RECAP: Last time on the Neptunia Chronicles; Andrew and Neptune spend some time together on what appears to be a day of peace. Neptune makes a suggestion to Andrew that leads to some... *ahem* embarrassing situations. And of course the Purple Duo go out with LAF forces in a patrol and mock dogfight... only to be shot down by Jose and a few ace pilots.
The Neptunia Chronicles
Missing in Action/A Preemptive Strike
Andrew was still carrying Neptune across the forest floor, trying to put as much distance between the two of them and Jose's mercenaries as he can. However, he too was running out of energy.
"How far... does this forest go?" Andrew muttered, breathing heavily.
"I don't... know. Can we stop for a bit?" Neptune asked, her eyelids getting heavy. Andrew stops and scans the area. To his right was a cave entrance at a distance of, he guessed, 30 meters or so.
"Well... how about that?" Andrew asked, as if luck was working for him. "I found a cave entrance. Not much further, come on now." Andrew said as he practically dragged Neptune across the ground.
"No more... please no more..." Neptune cried, fighting to stay awake.
"Come on, Neptune. Just a bit more." Andrew said, pepping his CPU wife to stay awake long enough as they entered the cave entrance.
"I can't take no more." Neptune muttered tiredly, not bothering about her grammar at this point. Andrew laid the tired girl on the rock wall of the cave interior, before laying down next to her, sweat dripping from his hair.
"Well... I think I burned a lot of calories after that..." Andrew said, panting heavily. "You did good for a girl with no energy left. Now I guess is a good time to get some rest." Andrew said as he stared outside at the setting sun, before leaving to gather wood. He returned half an hour later with plenty of wood for a fire.
Andrew set up a campfire with the wood from outside and a tinder set that came with his survival kit, and throws a lit match on the wood. "Let there be light." Andrew said jokingly as the fire catches, the cave interior beginning to glow and warm up. Neptune laughed tiredly in response. After that, Andrew huddles up with Neptune and they begin to fall asleep, keeping each other warm against the cold stone.
Noire, Histoire and Nepgear stared at the screen as it showed live footage from orbit, looking at Andrew's and Neptune's signal. They had found it just an hour earlier, and apparently they had been on the move. The problem wasn't that they were wasting energy, far from it. The problem was the twelve red dots slowly following them. They stopped about twenty minutes ago to camp, but Everyone was still worried.
"They're far from safe, we'd better act fast." Nepgear said.
"Lets hope that those commandos arrive in time." Noire muttered under her breath. Lance and Lucas were among those sent for SAR, and have been prowling the forest like wolves.
Ludwig Schneider was sitting on a log next to a campfire, talking with his men over a hearty meal of pork and rice. Having been tasked by Jose with the capture of Neptune and Purple Shield, he and a few others in his twelve-man group were on edge.
"I guess my team and I are lucky to be the ones going after Neptune and Purple Shield. We've activated the HDD jammer just moments after they touched the ground, so they can't fly out. They may be crafty, but we'll catch them." Ludwig thought.
"...and then this bloody hellhound runs up, snarling as if I was a threat to its very existence, before trying to take a bite out of my left arm. I dodged left and, with my trusty AK-77, punched holes into the little bastard's skull faster than it could blink!" a mercenary shouted, telling a story he had about a fight with a hellhound while he was on patrol during the crisis with Arfoire. Others followed with laugher and pats on the man's back.
"Cunning little bastard. It's stunts like these that earn my respect." Ludwig thought to himself as he laughed alongside his men. For a mercenary commander in Jose's private army, one would think he had the honor of a commander in one of the five nations' military forces, which wasn't exactly untrue, given that he followed his orders to the letter, didn't let bullshit get in his way, and - unlike other mercenary commanders in Jose's forces - actually cared about the soldiers under his command as if they were his own children. It was why, despite being contracted to Heaven's Bane, he was respected among Allied Forces personnel.
"Achoo!" a mercenary sneezed.
"Nathans, can you check up on Juarez, he's sneezing again." Ludwig asked to a mercenary wearing a Red Cross on his left shoulder, showing him to be a medic. Ever since they lost Azure Heart to a covert ops strike on his own property while he was gone yesterday, he had to get an actual medic that was willing to fight for Jose without question.
"I can't wait to capture the goddess and Purple Shield and get out of the damned forest. I might as well go looking for them myself, since I have a lock on their emergency beacon!" another mercenary joked. Other mercenaries joined in the laughter.
"He's definitely full of fiery passion, that's for sure." Ludwig thought as he took a bite out of his meal. "I wonder when we capture those two and return home myself. I'm eager to return to my wife."
"Sir, he's sick. I don't think it is wise to keep him here, he'll die under these conditions." Nathans, the medic, reported. Ludwig simply put his hand over his face.
"Very well, send him to the exfil, we'll continue this without him." Ludwig responded, before the sick man was carted off by the medic."That was the second time I had to exfil one of my men today. Vicky had a broken ankle after a branch fell on top of him ten minutes after infil, now somebody is sick." Ludwig thought with a sigh.
"Section, you still have eyes on them?" Lance asked.
"Yea. They appear to be in a cave several hundred klicks away. At this rate they'll be captured before the end of the week. We'll be approaching them within a month." Section said as he stared at the tracker on his TacPad.
"Then we'd better hope they have the strength to keep moving." Sev said as he scanned the area from the scope of his sniper rifle.
"Chief went ahead to meet up with them, following the tracker's signals." a man in yellow Katarn armor said as he checked his DC-17.
"Let's get moving. The sooner we get to them, the better." Lucas suggested.
Andrew and Neptune were still asleep as the first rays of sunlight struck their faces. It was enough for them to wake up. Turning to the smoldering remains of last night's fire, Andrew - after adding fresh wood to the hot remains, which went alight instantly - heated up an instant meal for the both of them.
"Feeling any better, Neptune?" Andrew asked.
"Yea. I have had enough sleep, so I shouldn't be a burden." Neptune replied as she wiped the sleepiness from her eyes. Andrew laughed as he gave a portion of the instant meal to her. It took ten minutes for them to finish, and Andrew stood up afterwards, tossing the refuse in the fire.
"We've gotta get going. Our rescue team may be coming for us, but so are Jose's mercs." Andrew said as he took Neptune's hand and helped her up. The two of them walked out of the cave and headed due southwest towards Lastation, as Andrew checked the DC-15 Blaster Pistol he was given weeks earlier, just prior to his assault on the slave market.
"Wait, why are we walking? We can just transform and fly back." Neptune suggested.
"Oh, yea." Andrew replied. They both began to transform and... nothing.
"Huh! I can't seem to transform." Andrew said.
"Yea... neither can I." Neptune replied. Andrew just gave up with a sigh.
"They must have some sort of HDD jammer around, like what Arfoire had. This one however seems to have a range that spans the entire forest." Andrew hypothesized.
"Now that's just godmodding!" Neptune replied angrily.
"I guess we're walking, then." Andrew said.
The blackish blue and orange of early dawn soon got replaced by bright, lush greens and blues of mid-morning. Andrew scanned the ground for enemy activity, staying ready for anything. It was then that he heard rustling in the bushes.
