The Ether Conflict
Chapter 31: Invitation
"Hey, Annabelle, I have something to show you!" Odysseus yells as she enters the room, looking around for her friend. "Where is everyone?" she asks as she scans the interior for Annabelle or the boys, but finds none.
"Annabelle?" she shouts once more.
"I'm in the bathroom!" Annabelle's voice echoes from behind the bathroom door, so Odysseus quickly hops towards it.
"Stop playing with your pussy for a moment, I need to show you something," Odysseus snickers loudly like a troll, knocking at the door a couple of times. The door suddenly opens, hitting her in the face with so much force that it nearly breaks her nose, before closing and getting locked.
"Next time I hear you talking like that, I'll grind your face on the floor till you bleed!" Annabelle roars.
"What the fuck, Annabelle!?" Odysseus's muffled voice echoes from behind her left hand with which she has cupped her red nose and mouth. "Learn to take a joke, will ya!?"
"Learn to control your language first! I don't want to hear you speaking like that ever again, got it?" Annabelle berates Odysseus, who rolls her eyes from left to right.
"Fine, fine, whatever you say, Mom..." Odysseus responds back to her sarcastically, walking till her bed and sitting on its edge.
"With how much I need to take care of you, you might as well call me your mother," Annabelle responds back just as sarcastically, if not more. Odysseus says nothing in response, merely looking at the opened envelope that she has in her right hand.
"Do you know where the guys have gone?" Odysseus asks, letting herself fall on the bed on her back and looking up in the ceiling.
"I think Tyler went to see how Saori's doing and I have no idea where Reiji is," Annabelle says back.
Hearing the lock in the bathroom click, Odysseus lifts herself from her bed, using her hands to support her body. Opening the door, Annabelle exits the bathroom and makes her way towards Odysseus, who, upon seeing her friend, widens her eyes in surprise.
"Is something the matter?" Annabelle asks with a confused expression. Odysseus doesn't answer at first, but opts to just gaze at Annabelle in awe.
"The clothes you are wearing..." Odysseus says slowly and Annabelle looks at them. She is wearing a cut-out shoulder top colored white, a knife-pleated skirt that goes just below her knees and is colored lipstick red, and her black combat boots. "Oh, I had a little accident and spilled some tea on my uniform, so I had to change clothes-"
"You are so cute!" Odysseus yells in a high-pitched voice, bolting from her bed, hugging Annabelle, lifting her up in the air and squeezing the hell out of her. "I just want to squeeze you till you explode!"
"Unless you stop hugging me so tight, I'll really explode!" Annabelle says in a strained voice, being barely able to even breath. But Odysseus ignores her pleas and starts spinning her around and around, telling her just how cute and adorable she is. "Elpida, if you keep spinning like that you'll-" Annabelle tries to warn her, but it is too late. Odysseus trips over her bed's leg and falls on the floor on her back, with Annabelle falling on top of her and using her as a cushion.
"Agh...my back hurts," Odysseus groans as she raises her head and nearly headbutts Annabelle, whose face is millimeters away from her own. "Hey there cutie. Enjoying your time?"
"Don't make this more awkward than it already is," Annabelle says and sits up on Odysseus, then pats her belly. "But I have to say, you've gained a few pounds here and there; you'd make for a nice pillow"
"Of course," Odysseus responds back, then pats Annabelle's belly. "But you seem to have remained the same."
"It's because I don't eat too many sweets, unlike you."
"Small details."
"So, what did you want to show me?" Annabelle asks and Odysseus points at her left, where her bed is.
"There should be an opened envelope on it," she says and Annabelle stretches herself to grab it. Taking the envelope, she immediately recognizes the floral pattern that adores its corners.
"Is this from Tea Garden?" she asks perplexed, wondering why they would send them a letter.
"Yep. It seems that Assam has finally confessed her feelings towards you," Odysseus snickers, so Annabelle just punches lightly her head.
"Very funny, Odysseus," Annabelle says to her as she retrieves and unfolds the letter that rests within the envelope.
Dear Annabelle,
Tea Garden is organizing a little party for its members and I thought it would be lovely if you could attend it. The party will be held at July 1st, around seven in the evening. I'll be waiting for your response.
Most sincerely,
Darjeeling
"So it's an invitation from Darjeeling," Annabelle says with a thoughtful expression. "I wonder why it's addressed only to me."
"Probably because it is Tea Garden business. Like it or not, you are a member of it."
"But I never accepted their invitation to join and I haven't been given a soul name," Annabelle informs Odysseus as she folds the letter and puts it back inside the envelope.
"They seem to think otherwise," Odysseus says with a smirk.
"Well, if you can't come, I won't go," Annabelle says and Odysseus shrugs.
"Whatever you want. Though you can call them and ask Darjeeling if I can come. I'm sure she'll be fine with it," Odysseus suggests and Annabelle looks at her with a confused expression.
"Call her? How exactly will I do this?" Annabelle slightly frowns.
"Call her from the satellite phone," Odysseus says with a straight face. "Some times you can be really dumb, you know that?"
Annabelle flicks her forehead slightly. "You are the dumb one, Odysseus," she says back at her friend. "Want me to start listing all the times you have done or said something stupid?"
Odysseus says nothing, silently covering the part in her forehead where Annabelle flicked her, and gazing off to her left, trying to avoid any eye contact.
"Didn't think so," Annabelle says with a slight smirk. "The reason I asked is because I don't think St. Gloriana has a satellite phone. And even if they have, we don't know their number."
"But!" Odysseus says sharply, lifting a finger to Annabelle's face. A few silent moments pass, before Odysseus finally speaks. "I have no idea how we can. Boop," she says the last word with a silly voice and pokes Annabelle's nose.
"And here I hoped you'd say something befitting of your age," Annabelle sighs and slowly shakes her head. "Then again, you have the mentality of a small child, so I'm not that surprised."
"I don't have the mentality of a small child! I can be an exemplary adult when I want to be!" she closes her eyes and nods smugly.
"Then let's put it to the test," Annabelle grins slightly and firmly grabs Odysseus from the sides of her torso.
"No...Annabelle..." Odysseus warns her slowly, slowly moving her hands to grab Annabelle's and remove them from her. "If you do it, I'll get really mad at you."
Despite her warning, Annabelle merely tilts her head on her left and makes an innocent smile, greatly unnerving Odysseus.
"Annabelle, don't do it! I know that smile of yours really well and-AHAHAHAHA!" Odysseus starts howling with laughter as Annabelle starts tickling her, the blonde desperately trying to flail out of her grasp and stop her hands from torturing her any further.
"No, Annabelle, please stop! Ahahahaha, I beg you, please stop!" she pleads with tears running from her eyes.
Stopping momentarily to let Odysseus catch her breath, seeing as her face has become red from all the laughing, Annabelle places her hands on the ground that is next to Odysseus' body in order to support herself.
