The Ether Conflict
Chapter 17: A Piece of the Past
Opening her eyes slowly, Annabelle lifts her left hand to shield her face from the blinding light that hits her. Letting her eyes adjust to the new environment, she lowers her hand and sits up on the bed. Although she feels quite tired and wants to go back to sleep, a certain weight that presses her on her left thigh keeps her from lying down again.
Looking down, she spots a blonde girl using her thigh as a pillow to sleep, drooling over the bedsheets.
"Rise and shine Odysseus," she says, her voice still groggy. "And stop drooling over my bedsheets."
The blonde girl shows signs of movement, raising her head slowly.
"Eh? Oh, good morning," she slurs. Her eyes are half open, drool hangs from the left corner of her mouth and she is barely able to keep her head raised. She unconsciously uses the sleeve of her uniform to wipe the drool from her mouth.
"Wow commander, you look like a zombie," Annabelle jokes, yawning a bit, before stretching her arms.
"Braiiiinnnsss," Odysseus says, mimicking a zombie. She too stretches her arms, before standing up to stretch her legs. "It is way too uncomfortable to sleep like I did," Odysseus complains, before pausing suddenly.
"Is something the matter?" Annabelle asks, seeing Odysseus patting with both hands all over her uniform.
Patting over a pocket, she starts searching that pocket with her left hand. Grabbing something, she pulls out of the pocket an envelope, whose corners are decorated with a flower pattern.
"Wait, isn't that an envelope from Tea Garden?" Annabelle asks in amazement, recognizing the envelope.
"Yep. Darjeeling came earlier in the morning and gave me this envelope," she answers as she waves the envelope in the air.
"Does that mean that they invited you in Tea Garden?" Annabelle asks in both surprise and terror, her imagination running wild at the prospect of Odysseus of all people entering such a prestigious and refined group of people.
Odysseus just laughs at Annabelle's comment, her eyes tearing. "Hahahaha, that was pure gold! Since when are you a comedian Annabelle?!" After calming down and wiping her eyes, she turns to face Annabelle, stifling some giggles.
"We had one apocalypse, we don't need a second one right now," she says, causing Annabelle to burst in laughter. "Anyway, care for a walk?" she asks, raising the envelope next to her head.
"Sure," Annabelle responds.
Getting out of the bed, the two girls proceed to exit the room.
"So, what did I miss while I was out?" Annabelle asks.
"Well, we managed to repel the enemy, though the casualties were high."
"Really? How on Earth did we manage to repel such fearsome force with our numbers?"
"Well...how should I put this?" Odysseus says slowly, trying to think a way to explain what happened at the enemy forces.
"I'll be blunt, Miho exterminated them with magical powers," she says with a serious face.
"Cool," Annabelle responds calmly.
"What, you are just gonna believe me?" Odysseus asks incredulously.
"Too tired to do the opposite," she answers. Odysseus chuckles at that.
As the girls pass through the hallways, everywhere they look, they see medical beds with an injured person on them, nurses checking them.
"You weren't kidding when you said the casualties were high," remarked Annabelle, eyeing the soldiers.
"Yeah, these Phantom guys sure did a number on them. I am amazed that most of them are even alive."
"And with the orbital platform that floats above our heads, I am amazed we aren't dead yet."
"Who knows, maybe they want the base for themselves, so they are refraining from firing it at us," Odysseus blurts out.
"Let's hope that's the case," Annabelle replies, her voice filled with concern.
Exiting the hospital, they immediately find themselves in front of the main courtyard. Following one of the paths that is laid with stone bricks, they find a bench under the shade of a cherry tree. Sitting on the bench, they both take a moment to admire the view, looking around the empty courtyard.
"How are Tyler and Reiji doing?" Annabelle asks.
"They are fine. Minor wounds and grazes from the spalling that happened in the tank. Reiji also has a huge bruise in his chest from a flying Tyler," Odysseus snickers.
"Yeah, I remember that. Though I have to say, I expected to have a huge bruise in my abdomen too," Annabelle says, looking at her abdomen.
"You have to thank your bulletproof vest for that. It absorbed most of the force from the Phantom's punches. I have to ask, are you sure you can walk fine?" Odysseus asks, pointing at Annabelle's bandaged feet.
"Well, it hurts like hell, but that won't stop me from walking," Annabelle shrugs at her blonde friend.
"If you say so," Odysseus responds reservedly.