"Who's there!" Andrew shouted, his DC-15 raised at the disturbance. There was a voice on the other end that sounded suspiciously like...
"Thunder!" Andrew shouted, using the famous code used by paratroopers in WWII.
"Flash!" the voice replied. Andrew lowered his gun and a green, gold-faced giant walked out of the bushes, MA5C assault rifle in hand.
"Good to see you, Chief." Andrew said with a sigh of relief.
"You too." The Chief replied with a nod. Neptune smiled knowing now that the SPARTAN joined them.
"Haven't you guys tried flying back?" Cortana asked, her feminine figure appearing in open space with a confused look.
"We can't even transform. I assume the mercs trailing us have some sort of HDD jammer." Andrew replied. There was a moment of silence.
"The rest of the rescue team is this way. Follow us." Cortana said. Andrew nodded as he followed the chief, DC-15 clutched tightly in his hands. They ran through the forest, keeping an eye out for enemy activity.
"Damn!" A mercenary shouted. Ludwig looked over at the source of the curse.
"What's wrong?" Ludwig asked.
"The blasted Allied Forces got to the prize first!" the mercenary replied.
"We'll go after them. Just hold your horses." Ludwig replied as they hustled across the forest floor after Neptune and Purple Shield.
"Alright." the mercenary replied. Behind them, the rev of an engine could be heard, and an All-Terrain transport pulled up to the mercs.
"Need a lift?" the driver asked.
"Where did this vehicle come from?" Ludwig asked in utter shock.
"I got it from command. It had been air dropped an hour ago." the driver replied. Ludwig chuckled as he and his mercenaries climbed in the back.
"You've got Neptune's and Purple Shield's signal, right?" Ludwig asked.
"Indeed." the driver replied as the vehicle lurched forward. This would, luckily, save on energy as they drove across the forest floor.
"What I want to know, is WHY a CPU and her Paladin-Knight would be authorized to fly a fighter in a combat zone!" a man yelled. They were in the command center of Osiris Air Base with Noire, Uni, Nepgear and Histoire, speaking with General of the Air Force Victor Anderson and Infinity 1.
"It was by my request, sir. Lady Black Heart herself greenlit the request." Reaper replied.
"Is this true?" Victor asked, facing Noire.
"It is." Noire confirmed. Victor only put his hand on his face, unable to believe the words he was hearing.
"Sir, If I may-" the base commander began to say, before he was cut off.
"No, you may NOT!" Victor snapped. Histoire, Uni and Nepgear looked on, shocked.
"Wait a sec... Purple Heart is a CPU and Purple Shield is a Paladin-Knight. Can't they just fly back?" the commander asked.
"They could, but I'm getting energy readings across a majority of the forest. They seem to have some sort of HDD jamming field in place." Noire replied as she looked behind her.
"Meaning... they can't even transform." the commander assumed.
"That's correct." Histoire replied. Victor looked mildly angry.
"That would mean they're little more than free-roaming prisoners. Paperweights just waiting to be picked up. Is there any way we can target the jammer directly?" Victor asked.
"I'm afraid not. it isn't showing up on satellite, and I doubt it'd show up on radar either, so in all likelihood they have it hidden by some sort of cloaking device." Nepgear replied. Victor looked exasperated by this point, trying to think of a solution to this.
"I thought only the Aurelians had access to cloaking technology." Reaper complained. There was little more than silence.
"Well, there's good news, and more bad news. Which first?" Noire asked. There was only silence.
"Good news is, one of the search party members caught up with Andrew and Neptune, and is leading them to the extraction point. Worse news... the mercenaries trailing them have acquired some sort of all terrain transport vehicle, and are catching up to them." Noire explained.
"Any chance we can take the heat off of them somehow?" the commander asked.
"That's a no. Any attempt to assist from the air would only make them accelerate their efforts. Besides, we've got all our planes on standby for air defense as it is, plus there are those awaiting the preemptive strike we have planned." Noire explained.
"That's pointless. We've got all this air to ground ordinance and no way to provide air support." Reaper said irritably.
"Well, there is nothing we can do about it, really." Noire replied with a sigh.
"Why did you have to drop this plot convenience on us now, of all times, sis?" Uni asked as she facepalmed.
"LZ secure." the commando in the yellow Katarn armor announced as he and Section looked around the clearing.
"Copy that, Boss." Fixer replied.
"Cortana to Osiris, we have met up with Neptune and Andrew. We're moving to the extraction point now." Cortana announced.
"Copy, Cortana. Be advised you have mercenaries trailing you on an all terrain transport vehicle. They are catching up as we speak. Hustle back as quick as you can." Nepgear replied.
"Affirmative, Nepgear. Cortana, out." Cortana replied back.
"Some driver you are..." a mercenary complained as he rubbed his back. Behind him, the all terrain transport vehicle lie on its side in a trench, being left abandoned, simply because the driver hit what seemed to be a parachute and lost control.
"Have you been drinking whiskey before you procured this vehicle?" another mercenary asked.
"No! I swear I have not!" the driver complained as he rubbed a bruise, not paying much attention to the anger coming from his battered colleague.
"If that's the case, you're the worst driver we could possibly hope for, and you didn't even have to TRY to suck! Because of this mishap, we're in danger of losing our target!" the mercenary snapped. At this point, he and the driver have the attention of everyone around them.
"I'M SORRY!" the driver wailed.
"You'd better be. If we fail this mission, I'm going to pummel you so hard that-" the mercenary swore, before being cut off.
"Enough. This is my responsibility." Ludwig said, ending the conversation. There was a momentary silence as the mercenary and driver regained their composure.
"Sorry, sir." the mercenary replied.
"We can still make up for lost time. If we hurry, we can catch them just before they make their escape." A mercenary said, trying to change the subject.
"Agreed. Let's get going." Ludwig replied, before they formed up and ran after Neptune and Purple Shield.
it had been almost an hour, but Andrew, Neptune, and the Chief made it to the LZ, and everyone regrouped.
"This is Section, Purple Heart and Purple Shield are with us, requesting exfil!" Mason ordered.
"Copy, Section. Crow Six Two is on its way." Uni replied on the other end. Andrew and Neptune were panting and sweating heavily, but were glad that they were basically on the final stretch to get home.
"Hold up! We've got movement! Enemy forces have approached the LZ! I count thirteen tangos! Get ready for an intense fight!" Cortana announced. Andrew groaned in irritation.
"Stupid mercs! When will they learn to leave us alone?!" Andrew replied as he readied his DC-15 Blaster.
"Neptune, you any good with a gun?" the Chief asked, holding a spare rifle, what looked like an Erza-4 automatic rifle from Lowee, out for her.
"What? Are you serious? I have to use a gun?" Neptune asked, a look of shock plastered across her face.
"If you go in with a blade, they'll dogpile you and snatch you away for sure. If that happens, this whole rescue op would be for nothing." Lucas replied as he readied his pulse laser rifle.
"Are you any good with a gun or not?" The Chief asked again.
"I... I..." Neptune replied, unsure of what to say.
"They're getting close!" Cortana said.