"I really wish things could go back to as they were before the earthquakes," Annabelle says with a bitter smile, looking at the ground next to her. "Even if life wasn't that nice back then, it certainly was better than now."
"Yeah... Because fighting in a warzone and getting backstabbed by your own country is definitely better than now..." Odysseus says with as much sarcasm as she can muster, even rolling her eyes from right to left. "But I get what you mean."
"If I'm honest, I really worry about my father," Annabelle admits slowly, her expression full of sadness and bitterness. "I still hate that jerk for what he made me go through, but in the end...I just can't stop worrying about him. I really hope he is doing fine."
"Hey, Annabelle," Odysseus says slowly, so Annabelle turns to look at the blonde. "Have you ever thought how things would have been if the world didn't go to complete and utter shit?"
The bitterness with which Odysseus says these words completely surprise Annabelle, who didn't expect for Odysseus to suddenly go from being all happy and cheerful to being sad and bitter, though the next set of words does give her a clue why.
"I just sometimes wonder, what if these damn earthquakes never happened? What if we could somehow turn back time or revert all the damage that has been done since then? If we did that...maybe...just maybe Mizuki could still be alive." As Odysseus speaks, her voice becomes more and more high-pitched, as well as quieter, until it can be heard no more. Annabelle picks Odysseus' upper body up so that she sits on the floor and hugs her tightly.
"We both know there wasn't anything we could have done," Annabelle says softly, but this doesn't seem to make Odysseus feel any better.
Knock-Knock
"Hey, is anyone in there?" Tyler's voice is heard from behind the room's entrance door. "Hello?"
"Coming!" Annabelle shouts back. Letting Odysseus, she gets up from her, then helps her friend up from the ground. "Look what you did to the uniform, it's all wrinkly now," she complains as she pats it down.
"Well, I'm only going to be wearing it for a couple more hours, so I don't see where the problem is," Odysseus says back, then gropes Annabelle's breasts. "Hmm, you've certainly grown quite a bit since last time," she says with a straight face, like what she's doing is a normal occurrence.
"Would you like for me to punch you or to slap you?" Annabelle asks with a straight face too, clenching both of her fists in preparation for the beating she is about to give Odysseus.
"I'll choose the slapping. It sounds more...kinky," Odysseus says with a sultry smile.
"Good, good," Annabelle nods in agreement and raises her fist. "Then you don't mind if I punch you a couple of times first, do you?" she says and unleashes a series of punches that Odysseus expertly dodges.
"Bitch, I was trained for this shit!" Odysseus exclaims smugly, diving behind Annabelle to avoid a kick this time. "Nana-nanana, you can't touch me~," she mocks the redhead in a childish manner, then dashes towards the door and opens it.
"Hey boys, long time no see!" she greets Reiji and Tyler, then notices that Saori is also with them. "I see Saori has tagged along with you," she says and pinches Tyler's left cheek. "Did you finally had-mmphmhmhp?"
"Why do I get this sense of Deja Vu I wonder..." Tyler deadpans as he covers Odysseus' mouth just in time.
"Had what?" Saori asks innocently.
"Don't mind her, she's just speaking without thinking," Tyler answers her as Annabelle grabs Odysseus by the back of her neck and drags her inside the small kitchen.
"Make yourselves at home," she says and so the boys and Saori enter the room, sitting around the small coffee table.
"So, why are you guys here?" Odysseus asks as she sits at the free side of the coffee table that is opposite from Reiji, having managed to escape Annabelle's grasp.
"Miho called everyone to gather at the base's garage, most likely to appoint to each team a tank and to inform them about our next assignment," Saori says.
"From what we heard, we are going to America," Reiji says as Annabelle comes with a tray that has cups of tea.
"We are going in the US? That's news to me," Annabelle says surprised, then turns to look at Odysseus. "Care to explain?"
"Since everyone is here, I'll tell you what the Director said to us." She waits for Annabelle to sit down and take a cup before starting the explanation of their mission.
"Basically the US has been torn apart into four factions that control its lands. In one of these factions operates Blackout's American branch, and he believes that spies from our dear old Institute have infiltrated it."
"These guys again?" Tyler groans. "Wasn't China and Australia enough for them?"
"For all we know, they could have a strong presence all around the world," Annabelle says her own opinion.
"With the kind of technology, abundance of recources and manpower they have, it would be hard not to," Reiji agrees with Annabelle.
"Whatever the case, we will be sent there to draw them out," Odysseus continues, but Tyler interrupts her.
"And how will we do that?"
"Easy," Odysseus grins and points at herself. "Me and Miho are going to be baits!"
"Because you can use Ether?" Annabelle asks and Odysseus nods. "Yep. Even if we don't actively use our powers, I'm sure these guys will notice. And when they approach us, we simply kill them."
"How much time will we spend there?" Reiji asks.
"At least two months, probably more. I'll tell you the finer details later; I'm too bored to explain everything right now." She turns to look at Tyler and Saori, looking at them with a mischievous smile. "That being said, the America's branch HQ is in Los Angeles. Guess what Saori, you are going to meet Tyler's parents!"
"What!?" both Saori and Tyler yell at the same time, Saori out of embarrassment and Tyler out of disbelief. Odysseus just falls to the ground howling with laughter, Reiji is smirking at Tyler and Annabelle has buried her face in the palms of her hands, trying her best to stifle her urge to laugh.
"This isn't a joke, is it?" Tyler demands and Odysseus just lifts herself for only a moment to shake her head, before falling back to the floor again. "Great..."
"Wh-Why are you all laughing?" Saori asks, confused as to why something like this would be fun, except for their somewhat exaggerated reactions.
"You'll know when we go over to LA," Odysseus answers in a somewhat mysterious tone, still lying on the floor giggling. Taking some deep breaths, she sits up and points at Annabelle. "Before I forget, Annabelle got an invitation from Darjeeling to visit them, so she, and probably me, will not be around here tomorrow and the day after. And with that, I think we are finished here." Odysseus stands up and rushes towards the door.
"See you at the garage!" her voice trails off as she exits the room, sprinting towards the underground garage to look at the new tanks before all the boring talking starts.
"Wasn't she supposed to be all embarrassed and flustered because of the uniform you made her wear?" Tyler asks Annabelle as he stands up, then helps Saori stand up too.
"She most likely got bored of being embarrassed," Annabelle giggles lightly.
"She is known for getting bored pretty quickly," Reiji says as he exits the room, followed by Tyler and Saori.
Annabelle takes the tray and the half-empty cups of tea to the kitchen and as she is about to exit the room, she notices that there is a number at the back of Darjeeling's letter, so she picks it up to inspect it.
"Could it be..." she wonders aloud for a second, before folding the letter and putting it in the single pocket her skirt has, before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.
Humming the Panzerlied tune while walking down the main staircase, Miho is in rather high spirits.
