Iosef and 2nd Lieutenant Richards with me as cross references."

Bridges glances at Vlad before turning back to Shiro. "That is acceptable. Speaking of him, where is 2nd Lieutenant Richards?"

"Present, sir." Richards says as he walks up to the three of them. "Sorry, sirs, I was helping attend to our the crew injured in the collision."

Bridges nods. "That's fine. While we're on the subject, do we have any casualties?"

"No fatal casualties, sir. The most severe injury was sustained by Sergeant First Class Smith, who sustained a minor head injury and slight bleeding from the head. All other personnel have minor injuries, the most common being a small level of shellshock."

Bridges sighs a quiet breath of relief. "Thank god."

One of the ship's engineers runs up to Bridges with a data pad in her hands. "Captain, we've assessed the damage."

"And?"

The engineer breathes quietly. "It's not bad compared to what could've happened; the cruiser's hull hit this carrier unit at such an angle that decompression won't occur until either the cruiser pulls out, which it won't due to its complete loss of engine power, or until the adjacent 80 meters of hull sustain enough damage to compromise the integrity."

"That small an area? Who ran the calculations?"

"Specialist Bridges did, sir."

Bridges pinches the bridge of his nose. "As much as the information seems off, she's never been wrong before, has she?"

A small smile graces the engineer's face. "No sir, she hasn't; I'll ask her to run the calculations again, if that would ease your worries."

Bridges scoffs. "She's going to give me hell for asking, but have her run it again. I'll bite the bullet for you guys."

"Thank you sir." The engineer salutes before turning around and jogging back to the warped section of hull.

"Now then, since both the Lieutenant and Flight Engineer are present, would you mind telling me what happened down here, Captain?"

Shiro nods. "No, I would not. Before the collision, I was being escorted by 2nd Lieutenant Richards and Sergeant First Class Smith to meet with Flight Engineer Iosef to get suited up and readied for launch in a VF-30 Chronos managed by Flight Engineer Iosef."

Bridges glances at the two, seeing both of them nod, he looks back to Shiro. "And what happened when the stealth cruiser collided with this carrier unit?"

"Of all the personnel present, only Flight Engineer Iosef and myself were able to avoid any serious repercussions from the cruiser's collision, and that was when the two of us noticed the enemy's cruiser still had an active beam turret that survived the collision."

"And this beam turret fired upon you and the nearby crews?"

"That is correct."

"Then how do you explain all these?" Bridges motions to the numerous scorch marks pointed in various directions all over the hangar area.

"I attempted to deflect all of the beams fired by the turret away from the crews, who were still somewhat incapacitated at this point." Shiro glances at the disabled fighter behind them. "I managed to protect the crew members, at the expense of the fighter I was assigned."

Bridges' face emanated skepticism, a scowl on his face. "That really is hard to believe. You mean to tell me, you managed to deflect 58mm laser beams from an active stealth cruiser turret long enough for Flight Engineer Iosef to unlock a restricted ordnance launcher?"

"With all due respect, sir, Captain Okumura not only protected all of the crew members, including myself, he also stalled for enough time to allow Flight Engineer Iosef to destroy the turret." Richards adds, his voice tense.

"Calm down, Richards. It's not like he didn't warn me beforehand, it's just..." Bridges glances around once more at the scorch marks all over the hangar. "You really are impressive, Captain Okumura. Your feats have not gone unnoticed, and while I honestly thought they were stretched further than a mile long rubber band, I see now the stories were probably understating your abilities."

Shiro shifts slightly. "Respectfully, I appreciate the compliment, but there are things I need to attend to, if at all possible." Shiro looks between Bridges and Vlad. "Are there any other fighters available for my use? I would not like to lay idle while my comrades are fighting a battle on this scale."

Bridges glances at Vlad, who shrugs. "Give us a minute, Captain. Iosef, with me" Bridges walks far enough away with Vlad so Shiro couldn't hear them.

Richards looks at Shiro. "Sir, are you really okay? I saw you get burned by those lasers you cut in half."

Shiro shifts his shoulders, testing the way they felt. "If I manage to get a fighter, my injuries will not be a problem. My lower abdomen may have required attention if the beam had gotten any closer, but between you and me, my body heals much faster than normal people's bodies do, so I am not worried too much about it."

Shiro's shoulder, while visibly burned, neither looked serious nor was serious. His lower abdomen, on the other hand, looked worse; his otherwise normal skin tone was replaced a small but noticeable patch of grey, the edges of the patch flush with the hole in his jacket.