"Oh, alright." Neptune finally said as she took the rifle and crouched to steady her aim. Immediately afterwards, a loud, thunderous clap could be heard. Andrew turned his head and saw Sev with what looked like a Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle. With a click, the commando ejected the spent casing and loaded a new round from the magazine with the bolt.
"Gotta love bolt-action rifles..." Andrew muttered with a sigh. What they heard and saw next would scare the living daylights out of an unprepared soul.
"UURRRAAAAAAAA!" The mercenaries screamed, rushing out of the forest in a banzai charge, screaming the Soviet war cry as they entered the meat grinder.
"Fire!" Andrew ordered as he pulled the trigger. For the first time, he felt the electronic jolt of a blaster as he opened up on the mercenaries as they ran into the open like a band of Japanese soldiers. Neptune and the rescue team followed suit, creating a death wall that the mercenaries couldn't pass. The mercenaries then made a sudden change in direction and fired a few shots, before running back into the forest where they came from.
"What was that?!" Neptune wailed, her body clearly shaking.
"Banzai charge, mixed with hit and run tactics. They're using guerrilla warfare against us. Tricky bastards!" Andrew said as he wiped sweat off his forehead. "Check your ammo and get ready, you can bet that they're going to make another charge." Andrew ordered. Everyone took a look at their clips, and changed magazines when they had to. They took out a good chunk of the enemy when the mercs made their first charge, but there were still at least six mercenaries out there.
"Heads up, more tangos coming up on our twelve, at least twenty of them. It looks like they've been reinforced." Cortana announced.
"Damn it! How'd they do that?!" Scorch shouted.
"They must have come in on a chopper equipped with a cloaking generator from Aurelius." Lucas hypothesized.
"UURRRAAAAAAAA!" the mercenaries screamed again.
"Here they come again! Open fire!" Andrew ordered. In a loud symphony of gun and blaster fire, they tore through more of the enemy ranks, but the mercenaries charged ahead, undeterred. Once again, the enemy fired a few shots before dashing back into the forest, splitting up this time. One of the mercenaries got lucky and hit Andrew in his left shoulder.
"Agh!" Andrew groaned.
"Andrew! No!" Neptune cried.
"It's nothing I can't handle. I've had worse scrapes than this. I'll be fine." Andrew explained, a pained smile on his face.
"UURRRAAAAAAAA!" the mercenaries screamed once more, the cry echoing across the forest eerily.
"They're coming again! From all sides!" Boss shouted, raising his DC-17 blaster at ready position.
"Surround Purple Shield! Hurry!" Lance ordered.
"This is bad, three eight!" Fixer said as he opened fire on the mercenaries.
"I know! If they get reinforced again I doubt we will survive this encounter!" Boss replied. Against all possible odds, Andrew stood up and, holding his DC-15 blaster in his left hand and holding closed his wound with his right, fired on the enemy despite the pain, his aim true with every shot against the onslaught of mercenaries. As if to mute the sound of gunfire, the loud noise of rotor blades filled the air. Suddenly, a hailstorm of fiery lead rained down on the mercenaries from above.
"Crow Six Two on station, ready for pickup!" the co-pilot announced on the comms, while the gunner continued to mow down the enemy forces. By this time, the mercenaries, the three remaining ones at least, were in open retreat.
"We've routed them! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Andrew shouted at the top of his lungs, his one good arm raised in the air to signal their victorious defense. Neptune dropped her rifle, before running up and hugging Andrew. She almost knocked him over as she hugged him tightly, a beaming smile on her face. It seemed like a full hour before she finally released her grip on him. "Let's go home, love." Andrew said as he holstered the DC-15, before taking Neptune's hand.
"Alright." Neptune replied with a nod as they got on the blackhawk. They held each other close as they left the forest for Osiris Air Base.
"My whole team... defeated. I should have guessed they'd have a way out. They were crafty, and handled the guerrilla tactics like professionals." Ludwig muttered, astonished at what he has seen. "Heh! Maybe there is some truth to that superstition, that thirteen is an unlucky number. I probably should have come in with fourteen soldiers inst-" Ludwig continued, before cutting himself off. "No, that wouldn't have worked either. It was my fault that I underestimated their professionalism... and Purple Shield's skill. This is a man who studied military tactics, after all. And from what I saw, he was a damned good shot despite being used to a sword." Ludwig concluded with a sigh. He then turned back and held up his radio.
"Schneider to command, mission has failed. The Allied Forces got the prize, and they decimated my team. Returning to extraction." Ludwig announced on a communicator as he and his torn ground force headed for their extraction point.
"Hmph! I probably should have expected as much. Very well, you are cleared for extraction. We're scuttling the jammer, too." Jose replied on the other end. As if by instinct, the cloaked HDD jammer went up in a pillar of flame.
It had been only twenty minutes since they left the forest, and the blackhawk lands at Osiris Air Base.
"I need a medic over here, now! Purple Shield's been hit!" Mason shouted as they got out of the helicopter. Luna, Noire, Cosette, and Compa came running out of the base's command center.
"Are you okay?" Cosette asked.
"Yea. Just got a bullet through my left shoulder, but I'm fine." Andrew replied. As they walked inside, Compa cut his left sleeve off and wrapped the wound in a bandage.
"Thank heavens the bullet went through. It didn't damage any nerves or anything, either. You should be okay to fight in a couple weeks." Compa announced.
"A couple weeks? That leaves him unable to protect me!" Neptune whined. Andrew simply sighed in reply.
"I'm not exactly sure what to say about that. I've been stabbed and shot in the same damned arm at least three times now and gotten back on my feet within a matter of hours each time. It's like deja vu." Andrew finally said.
"Well, at least we've got you guys back safely, so we're ready for our preemptive strike against Heaven's Bane forces on Aurelian soil." Noire said, before turning to Lucas and Lance. Titus looked up as he scanned the room.
"We've been greenlit by the exiled Aurelian government for an attack on Breakwater Fortress, a military installation on the coast armed with missile batteries and heavy coastal defense guns. Beyond that is the small town of Vitoze, which has been turned into a mass barracks with the civilian inhabitants still trapped inside. We are going to recapture the fortress and liberate Vitoze." Titus began.
"Problem is, if we take one target, the enemy is going to go on full alert and storm us before we can prepare for the other. To complete this operation without the risk of failure, we will have to attack both targets simultaneously. So, Noire and Lance will lead Team A against the fortress, while Team B, led by the Chief, Luna, and Blanc, will liberate the town. Both teams will be assisted by Free Aurelian military ground and air forces. Take note that enemy ground presence will be heavy, so we're going in by air. You'd best bring your own air forces in for initial softening, as there won't be any naval bombardment in this operation." Titus continued. "Any thoughts or additions?" Titus concluded.
"How do you suppose we use Lastation's new B-16 Deltafortress strategic bombers for that purpose?" Uni asked.
"Great idea, Uni!" Noire replied, her smile seemingly lighting the room around them.
"Any other suggestions?" Titus asked.
"We could support the bombers tactically. Send in the Infinity Squadron of Task Force 118 for air to air defense. Planeptune could send in some XF-190 Dora stealth fighters for SEAD duties." Nepgear suggested.
