Rockmaniac: Hello again! No, I haven't forgotten them. Yuuno appears now, while Arf appears midway or so. The Nano-clones don't get a ranking because I recall having interesting conversations with another reviewer on arbitrary mage ranks, power levels, etc. Let's just assume the clones have a mage rank equal to the Power of Plot. Or "It's Over 9000!" Eventually, the clones will be using all of Nanoha's powers in weakened form; for now, it's vague. The only hard-and-fast rule about them is that they're emotionless constructs with Nanoha's abilities and a fraction of her power (so Nanoha can do cool things like fighting a dozen of them solo). On XVs being blown up—shrug. On Starlight Breaker and other powers—you know, looking through the old episodes, you're right. She really doesn't move when using her surekill moves. And sure, I could use a beta-reader. My dump email (so it doesn't clutter my hospital email) is .

mander: Firstly, thanks for your continuing support and appreciation. You're right, Signum getting captured was accelerated greatly; in fact, many things got accelerated (perhaps with negative consequences). Speaking with an old English professor of mine from when I was in undergrad got me to thinking whether or not I wanted to focus on pacing of character interactions or the pacing of the metaplot. Ultimately, I went for the metaplot (since I'm far from being a skilled writer of dialogue); whether or not this is a good or bad thing depends on what you like. I'm someone who likes fast-paced books, comics, and movies to keep my attention; others want the build-up, which is also valid. In this chapter, all the build-up is lumped here so all the action can go into Ch 3. In general, a LOT of things I wanted to do in ver. 2 got cut out for the sake of streamlining Genesis into a smaller number of chapters; at present, Genesis should end in 9 chapter, but may go as long as 13 if revisions demand it. I'm not one of those writers who goes for fluff and shipping wars; I put stuff in to add conflict—hence the Fate, Nanoha, and Yuuno triangle that appeared in ver. 2. For multiple POVs, I'm sticking only with 3 characters as the focal perspectives so that there's at least some organization to the narrative; I'd like to do perspectives from minor characters, but that's a project for later. Incidentally, things were not so bad; one house down (it was my relatives', not my own), but no one got hurt and I did what I could in the relief effort—after that, it was mostly me being lazy and not writing (oh, and being on rounds at ungodly hours of the morning; ah well, the things you do for the job you love). Thanks for asking. I'll say this—I'm going to remember the flood of '08.

Episode 1x02: Seeing Truth

January, 2018 AD. Long Arch-1, docked at Cerigo Station.

One portal jump away from the battlefield, Cerigo Station held a fixed orbit around a large, barren, but metal-rich planetoid, its stability due to its use of the celestial body's La Grange point. This far from Midchilda, colonies required more local resources for their upkeep, thus requiring resource-gathering stations such as Cerigo, which catered to civilian and military groups alike. Cerigo's rarity as a double-market dealer ensured its importance in this corner of Bureau space; a constant influx of merchants, freighters, and even Bureau patrol ships came to its docks for supplies and materials garnered through the mining of the planetoid below or trade of the ores obtained there. Even from a distance, a traveler could see the steady trail of lights from bulk transports and mechanized gadget drones bringing ore mined from the planetoid's surface to the station.

But now Cerigo had a special guest. The flagship of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, the Long Arch-1, sat in its largest external docking pylon. For the past week, the heavily damaged vessel had sat in harbor undergoing repairs. The severity of the damage and the relative rarity and expense of the components necessary to repair the ship meant that the LA-1 was slated for at least another three weeks of downtime. Cerigo officials were only too happy to charge for such an extended stay; Hayate had been understandably annoyed, but compliant. But despite the lengthy reprieve, the crew was not idle.

Teanna Lanster sighed wearily as she watched the spectacle from the porthole of the LA-1's security room. Surrounded by computer terminals with remote access to the Bureau's extensive databases, it was a cramped affair radiating an aura of work and toil. The porthole was Teanna's momentary escape. She briefly glanced at a stack of disks on her terminal containing the LA-1's visual records of the battle against the hostile WVs a week ago; though she had finished analyzing them, their presence reminded her of just how much data was left to go through.

