Well, things are 'heating up'.
Data File 0233: Germany-Hammond Republic Relations
When Hammond was created, many nations applauded the people who had done what was supposedly impossible. The Balkans had not been united, the closest thing was Yugoslavia under Tito. The Hammond Republic had united not just the old Yugoslavic countries, but also the surrounding Balkan states under one flag. With sovereignty came threats from more powerful countries, and the EU tried to force the Hammond Republic into their hold. When this started, Hammond quickly appealed to Germany for protection. Germany was able to convince the EU to leave Hammond alone, and this event was where politicians point to as the beginning of one of the most respectful political relationships in the world, second to the US and Japan's. Germany is one of two friendly nations to Hammond, the other being Russia. Germany is allowed to conduct military exercises with Hammond, as well as get a small look at the Hammond Military technology. There is documentation of German soldiers firing Hammond infantry weaponry, and video of a German IS pilot fighting a Hammond pilot. When the Middle Eastern War broke out, Germany was told by Hammond to stay out of it because, quote. "We don't want to drag your country down to our hell." At Germany's demands, Hammond stopped the war when the Big Three started making threats and moving soldiers towards Hammond lines. The relationship wasn't tarnished with this, and has actually been strengthened. Multiple times, other countries have pressured Germany to spill secrets. Everytime, these countries are quieted by Hammond going into, basically, red alert and start pulling all diplomats, which is a step towards war with said country.
Classroom 1-1
Ichika and Charles were having a small conversation in the classroom when Ms. Yamada entered the room, quieting everyone down.
"Class, today we're having another transfer student join us!"
The class started mumbling again, hoping it was another boy. To their surprise, a platinum haired girl walked into the classroom.
"My name is Laura Bodewig, and that is all." The girl said.
The class stared, waiting for more from the girl. "Anything else?" Ms. Yamada asked nervously.
"Nein."
"Okay then."
Laura eyed each of the students in the class, and her gaze fell on one Ichika Orimura. She walked over to him. "You.."
And promptly slapped him, evoking a gasp from the entire class.
"I will never accept you as her brother!" She exclaimed, while Ichika nursed the bruise.
Gio, who wasn't present for the event, walked into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late, I was helping fix something-Laura!?"
Laura turned, facing Gio. "Pilot Soldat!" She shouted, running to be right in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
"I go to school here! What are you doing here? Did Germany send you here?" Gio asked.
"They did!"
"Why? Last time I checked you could almost stand toe to toe to me." Gio remarked, getting another gasp from the class.
"This german can do what?!" Cecilia shrieked.
"Yeah. Compared to all of you, Laura is basically a whole tier above." Gio answered. "And why is it when anything happens, you shriek?"
"I-I don't know."
Gio turned back to Laura. "So, Germany sent you here why?"
"ISA requires all Representative Contenders to come here. Also, my instructor is here." Laura answered.
"Instructor?" Gio asked.
Chifuyu walked into the class at this point. "Bodewig? What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, instructor. I've run into a friend from my time in the military, and your...brother." Laura answered, a little shaky with the last part.
"I see. Go take your seat then, you may speak with them more later. I'm sure Inferno can tell you the story of him defeating three MT-2s." Chifuyu said, leaving Laura to turn to Gio with her stars in her eyes. Gio patted her shoulder, and pointed to her seat.
Later that day, on the rooftop
Gio and Laura were hanging out on the rooftop. Gio was leaning against the railing, while Laura faced him. "I'm just saying you could go easier on Ichika. He hasn't done anything terribly wrong."
"He is weak. He is unworthy of being Instructor's sibling." Laura explained.
"But he was young when it happened!"
"I was young when I started training, he has no excuse."
Gio winced, he couldn't really argue against that. "At least you see gender equality. I guess you win."
Laura beamed.
"Though, is it possible that he can prove himself to you?" Gio asked. "Could he prove that he is strong?"
"He could...I think I would approve of him if he could." Laura answered, sounding a bit unsure. "If he could beat me, that would do it."
"Well, he is being trained by the British, Chinese, and French Representative Contenders. And the sister of Dr. Shinonono. He might stand a chance."
Laura narrowed her eyes.