"Fantastic!" Noire beamed.
"Okay..." Titus thought out loud.
"The commandos could create a distraction during this operation. A separate strike on a lesser military installation nearby would get the enemy's attention and lessen their presence on either of the two objectives." David suggested.
"Hmm..." Titus hummed, deep in thought, for a second. After a couple seconds of silence, he spoke up.
"It's a bit of a gamble, but it could work. Alright, Section. You will lead Team C against this mercenary outpost here." Titus said as he pointed to a dot on the map. "It's an arms dump two miles from both primary objectives. If you create enough chaos, you'll put a strain on the enemy's defense by splitting their focus on three locations." Titus concluded. There was then silence.
"If there aren't any more questions or suggestions, report outside and get ready for the assault. Dismissed." Titus said, before everyone left... everyone except Neptune, Andrew, and a few PSF elite guard to protect them. Andrew looked over at Neptune, who wore a look of worry and sadness as she twiddled her thumbs.
"Is something wrong?" Andrew asked. All Neptune could do is nod.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Andrew asked.
"Yea." Neptune finally replied. "Our friends are going off into battle and we're stuck here because of your injuries. It just isn't fair." Neptune explained.
"Oh... I wish something could be done as well, but let's not forget that we're like purple thumbs against a white backdrop. If any of Jose's mercenaries see us, they won't hesitate to use stun maces on us and drag us out with them. And you know Jose will use me as insurance to keep you as a slave." Andrew replied.
"Yea..." Neptune replied. Andrew simply sighed as she retained her gloomy state.
"Remember what I said to Arfoire before we fought Momus that second time in Planeptune's city square?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah. Fear is a powerful weapon, but one that is easily dwarfed by faith." Neptune said, reciting Andrew's philosophical words. Andrew smiled lightly, and nodded.
"Yes. Cheer up okay? Have faith that our friends will return safely." Andrew said. His words made Neptune feel quite a bit better.
"Since we seem to have the place to ourselves for a while, why don't we do something?" Neptune asked.
"Hmm? Like what, Neptue?" Andrew asked, a smile of curiosity on his face.
"Well... you knoooow." Neptune said teasingly, which made Andrew blush hard.
"Of course, you were going to suggest the whole dress thing." Andrew said, blushing furiously. Neptune looked back with fake displeasure, a tiny smirk hidden on the side of her lip. "Well... I guess it's something. And of course something beats the hell out of doing nothing." Andrew admitted with a smile.
"Bingo!" Neptune thought.
In the sky, a large flight of B-16 Deltafortress and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers were flying towards their target, Breakwater Fortress, which sat along Aurelius's shoreline. Following these bombers were the F-22 and F/A-38s of Infinity Squadron, followed by XF-190 Doras of the PSF Air Force's Amethyst Squadron. This formation left Latation an hour ago at the end of all the planning.
The B-16 - an ultra-heavy strategic bomber only recently fielded and designed to slowly phase out Lastation's venerable fleet of B-52s - looked like an oversized B-2 Spirit, coupled with a similarly sized XB-10, which the B-16 was based on. Powered by six nuclear turbofan engines and capable of cruising at mach .97, the Deltafortress was the pinnacle of a joint effort between Lastation and Planeptune, the same one that developed the Valkur advanced tactical fighter.
In front, sandwiched by two B-52s and 2 F/A-38s, was the B-16 Lady Grace, which was named affectionately for the pilot's sweetheart, the name printed in pink italic letters, a pinup girl in a fancy dress painted above surrounded by Sakura blossoms. They were about ten minutes away from the target when Free Aurelian fighters showed up.
"Allied Forces bomber squadron, you've entered Aurelian airspace. Please state your intentions." the lead Aurelian pilot called out.
"We've got cargo to deliver, urgent business. The medicine Lady Black Heart prescribed for the private army!" the pilot of the Lady Grace, Patrick James Hamilton replied with a smirk.
"And... what would that be?" the Aurelian pilot asked.
"A lethal dose of bombs, sir!" Patrick replied, almost laughing.
"Come on, let the boys through! We've got ground units coming in close behind them to recapture Breakwater Fortress and liberate Vitoze!" Reaper interjected.
"Carry on, bomber squadron. We'll help keep the window open." the Aurelian pilot replied. With the large formation of bombers and fighters, it seemed like a classic scene from the war over Europe during the 1940s. After two minutes, a formation of enemy planes showed up.
"This is AWACS Juggernaut, enemy planes have been confirmed on radar. IFF transponders identify them as part of Jose's private military." the AWACS announced.
"All planes, split up and engage the enemy. Don't stray too far from the bombers, you hear me?" Reaper ordered.
"Copy, Reaper! Alright, Amethyst Squadron, let's go hunting!" Amethyst 1 called out.
"Roger, lead. Laser charged and ready." Amethyst 2 replied, a distinctly feminine voice confirming the pilot as a woman. As the planes split up and engaged, they locked on their targets and fired long range missiles. A few of these missiles struck their targets, but the rest of the enemy planes split off and defeated their missiles with flares.
"AWACS Juggernaut to all planes, enemy aircraft confirmed to be Sukhoi Su 35S Super Flankers." the AWACS announced.
"Flankers again?! REALLY?!" one of the pilots whined irritably.
"The Flanker must be the primary fighter aircraft of Jose's private military..." Reaper said with a sigh as he performed a Split S to reengage his target.
"One wouldn't doubt it, considering the number of times we've gone toe to toe with the damn planes." Amethyst 2 replied, before firing her laser at an enemy plane. The hot stream of electrons burns through the Flanker's skin, detonating the volatile fuel. "Enemy plane is going down!" Amethyst 2 shouted.
Amethyst 1 followed his target closely, trying to get a good angle.
"AWACS Juggernaut, more enemy contacts! Confirmed PAK-FA stealth fighters - twelve of them - closing in on the bomber force from behind!" the AWACS announced.
"Where are the CPU's when you need them?! We're getting swarmed!" Amethyst 1 shouted angrily. As if to jinx him, a brightly glowing arrow pierced the sky and dstroyed the target in front of him, Luna following close behind.
"Lady Azure Heart is with us!" an Aurelian pilot shouted, and cheering can be heard among the Aurelian pilots in the area. Following close behind Luna was Noire and Lance...
"Wait... Black Shield?" Reaper asked.
"Indeed. My powers came quicker than I would have expected." Lance replied. He was wearing a black suit of armor, with his face covered by a full helmet. Behind him were wings similar to Noire's.
"There's no way we'll fail this! Come on, pilots, rally!" Patrick shouted. Lance summoned what looked like an energy sword, before charging after a PAK-FA that was too close for comfort. With a swing, the blade bisected the stealth fighter, and an explosion followed close afterwards. With a bright flash, Amethyst 2 brought down another enemy plane.
"Time to target, two minutes." the co-pilot on the Lady Grace said as he scanned the area.