The past week had been demoralizing. Shamal had dragged a wounded Subaru from the battlefield; the field mage remained unconscious, despite the blonde physician's surgeries. Subaru had suffered incredible damage to her cybernetics in addition to a ghastly energy burn to her thorax, close to the heart. Teanna shivered as she recalled waiting outside the LA-1's operating room, pacing back and forth, stuck in the limbo of waiting as her partner lay on the verge of death for twelve hours. Even after Shamal announced that Subaru was in the clear, the field mage was still in delicate condition—hooked up to IV drips, monitors, and a blood pack, with her right mechanical arm removed due to the damage it had sustained.

Not only did Teanna have to see her normally strong partner like that, but there was still no word about Signum and Agito. The enforcer blamed herself for losing them, kept playing the scenario over and over again in her head, thinking of ways that she should have helped. And at night, the nightmares…. But, sometimes worse than the nightmares, was the day. Her mentor had not spoken more than two words to her over the past week. Fate was actively avoiding her and those times they did cross paths, Teanna could feel the accusation and anger directed at her.

Teanna pushed these dark thoughts from her mind, determined to bury them in work, despite how it, too, seemed an enemy. Fingers flew over the terminal's keyboard, cross-referencing known battle strategies and the tacticians who commonly employed them with the pincer kill-zone maneuver that shredded several XVs and left the LA-1 a battered wreck. It was an angle of investigation Teanna had come up with. Just as a fighter can recognize a style of combat by the maneuvers used or how a mage can understand a spell by studying its nuances, she hoped to identify their attacker through the tactics used. Progress had been slow, as strategy was not her field of expertise and she knew little of it.

The door to the security room hissed open. "How are things coming along?" Zafira asked in his even, deep voice. He had been helping Teanna with the investigation. When Fate switched shifts with her, Zafira assisted the older woman as well. It was not lost on either woman that the shapeshifter was a silent observer to the chill that had settled over their relationship as teacher and student. But for the past week, he said nothing, keeping his thoughts behind a reserved, unjudging exterior. Teanna appreciated that; the issue with Fate was hers alone.

"The pincer looks like a variation of a bunch of other pincers," she answered, rubbing her eyes. She had been working for the past six hours, hunched over monitors, keyboards, and disks. It was starting to get to her. Zafira handed her a cup of coffee, which she gladly sipped. "Thanks." She brought up a second monitor with a recording of the fight against the WVs. "This trick was common during the Book of Darkness incident twenty-three years ago. Gil Graham used it to make it more difficult for the Wolkenritter to, er…." She trailed off, remembering whom she was talking to.

If he felt offense, Zafira's face showed none of it. He placidly sipped his own coffee. "To make it harder for us to attack their ships, since we had to defend from two sides," he answered levelly. "I remember. Vaguely. Our memories are not what they used to be. Before Hayate, everything's a blur—but I do recall this maneuver. It was a good counter, since we were fast, but few in number."

"Ah, yeah. So, this move—its biggest role was with the Book of Darkness, no doubt about it."

"So you think whoever used them fought us twenty-odd years ago?"

"Or fought with Admiral Graham, who used it so frequently that he was able to use it almost blindingly fast," Teanna surmised. "But pincers are pretty standard, right?" Zafira shrugged, having little experience with troop movements himself. "You're a lot of help," the enforcer grunted sarcastically. "Anyway—"

The door opened again. Teanna stopped dead cold; she locked gazed with Fate T. Harlaown, whose beautiful face was frozen in a stony, flat expression. "Er…."

"Teanna. Zafira," the blonde greeted perfunctorily, lacking warmth. "What's the situation?" She was professional. Coolly professional. Teanna looked away, unable to face that coldness, knowing that it was directed at her. She could feel Fate's red eyes accusing her silently, demanding to know why she did not help Signum. The enforcer desperately wanted to say something, but under that icy gaze, her desire froze in her throat. She could not even report about her investigations.

Zafira noticed the chill in the air and the effect it had on Teanna, so he answered, "Lanster thinks our attacker fought the Book of Darkness twenty-three years ago or at least fought with Admiral Graham. I think she's right."

Fate glanced briefly at the enforcer, causing the girl to cringe. When she spoke, it was to Zafira and pointedly not to Teanna. "What makes you say that?"