She, along with her team and Yuki, minus Saori, are making their way towards the underground garage where Miho has called for all the girls to gather.
"You are in rather high spirits, Miho. Did something happen?" Hana asks in a pleasant voice with a smile.
"Mhm!" Miho nods at Hana. "My sister sent me a letter today, inviting me to spend a few days in Kuromorimine. She even wrote a number in the letter to call her."
"That sounds nice."
"A number?" both Yukari and Yuki, who had been glaring at each other discreetly, turn and ask Miho at the same time.
"Aren't telephone lines supposed to be destroyed or inoperable?" Yukari asks.
"When Blackout first freed the schools, they gave a satellite phone to each one in order to keep in contact with them," Miho explains.
"It seems the Director was planning something with the schools since the beginning," Mako says in her usual sleepy voice.
"Like what? Recruit them?" Yuki asks half-jockingly, but when the rest of the girls gaze at her silently with somewhat worried faces, she adopts an expression of seriousness too. "Oh..."
"From a strategic point of view, it would be foolish not to use people who could almost be compared to war veterans, especially when you know your enemy outclasses you in both technology and numbers."
"But, would they even agree to this? However you cut it, the girls will most likely decline the offer to join Blackout and it's not like the Director can order his forces to just force them to."
Reaching the ground floor, Yuki points at the left of the long hallway, where a black line with a white arrow inside it runs along the floor.
"If we follow this line, it will guide us to the underground garage," she says and so the girls start following the line.
"Couldn't Blackout somehow convince the girls to join?" Hana asks.
"He could strike a deal with them," Miho speaks up. "If they joined Blackout, he could provide them with resources they need."
"Like food, clothing and other essential items, or even spare parts for the tanks," Mako adds in.
"Or even give them equipment like tanks and weapons." Yuki's eyes widen slowly as a terrifying thought crosses her mind. "And if he can successfully assimilate them, he'll have the biggest pool of manpower that currently exists in Japan under his thumb."
"Don't you think this is going a little too far?" Yukari questions Yuki's statement. "Even if the carriers do get assimilated into Blackout, that doesn't mean every single person on them is going to instantly enlist as a mercenary."
"Whatever the case may be in the future, we have bigger problems right now we need to solve," Miho speaks up. "We still don't now where over half of the school carriers are, at least two of the countries surrounding Japan are under the Institute's control, and the chances of them launching a big invasion to capture us and destroy Blackout is very high. Best case scenario is we find the rest of the school ships and the Institute never attacks us, but things never go as we expect them to. We all learned this in Senshadou."
"I just hope we can find the rest of the schools," Yukari mumbles quietly.
"Given how much time has passed since the earthquakes, it is highly unlikely they are somewhere in Japan, or they would have made contact with the already existing ones," Mako says in a neutral tone. "They most likely are in some other country that is near Japan."
"I'm sure they are fine. We just need to be patient," Hana speaks in a graceful voice. "Wouldn't you agree, Miho?"
Miho nods in agreement with a smile. "Mhm. I'm sure we will find them sooner or later."
Reaching a metallic door in which the black line leads, Miho opens it to reveal a flight of stairs that leads down to another metallic door. Descending the stairs and opening the door, the girls find themselves in a huge underground space that seems to run along the entire length of the building. On one side of this space are neatly placed in a line several tanks that Miho has never seen, and amongst them is also their own Panzer IV. On the far end of this space, a gate with a ramp that leads on ground level is constructed, with the sun's midday light entering through it and supplementing on the lighting of the garage which the fluorescent bulbs that are placed on the ceiling provide.
All around these new tanks the girls of the Ooarai teams stand, looking at them with curiosity and amazement. There is also a certain blonde girl that seems to have gotten stuck upside-down in one of the hatches from one of these tanks, wildly flailing her legs and body in an attempt to get unstuck while her friends sit around her and laugh, because the skirt of her costume is really short and can't cover her exposed butt and underwear.
Upon seeing the vehicles, Yukari immediately bolts over to them, eyes sparkling and with an expression of pure amazement plastered on her face, looking them from every possible angle.
"Yuki, are these the tanks Blackout sent?" Miho asks and Yuki nods.
"Yes. The Director said that they weren't of any use to him, so he sent them here," she answers.
"They look rather powerful, so why would Blackout give them to us?" Mako wonders aloud, trying to think for a reason behind Blackout's sudden "generosity".
"They look so big...and strong..." Hana whispers under her breath, gazing at a tank that has two 130mm cannons crammed at the same turret. "I wonder how it'd feel if I fired them."
"Girls, gather up here for a moment!" Miho speaks loudly as she stops at the middle of the underground garage.
The girls gather around Miho, with Hana and Mako joining them. Only Yuki remains by her side.
"First of all, has everyone been assigned a room?" Miho asks the girls, who answer back with a chorus of "Yes!".
"Alright," Miho nods to herself, then starts speaking. "Welcome to the Ether Force. As of today, you'll be working here in the Ether Force as mercenaries, more specifically as tank crews. Sadly, this was the only way for you to stay here. Yes, Erwin?" Miho asks, seeing Erwin raising her hand.
"What will our duties be?" she asks.
"Patrol missions, scouting places, escorting precious cargo to a city, raiding bases, acting as a defense force for a settlement and things like that," Miho answers Erwin's question, who seems content with it as she lowers her hand.
"Uhm...Commander..." Aya raises her hand and asks nervously. "Uhh... Will we have to kill people?" This immediately dumps the mood for everyone.
In all honesty, Miho doesn't know how to answer this question. Or rather, she does know the answer; it's just that it ain't a pretty one. Should she say that they won't to have to worry about such a possibility, although sooner or later they'll come across a moment where they'll be forced to? Or should she say that they'll most likely have to?
"Most likely...yes," she says with a solemn tone, greatly unnerving the girls, except for the Turtle team. "But we will make sure that it doesn't come to this," she quickly continues, somewhat calming them down.
"From whom will be taking orders?" Momo asks in a clear voice.
"This, uhh...PMC I guess, is run by three people. Me, Yuki whom you all know," Miho points at Yuki who is standing on her right, "And Odysseus..." Miho trails off and sighs, looking at the still stuck girl flailing her legs, while Annabelle is pulling her from the waist in a bid to get her unstuck.
"Dammit Odysseus, how much weight have you put on?" Annabelle groans as she tries to pull her with all her might.
"I haven't put on any weight!" Odysseus' muffled cries come from inside the tank, flailing her legs in protest. "My damn chest is just too big for this hatch!"
"Then how in the name of God and every Saint that exists did you get stuck in the first place!? And stop flailing your legs, you are going to hit me!"
"Since I couldn't get inside the tank normally, because my breasts were hitting the edge of the hatch, I decided to get inside head first and it worked," Odysseus starts her rather long explanation at how she got stuck. "Until I saw I didn't have enough space to crawl inside and when I tried to back out I found my breasts hitting the edge of the hatch again and not letting me out!"