"Amethyst 1 to Amethyst 3 through 5, commence operation. Begin suppression of enemy air defense! 2 and 6, stay and help protect the bombers with laser fire!" Amethyst 1 ordered. Three XF-190 Dora fighters peeled away from the formation as they activate their radar jammer pods. Amethyst 1, 2 and 6 activated their jammer pods as well to give the allied pilots present in the dogfight a tactical advantage.
"Large jamming field detected! They've got Doras!" a mercenary pilot shouted. He looked around... and saw a Paladin-Knight in black take out one of his buddies. "Another Paladin-Knight?!" the mercenary shouted.
"That must be Black Shield! His armor is completely black! OH CRA-" another mercenary pilot shouted, before being sliced in half by Black Heart.
"I can't get a lock! The radar jamming is too thick! AHHHHHHH!" Yet another mercenary pilot yelled, before being vaporized by a Dora's laser.
"Blasted Allied Forces!" the first pilot shouted irritably as his fellow mercenary pilots died around him. His luck ran out when a flaming arrow from Azure Heart's bow ripped through his canopy and pierced his skull.
"Hell yea, I've got a lock on a SAM!" Amethyst 3 shouted. They were already above the fortress engaging any air defense systems they could find. Amethyst 3 hit the button and launched a HARM anti-radiation missile at the enemy SAM site. The missile followed the SAM site's radar beam like a hawk diving in for it's meal. In a split second, the SAM launcher is wasted, nothing but smoldering wreckage.
"Hahaha! Good kill, 3!" Amethyst 1 said over the comms when the Tac Links registered the hit.
"These Doras are really good planes! Bleed! Bleed, you mercenary scum! Let blood and justice rain from the sky and paint my canopy red!" Amethyst 6 shouted.
"Hey pilot! You sound like a fucking madman!" Blanc shouted through the comms irritably. It was at that point that Amethyst 6 flustered, not noticing the other three Doras taking out three SAM sites each.
"Sorry, Ma'am. I guess I'm having too much fun over here." Amethyst 6 replied apologetically as he locked onto another Su-35S Flanker. Again he pushed the button, and the laser lanced towards the target. Another explosion, and the plane was destroyed. He didn't bother to notice Amethyst 4 take out the last SAM site in the distance.-
"All SAM sites confirmed destroyed. About sixty percent of the enemy air forces have been destroyed as well." the AWACS announced.
"That's what I like to see! The mission is going well!" Noire said happily.
"Bomber force on target in 40 seconds." a bomber pilot announced.
"You heard the co-pilot. Open bomb bay doors!" Patrick ordered. With a low groan, the hydraulic motors of the bay doors opened wide, showing the several thousand pounds of bombs to be dropped on the enemy encampment at Breakwater Fortress.
"Breakwater Fortress in sight! Time to target, 15 seconds." the co-pilot announced. The seconds ticked by in what seemed like hours.
"5 seconds!" the co-pilot shouted. 4... 3... 2...
"Let's make our own mark on history!" Patrick yelled, giving the signal.
"Bombs away! Bombs away!" the bombardier yelled. With a hummed whistle, the high explosive bombs left the bay, before impacting the ground minutes later. A series of low, murmured thunder claps occurred as the bombs detonated below, killing off enemy personnel inside the fortress and decimating columns of T-90 MBTs. What seemed like two days worth of bombing ended in one hour, after which nothing was left of the fortress.
"We completely leveled the fortress..." Luna muttered aloud.
"Seems bringing a flight of strategic bombers was beyond overkill." Reaper interjected.
"Noire to Titus. There's nothing left of Objective A. We've completely decimated the fortress. We could send Team A in anyway for a clean sweep, but I doubt much could be gained." Noire said on the comms.
"An unintended result... I guess it's better than nothing. Objective A is out of action. All ground forces, proceed to Objective B. Bomber force, you're cleared to return to base." Titus replied.
"Copy, Titus. Bomber force is Oscar Mike at this time." Patrick said as he turned the B-16 around. Seconds later, three black Pelican dropships screamed in, two of them landing just outside of Vitoze.
"Go! Go! Go! We are liberating Vitoze today!" Zeri yelled as he led the PSF and Lastation Military forces into the frey. Close behind them, the CPUs landed, before running off to assist the ground force. To their right, a small number of Aurelian Freedom Fighters, supported by heavy assault tanks and other ground vehicles, advanced with their Lastation and Planeptunian allies.
"This sure is quite the battle! I'm ready for anything!" Tsukasa shouted as she unsheathed the twin sabres from her back.
"It's your first battle, Tsukasa. Aren't you at least a LITTLE nervous?" Kagami asked.
"Nope! Not even an inch of nervousness, sis!" Tsukasa replied. Suddenly, two mercenaries came running out of a makeshift guard post, and fired on them. As if Tsukasa had a natural instinct, she sliced the bullets in midair as she ran to the enemy troops, before killing them. Tsukasa simply giggled with a smile as she pulled the sabres out of the bodies.
""Seems that training has payed off. I don't have to worry about you dying on me." Kagami said, her impression showing on her face." Konata said jokingly.
"Hey, stop narrating!" Kagami snapped.
"Oh please! You're trying too hard." Haruhi said, looking at Konata.
"Way to be such killjoys." Konata said, her face showing displeasure.
"Konata, come on! We've got a job to do, so quit slacking off!" Kagami shouted.
"Hostile contact! Twelve meters, I count six tangos." Mason said quietly as they sneaked into the arms dump.
"That's a lot of ammunition. Plenty of black powder stores for artillery, too." Scorch mused happily.
"You seem to be enjoying this." Fixer muttered.
"I've got eyes on at least six Howitzers, they look like they'll be ready to shell the town at any minute. How many explosive charges do we have?" Mason asked.
"18 charges. Enough to level a whole building." Scorch replied bluntly.
"Why on earth did you pack so much?" Boss asked, the look of confusion hidden behind his helmet.
"It pays to come prepared." Scorch replied.
"Alright, I guess it works in our favor. Let's set the charges. We put three charges in the middle of the arms dump, two on each of the howitzers, and three on the walls of that command center they built up." Mason suggested.
"After that, we cause a ruckus, get the enemy's attention, then get out of dodge as we blow the charges, right?" Scorch asked.
"That's correct." Mason replied.
"Let's get busy." Fixer said.
"Fire! Fire! Over by the stairs!" Lucas shouted as he and the group of soldiers he was leading fought their way through an apartment complex that was teeming with mercenary forces.
"Die you SOBs!" a Planeptunian soldier shouted as he fired his Mk 24 LMG at the enemy ahead of him. Each round hit mercenaries in various places. Nobody stopped to make a comment, and proceeded to take the rest of the building. Within an hour, the large number of enemy mercenaries was either killed or taken prisoner.
Nepgear, Uni, and a team of specialists had been fighting through a house that had been transformed into what looked to be a bar for the mercenaries. None of them were prepared, however, for what they saw in a bedroom: a little girl at the age of seven by the looks of it, lying on the floor with her hands tied behind her back, looking pretty bruised.
"What happened?" Uni asked. The little girl went on to explain what happened, crying as she did.
"What the goodness..." Nepgear muttered loudly.
"The sick bastards!" one of the Planeptunian soldiers swore.
