"Invasion"

"Ugh… I don't feel too good…" Yoshika made something clear at the back of the army truck she was riding. 'I should be reminded again… Shirley can get very excited behind the accelerator in the open plains… At least…' Then her attention is shifted towards her surroundings. She never thought of arriving in Rome, and it was her first time… "Wow… It's so beautiful…!"

City of Rome, Romagna, 1945

It was an ordinary day but it was also a time for an assignment. Yoshika Miyafuji, Francesca Lucchini and Charlotte 'Shirley' Yeager of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing were on a supply run. And the first thing Yoshika was amazed of Rome was the beautiful sights of the historical city. Lucchini claimed that Rome was her birthplace, and Shirley even said Lucchini had a right to brag about it that way. It at least turns Yoshika away from the memories she experienced with Shirley's bumpy driving for once.

Eventually when the truck turned into a place Lucchini pointed out, they stopped just at the side of the road. Dismounting, they realized they were in front of an ordinary store. It looks the same from the outside with the other shops but it was a different story when they entered. Yoshika eyed the cooking pots, Shirley eyed the imaginative clothing Barkhorn could fit in, and Lucchini was just helping around to find other things the unit members might need like a pillow for Eila, Black Tea for Lynne, possibly some flower seeds that Perrine would appreciate, an outfit for Trude's sister Chris, and an alarm clock for Hartmann as requested by Trude. Yoshika knew that they weren't gonna stay in one store, so she can at least explore around to see if the things they need are in there. If not, they could move on.

They took their time. Shirley had a laugh when she imagined the dress being on Barkhorn instead of her sister. They were able to secure an extra radio for the unit. And things changed when their shopping was interrupted. A loud explosion shakes the building and shakes everything in the shop. All three witches lost their footing as it happened. Shirley's back hits the floor and Yoshika lands right on top of that large chest. Briefly, Yoshika struggled to get off the chest at this unprecedented time.

"What the…? Yoshika…" Shirley gently pushes Yoshika, who was uneasily laughing for having to lie on large bosoms. "Not now, okay…?" More explosions were heard from outside, but the shakes weren't that severe and she stood up to get her bearings. Checking on the shop owner, she sees he's setting himself straight as well. "What the hell's going on? Lucchini?!" She looked for Francesca around the shop with Yoshika behind her. With the shop damaged, she noticed there was broken glass everywhere. That made her think. "Crap…!" She then led herself and Yoshika to a spot they didn't look at and what she called was right. Lucchini can be seen lying face down on the floor with glass shards attached on her back. "Damn it…!" And she sees Yoshika immediately kneeling down to attend to the injured witch.

Lucchini was just coming to and stirring with pain. She grits her teeth, realizing her back is in pain and was whimpering. Opening her eyes slowly, she was sensing the shards were being removed… "Y-Yoshika…!"

"Just lie still and save your strength!" Yoshika replied. "I don't know what happened but we don't have time to stay if we're in a bad spot…"

Shirley kneels down and holds Lucchini's hand. "You'll be okay, Lucchini. Hang tight."

Yoshika then finished removing all the glass shards and started to deploy her magic, revealing her familiar features before initiating her healing magic, releasing a blue glow from her hands until an aura starts to spread to Lucchini's back. "This might not be new but… I feel strange."

"How strange?" Shirley asked.

"I don't know. But for some reason… There's no Neuroi." Yoshika briefly looked at Shirley. "Sensed it?"

Shirley shook her head. "Me neither."

Lucchini was mostly healed as she got her arms to move and she grits her teeth, even prompting Yoshika to stop the process. "Yoshika, I'm good… What… was that…?"

"Clueless as you are. We need to get back to the truck! I'm helping you up! Yoshika, you too!" Shirley, with Yoshika, lifts Lucchini off the floor and got her to stand, while the anti-aircraft guns in Rome were heard opening fire. "What the hell is this? It's an attack but there's no Neuroi… I don't like this. Let's go!" All three go out of the shop with Lucchini being somehow assisted by the other two.

And Lucchini chose to stop and hang on to the truck just to look around. What shocked her was something she couldn't believe at first. "What the…?! That's definitely not Neuroi!" And Shirley and Yoshika were with her thoughts that time, as they all see the same thing.

Huge blue lights emanated from the sky shaped like round holes and they were releasing large vessels. Smaller ones shaped like aircraft poured onto the city as well, firing rockets at what Shirley believes to be the city's defenses. Anti-aircraft guns engage the newcoming invasion force, but they were being outran by faster aircraft comings from the holes.

Yoshika could hear screams of those who wanted to get away from the conflict. She could smell blood and powder all around her. This wasn't a Neuroi attack. She felt as if this invasion wasn't anything she'd expect. Deaths were rising and she's beginning to fold. She begins to grit her teeth and cover her ears, before she screamed. She couldn't take the voices anymore. The suffering voices made her begin to panic and it was breaking her slowly.

Lucchini was attending to Yoshika and Shirley followed suit. "Lucchini, Miyafuji… We gotta step it up and move!"

Lucchini looked at Shirley and back at Yoshika. "Well I'm not leaving Yoshika like this." So she forced Yoshika to stand. And with the help of Shirley, the three started to run off the scene.

501st Joint Fighter Wing Romagna Stationed Base…

Minna was hard at work while the supply run was still being done for the day and she was on her desk, making sure the documents she receives are being appropriated well into her time. She could get assistance from Mio, but she always had the extra eye on details. Usually, the duty would just be up to her. Her hands were aching since she's usually writing on some of them. She's thinking of the medal she could receive once she gets the 200th kill, but it certainly pays off if she does what she does best without expecting so much.

Gertrude Barkhorn was running at one of the corridors then made a sharp turn and kept running before she slowed down as she reached that door. She bursts into the Commander's Room, finding Minna busy with paperwork. "Commander! I just received word."

Minna winced at the sudden appearance of Barkhorn and stood up from behind her desk. "Well?"

"The city's under attack."

"Impossible!" Minna stepped off her desk and approached Barkhorn. "Neuroi weren't due crossing the border yet!"

"Except this one isn't Neuroi in nature, Minna." Trude groaned, gritting her teeth on what she's thinking.

"Well, speak up."

"That's just it! What I got in mind doesn't make any sense!" Barkhorn spoke and took a deep breath before speaking up again. "Blue holes of light appeared over the city. Two large vessels, acting like ships, descended from those holes along with smaller ones, and those were aircraft. The city's defenses were overwhelmed with the invaders' sheer firepower. And from the looks of it, the technology these invaders have aren't from this world at all."

"Aircraft that can overwhelm even anti-air emplacements…?" Minna muttered the words aloud and focused on Barkhorn. "How fast are we losing Rome?!"

"With the rate the attack is going, it's safe to say the emplacements are getting hit too and all of them would be dust in a matter of minutes. Ground reserves should hold them off but it wouldn't be enough."

"Damn it… We got no options here. MIyafuji, Lucchini and Yeager are in the city. Sound off now!" As soon as Minna gives the order, Barkhorn nods and runs off to get the girls ready. The phone then rang and she immediately walked to it and answered, just before she hits a nearby button to sound the base's siren. "Wilcke."

"Hello?! Wing Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke!" A male's voice was heard along with the background of gunfire and explosions. "The 504th Aerial, or whatever's left of them will scramble over the city! You have to link up with them and get these invaders off our city!"

"Give me a situation report!"

"City's main perimeter defenses are down. Ground reserves have been deployed but we're getting gunned down-! GRENADE!" An explosion was heard and cuts the call short.

MInna slams the phone's handset down and leaves the room. "Just what I needed…"