"Throughout the fight," the shapeshifter began, "I felt…strangely reminiscent. As if I was fighting someone I had fought before. Vita and Shamal noticed it, too. Signum noticed it faster than all of us." Fate's eyes narrowed at the mention of the knight. Zafira continued, "The way those WVs moved smacked of something familiar. Lanster is on the right track."

"That may be the longest thing I've ever heard you say," Fate quipped lightly, regaining some of her humor. Then she turned to Teanna and the humor was quickly sucked dry. "Keep looking. I'll be with Nanoha at the docking bay. Yuuno's nearly here." Teanna picked up a strange tinge in her mentor's tone, uneasiness laced with grim bitterness. She wondered why Yuuno Scrya, a longtime friend of Fate, Nanoha, and Hayate's, would elicit such a response. Fate headed out the door.

"What was that about?" Teanna asked, not really expecting an answer.

Zafira provided one anyway, in a slightly exasperated tone. "That one…I thought she would have dealt with these feelings by now. It will be bad blood boiling soon enough."

"Eh?"

"Don't worry about it. It is not a problem we can solve." He tapped the terminal with a thick finger. "This, however, is. Tell me more about Graham's stratagems and who else would use them."

Teanna pushed aside thoughts of her mentor and focused on the task at hand. "Well, Regius Gaiz also studied some of Graham's tactics and he has the combat experience to pull something like this—but he's very dead. There's also Graham's protege, Ryou Narishima. He contributed a lot during that time."

"I am not familiar."

The enforcer helpfully pulled up the Bureau database's file on the man. Zafira studied it with quick eyes, widening them in a subtle expression of admiration. Teanna summarized its contents. "Narishima, Ryou. Born 1958 Earth calendar, 15 GT Bureau calendar. Japanese-born citizen from Non-Administered Planet 97, half-Japanese, half-English. Met Gil Graham in 1972 Earth calendar at the age of fourteen in London after losing his parents; Graham adopted him after recognizing his natural magic ability. Underwent magical screening that same year on Midchilda, ranked as a C+ with an estimated upper limit of AA. Enlisted in the TSAB Navy that year as a support mage. Then-Captain Graham was Narishima's mentor throughout his military career. Narishima was the youngest captain at the age of twenty-two, which would only be broken by Chrono Harlaown in later decades. Fought against the rebel colonies on the outer rim alongside then-Colonel Regius Gaiz and Striker Zest Grangaitz, establishing a long-lasting professional relationship with both men. Because the Strikers were necessary to win but a newly-developed and inexperienced unit, Narishima invented new small-group tactics specifically for Strikers. This led to his appointment at various Officer Academies as an instructor. Afterward, he settled disputes involving rebel colonies, warring member worlds, and even one altercation on Midchilda itself. His last record was twenty-three years ago; he, Admiral Graham, and Captain Clyde Harlaown were the leaders of the campaign against the Book of Darkness."

Zafira nodded. "Extremely impressive. It says here he was known for utilizing mobility, deceptions, and innovative variations of existing strategies to achieve victory against numerically or technologically superior opponents. Total record is…twenty-four victories out of thirty-one major battles. I think we have our man."

"No we don't," the enforcer countered. "Narishima died fighting the Book of Darkness. He and Harlaown sacrificed their ships to give Graham the chance to win. Seems you guys were able to beat the greatest military mind the Bureau ever produced."

"That doesn't tell us anything," the shapeshifter grunted in frustration. "Did Narishima have a student of his own? Did anyone else have a style like his?"

The door hissed open again, causing the two to turn. Nanoha Takamachi waved energetically at them. Behind her, Yuuno Scrya stood calmly in a dark green blazer over a pale yellow button-down and tan slacks, every bit the scholar in appearance. Nanoha greeted, "It seems we're interrupting something important."

Teanna shook her head. "Ah, no. It's good to see you again, Mr. Scrya." Zafira just silently nodded his head by way of greeting.

"Just Yuuno, please. If I can call you Teanna?" Yuuno said with a smile that set the enforcer at ease. She did not know him well, but he exuded a calming, amicable aura. "I understand you're a detective and that you're trying to ID the man or woman responsible for the attacks on Bureau ships."

Teanna sighed. "Yeah, but its not going well. There's only three people who have the profile I'm looking for—Gil Graham, Regius Gaiz, and Ryou Narishima—and all of them are dead."