"This kind of torture on a child breaks every ethical rule out there. Who knew mercenaries would be so cruel to civies..." another soldier, one from Leanbox, interjected.
"Let's get those bonds off of you." Uni said as she undid the rope that kept the girl tied down.
"Where are your parents?" Nepgear asked. The little girl looked away sadly, and Nepgear - with a pang of sadness - knew what happened. "I'm so sorry." Nepgear said.
"Does she have a name?" Uni asked. There was a little moment of silence.
"Anri. My name's Anri." the girl finally said. It was then that one of the soldiers put his rifle down and kneeled to speak to the girl at eye level.
"We'll find you a home, Anri, don't worry. You're safe with us." the soldier said. Anri smiled at his gesture, before running up to hug him.
Andrew was sitting in his and Neptune's room in the barracks, wearing the same dress he wore yesterday. How Neptune could coerce him into wearing the damned thing twice confused him, but he didn't mind this time since it was just the two of them. They were watching something on the TV, enjoying a pudding cup. Andrew was surprised when Neptune suddenly coddled him, but Andrew smiled anyway despite the fact he was flustering. Andrew yawned and looked at the clock.
"Shouldn't we be getting to bed? It's almost midnight and I'm getting sleepy." Andrew muttered as he yawned a second time. Neptune looked up at the clock and saw what he meant. She simply turned the TV off and they both climbed in bed, holding each other close as they dozed off into a deep sleep.
Scorch and Sev had been creating a ruckus, having already set the explosive charges 15 minutes earlier. They got what they wanted, and the klaxons started blaring, getting the attention of the enemy encamped at Vitoze. Scorch and Sev, not wanting the fun to end, were already sniping and tossing grenades at the enemy, trying to piss them off as much as they can while they waited for their ride to Vitoze.
"This is way too much fun!" Scorch shouted as he tossed yet another frag grenade at the enemy. With an explosion - an abnormally large one - a couple mercenaries were reduced to flying limbs and burnt flesh. The grenade must have set off a bag of black powder set aside for a possible shelling of an area. Whatever it was, it worked to their advantage.
"Scorch, Sev. Our ride is here. Let's get going." Section said as he boarded the Pelican. Scorch and Sev ran for the Pelican and boarded as well. As they flew off, Scorch hit the remote detonator, and everything went up in smoke.
"BOOOOOOM! That's what I'm talking about!" Scorch shouted as he saw the smoke and flames rise up from the base, lighting the area around them.
"Mason to Osiris, Objective C has been taken out." Mason reported over the comms.
"Good work, Mason. Head over to Vitoze and help our forces with its liberation." Titus responded.
"Understood. Mason out." Mason replied, before closing the comm channel.
Dawn was quickly approaching, and a large majority of the town had been liberated. All that's left was one final push on the square, where the town hall had been turned into a prison and defensive position.
"We've got snipers in the windows." Avan said as the two Planeptunian snipers peered through their scopes at the enemy.
"Our forces will begin the final assault as soon as the sinpers are dealt with." Zeri said on the radio.
"Roger that, We'll begin clearing them out." Avan responded.
With a loud clap, the Planeptunians open fire on the enemy snipers and took them out. The enemy had no idea what hit them before it was too late. Within a minute, the allied advance pours into the town hall courtyard. It seemed like things were going well until a T-90 main battle tank drove out of a shed and started firing on the allied forces.
"CRAP! TANK!" Zeri shouted. Noire and Blanc were about to run out and do their thing when their HDD dropped out on them.
"What the! Do they have an HDD Jammer on that thing?!" Lance asked as he too dropped out of HDD. It was then that Noire picked up a radio from one of the Planeptunian soldiers.
"This is Noire, the enemy has us pinned down in the courtyard, and they have an HDD jammer! Requesting air support. Authorization Override: Alpha Whiskey Zero Niner Xray!" Noire ordered.
"Copy that, Noire. Naval Squadron 108 is en route for bomb drop. Stand by." a man called out on the radio. It had been several minutes before a black F-14D Super Tomcat, followed by three black F/A-38s, screamed down, launching Maverick air-to-ground missiles at the enemy tank. The missiles hit home, and the T-90 exploded.
"Good shot!" Noire shouted into the radio, before transforming back to her CPU form. Luna, Vert and Blanc followed close afterwards. Lance transformed as well, and they all stormed the building.
"Targets in sight! Don't let them escape or they'll call for backup." Lucas shouted. The assault force split up as they took the building room by room. Luna shot a fire arrow at a mercenary as he was setting up a machine gun in the hallway. The mercenary went up in flames as the magic arrow dispersed over his body, and he screamed as he jumped out the window.
"Chief. We've got movement in the main office." Cortana announced. Noire nodded and the SPARTAN crashed through the door. Inside was the mercenary officer, who had a .357 Magnum pointed at the door. The Chief promptly dashed and knocked the gun out of the officer's hand, before aiming his MA5C at the man.
"Alright, merc. Surrender." Lucas ordered as he walked in, pulse laser rifle aimed at the officer who was oddly grinning. Nobody noticed the mercenary in the shadows, who walked up and shot Lucas in the shoulder. The mercenary who seemingly came out of nowhere was then sliced in half by Noire, who winked at Lucas and the Chief.
"You're coming with us. Azure Heart is going to give you quite the pep talk about controlling her own nation like this." Lucas said as he handcuffed the officer with his good arm, dropping his pulse laser rifle as he did so.
"Will you be okay?" Noire asked.
"Doubt it. This is definitely going to put me off the field for a month or so." Lucas replied, chuckling as he winced with the pain.
"Can you move your arm?" Noire asked. Lucas promptly tried moving his arm, but couldn't.
"No. I think the bullet is still in there. My arm is stiff as hell and I have no exit wound, either." Lucas replied with a sigh.
"You've done well enough, Lucas. Go ahead and get some rest." Luna said as she too walked into the main office. Her words made Lucas smile, before walking out of the office.
"By your word, milady." Lucas said as he walked through the doorway, smiling at Luna along the way.
"The enemy is taking heavy losses!" Zeri said as he and a group of soldiers were fighting across the final couple floors. "Just three more floors and we're done. Let's get going and-" Zeri continued as they climbed the stairs to the next floor, only to be cut off when a Planeptunian soldier was minced by a machine gun emplacement in the hallway.
"GET DOWN! DOWN I SAY!" a rather irritated Konata ordered as the machine gun spat bullets at them.
"Who the hell is controlling that machine gun?!" a Loweean soldier shouted as she checked on the fallen Planeptunian.
"Nobody. It's an automated Sentry turret. That laser is actually a wide-angle infrared camera with a linked XIFF reader." Johnson replied.
"So, since we don't register in its XIFF database, it perceives us as the threat?" the Loweean asked in reply.
"Precisely. It's a flawless system. How these guys got a hold of the system specs is beyond me." Johnson said, before looking in the direction of a Planeptunian, who was setting up some sort of equipment.
"What are you doing, soldier?! This is no time for games!" Kagami shouted.
"Relax. I'm a hacker by trade, worked for the Guild before this all started." the Planeptunian replied as he connected his laptop and booted the system up.