"I said might." Gio quickly said. "I haven't met the French Representative Contender, but the other two are head over heels for Ichika, so is Shinonono."
"Um...what…?" Laura deadpanned.
"I don't know either…" Gio sighed. "I gotta go meet up with someone from class 1-4, you want to come with?"
Ichika and Gio's Dorm
Ichika was setting up the futon on the floor, while Charles unpacked his stuff from his suitcase. Gio had called them, saying he was going to do some work with someone on their IS.
Ichika finished setting up the futon. "Alright Charles, I'm done here. How 'bout you?"
"All set up here, Ichika." Charles answered, finishing putting his stuff into the drawers. "Any idea why all three of us are stuck in this room together?"
"Cause we're all dudes. We can't be in the same rooms as the girls." Ichika calmly responded. "I wouldn't want to be in the same room as them anyway. They're all too crazy!" He silently said to himself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Ichika quickly said. "So...how's the shower gonna work?"
"What do you mean?" Charles asked.
"Well, Gio and I alternate who goes first. But now you're here, what's the plan now?"
"I say just have a rotation. Who was first last night?" Charles asked.
"I was."
"So then Inferno-"
"Gio."
"-will go first tonight, then me second, then you third. Then tomorrow will be me, you, Inferno."
"Charles, you can call him Gio. I don't think he'll mind." Ichika stated. "I've only heard Chi-Ms. Orimura call him Inferno. Well, her and the new girl."
"Well, Inferno and I have crossed paths before." Charles answered. "We were both part of Operation Europa's Shield."
"The big military exercise? The only exercise that Hammond is allowed to participate in?" Ichika asked. "I wasn't aware that Gio could participate in it."
"I didn't either. I saw him on the Hammond Republic IS Pilot roster. Then I saw Inferno on the class roster and I recognized it." Charles explained. "I fought him myself, though I don't think he recognizes me now."
"Well, it's strange he didn't tell me about another male pilot in the world." Ichika said nonchalantly. "Makes me wonder if there are more in the world."
"Hahaha...yeah…" Charles trailed off.
Arena 6, Hangar 14
"Kanzashi! I'm here and I brought a friend!" Gio shouted, with Laura walking behind him. In front of the two was an empty hangar.
Kanzashi suddenly ran up from behind the pair. "Sorry! I had to help the teacher with something." Kanzashi quickly explained. She turned to Laura, and moved towards Gio responsively. "W-who are you?" She asked, suddenly very nervous.
"My name is Laura Bodewig, a friend and comrade of Soldat's." Laura answered. "You must be the Japanese Representative Contender, Kanzashi Sarashiki?"
"Yes…" She answered, gripping Gio's sleeve while hiding behind him. "Why do you call him...um...what was it? Soltad?"
"Soldat. It's german for soldier." Gio explained. "Laura never uses my name in casual conversation, since we are both military soldiers. She just calls me soldat, but in battle she'll use my first name."
"So...you t-two ae first name basis as well." Kanzashi muttered. "Are you two...close?"
"Well, we are friends. I have comrades, but I have no one I regularly "hang out" with." Laura answered, air quoting. "I would say he is the only person I am close with outside of Instructor and my company."
"...okay."
Gio clapped his hands together. "Alright, I say we get to work. Kanzashi, if you would."
Kanzashi nodded, and touched her hairpins. They glowed, then disappeared. Her IS appeared, and it was different from what it was before.
Before, the IS was a Uchiigane with some modifications. Now, the IS was totally changed. With Gio's knowledge of building and Kanzashi's coding skills, the IS was upgraded to the point it was almost a hybrid model. The IS was also fit with a smaller version of the Hammond Hybrid shielding system. Gio had tried to make a full system from his own, but lacked the parts to do so.
Of course, the Hammond Republic refused to help him. His contact told him that the parts manufacturing company, which was subsidized by the government, refused to ship part due to them being categorized as "Classified-Top Priority".
So Kanzashi's IS, it was a Raphael Revive with the shield pierce replaced by a double barrelled 40mm cannon on the left wrist. It also came with a XO-16 Chaingun on the back. The right hand had a retractable wrist blade, and the IS was painted grey, with some white coloring in the background. The left shoulder had a triple barrelled gatling brought up the stats for Laura.