Looking at the nearby buildings, Annabelle sighs lightly, eyeing their damaged sections.
"It's strange how whole sections of buildings were destroyed, yet the courtyard is untouched," Annabelle says, scanning the courtyard for any damage.
"We can always blame it in the universe conspiring against us," Odysseus replies.
"But that doesn't make any sense," Annabelle responds.
"I know. Anyway, let's get the party started," Odysseus says, before opening the envelope and retrieving a letter from it.
"So, I guess we will finally know our school's fate," Annabelle says, putting her head on Odysseus' right shoulder, as to be able to see what is written in the letter.
"I guess we will," Odysseus murmurs.
Unfolding the letter, she clears her throat, before reading its contents aloud.
"Dear Annabelle and Elpida, if you are reading this letter, than that means I am currently traveling back at the carrier, and thus had no time to inform you of what had happened on HMS Ark Royal this past two years. Since both of you were and still are part of Saint Gloriana, I feel it is my duty as its overall commander to inform you of its fate. For the sake of completion, I shall start from the events that transpired one week after the earthquakes and what came to be known as the Apocalypse."
1 week after the earthquakes
On board the HMS Ark Royal
Saint Gloriana Girls High School
Principal's office
Inside the principal's office are two figures, locked in a never ending conversation. One of the figures is a middle aged man sitting behind a large office desk, wearing a suit. In one of the chairs that are placed in front of the desk sits a girl, sipping some tea from a porcelain teacup. Though instead of wearing the school's uniform, she wears the one that is used during Senshadou battles.
"As I have told you, approaching any of the deep ports would be dangerous," the girl tells the man calmly.
"It's our only option if we want to survive! We get in one of the deep ports and then contact the JSDF. I am sure they are already handling the situation," the man answers back, not changing his opinion one bit.
"Have you not been following the news this past week? The government has collapsed, most major cities lie in ruin and the general topography of Japan has completely changed. Principal, if we go in a deep port, chances are that the carrier will be swarmed by looters, bandits and desperate people. Since the carrier's population consists mostly of high school girls, we lack the proper defense force to fend for ourselves and the police won't be able to do anything with their numbers," the girl counters back.
"I have faith that the JSDF will have everything under control. I am in charge here and my orders are absolute. So I'd appreciate it Miss Darjeeling, if you could kindly step out of the office. I have work to do," the principal says with a commanding tone.
"It is a shame. As an older and more experienced man, I expected you to be wiser. I really hoped we could see eye to eye about our next step, but it seems I was wrong. Principal, in this new world, faith alone means nothing," Darjeeling responds, before standing up elegantly.
"You live me no other choice. As of now, Tea Garden has full control of the carrier," she says as she walks towards the door.
"What?! You can't do that! I am the one in charge here!"
"You see, Tea Garden's members are the best students in both grades and behavior. Also, the carrier is run mostly by high school girls. Naturally, some of our members have positions of influence that are above yours."
"I'll have you and Tea Garden arrested for mutiny!" the man yells, ready to pick up the phone and call the carrier's police.
"Should you do this, I'll expose to the police your financial transactions. I'm sure they'd love to ask you about the big sums of money that recently got transferred into your account," Darjeeling says with a smile, holding a paper in her right hand.
The man instantly freezes, his hand hovering over the phone. After a few moments, he hesitantly withdraws it, before slumping on his chair, his face buried in his hands.
Exiting the office and closing the doors, Darjeeling finds both Assam and Orange Pekoe waiting for her.
"You know Darjeeling, deception is not elegant at all," Assam frowns at her commander.
"Assam, you'll come to understand that even elegant women will have to use deception at some point," she responds, crushing the paper that supposedly has the principal's financial transactions. In reality, the paper was nothing more than a report on the Senshadou club's expenses.
"What do we do now?" Orange Pekoe asks.
"Contact every member of Tea Garden and inform them that their presence is needed, they must be informed of our next move. Assam, please inform Annabelle that she must be present at Tea Garden."
"What about Elpida?" Orange Pekoe asks.
"You know how the other members feel about her, we cannot have everyone being on disarray at this time. I'm sure she will learn of our plans one way or another. I shall go and inform Jasmine of our plans," Darjeeling answers to Orange Pekoe.
"Jasmine? You mean the carrier's captain?" Assam asks.
"Yes. Except for being a member of Tea Garden, she is also a close friend of mine. She rarely comes over for tea, since she must always be present on the bridge."