Everyone keeps looking at the two girls with expressions of disbelief, confusion, or embarrassment, thanks to Odysseus' underwear being visible to everyone in all its striped glory. Tyler and Reiji simply keep smirking at the antics of their commander.
"Wait-wait-wait, I got an idea!" Odysseus says loudly, so Annabelle stops pulling her, turning to face Miho.
"Give us a minute," she says quickly, before turning back to Odysseus. "Whatever you have in mind, just do it quickly."
"I'm ready! Try pulling me now!" Odysseus says and Annabelle grabs her by the waist and with a groan, she pulls as hard as she can. Odysseus pops out of the hatch and lands on the ground on her two feet, swaying left and right from the dizziness she feels. Her head is as red as a beetroot, thanks to her blood rushing to her head because she was upside down for so long, but after a few seconds it returns to its normal coloration.
"Never doing this again," she says shaking her head, then remembers she needs to introduce herself to the girls. "Crap, need to to introduce myself."
Turning around, she immediately sprints towards Miho and the others.
"Wait you damn idiot!" Annabelle yells at Odysseus, but she simply ignores her, skidding to a stop on Miho's left.
"So, my name is Odysseus, real name is Elpida Papaioannou and I'm - why is everyone looking away from me in embarrassment and some of you clutch your chests?" she asks raising a brow, when she suddenly feels a bit breezy on her upper body. Looking down, she finds the upper part of her torso completely naked and visible to the girls. Raising her right hand, she finds herself holding a pink bra.
"Oh..." she says in realization. "OK...I still don't understand why everyone is embarrassed. Aren't we all girls? Is this the first time you are seeing boobs?" she deadpans and grabs her breasts from their undersides, gently raising them. This makes some of the girls to gasp in embarrassment and their faces to get even redder." Seriously? Does this happen when you enter a public bath or a hot spring together? You just all get embarrassed? Or do you enter with your swimsuits?"
"Just get dressed and stop standing half-naked in front of them!" Annabelle fumes as she approaches her quickly. While Odysseus gets dressed, both Tyler and Reiji, who have been sitting at the back of the crowd, are gazing at the opposite direction of their commander.
"I never thought I'd see her do something like that," Tyler says in a low voice at Reiji, careful not to be heard by the rest of the girls. "How could she forget she had removed her bra and the top of her costume?"
"We are speaking about a girl that forgets what she eats for breakfast," Reiji says in a voice loud enough for only Tyler to hear him.
"Yet she can remember thirty-four different hentai videos she had seen three years ago," Tyler sighs and shakes her head. "This girl...she is worse than some guys I knew back in the US."
"Indeed, but that's one of the traits that characterizes her," Reiji says. "It wouldn't be Odysseus if she wasn't that perverted."
"I guess you are right," Tyler says back. "But I have to admit, the uniform and this costume do her no justice. Did you see how big they were?"
"Careful, Tyler. If Saori hears you, you are good as dead," Reiji warns his friend, though his look tells Tyler that he agrees with his statement.
"Did you see it?" a slightly stuttering and embarrassed voice asks and Tyler freezes in place. Sweat starts forming on his face, not daring to turn around.
Tyler merely looks at Reiji from the corner of his right eye, with his friend smirking victoriously and mouthing, "You jinxed it."
"If I told you I didn't, would you believe me?" he asks slowly and turns around, looking down on an embarrassed Saori who is covering her chest with her arms.
"Y-You saw, didn't you?" she asks in a barely audible voice, causing Tyler to sigh.
"Well, unfortunately, I don't have the reflexes or the speed of a god to turn around the moment I saw her popping out of the hatch she was stuck. Please don't tell me you are angry over this."
"N-No, that's not it..." she whispers and lowers her head, trying to hide her blushing face from Tyler. "Uhm...Tyler... Do you like them bigger?"
Tyler immediately adopts a thousand-yard stare, feeling as if his next words will decide whether he'll keep living on the realm of the mortals or he'll pass on in the afterlife. "Wh-Why are you asking, Saori?"
"J-Just answer me!" she whispers embarrassed, causing Tyler to start sweating even more, while Reiji is simply trying not to burst in laughter, quite enjoying his friend's precarious position.
While Tyler is trying to navigate through the minefield Saori has set upon him with a single question, Odysseus finally wears her bra and top of her costume. Coughing once to get the girls' attention, she introduces herself again.
"Ahem! As i said before, my name is Elpida Papaioannou, but I prefer being called Odysseus. Some of you also might now me as the girl who has been pulling pranks on you with Scythe for the past two or three weeks - I don't remember exactly - and I'm also one of the Directors, which means you'll be taking orders from me, too. If you are wondering why an idiot like me has been given a position with so much power, is because of two reasons," she says and raises two fingers in front of her.
"Reason number one is that I can use Ether, like Miho and Yuki. Number two is because I have been in a real war, meaning I have a lot of experience on what to do when the shit hit the fan. Anyway, it'll be an honor working alongside you and I hope we can all become friends." She then lowers her hand and starts walking towards one of the new tanks to look at it, hopefully not getting stuck in a hatch this time, with Annabelle following her to make sure she won't.
"A-Anyway," Miho starts talking, an awkward smile forming on her face.
"One last thing I need to tell you. Mine and Odysseus' teams have been hired from Blackout for a mission in the US and we will be leaving in a week."
The girls immediately start whispering amongst themselves, but after half a minute and Momo's shouting, the girls shimmer down and Miho continues." We will be gone for a long time, at least two months, so until we come back I want all of you to listen to Yuki, Anzu, Momo and Yuzu, OK?"
"Yes," the girls respond, a little bit disheartened at the fact that Miho and her team will have to leave for a few months.
"With that out of the way, I called you all here to assign to each team one of the new tanks we received." Miho says and turns to Yuki. "Did Blackout send any information about the tanks?" she asks her, but Yuki shakes her head.
"If you are looking for info on them, I have them."
Turning her head towards the voice, Miho finds Mannheim standing on the door from which she had previously entered the underground garage, holding a stack of papers on his right hand. Mannheim makes his way towards the crowd of girls, who are eyeing him suspiciously, and stops where Odysseus was standing mere moments ago.
"For the past few days I had been sneaking on Blackout's tank garage and compiling data on these tanks, so I believe I can help you with their assignment on each team," he informs Miho as he hands her the papers that contain various information about the tanks.
"And why would you want to help us?" Momo immediately says in suspicion, glaring at the middle-aged scientist.
"Miss Kawashima, unless you have been living under a rock for the past month, I now work for this organization, therefore I have an obligation to see that it develops and prospers. So, unless you want to die out in a battlefield because you didn't know your tank and its workings well enough, I suggest you keep your mouth shut," Mannheim answers back with a condescending look.
"Please stop, both of you," Miho sighs lightly, then turns to look at Mannheim. "Is there anything special with the tanks?"