IS: Raphael Revive (Mod.)
Name: Paradise
Weapons: XO-16, Double 40mm Cannon, Wrist Blade, Gatling Cannon
Defensive Specifications: Particle Wall
Shield: 1000 Rechargeable, 10K Regular
"Its seems you were able to rig something up for your friend here." Laura said. "It seems it is better than my own, with Hammond having their ISs armed with anti-IS weaponry. Is it wise that someone outside of them has this power?"
"Laura, your railgun was a gift from me for you birthday. That railgun is literally one of the first Trebuchet railguns in existence." Gio stated. "I think some lighter weapons will be okay for here."
"Hmm...I see your point." Laura said, ceding her point.
"Well, the gatling cannon is somewhat...questionable." Kanzashi mentioned. "You literally re-assembled it from the scant remains of three MT-2s."
"I still have not been told the story, what happened?" Laura asked. "Did-"
"ANYWAY, I need to make sure the gatling cannon is working. Considering I pulled it off my IS and gave it to you, there could be problems with it syncing it to Paradise." Gio said, walking over to the model.
Kanzashi watched him go. "You can't hide your feelings very well, Sarashiki." Laura said, jolting Kanzashi out of her thoughts.
"W-what do you m-mean?" Kanzashi stuttered, blushing.
"You like Soldat."
"I-I do not! He attacked my family! He was going to kill my sister!"
"Yes, I am aware of the story. But he was only doing his job to protect himself."
"That's selfish!"
"That's war. It's either you or someone else, feeling selfish is the last thing on anyone's mind." Laura calmly stated. "He hasn't hurt you, has he?"
"Well...he seems to stop whenever it's just me and him. He doesn't even see me as an enemy, considering what my sister has done to him." Kanzashi answered. "He even is helping me right now! How-why is he doing this?"
"I think this is his way of apologizing. Soldat is many things, but he does have feelings. It may seem he doesn't, but deep down he is sorry for what happened at Storyuski." Laura said. "Soldat spent a whole night at a bar on the anniversary of the attack, crying and drinking himself till I carried him to his bed. He was asleep by then, but it was obvious he feels terrible about it."
"He-what…?" Kanzashi asked, caught totally off guard. "He's sorry?"
"He didn't want to say, he feels it may…'set you off'. Kinda like right now." Laura said, as Kanzashi turned away from her and made her way to Gio.
Gio heard footsteps, and turned to see Kanzashi right up in his face. "Er...hi?"
"...why are you doing all this?" She asked, with Laura walking towards the two to hear the conversation.
"I-"
"Do you really feel bad about what happened at Storyuski?" She asked. "Are you doing this to make it up for what you did there?"
Gio stayed silent, and stayed that way for a while. He looked at the ground, and sighed. "I don't really know. I'd like to think that's the reason…"
"Inferno...I already know why you did what you did at Storyuski…" She started.
"And that doesn't excuse what happened!" He shouted, looking up to face Kanzashi. "I killed your friends! Your family!"
Kanzashi's face darkened. "And that's suddenly different from what happened in the Middle East? Where you did the exact same thing!?" She was shouting now. "What makes my family different from the others you've ruined!?"
"I don't know!"
"Figure it out, Inferno! Do you feel sorry for me!? That's it, isn't it?!"
"WELL WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL FOR YOU!?" He shouted, and Kanzashi suddenly stopped shouting. "I killed people you knew, and tried to kill your sister! My country forced-no. I caused unnecessary anguish to you and whoever's left!"
"...that may be so…" Kanzashi mumbled.
Gio put his head back down, and walked past Kanzashi and towards the door. Laura followed him, her face worried. Gio stopped at the door. "The weapon is calibrated, and it should work fine." He said. "Goodbye…" And with that, left the hangar.
Laura turned to look at Kanzashi. "I'll...try to fix him."
Kanzashi only nodded, turning back to look at Paradise, ignoring Laura as the silver haired girl left the hangar as well. Kanzashi looked at the mech, suddenly noticing the mech was taller than the average IS, by two feet. The same height as Gio's.
"He…" She mumbled. "He wanted me to fight alongside him." She walked up to the mech, and touched the metal. "He didn't just feel sorry for me...he-"
"He wanted you to be his equal." A voice said.