"Are you sure we can trust her?" Orange Pekoe asks.
"Yes. Once she hears my explanation, she'll agree with our plan. Now everyone, time to set our plan in motion."
Saying nothing more, the three girls take their own way to fulfill their orders.
2 weeks after the earthquakes
On board HMS Ark Royal
"I'm glad you could join me for some tea Jasmine," Darjeeling says while filling two porcelain teacups with tea. She is seated in a luxurious chair, a small table standing in front of her. Across her sits a girl of average height wearing a captain's uniform, her peaked hat neatly placed on top of the table. She has black hair and amber colored eyes.
"The ship is anchored, so I am not needed in the bridge right now," Jasmine responds, sipping some of her steaming tea. "How much I missed such good tea," she sighs in delight.
"Then you should come more often here," Darjeeling says at her.
"I'd love to, but there's no other captain on board. Anyway, we are here to discuss your next move, not to persuade me to visit more often," Jasmine says with a serious expression.
"You never take time to relax, do you?" Darjeeling sighs a little, before continuing, "Very well, I'll start by informing you of my plan."
Putting down her teacup, she opens a map that has a very crude drawing of the coastline.
"For the past 3 days I had members of the cartography club be flown over the coastline to map it out. They told me they found a very steep cliff, 2 kilometers away from here."
"You don't plan on ramming the ship on the cliffside, do you?" Jasmine asks, a worried expression on her face.
"Of course not. Here, take a look at this," Darjeeling answers as she passes a picture on Jasmine. Looking at it carefully, Jasmine can see a very steep cliffside with a narrow V shape.
"Oh, you intend to lodge it in the cliffside. My question is, will it be able to move in case of an emergency?" Jasmine asks, eyeing the picture carefully.
"Theoretically yes. Since we will have the anchors to keep us in place, there shouldn't be any problem to move. Though I'd expect a few damages on the bow of the carrier."
"What about the weather? If waves start rocking the ship, it could severely damage the hull."
"I've taken this into consideration too. Luckily, the cliffside is inside a bay, so waves are of no concern."
"You've though of everything it seems. Fine, I'll agree with your plan, but only if you can promise the safety of everyone during its execution," Jasmine says with a serious expression.
"You have my word, no one is going to get injured," Darjeeling says, sipping what little tea has been left in her teacup.
"Then I'll be awaiting your orders commander," she snaps a salute, before putting her peaked hat on her head and walking out of the room.
Always so professional, Darjeeling thinks, before standing up and exiting the room too.
30 minutes later
"Bring her as slowly as possible," Jasmine commands the helmsman, as the carrier enters the bay, where the cliffside is.
"Captain, are you sure this will work? Can't we just go in one of the deep ports?" one of the navigators that is charged with making sure they remain on course asks.
"Even if we managed to find a working deep port, there is no harbour pilot to help as enter the harbour, meaning we run the risk of either running aground or not docking properly," she answers back, gazing at the cliffside.
"Start turning right," she commands and the carrier starts turning, until it is facing the cliff.
"Listen up, approach the cliff with the least possible speed. The moment we make contact, release the anchors and stop the engines."
I hope you know what you are doing Darjeeling, she thinks as she eyes three Crusader tanks standing at the flat metal part of the carrier's deck that is in its bow, with six figures standing in front of them.
"Listen well ladies, the moment the carrier hits the cliff and releases its anchors, you'll get off the carrier and scout the area in an one-kilometer radius from it," Darjeeling says standing in front of the commanders of the Crusader tanks. Flanking her to her sides are Assam and Orange Pekoe, who both are holding a radio in their hands. "If you find anything of interest, report at either Assam or Orange Pekoe immediately."
"Yes commander!" the three tank commanders respond.
"And Rosehip, please don't push the tank too much, we don't have the luxury of spending parts to fix it," Darjeeling says to Rosehip, hoping she won't remove the limiters from the engine as she did at the match with Selection.
"Don't worry commander, Vanilla will make sure she behaves like a lady!" a short girl with pale blond hair and brown eyes that is positioned at Rosehip's right says cheerfully.
"Cr-Cranberry will try her best too!" a girl that is slightly taller than Vanilla and has dark red hair with hazel eyes says timidly from Rosehip's left side.
"Thank you girls", Darjeeling says, before looking over her left shoulder at the approaching cliff. "You have your orders, now enter your tanks!"
"Yes commander!" the girls shout once again, before entering their tanks.