"Yes. Their engines have been modified to run with Ether. Moreover, certain components or types of ammunition require Ether to work." This totally shocks and surprises the girls. "Also, I have worked in some of these components during my time in the Institute, so I can provide extra information on them."
"That's good to know," Miho nods, then turns to look at the papers. "Is there a reason why the tanks don't have a name?" she asks the scientist while she briefly scans them to get a general idea of their type and performance.
"Since all of these are prototype tanks, I thought that leaving the names blank for the girls to name them would be fine," he answers back.
"I see." After glancing at the papers and taking a general idea of what each tank can do, she looks up to the girls. "Girls, I'll now start assigning a tank to each team, so when I call your team's name, please step up to take the paper of your tank."
"Yes," the girls respond.
"First, Hippo team," Miho announces, so Erwin, Caesar, Saemonza and Oryou step up in front of Miho. "Here's your paper. It is the first tank from the left," Miho says and points at the first tank. Its chassis is around seven meters long and has wheels instead of treads (three on each side), greatly resembling that of the LAV-300 APC. On top of the chassis is a rather big turret that houses a smoothbore 120mm cannon and a coaxial 7.62mm machinegun. At the front of the turret are also 2X6 smoke dischargers, while in front of the cupola is a .50 caliber machinegun.
"It has a fully traversible turret and a powerful cannon, but its armor is pretty thin. It also has an OCU, whatever that means," Miho says, but Mannheim interjects.
"It means 'Optical Camouflage Unit'. It is a cloaking device, though it's an experimental model, so it can make the tank invisible only when it is not moving."
The girls of Hippo team nod in silence, then walk away towards the tank to get a better look at it.
"The long-sought turreted tank destroyer has finally fallen on our hands," Erwin mumbles under her breath.
"Though it is kinda weird for a tank to have wheels," Oryou points out.
"Or that it can become invisible when it's not moving," Caesar adds in.
"This could be useful for ambushes," Saemonza says and the rest nod in agreement.
"Next, Rabbit team," Miho says and six girls step in front of her. "Your tank is the fourth one," Miho points at said tank and hands Azusa the corresponding paper. The tank is huge, looking like an inflated M1A1 Abrams, thanks to its turret housing two 130mm cannons. At the sides of the turret also hang on metal supports two belt fed, remote controlled M134 miniguns. The supports on the sides of the turret from which the two miniguns hang seem to be able to fold on the roof of the turret in order to allow the tank to pass through small streets. Though with how big this tank is, it's highly unlikely it will be able to squeeze through such narrow places.
"Your tank has very good armor, a hybrid APS and two very powerful cannons, but I suspect it will be very slow in both speed and traverse speed thanks to its weight." She then turns to Mannheim. "Anything special about this tank?"
"Except for the hybrid APS and that its cannons can fire indipendently from one another, no."
"Uhm, excuse me, Miss Nishizumi, but what is an APS?" Azusa asks cluelessly.
"It means 'Active Protection System'!" Yukari immediately says, not losing a chance to dish out her impressive military knowledge, especially when it comes to tanks. "It is a countermeasure used against ATGMs, also known as 'Anti-Tank Guided Missiles'. It comes in two setups, known as 'hard kill' and 'soft kill'. The hard kill is-"
"Yukari," Miho says and Yukari immediately stops talking.
"I'm really sorry, Miss Nishizumi, just got caught up in the moment," she apologizes, smiling sheepishly and scratching the back of her neck.
"At any rate, you can go check it out and familiarize yourselves with it if you want."
"Ok," the girls from the Rabbit team answer and walk towards their tank.
"Leopon Team," she says and forward step four girls. "Your tank will be the third one." Giving them their paper, she points at a big tank that is armed with an 120mm cannon and a 12.7mm coaxial HMG (Heavy Machine Gun). Its hull resembles the one the T-14 Armata has, but the turret is of a peculiar design. Angled in the font like that of a Challenger, at its sides are placed six half-balls, three on each side, their size being as big as a human's head. "Your tank is fairly armored and has a rather strong 120mm cannon. In the paper it says it has automated repair drones."
"Repair drones?" the four girls ask in confusion so Mannheim steps in to inform them about them.
"Yes. They have a rather advanced AI my friend Azarin spent quite some time writing," he says and snaps his fingers. Instantly, the six balls in the turret jettison outwards and fly to Mannheim, calmly hovering around him, rotating in a clockwise direction. Suddenly, all six balls develop a vertical rectangle that shines a white color brightly, and several tools unfold from their bottoms. All the girls awe in amazement at the drones as they look around in curiosity, trying to identify their new masters. "As you can see, they are indeed sentient, lacking only emotions," he says and pushes one of the drones quite hard, causing the drone to wobble a few times. It then turns around and produces a series of beeping sounds. Its vertical rectangle flashes in red briefly and it even uses its electrical screwdriver to express its anger while another one its trying to push it away from Mannheim, which makes some of the girls to giggle. Snapping his fingers, all six drones return to their stations at the sides of the tank's turret and shut down.
"Seems Azarin programmed some emotions after all. Anyway, they can be really useful when you want to repair things, especially when in battle. Just remember that they use Ether, so they can do a lot of things you may think are impossible."
The girls nod in understanding, before walking towards their tank.
"OK. Next team is Anteater," Miho announces and the trio of gamers steps in front of her and receive their tank's paper. "Your tank is the second one," she says and points at a tank that looks like a Panther in the hull, though a little smaller and its turret is shaped like an egg lying on its side. From the front of the turret protrudes the barrel of an 105mm cannon, while on both sides, at the rear of the turret, smoke dischargers are installed. "It is armed with an 105mm cannon, so I don't expect for your tank to be able to penetrate any heavy armor from the front, neither its armor is strong enough to tank hits from a high-caliber cannon. It also has 2X8 smoke dischargers at the sides of its turret and an...experimental shield?" she says slowly, unsure if what she had read moments before was true.
"Yes. I worked on this project myself," Mannheim says and pauses for a split second, before continuing. "Think of the shield as a force field that coats the exterior of the tank and will stop any incoming projectiles. If I remember correctly, it needs about an hour to recharge fully, though under the heat of a battle you should consider that it is not recharging. Also, depending on the size and potential energy that the projectile has, your shield will fall differently. The bigger the potential energy of the projectile that hits you, the more energy it will lose."
The girls of the Anteater team nod in response and go towards their tank, chatting about how this shield reminds them of an HP bar from videogames they have played.
"Next one is Mallard team," Miho says and in front of her step Sodoko, Gomoyo and Pazomi.
"Your orders, Commander?" Sodoko asks and snaps a salute, mimicked by Gomoyo and Pazomi.