Kanzashi whirled around, seeing Chifuyu in the hangar doorway. "I heard everything. Honestly, I half expected for him to go into his second IS form. Glad to see it wasn't the case."
"B-but he-I-what is going on?" Kanzashi asked, totally confused.
"Inferno is a lot of things. He is a child soldier and a killer, as well as a suicidal maniac if the tournament is anything to go by. But he isn't emotional, and refrains from yelling at people directly. So...what did he do?" Chifuyu asked.
"He...he was helping me get a working IS. Originally, he was only going to provide me help on my weapons."
"But?"
"Well…"
Yesterday
"This is your IS?" Gio asked.
"Yeah, I built it myself." Kanzashi said. "W-what do you think of it?"
"I think I need to step in for more than just weapons."
Present Day
"..and now I have a fully modified Raphael Revive named Paradise." Kanzashi finished.
"I see." Chifuyu said, walking up to the IS. "It seems it has some Hammond tech in it. Shields and weapons, he gave you the full package."
"Really?"
"Well, no. The full package is him giving you a Hybrid IS straight from the production lines. But this is pretty close." Chifuyu stated. "You know, he did a lot for you here."
"I knew he stayed up a whole night to work, and I came back the next day to see he had totally changed the Uchigane I was working on." Kanzashi said. "What exactly did he do?"
Chifuyu brought up the info screen, and read through the details. "I could tell you everything he did, but we would be here longer than he was explaining it. In short, he took a Gen-2 Mass Produced IS and made it better than probably an Gen-3 possibly could be. It might outrank your sister's, and I don't mean shield points-wise."
Kanzashi's eyes widened. "So he-"
"Made an IS that could stand toe to toe with him. Amazing what he can do, isn't it?" Chifuyu smirked. "I would apologize to him tomorrow. Not right now, since he is probably too riled up to think straight right now."
Kanzashi nodded, suddenly very sorry about what she did.
With Gio and Laura
"I can't believe this. I try to do one good thing for someone and I get crucified for it. Is it really so bad that I feel sorry for her?" Gio asked, walking back to the dorm rooms.
"I don't think it is." Laura answered. "But I think that you're wrong."
"I'm wrong? How so, Laura? How am I wrong for trying to do something good for someone, and they yell at me for it?"
"For starters, you yelled first."
Gio slumped at that. "You make a good point…"
"And I know you don't feel sorry for her. At least, that's not the only emotion you have for her." Laura continued.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You didn't fix that IS, nor volunteer to help her just because you felt sorry or the need to help her because you have ruined her life previously."
Gio looked at the short german girl. "Then pray tell, Laura."
"You wanted her to be your equal, soldat." Laura stated. "You felt sorry she couldn't defend herself, so you decided to help her become able to fight her own fights."
Gio stayed silent. He didn't stop walking, not even when Laura walked ahead of him. He only did so when she got in front of him. "Laura…"
"Soldat, I won't pretend to think I know what is happening inside that head of yours. But, I know you did what you did for a reason." Laura firmly stated. "You want to help this girl, not be sorry for her."
Gio, for the umpteenth time that night, sighed, but smiled. "Guess I'm still transparent to you, huh?"
Laura smiled. "Yes, you still are. I still remember that soldier I met on the field, fighting against french IS pilots. I remember that smile, as I helped take them down with you."
"You know that's still classified in the Hammond Military, right? That you helped me?" Gio answered.
"Perhaps. But I do know you still owe me a reward." Laura said. She took hold of Gio's hand. "I don't know much about subjects outside of the military, but I know a little about 'one time' things."
"Laura, I don't think that's a good idea-"
She was already pulling him away. "One night won't hurt anybody. Hurry up now, my room is far from this entrance."
Ichika, Gio, and Charles's room
"Gio just texted me. Not coming back, got some work to do. Strange, must be still working hard then." Ichika said. "Charles, looks like you get the bed after all."
"Umm…" The Frenchman started.
"Gio washed his sheets this morning, so relax and get comfortable." Ichika reassured him. "Just don't...y'know."
"No, I don't know."
"Oh. Well, good night." With that, Ichika turned off the lights. Everyone in the dorms was asleep.
Save two people.
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