"What are you going to do, make it spit water?" Johnson asked, noting the automated sentry's firewall.
"Heh! I've hacked at least six of these during intelligence ops a couple weeks ago, no problem. In about ten minutes, that gun is going to be mine. After which, we'll be seeing the thing spitting bullets at the enemy before I shut it down." the Planeptunian laughed.
"Well, hurry it up, we've got more tangos inbound." the Loweean said as she readied her Erza-4 automatic rifle.
"Already on it, it will just take te-" the Planeptunian said, before being cut off.
"What is it?" Konata asked.
"I'm in. This must be a Generation .5 automated sentry, meaning they disabled the firewall due to firmware issues that weren't corrected until the production model." the Planeptunian mouthed as he took control of the sentry.
"You mean to say that... they took the technical specs from the prototype? How stupid can they be?" Johnson asked, almost laughing.
"You mean "How smart can they be." I've done research with IF on Heaven's Bane a couple weeks ago after we rescued Neptune, and it turns out that they sometimes opt for lowest-bidder items and spruce them up to the point where they are just as effective as modern weapons tech. You weren't paying attention, but they definitely increased the rate of fire on that turret." Kagami explained.
"Makes sense." was all Johnson could say in reply. The loud roar of the turret continued as it tore mercenaries to bits, until all it made was an annoying rapid clicking sound.
"What is that noise?" Konata yelled as she covered her ears. The noise finally stopped as the Planeptunian soldier deactivated the turret.
"It ran out of ammunition." was all the Planeptunian said as he packed up his equipment. Johnson sighed.
"Alright. Haruhi, protect the Planeptunian as he packs up his stuff. The rest of you, come with me. We're going to clean this place up." Zeri ordered. Haruhi nodded as she stayed behind while the rest of the group continued on.
The sun was just starting to come up as Andrew woke up. After rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed and changed back into his normal attire. Neptune was already up and about as she checked the room, before turning to Andrew.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." Neptune cooed, yawning lightly.
"Yea, good morning." Andrew replied with a smile.
"What do you say we go get something to eat?" Neptune asked. All Andrew could do was nod tiredly as he took Neptune's hand and followed her out the door. They walked down the hall towards the break room, where breakfast was being served again.
"Good morning, you two. Up pretty early, I see." Histoire said with a smile.
"Yea. We sure are." Neptune replied. Andrew yawned as he wiped more sleepiness from his eyes.
"Your sleeping habits must be messed up after that ordeal in the forest." Compa said as she sipped on some milk.
"Why don't you two get something to eat?" If asked. All Andrew and Neptune could do was nod, a smile beaming from their faces. They both went in and got some food. They seemed to have assorted pastries, along with eggs and bacon. Andrew grabbed a couple cinnamon rolls, along with some eggs and bacon. Neptune simply loaded her plate with various pastries, causing Andrew to chuckle as they walked to the table they were at yesterday. They just ate in silence for ten minutes.
"The enemy is surrendering! We've won!" an Aurelian soldier shouted as the last of the mercenary forces surrendered. The sun was already brightly above the town, warming the air around them.
"Great work! Let's gather up the prisoners and clean this place up. I'd like a small team to come with me outside, I have a speech to make." Luna replied on the comms.
"Guess that makes me, the Chief, Konata, Kagami, and Avan." Zeri replied, also on the comms. It was a few minutes before everyone left the building and entered the courtyard, where the town populace had gathered. Some looked on with fear at the new arrivals, while others looked with awe and respect for the deed they have done for them. Everything was set straight when Luna walked up.
"People of Aurelius, of the town of Vitoze. You have suffered long enough. For several grueling months, have you endured the merciless occupation of the criminal organization's private army. And for too long... have I been unable to do a thing about it." Luna began. The last words sent a murmur across the crowd.
"However, thanks to the decisions and actions of brave individuals, and the full support of the goddesses of the other four nations, I have been freed from captivity. Now, I stand before you, with a few of the same individuals from the other nations. With the blood of our enemy on our hands, the the tears of lost comrades in our eyes, and faith and determination in our hearts, I hereby tell you, fellow Aurelians, that Vitoze has been liberated!" Luna concluded, followed by cheers. The cheers were surprisingly short, however.
When it seemed things would get awkward, a little girl walked up and joined the crowd, followed by Nepgear, Uni, and the few soldiers they were leading. It was mere seconds before the little girl began singing the lyrics to "A Brand New Day" from Ace Combat 6. The singing from the little girl was loud enough to be heard across the courtyard, to the point that the whole crowd suddenly joined in. Nepgear, Uni, and eventually the whole list of Allied Forces soldiers joined in the singing as well.
"It is amazing, absolutely amazing. This little girl has gotten a whole town and their liberators to sing alongside her. Already spirits are lifting high as the town feels a peace it hadn't felt in months." A reporter said as the event was broadcast live. "With the mercenary oppressors finally out of Vitoze, we can live our lives peacefully, and hopefully cooperate with the outsiders who helped liberate our fair town. This is George, reporting for the Free Aurelius freedom fighters' personal news network." the reporter concluded. After the singing finally stopped and the townsfolk went their separate ways, Nepgear led the little girl up to Luna.
"You must be the little girl that got the whole town singing." Luna said with a cheerful, friendly smile.
"Yea. I'm Anri." the little girl replied.
"Nice to meet you, Anri. I'm your goddess, Azure Heart. But, you can just call me Luna." Luna said, before turning to Uni and Nepgear. "Where are her parents?" Luna asked.
"Dead, I'm afraid." Uni explained with a deep sigh as Anri stuck her tongue out angrily at the mercenary officer who led the occupation of the town, to the approving chuckles of Lastation and Leanbox soldiers.
"Oh... I'm so sorry, Anri." Luna said, sadness almost overtaking her. There was silence for a few minutes. "I could take you in as my daughter. I would love the company, and I would give you the love and care you deserve after all this." Luna finally offered. Her offer made Anri smile, before she an up to Luna and hugged her. The sight made even the Chief smile behind his helmet.
"I guess we should head back to Osiris Air Base. Histoire and Titus will need to debrief us. We can leave a portion of the assault force here to guard the town against counterattacks, too. Goodness knows the Aurelian partisans will need the extra guns." Lucas said as he walked up, bandages wrapped around his wounded shoulder.
"I guess so. Little Anri here has some friends of mine I'd like her to meet, and she could sure use a proper meal." Luna said, making Anri giggle as she was picked up. They went into an awaiting Pelican dropship, with Mason and Delta Squad inside. They sat down, and the Pelican rose up, before leaving Aurelius.
"Wow. That little girl..." Andrew muttered after seeing what had happened on the TV. Neptune was basically in tears when she saw it.
"So beautiful..." Neptune muttered.
"Hey, Luna and the others should be returning shortly." Histoire said, before looking over at Neptune. "Why is Neptune crying?" Histoire asked.
"We saw something beautiful on the news... a little girl got the whole town of Vitoze, and our own troops, to sing a song of peace." Neptune explained as she wiped tears away from her eyes.