"Y-You don't have to salute!" Miho says quickly with a slightly flustered face, so the girls lower their hands. "Anyway, your tank is the seventh one on the line." Miho points at the seventh tank, which is surprisingly identical to the one Leopon Team got assigned, but instead of balls at the side of the turret, it has six holes at the sides of the turret's roof, three on each side. "Your tank is identical to the one Leopon was assigned, but instead of repair drones, you have six missile launchers at the turret."
"The missiles launched are about eighty centimeters long and have a diameter of forty centimeters. Their effective range is about a kilometer, if I remember correctly, and their firing style is similar to that of a Javelin missile, meaning that they will go up to a certain height, fly towards the target and strike it from above," Mannheim adds for clarification purposes on how the weapon works." The warhead is encased Ether, so they should be powerful enough to go through anything; even buildings if needed."
"Your tank is outfitted with an autoloading mechanism for both weapons, but the missiles need a separate gunner to designate targets for them," Miho informs the girls after glimpsing the notes the paper has, before handing it to Sodoko. "You should go and familiarize yourselves with it."
"Yes, Commander," Sodoko says and all three girls snap a salute, then walk towards their assigned tank.
"Duck team," Miho continues as the members of the disbanded volleyball club step forward. "Your tank is the sixth one," Miho points at a tank which has a hull similar to Hippo's one, but somewhat smaller and shorter in height. It's turret has a 30mm autocannon, an 1X4 smoke charger at its left side, while on the right side is a missile launcher, connected to the turret with a rectangular piece of steel that has the same length and height as the launcher. "Your tank is like Hippo Team's, having wheels instead of tracks and very thin armor. It also has a 30mm autocannon that has a magazine of 20 shells and an ATGM launcher that uses specialized ammunition."
"The missiles have an initial velocity of about two hundred meters per second, but after three seconds they accelerate at one thousand meters per second," Mannheim informs the girls. "Keep that in mind when you target enemies with them."
Miho hands them the tank's paper and the girls go to check it out.
"And the remaining tank is for us, I guess," Anzu lazily says as she, Momo and Yuzu step in front of Miho.
"Yes. It's the one that looks like a Jagdpanzer IV," she says and points at the final tank of the new ones that indeed looks like a Jagdpanzer IV, only slightly larger and more slick in design. "Your tank has an 105mm cannon that can fire specialized EMP shells," Miho continues.
"The shells will detonate upon impact and create an electromagnetic pulse to disable the electronics of the target for several seconds. And unlike the other specialized ammunition your friends need, yours is created inside the gun's breech by changing the already loaded shell using Ether," Mannheim informs them while Miho gives them the tank's paper.
While Yuzu, and surprisingly Anzu, nod in response, Momo just squints her eyes in suspicion, trying to discern Mannheim's true motives behind his help. And with that, the trio walks away towards their tank to check it out.
Miho sighs in response as her friends gather around her. "Now that this is over and done with, Mako," Miho says and turns to her sleepy friend. "I need you to take the Panzer IV in Blackout; the Director wants to upgrade them for our upcoming assignment."
"Roger," Mako says and makes her way to the tank.
"Before you leave, I want to talk to you about the ammunition, Miss Nishizumi," Mannheim speaks up and the girls turn to look at him.
"You can take care of that too?" Miho asks casually, somewhat expecting it.
"Yes. Though there might not be a steady supply of them for a few months," he answers and disappears from sight.
"What did he mean by that?" Yuki wonders aloud.
"Maybe he is working on something?" Hana suggests, while Yukari has gone back to tank sightseeing.
*Vroooom*
Hearing a sound that clearly belongs to a tank engine, everyone turns around just in time to see a black tank passing besides them with a speed of at least 40km/h and a voice shouting from the driver's seat something about having to go fast. Behind it follows the Panzer IV with a more moderate speed of about 15 km/h, with Mako being partially out of the driver's hatch to have a better view. Both tanks pass through the gate and go up the ramp, before disappearing from sight. Meanwhile, the gate starts closing, two metallic doors sliding from left and right towards each other.
"Hey, Miho!" Annabelle shouts as she jogs to Miho from where the Cerberus was parked. "Do you know if the school carriers have any sat phones?" she asks as she stops in front of her.
"Yes. After they were freed from enemy control, Blackout installed one on each ship. I guess you need to contact Darjeeling?"
"How did you know?" she asks in surprise.
"Odysseus mentioned that the letter was from Tea Garden and that Darjeeling had invited you at a tea party they are having," Miho answers back.
"I see. Then you don't mind if I use it for a little, do you?" Annabelle asks and Miho shakes her head.
"Not at all. I also need to use it to contact my sister; I got a letter from her."
"That's nice," Annabelle says with a smile.
"Hey," Reiji waves at the girls as she approaches them.
"Where's Tyler?" Annabelle asks him as he stops next to her.
"He went with Saori for a stroll," he says and starts looking around. "Where's Odysseus?"
"Had to go and deliver our tank at Blackout. Said they'd upgrade it for our upcoming assignment," she answers him. "Why you ask?"
"Cause you have one of her marks on your right wrist," he responds and points at the top of Annabelle's right wrist, where a small circle rotates, similar to the one Miho had on her back during her battle with the blonde girl.
"Ah, yes. Odysseus told me she didn't want to waste half an hour from her life driving back, so she put a mark on me to teleport herself and Mako back to base," she says.
"She can teleport other people too?" Yuki asks slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"That's what she claims. Said she tried it with someone's pet from Blackout. How true is that, I have no idea," Annabelle shrugs.
"Let's get going," Miho says and the girls start walking towards the staircase that leads to the building's main hallway.
"Want to tag along?" Annabelle asks Reiji.
"Sure. If Odysseus is to appear, there's bound to be some fun," he answers to Annabelle, both of them walking a tad bit quickly to catch up with the girls.
Walking up the stairs, all of them start making their way to the Directors' office, backtracking their previous route. Though having walked not more than twenty meters from the staircase that leads to the underground garage, Yuki stops walking, in her face etched an expression like she suddenly remembered something.
"Aww, dammit! I forgot about the paint Blackout sent to draw camouflages on the tanks!" she groans, covering part of her face with her left hand and shaking it slightly. "Keep going, I'll find you at the office," she sighs and turns around, sprinting back to the underground garage to tell the girls about it and show them where the paint is.
The girls do as she tells them and continue to the office. Going up the main staircase till the second floor and taking a left at the floor's hallway, the finally make it to the office, which is located at the end of said hallway.
"That's it?" Annabelle asks upon seeing the simple wooden door that leads to the office, with only the words 'Directors' Office' glued on it with shiny metallic letters.
"What did you expect?" Reiji asks with slight amusement.
"Well, maybe a more stylish door, or an intricate frame for it," Annabelle answers, scanning the plain door. "Even in Blackout, the Director's office has double doors and a pair of guards."
"Sometimes simplicity can have its own beauty."
"I guess so."