Richards didn't look convinced, but didn't say anything further. A minute passed before Vlad and Bridges returned, neutral expressions on their faces.

"Captain Okumura, there is a fighter available that you can fly, but it is...a special circumstance." Bridges hesitates slightly. "Follow us."

"How do you feel about flying an older-generation fighter that's been souped up like a child taking a shot of vodka for the first time and becoming a man?" Vlad asks, a grin breaking out on his face as they walk toward a hangar bay a couple doors down from the disabled Chronos.

Shiro tilts his head to the side slightly. "If it can perform on a level that is on par with or exceeds what our enemies are flying, I will take it."

Vlad's grin widens as they reach the bay. "She can do a hell of a lot more than what those cheese wedges flying out there can do."

As Bridges punches in a code, the doors open to reveal a VF-25 with an armor pack, but with noticeable differences. The arms had built-in mounts for gunpods, and as such, both arms had what appeared to be a modified gatling gunpod mounted. Shiro also made note of the armor parts being a similar color as the rest of the ISDF fleet. While certain areas of the armored parts were normally black, this VF-25's armored parts were an almost chromatic silver; the sharp red of the remainder of the parts made Shiro frown inwardly at how much the fighter stood out, even in comparison to the VF-30 that used to be next to it. Shiro didn't know this, but the armored pack of the VF-25 was also considerably different than the previous armored pack. The 3D booster nozzles on the rear of the booster were a geometric shape, rather than a circular shape. The heat sinks of the armored booster were the same size as a normal Armored VF-25, but the booster itself was larger, the lower front of each accommodating a higher caliber anti-ship beam turret; the rear of the booster also protruded past the tip of the fighter's base engine exhausts. The central fuselage missile packs had an ISDF YF-25 inscription on it, and there was no antenna behind said missile packs. The piece of armor behind the head unit stood out more, along with small boosters on the dorsal side of the engines. The larger, wing-mounted missile launchers also carried slightly more missiles, each containing four more than the standard 30. One of the largest differences was the presence of what appeared to be rails on both sides of the dorsal fuselage. The other massive difference was the presence of an angled piece of fold quartz embedded in the chest armor on either side. Shiro looked at the fighter with obvious interest, something Vlad quickly took notice of.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Vlad smiles with pride as he, Bridges, and Shiro gaze at the modified, armored beast of a VF-25.

"I admit, this looks very appealing. What are its armaments?" Shiro asks, his eyes never leaving the fighter.

"Two 55mm, 5-barreled gatling gunpods. Each with 750 Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot rounds. Two 61mm anti-ship or anti-air beam turrets. You can fire them manually, or autonomously. Two 25mm high-speed machine guns, mounted to the left and right of the intakes. You'll really only be able to use them in Fighter mode, so be sure to use those. As for missiles, well..." Vlad chuckles almost evilly. "The double loaded leg launchers have 140 missiles all told, and the chest and shoulder launchers have 128 missiles all told. Don't go crazy with those, by the way, you might blow up a friendly or two if you do."

"Anything else worth mentioning?"

"An upgraded Inertia Store Converter and engines on the standards of the VF-30s, fuselage-mounted rails for the gunpods in Battroid mode if you feel the need to punch something, but don't want to ditch the gunpod, and last but most certainly not least, a fold-wave system that lets you pierce fold faults like butter and boosts engine performance even further when space idols sing their hearts out."

"I take it this is a special prototype that needs real combat data?"

"That's right. You up for it?"

"Do I need to manually record data while I fly it?"

"Nope, it's already been set up to gather data on about anything you could do."

"Well, given that my primary purpose is to protect, in your words, space idols who sing their hearts out, I think this will do the job very nicely." Shiro's eyes were focused, but not necessarily on the fighter.

"You should go suit up, Captain. I'll finalize all the systems by the time you get back."

"Right. I just hope my team can hold on out there a little longer." Shiro says with a small frown as he turns to walk to the locker room behind them.

---

Whew, this chapter is long as hell, 16.5k words without Author's Notes. Also, sorry about publishing at "3/6/18" I had other shit to do, but I wasn't about to go back on my promise of posting this chapter, so I hope you all can forgive me. Also, if any of you are wondering why I put in a jacked VF-25 Messiah, well...I just felt like it. :D

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I estimate that the next chapter will take about two to three weeks, depending. Leave your comments and reviews, and I'll get back to you guys shortly!