As the carrier draws closer and closer to the cliffside, an alarm starts blaring through the carrier, meant to inform everyone about the imminent collision.
"You did inform everyone of this, did you not?" Darjeeling asks Orange Pekoe, who simply nods back at her.
Hitting the cliffside at a speed of 2 knots, the whole carrier shakes, as the sound of steel grinding against rock and dirt resounds in the air. Darjeeling is barely able to keep her balance, while Assam falls straight to the ground, grumbling about how the whole situation is not ladylike. Losing all of its momentum, the carrier's anchors are dropped, their contact with the sea marked by two great splashes of sea water. Immediately the three Crusaders shoot off of the deck and into the cliff, descending at the tiny forest that resides at the foot of the cliff and then exiting at a huge plain.
"Will they be alright?" Orange Pekoe asks.
"They should be fine. They are in light tanks, so in the unlikely event that someone or something chases them, they'll be able to outrun it," Darjeeling responds back.
Turning to face Assam, she hands her a small stack of papers. "This is the student roster of the whole school. Find the ones you think are the most capable and add them to Section 6."
"May I know the reason for this?" Assam asks, confused as to why she wants to add more people to Section 6 now.
"As of now, Section 6 is the Information Analysis and Threat Assessment department for the carrier," Darjeeling says with a smile.
"I understand," Assam curtly replies, before scanning the student roster for potential people.
"You think we will manage to survive?" Orange Pekoe asks worryingly.
"Didn't know you were the worrying type Orange Pekoe."
"Aren't you worrying Darjeeling of what might happen?"
"I have a whole carrier and its occupants to worry for, I don't need to worry about the future too. I'm sure we will be fine Orange Pekoe," she says with a serious expression, looking at the top of the cliff, where the carrier's deck and the ground meet.
2 months after the earthquakes
Inside the principal's office, Darjeeling is sitting on a swivel chair behind a large office desk, stacks of papers towering on it. Darjeeling is reading some of the documents, a serious expression on her face. Putting the document down, she picks her teacup that sits on the left corner of the desk, sipping some of its contents.
Suddenly, the door opens and Assam enters the room.
"Ah, Assam, in what do I own this visit?" Darjeeling asks, not expecting Assam at such late hour.
"I've come to see how you are doing. Lately, you spend more and more time here. You owe to take a break once in a while," she says, sitting in one of the two chairs that are placed in front of the office desk.
"I know, but someone has to manage the carrier," she responds, sighing loudly.
"How are things?"
"Not good. We've managed to last this long, but our supplies are running low. First of all, food. Even with rationing, we will be lucky to make it till the end of this month. After that, it will only be canned food. Water's not a problem, thanks to the river that flows at the foot of the cliff. Medicine is a huge problem right now. We are nearly out of everything the carrier had. Thankfully, the carrier has enough fuel to provide us with electricity for at least eight more months, if we also use the power from the solar panels. After that it's back to the stone age. Also, people have started abandoning the carrier. An estimated 20% of the carrier's occupants have left in the last 4 weeks. I feel like this is an uphill battle." Darjeeling says, closing her eyes and burying her head in her left hand.
"The only good news is that the outpost at the edge of the tiny forest has finally been completed. I'll have the carrier's police forces stationed there, in case anyone with malicious intents appears."
"I see," Assam says slowly, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Oh, almost forgot to tell you. Rosehip and her team found an abandoned town, about 10 kilometers from here. I sent them to explore it, so we might manage to find food and other necessities."
Hearing that, Darjeeling raises her head, sighing in relief. "Maybe we will be able to make ends meet somehow," she says with a smile.
"That reminds me, would you care for a cup of tea?" she asks Assam.
"But of course," Assam responds back.
6 months after the earthquakes
Darjeeling is sitting in the same swivel chair behind the same office desk inside the principal's office, reading once again documents about various things for the carrier.
Suddenly the door gets opened with force and in comes Orange Pekoe, who is panting heavily, sweat covering her whole body.
"Darjeeling, bandits are attacking the outpost!" she says between deep breaths.
"What?!" Darjeeling gasps, immediately standing up, the swivel chair getting pushed backwards.
Picking the phone, she calls a number and after waiting for a few moments, she speaks. "Have the Senshadou club assemble at their designated vehicles now, the outpost is under attack," she says quickly, before terminating the call.
"Let's go," she says at Orange Pekoe.
Exiting the office, the two girls start walking quickly towards the exit of the school building.