"It was amazing. Even I couldn't hold back my tears." IF said as she wiped the bottom of her eyes with tissue. Histoire could only nod. It was only a half hour before the door opened and everyone else walked inside, including the little girl they saw on the news.
"Hey. You're that little girl we saw on the news. The one that got a whole town singing." Neptune said, kneeling down with a smile on her face. The little girl just smiled and nodded.
"Her name's Anri. She was orphaned, so I adopted her." Luna explained.
"Huh? You could just do that as a goddess?" Andrew asked as he tilted his head.
"I think so. There really wasn't anywhere else for her to turn to, so I just decided to take her. I doubt anyone in Vitoze would be able to give her the proper care after what they've been through anyway." Luna replied. Andrew just shrugged as he listened to her.
"Nice to meet you, Anri. I'm Andrew." Andrew said with a smile as he kneeled down.
"Luna... he's scary... I don't like him." Anri cried. She looked like she was about to cry when Andrew sighed and pulled back to give her some space.
"Poor girl... what did they do to her?" Andrew asked as Anri hid from him.
"Abused by her captors, for a month it seems." Nepgear replied. Andrew sighed and turned around, before returning to his room. As he turned, Anri could see the sadness and sympathy in his eyes, but was still too scared to follow.
"Why did he scare you, hon?" Luna asked, trying to make some connection.
"He looked... too much like those bullies who beat me." Anri replied.
"There, there, Anri. He's not that bad. He's actually quite nice." Neptune said.
"Really?" Anri asked.
"Yea, really. One of the nicest people I know, along with Compa, IF, and my other good friends. A few of those same bullies that hurt you actually kidnapped me. But Andrew... he rescued me." Neptune explained.
"Like... a guardian angel?" Anri asked.
"You could say that." Neptune said with a chuckle. Her words made Anri smile again.
"If that's the case... then I wanna make it up to him. But... I'm not sure how." Anri said.
"You'll warm up to him eventually. It just takes a little time." Histoire said.
"FAIRY!" Anri shouted, before she squeezed Histoire.
"AGHHH! CHILD! STOP! I'M VERY FRAGILE, YOU KNOW!" Histoire shouted in pain, feeling like every bone in her was going to snap under the pressure. Neptune giggled.
"Don't hug her too tight, silly." Neptune said.
"Aw, but she's so cute!" Anri cooed. The words made Neptune laugh.
"P-ko thinks the same thing often. I think you and her would make very good playmates." Neptune said as she slowly calmed down. Anri loosened her grip on Histoire, who was now panting heavily.
"You need to learn not to hug me with all your might. I could have passed out." Histoire said as she slowly regained her breath.
"Aw, I'm sorry, Ms. fairy." Anri said apologetically.
"It's fine. And the name is Histoire, by the way." Histoire replied, accepting her apology.
""Histoire?" That's kind of a hard name to memorize." Anri said, obviously confused.
"That's why Compa and I refer to her as "Histy." It's a cute nickname for her." Neptune explained with a smile. Anri giggled.
"Can you take me to go see Andrew? I feel that with you there, I might be able to say sorry to him." Anri finally asked Neptune, who nodded with a smile.
Andrew was laying on his bed, reflecting on the events that had recently transpired. The war was going smoothly for the Allied Forces, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. On the other hand, Neptune was a mixed bag of nuts. Not that he didn't mind, he just found it odd that a his wife, a CPU, would get him to wear a- His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in." Andrew said. The door opened and Neptune and Anri walked in.
"Hello, Neptune. Hey, Anri." Andrew said with a kind, loving smile. Anri saw his face, and she ended up smiling as well.
"Anri wanted to apologize for making you feel bad." Neptune said.
"I'm sorry, Andrew." Anri said, keeping her words short.
"Ah, it's okay, Anri. I understand. I'll give you as much time as you need to warm up to me." Andrew said with a smile. "In fact, here." Andrew added as he handed the child a chocolate bar from the cooler. The girl's eyes looked like they would explode, the way they widened.
"Thank you, Andrew. I haven't had a chocolate bar in months!" Anri shouted, jumping for joy before giving him a hug. Andrew could only continue to smile. Anri ran out of the room with such a happy face, it reminded Andrew of Peashy, who in a way was like a daughter to him and Neptune.
"She sure warmed up to you pretty quick." Neptune said with a smile.
"She's got a long ways to go. The kind of torture she apparently went through according to Nepgear, scarred her, and it will continue to scar her for life, so she's bound to have trust issues towards men she doesn't know." Andrew replied, looking a little distant.
"Yea. Cheer up, okay? Everyone is safe." Neptune said as she hugged Andrew from behind, trying to cheer him up. The gesture made Andrew smile again, and he nodded.
Andrew and Neptune were out on the tarmac, looking at the stars in the night sky. The day had passed by without much worry, as if Celestia were still looking out for them.
"It's hard to understand, but I feel like each star is trying to say something to us." Andrew muttered as they sat there, looking at the sky.
"What do you think they are saying?" Neptune asked.
"Hard to tell, really. It's like dozens of messengers, all calling out to us, with different bits of information from each one. Whatever it is, it is something Luna learned to understand a long time ago." Andrew continued to mutter. It was then that they thought of something.
"You think Arfoire is out there? Doing the duty she was charged with long ago, fighting the very same evil we fight now? To protect each of us?" Andrew asked.
"Yea. Maybe. I haven't given much thought about it since we last saw her just after the crisis when I freed her from the dark power that enslaved her." Neptune replied. The night was fairly dark and, except for the lights, only the nightly patrols were there to protect them. Andrew yawned, before looking at his watch.
"Hmm... 10:00." Andrew muttered.
"Aw, you're tired already?" Neptune asked, obviously sounding somewhat disappointed that their time alone had to end early again.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess what happened in the forest, and the lack of sleep from earlier, is making me tired." Andrew replied, with a futile attempt to stifle another yawn. Neptune yawned again in reply.
"Funny. I'm tired, too. I guess we'd better get to bed." Neptune replied. Andrew got up, helped Neptune up, and walked back to the dormitories, hand in hand like always.
END OF EPISODE 5 OF THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES
-AUTHOR'S NOTES-
Some more crossdressing-related lulz in the story. Neptune can be such a troll sometimes.
The quote that Patrick used when asked for his mission is a modified form of a quote used in the Iwo Jima mission of the Allied Campaign in Eidos Entertainment's Battlestations! Pacific video game for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
The mad rant done by Amethyst 6 is in reference to the Area 88 OVA part 3, in which a mercenary pilot with the Asrani government in an F-105 Thunderchief was shooting rebel Asrani Harrier AV-8As.
The X/F-190 Dora stealth fighter, as it's identification and codename suggests, was thought up by me in honor of Focke Wulf's FW-190, the famed Dora, or "Butcher Bird" as she was referred to by Allied pilots above Europe in WWII.
Spoilers here! The way I mentioned Arfoire at the end of this episode hints at the True Ending of Re;Birth 1 in which Neptune saves her, which I made canon in my Re;Birth 1.5 Remix retelling.
That's about it, Stay Cool, and Keep on Nepping! Tootles!