Opening the door and entering, Miho finds herself inside a large room, almost as big as the Director's back in Blackout's main base. A red carpet covers the whole floor, while on the wall opossite from them a huge window pane has replaced most of it, allowing for the sun's rays to shine within the room. On the sides opposite and next to the one the door is, there are three wooden desks, one for each Director. On the one opposite from them, a satellite phone sits neatly at the right side, while on every desk there are various desk accessories, like pen cups, file sorters and other things like these. Several file cabinets stand at the corners of the room, while a rather intricate chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
"Does this fit your fancy?" Reiji asks Annabelle as they all enter the room and start looking it all around with curiosity.
"It could be better," she says, an expression of heavy thought and concentration etched on her face. "The chandelier could have had a pattern, like blooming flowers. The carpet could have been more firm; it feels too soft on the feet. The desks could have been from a more expensive wood and the walls are too plain and white. Maybe a different color and a painting or two would do the trick."
"You have pretty high standards, don't you?"
"Of course. I'm nobility after all."
"I thought you hated being referred as one though?" Reiji asks confused, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't get me wrong, I absolutely despise that title and it makes me want to vomit knowing that I'll never be able to get rid of it, but I'll use it if it can give me an advantage," Annabelle responds.
"So, in order to justify your picky nature you used your past as a reason."
"Well, growing up with having everything and always of top quality tends to spoil you a lot, but as you said before, simplicity has a beauty of its own, so I don't mind that much."
"Hah...Hah."
A panting Yuki enters the room, leaning at the door's frame, trying to catch her breath.
"Are you okay?" Miho asks as Yuki straightens herself up and takes a deep breath.
"I'm fine. It's just that I had to move the buckets with the paint for the girls to start drawing camouflages and then I ran all the way here," she answers.
"Didn't the others help?" Annabelle asks Yuki.
"They helped, but they were too many buckets and I was kinda in a hurry."
"Is Yukari still in the garage?" Miho asks.
"Yes. Last time I checked, she was taking pictures of the tanks."
"Well, I'm sure she'll come here once she has satiated her curiosity," Miho smiles and moves towards the desk which sits in front of the window pane. Sitting on the luxurious swivel chair, she starts patting her pockets for her sister's letter that has the satellite phone number of Kuromorimine.
"Did I leave it in my room?" she wonders aloud as she seems to not be able to find it, still checking her pockets in case she somehow missed it.
*Thump*
Looking at the center of the room, the girls and Reiji find Odysseus standing on the soft, red carpet, while she holds Mako over her head with one of her tentacles.
"Guess who's back!" she says and strikes a pose like a magical girl that has just finished her transformation. Meanwhile Mako just looks around confused, blinking a few times.
"We really did teleport," she notes as Odysseus puts her down on the floor.
"Please stop posing like a twelve-year-old," Annabelle sighs, then facepalms as she sees Odysseus deactivating her powers and immediately lying down on the carpet.
"What the hell are you doing..." she deadpans, while Reiji is chuckling and the rest of the girls slightly sweatdrop at this.
"This carpet is so soft and fluffy!" Odysseus says cheerfully and starts rolling on the carpet. "I think I'll-Gah!" she gasps as Annabelle pins her on the ground with her left foot, firmly pressing it against her waist. "Fine, fine, I get it, so stop trying to crush my back!"
Annabelle merely huffs and releases Odysseus, who painfully stands up and starts rubbing her back.
"Annabelle, you can use the phone first if you want; it seems I forgot my sister's letter at my room," Miho says and stands up from the swivel chair. "I'll be back shortly."
And with this, Miho exits the room to go and retrieve Maho's letter from her room.
"Ha! See Annabelle!? I told you there was a way to contact Darjeeling!" Odysseus points at Annabelle triumphantly and laughs.
"The only thing you did was to poke my nose," Annabelle immediately shuts down Odysseus. Sitting behind the desk on the swivel chair, she moves the phone in front of her and retrieves Darjeeling's letter from the only pocket her skirt has at its left side. Unfolding it and picking the phone's handset, she dials the number that is written at the back of the letter and then waits for the phone to establish a connection with the satellite first and then with St. Gloriana's phone.
"Tuuun...Tuuun...Tuuun...Click. Hello?"
"Hello, Darjeeling. It's Annabelle," Annabelle says cheerfully on the phone, glad to hear Darjeeling's voice.
"Ah, Annabelle! What a pleasant surprise. How have you been?"
"Hi Darjeeling!" Odysseus shouts towards the phone, causing Annabelle to shush her and Darjeeling to giggle a little.
"It seems Elpida is as cheerful as always."
"Yeah, meaning that I have to be wary of her in case she tries to do anything stupid. Other than that, we have been fine this past month. How have you and the girls been?" she asks Darjeeling. In the meantime, Odysseus scoots close to Annabelle in order to be able to hear Darjeeling too.
"We have been doing fine, too. In fact, bandit sightings seem to have plummeted to almost non-existent. While that means we won't be getting attacked anymore, we also can't make a lot of money because of that. The nearby towns and settlements ask less and less escorts for their trading caravans, since they don't get attacked anymore. At any rate, I believe you called me because of my letter, correct?"
"Yes, because I wanted to ask a few questions," Annabelle says, the smile on her face slowly fading.
"Firstly, why did you invite me in Tea Garden's party? I know you had given me an invitation when I first came in St. Gloriana, but I never accepted it, neither did I receive a soul name."
Annabelle can hear Darjeeling sigh slightly, then coughing once.
"Ahem. As you know, the members of Tea Garden have a gathering once per month where they all gather together to drink tea, eat cakes and converse with each other. Since the members found out you are still alive, they decided to make a party instead of their usual gathering and entrusted me with writing an invitation to you. I tried explaining to them that since you aren't a member, you couldn't attend it, so they said that an exception could be made, or that this invitation was for you to join Tea Garden."
"Talk about clingy... I bet you have your own fan club, Annabelle, like Tyler has one back in Blackout," Odysseus teases Annabelle, who sighs and puts her left hand on the handset's microphone, then lowers it to speak to Odysseus.
"Please don't say things like that, this is no laughing matter," Annabelle sighs, then gets back on the phone.
"OK. I'll tell you right now, Darjeeling, but unless Odysseus can come too, I won't attend the little party these girls are throwing for me," she says, her smile completely gone from her face.
"If she wants to, I can invite her too."
"Won't the members object?" Annabelle asks.
"They already invited a non-member to their gathering, so objecting to my decision at inviting another non-member would be hypocritical of them."
"That's good. Then, will we have to wear something formal for the occasion?"
"Yes, but the school uniforms are acceptable. We can provide you with one when you come in the carrier."
"I'll stick with my job's uniform, so don't get one for me," Odysseus immediately says and looks at Annabelle with a look that says 'No one is changing my opinion on this'.
"Well, I guess a military uniform can be considered formal wear."