"How many bandits are they?"
"About 10 vehicles with at least 6 bandits each," Orange Pekoe reports.
"They must either have come to destroy the outpost or they know about the carrier."
Exiting the school gates, they find the Churchill Mk VII in front of them, Assam waiting outside the tank.
"Where are the others?" Darjeeling asks as the three girls enter the tank and start heading for the outpost.
"I have already sent them to the outpost. The Crusaders should be arriving first, along with the Cromwells and the Comet. I've also ordered the helicopter to hover over the outpost, so we have an image of what's happening," Assam says.
As the Churchill descends the cliff and passes through the cleared part of the forest, an explosion is heard, along with screams and shouts, small arms being fired and engines revving up. Exiting to the outpost, the girls gasp at what they are seeing. The outpost is on fire, with people running left and right and shouting. Others lay on the ground with gunshot wounds or first degree burns.
Darjeeling gets out of the tank, since it seems the bandits have retreated and immediately Rosehip runs to her.
"Darjeeling, this is horrible!" she says, tears running from her eyes.
"What do you mean Rosehip?" she asks, before seeing what has caused her to lose her composure. In the ground lie motionless some of the carrier's police officers, full of bullet holes, blood pools around their bodies.
"Oh God," she says, putting her hand over her mouth.
"This is horrible," Orange Pekoe comments grimly, while Assam just averts her gaze from the horrible sight.
"Commander, we need to go after them now!" one of the Crusader commanders shouts desperately at Darjeeling, grabbing both of her hands. Her face is a mess, as tears flow from her quivering eyes down her cheeks.
"P-Please calm down and tell me what happened," Darjeeling stutters, starting to lose her composure under the sheer pressure she feels.
"The bandits managed to hit our tank with a rocket and the engine caught fire. So, when we abandoned it, they managed to take my gunner. Sh-She is my childhood friend, we need to go and get her back!" The commander of the Crusader falls to her knees and starts bawling. Her driver tries to calm her down, but she fails miserably, as she too starts crying.
"Miss Darjeeling?" a female voice asks
"Yes?" Darjeeling asks, turning to face whoever talked to her.
"I must inform you that there was another girl that was abducted by the bandits," a girl that wears a sailor's uniform says.
"Who?" she asks hesitantly, her instincts telling her not to ask for some reason.
"Captain Jasmine. She was at the outpost at the time of the attack and tried to fight along the police officers."
Darjeeling can feel her heart sinking at what she hears, her whole body losing its strength.
"Darjeeling, are you feeling alright?" Assam asks in a quivering voice, seeing that Darjeeling's face is visibly paler than usual.
"Assam, have the helicopter land here and load any of the police officers that can still fight, then have it follow the bandit forces. Rosehip, you and the rest of the Crusaders follow their forces too, but do not engage, we need to know where their base is. Orange Pekoe, have the Tortoise move out, we are going to rescue the missing girls."
As if flipping a switch, the last few words set everyone in motion, running around to fulfill their orders.
While the Crusaders start heading towards the bandit forces and the helicopter lands, Darjeeling sits down on the ground, taking this moment to clear her mind and generally try not to crumble mentally, everything that has transpired the past few minutes chipping away at her mental stamina rapidly.
I must not lose focus. I must remain calm or else chaos will ensue. If the leader panics, then their followers will too. I cannot allow that, she thinks. Taking some deep breaths to calm herself, she spots Assam coming her way, so she stands up, hitting lightly the back of her skirt to shake off any dirt that has stuck.
"The helicopter has been loaded and it will now head towards the bandit forces," Assam reports, she too having calmed somewhat.
"That's good," Darjeeling says, gazing at the ground.
"Are you sure you are fine?" Assam asks, concerned for her friend's well being.
"I knew that a day like this would have come, but still...it's really different when you think about it and when you actually live it."
Before Assam can respond, Orange Pekoe appears. "The Tortoise will be here within ten minutes," she says, her face sill expressing concern.
"Good. Have the Cromwells and Comet await outside of the outpost. I'll find you at the Churchill."
"You have something to do?" Orange Pekoe asks.
Saying nothing, Darjeeling walks slowly to a police officer's body. Kneeling besides it, she averts her gaze from it and grabs the pistol that lies besides the body. Standing up, she inspects the weapon and after finding what looks like a safety, she flicks it on the "on" option.
Both Assam and Orange Pekoe gasp at the sight of Darjeeling holding a gun, their eyes widening in response.
"Darjeeling, what do you want the gun?" Assam asks, visibly disturbed by her commander's actions.
"In case we need to defend ourselves," she responds, making her way towards the Churchill.
"D-Do you mean kill people? And do you even know how to use it?" Orange Pekoe asks, following Darjeeling closely, while Assam goes to inform the crews of the Cromwells and Comet.
"Don't worry, it's only for self defense. And no, but in close range is unlikely that I'll miss. Also, I have seen how they use them in movies, so it should be alright."
After entering the tank, they go and meet up with the other tanks outside of the outpost, where Assam also waits. Entering the tank, she pulls from below her seat a small tablet, where a map is displayed, showing the position of the Crusader tanks. Noting where they are, she paints a route on the map, before passing the tablet on the driver. After a few minutes, the Tortoise finally arrives and they all start going after the path Assam has designated on the tablet.
After about 30 minutes, they meet up with the Crusaders. In the distance a very large building made of metal can be seen, with two metal watchtower adorning it. Ten vehicles can be seen all around the building, with people that hold weapons casually strolling around it too, or being in groups and conversing.
Darjeeling gets out of her tank and jumps down on the ground, making her way in the front of the three Crusaders, where Rosehip stands, drinking some tea.
"Do you know where the helicopter is?" she asks Rosehip, not seeing it anywhere.
"The pilots landed it about a kilometer away from here to make sure they wouldn't get spotted," Rosehip responds, still gazing at the bandits' base.
"I see," she responds, before turning to face the rest of the tanks. "Everyone get out for a moment!" Darjeeling shouts loudly and the tank crews exit their respective vehicles.
"Before we start the rescue operation, I need everyone here to know that this is not like the Senshadou matches. The enemies will try to kill us, so you must not let your guard down. If you do, only death awaits you." At this, several of the girls gulp audibly. "Moreover, we...might have to take...lives in order to save our friends. In light of that, if anyone doesn't want to participate, she is welcome to return to the carrier," Darjeeling says.
All of the girls have fear written all over their face. Fear of death, fear of taking a life, but most of all, fear of losing their friends and comrades, so despite their shivering bodies and trembling arms, they all stand their ground. Eyeing each and every girl, Darjeeling nods, before speaking. "Get on your vehicles! Assam, tell the helicopter to come and provide support from the air, the rescue operation has started!"
"Yes ma'am!" everyone shouts.
Entering her tank, Darjeeling sighs loudly, wiping her forehead.
"Are you sure about this? You know there is no going back after this," Assam says after contacting the helicopter, trembling a little at the thought of having to kill a human being.
"This is the harsh reality of the world we live in. If you want to survive, you'll have to take a life at some point."
"This is not ladylike," Orange Pekoe says in a quivering voice.
"But a true lady never regrets her decisions and always is elegant," Darjeeling says with a smile, drinking some tea she had poured in a teacup a few minutes ago.
The moment she hears the rotor blades of the helicopter, she grabs the radio to speak. "The time to save our comrades draws near. Let us show them the might of Saint Gloriana's Senshadou team!" she declares and all the tanks shoot forwards, the crews eager to save their friends. Naturally the Comet and Cromwells take the lead, followed by the Crusaders and even further back, the Tortoise and Churchill Mk VII.
The cruiser tanks enter the base and start wrecking havoc, starting with transforming the civilian pick up trucks to metal pancakes. The bandits shoot at the tanks with their assault rifles, but the bullets just bounce on the steel plates of the tanks. Meanwhile, the Tortoise aims and fires an HE shell at one of the watchtowers, completely destroying it, as evidenced by the flaming metal pieces that rain down on the ground.
"Did they just fired?" Assam yells in surprise, not understanding why they would want to take lives. The Tortoise aims at the other watchtower and fires again, destroying it completely as a fireball and black smoke consume the metal structure.
By now, the helicopter has arrived at the base and the police officers are firing at the men, who are quick to redirect their own fire at them. Since the helicopter is a civilian model, the bullets punch through the metal and hit some of the officers. An RPG is fired and hits the helicopter, an explosion marking its demise as the flaming wreck falls to the ground, nearly hitting the Comet, but killing several bandits.