"Great," Annabelle says, then sees the door opening and Miho along with Yukari entering the room. "I have to go now, but we will talk tomorrow. See you on the carrier."
"Before you go, you should now that Elizabeth will be there, since she finally became a member."
Annabelle's face churns to a discontent one, though she quickly recomposes herself.
"I see. Thanks for telling me. Have a nice day, Darjeeling."
"Likewise, Annabelle."
*Click*
"Everything's okay?" Odysseus asks, having caught a glimpse of Annabelle's sour expression, but since she had moved her head away from the phone, she didn't hear what Darjeeling said.
"No, everything's fine," she answers and stands up, though as she passes next to Odysseus, she whispers to her ear. "I'll tell you later."
"The phone's all yours, Miho," Annabelle says as she drags Odysseus out of the room. "Come on, Odysseus, we still need to pack our luggage."
O-Ok," Odysseus says, unsure of what Annabelle wants to tell her later.
"I'll be taking my leave as well. Have a nice day everyone," Reiji says to them and exits the room, closing the door behind him.
"Did you find the letter, Miho?" Hana asks and Miho nods.
"Yes," she says and moves behind the desk, sitting on the swivel chair and putting her sister's letter next to it. Picking the handset and dialing the number the letter has, she waits for it to connect.
*Click*
"Hello?"
"Hello, Sister."
Thirty-three miles away from Busan
Southwest in the Sea of Japan
In the calm waters in the southwest part of the Sea of Japan, three warships sail at a brisk speed of 30 knots in a line formation. The first and last ships in the line are frigates, while the one in the middle is a guided missile destroyer. All of them have the markings of being vessels belonging to the Republic of Korea Navy. At the bridge of the destroyer, its captain keeps scanning the horizon with his binoculars for any threats that might appear. A habit that he had since his days in the Naval Academy that really saved him during the Second Korean Crisis back in 2023.
"How's the radar?" he asks with his gruff voice the radar operator.
"No contacts in its vicinity, Captain," the radar operator responds back to the captain.
"Good," the captain says. Lowering his binoculars, he starts stroking his beard in thought. During the war, whenever things were too quiet, like now, there was always an enemy lurking around somewhere. True, they left Busan about forty minutes ago, and a task force has been sent North of their position to strike an enemy's supply convoy in order to pull any enemy fleets away from them, but it would be foolish to only consider the best case scenario.
"Commander," he says and turns at the man next to him. "Take command of the bridge for now. I'll go and check on our guest."
"Sir!" the commander says and snaps a salute, before turning to look forward, he too scanning the horizon for any enemies.
The captain leaves the bridge, slowly making his way towards the captain's cabin, where their guest is currently in. Descending a staircase and passing through a narrow corridor, he makes it to his cabin. Knocking a few times and opening the door, she finds a girl sitting at the edge of his bed, looking at him somewhat nervously. The girl can't be older than eighteen or nineteen years old and she wears a school uniform that he has never seen before.
"You don't have to be nervous," the captain says and enters the cabin, closing the door behind him. "I came to check how you are doing and to introduce myself, since I didn't have a chance to because of our hasty departure. My name is Nam Se-yoon and I'm the captain of this vessel," he introduces himself.
"Oh! Ah-Ah, ummm...my name's Inui Ai, it is nice to meet you!" the girl stands up and immediately bows.
Good, it seems like I still remember my Japanese, he thinks.
"Uhm, Captain, when will we arrive?" the girl asks timidly.
"We should be at Nagato in about three hours," he answers and the girl nods in response, sitting at the edge of his bed again.
"I really hope the Japanese government will send help," the girl mumbles just loud enough for the man to hear her.
"You and me both, Miss Inui," the captain says and walks to his desk, which is opposite from where the girl sits. "So, from which school carrier are you?" he asks as he takes a seat at the desk's chair.
"I-I'm from Chi-Ha Tan Academy, sir," the girl answers.
Before the Captain can ask any more questions, the ship's alarm starts blaring.
"All hands to battle stations! I repeat, all hands to battle stations!" a voice blares through the intercom of the ship.
"What's going on!?" the girl asks nervously, her body trembling slightly with fear.
"Something serious, probably an enemy attack. I need to go back to the bridge. Stay here and don't leave the room," he says and quickly dashes out of the room, running towards the bridge as fast as he can. Reaching it, he immediately takes position next to the commander, taking his binoculars from him.
"Status report!" he immediately orders as all three ships open fire in the distance.
"Contact, North, Northeast, three signatures, distance eight, seven and seven kilometers respectively," the radar operator says as he keeps monitoring the unknown signatures. Se-yoon raises his binoculars to look at the enemy vessels and indeed spots three warships that resemble destroyers. Their hulls and superstructures are painted white and all three have green, tron-like lines running all over them. Shells after shells fall around them, with columns of seawater rising in the air and drenching them. The launched anti-ship missiles simply get shot down by red lasers. In one of the destroyers there is also a strange futuristic turret at its bow, resembling more of a railgun that can be seen commonly in sci-fi movies.
"Contact Busan and Cheongju, tell them the enemy is equipped with a laser point defense system and one of them with some kind of unknown weapon!" he orders his communications officer. Great splashes start rising all around his ship, the enemy throwing everything they have with frightening accuracy, the shells missing only by a meter or two.
"Captain, the enemy is preparing something!" the commander says and as the captain can clearly see a bright green flash to be glowing in the horizon.
"All ships, break formation and maneuver right!" he yells and the ships break the line in which they are, turning right as hard as they can.
*Bzzzzzzzzttt*
As the captain can see, a great ray of apple green light hits the frigate that is in front of them, hitting it in the middle of the hull and creating a huge whole in it. A second later, several anti-ship missiles hit its left side, detonating the turret's magazine in the bow and completely destroying the engine room.
As the ship's twisted and flaming wreck slowly sinks at the depths of the sea, one of the anti-ship missiles from the Busan hits one of the enemy destroyers at its engine room, putting it out of commission.
"Captain, Busan reports a successful hit at one of the enemy signatures. They say an anti-ship missile hit its engine room," the communications officer reports.
"Contact command and tell them what's going on, there is no reason to keep radio silence anymore. After that, try to hail any friendly or Japanese vessels for help."
"New contact, four enemy signatures, starboard side, distance eight kilometers for all!" the radar operator says and the captain greets his teeth.
"Now we can't go back to Busan!" he grumbles, then turns to the commander. "Commander, get me a map! We need to decide where to go next!"
The commander immediately complies, saluting for only a moment and then going away to retrieve a map.
"Start laying a smokescreen, we need to cover ourselves!" he yells, then hears a sound that makes him widen his eyes in terror.
*Bzzzzzzzzttt*
"Brace for impact!"
A/N: I know it has been over a month since the last time I released a chapter, but i have been kinda busy with my university, being lazy some days, and proofreading two stories for which I became beta reader. I'll try to not take that much time to release the next chapter, but no promises. 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!