"The helicopter is down!" Vanilla cries through her radio. Everyone becomes nervous as they know what that means. Their only excuse to not shed blood is gone and unless the bandits are dealt with, they can't save their friends. The rattling of machine-guns fills the air, as the coaxials on the tanks start firing on the bandits. The Tortoise fires HE shells at the bandits and promptly stops, when some of the bodies get teared to pieces by the explosions, the crew not being able to handle the gore.
Some of the bandits start shouting for reinforcements to come from inside the building, but no one exits. After a few minutes, the whole space around the metal building has been cleared, with the bandits lying on the ground, either groaning and moaning from their non-fatal wounds, or lying motionless and dead. As all the tanks stop a few meters away from the main entrance of the building, their guns aimed at it, Darjeeling exits her tank with the pistol she had acquired and clicks the safety off.
"Darjeeling, are you planning to get inside the building?" Assam asks quickly, she too having exited the Churchill.
"Someone needs to go and rescue the girls," she responds.
"But they might be more bandits inside!"
"We have already spilled blood on our hands Assam, what's a little more?" she says with a serious expression as she nears the door. At this several of the girls wince and lower their heads, while others just shrug and a few outright start crying. Assam stops dead in her tracks, being caught off guard by Darjeeling's comment that is unlike her.
The door suddenly opens and out comes Jasmine, carrying a very bruised girl on her hands. Her own uniform is torn, with blood smeared all over it. Blood also trickles from her head, indicating that she got hit there by something.
"Darjeeling!" Jasmine says with an exhausted tone, grateful to see her friend.
"Jasmine watch out!" Darjeeling shouts, raising the pistol she has and holding it with both hands. A bandit with an assault rifle appears behind Jasmine, aiming at her head. A shot is heard and everyone gasps at the horrifying turn of events.
The bandit falls to the ground with a hole in his head, just above his right eye. Darjeeling's hands start to tremble as she realizes what she has done. Letting it fall to the ground, she too stumbles backwards and falls, hyperventilating, her eyes wide open from the shock she is feeling. Both Assam and Orange Pekoe run to her, trying to calm her down. Jasmine, after handing the unconscious Crusader commander to the other girls, she limps towards Darjeeling. Kneeling besides her she tightly hugs her.
"Everything's going to be fine. You did nothing wrong Darjeeling, you just protected me," Jasmine says in a soft and soothing voice. Darjeeling can't do anything, but look at the ground, as tears start running from her eyes.
"After that incident, everything was quieter. Though we had other bandit groups come to attack us, most of them run away when they saw the tanks. Also, about two months after the incident we met the other school carriers and ended up helping each other, despite each one having their own territory. And two weeks ago, the people from R.I.J.A. appeared. I hope next time we speak will be on the carrier. Perhaps we could have some tea together. I am very curious of your adventures for these past two years. Yours sincerely, Darjeeling."
Putting the letter down, Odysseus takes some time to assimilate everything she has just read.
"They had it rough, huh?" Annabelle says, lifting her head from Odysseus' shoulder.
"Seems like it. Makes you wonder how different things would have been if we had stayed," Odysseus says, contemplating how differently the events would have transpired if she was there.
"We will never know unfortunately," Annabelle answers.
"You are right. Oh, almost forgot, I need to show you something. The boys have already seen it by the way." Odysseus says as stands up from the bench and stands a few meters away from Annabelle.
"What is it?" Annabelle asks curiously.
Saying nothing, Odysseus looks around to see if there is anyone else on the courtyard. Confirming that no other people are present, she closes her eyes.
Throwing her right arm sideways, a white scythe materializes in her hand, which is at least two meters tall. Opening her eyes, her right eye has a bright magenta color, but her left eye has a bright blue color, with a small, hazy blue fire escaping from it. The left side of her hair has also changed color from blonde to snowy white. Annabelle just looks with wide eyes, her brain refusing to acknowledge what she is seeing in front of her.
"O-Odysseus...j-just...just what is this?" she manages to stutter, being awestruck with what she is seeing.
"This...you could call it a piece...of my past," Odysseus says slowly with a sad smile, a single tear running from her left eye.
A/N: Another chapter has been completed! In the next one we will learn what happened at Kuromorimine. Maybe see what's going on at the Institute. Also, for the month of August I'll be visiting some relatives in my father's hometown, so expect chapters at a less frequent rate. Anyway, as always, suggestions, questions, corrections, reviews or PMs are greatly appreciated. Also, English isn't my native tongue, so expect some grammatical errors here and there. If you found the story interesting and had a great time, favorite and follow. Have a nice day/night and until the next chapter, stay safe!