Nanoha suddenly linked her arm through Yuuno's, coloring slightly in the cheeks but grinning widely when Yuuno did the same with more brightness. "Don't worry. I asked Yuuno-kun to help us out. The Bureau's databases are good, but the Infinite Library is better—and Yuuno-kun's got everything in that place pretty much memorized!"

The scholar chuckled in embarrassment. "Th-that's not entirely true, Nanoha. It's true I have a good memory, but I brought a remote link to the Library; we'll have complete access to its archives while I'm here. Teanna, if there's anything I can do to help, I'm at your service."

Teanna nodded happily. "Yes, please. Thank you, Mr. Scr—Yuuno." Cross Mirage, tucked into her side holster, beeped. Her expression darkened into seriousness as she stood abruptly. "Sorry. We'll have to do this later. I need to go."

Nanoha frowned in understanding. "Subaru?"

"Yeah. I want to see if she's regained consciousness. Shamal will let me."

"Then I'll take over here," Zafira announced. He took Yuuno's arm. "Scrya, you can help. Sit." As Teanna made for the door, the shapeshifter said to her, "Some hurts heal with medicine and magic. But others require words and time. Think on this, Lanster."

Teanna looked back at him in wonderment as the door shut behind her. "Maybe so," she muttered to herself in the empty P-way, suddenly feeling quite alone, "but sometimes it hurts even more to speak." Again, Cross Mirage beeped. "Okay, I got it." She made her way to the infirmary, the smell of antiseptic bombarding her the instant the doors slid open. A sad frown found its way to her face as she surveyed the beds in the main room. Subaru was not the only one who was injured during the shootout; maintenance workers, technical crews, and officers alike had suffered when the LA-1 took its hits.

"Ah, Teanna." The enforcer spun to face Shamal, who laid a kindly smile on her. She looked tired, the motherly face worn by long hours in the O.R. and around the beds. Though she did not look it, the blonde physician was tough as nails—in the sense that she worked far too many hours, even taking on double shifts on consecutive days, constantly seeing to the speedy recovery of her crewmates. Teanna smiled back, admiring the woman's dedication, but also in concern.

"You look…." Teanna held her tongue and rethought her next words. She looked over at the patients lying on the beds. "You're working so hard, Shamal. Thank you."

The woman patted her shoulder gratefully. "It helps to hear things like that every once in a while," she said appreciatively. "Subaru is still asleep, still healing. We can only do so much. The rest is all her."

"I know. But she's stupidly stubborn," Teanna said good-naturedly. "She'll pull through." Though she spoke with confidence, her lips drew down worriedly. They only bent farther as she and Shamal entered the field mage's corner of the infirmary, behind a privacy curtain. "Oh, Subaru…." The cyborg girl lay quietly, breathing evenly, hooked up by so many tubes and electrodes, just as she had been for the past week. Though Teanna knew Subaru was a cyborg, seeing her partner without one arm sent a chill down her spine.

"Like I said before," Shamal said quietly, "the damage to her mechanical parts were extensive. The entire arm was beyond our ability to repair. Replacements will be coming to Cerigo soon and Shari's taking the opportunity to upgrade her CNS-cybernetic interface's operating system."

Teanna sat on a nearby stool and clasped her hands around Subaru's remaining one. She said nothing.

Shamal sensed that the enforcer wanted to be alone and said, "I have to look in on the other patients. I'll be out here if you need me, but remember not to wake her. She needs rest." Teanna nodded absently and heard the curtain rustle, signaling the woman's departure. Then the enforcer heard her say in surprise, "Oh, Fate! Did you come to visit, too?"

Teanna straightened stiffly. The curtain swished open. Without a word, Fate sat on another stool on Subaru's other side, opposite the enforcer. Teanna nervously glanced at her mentor, feeling small, pathetic, and afraid. It occurred to her that she had never been afraid of Fate before. They locked gazes for an instant, but it was enough to make Teanna snap her eyes shut and will the hot tears threatening to overflow to subside. Fate's crimson eyes held angry disappointment.

"So," Fate said suddenly, breaking the silence with the force of a hammer, "did you learn anything more?"

"N-no. Er, that is, I, um…."

"If you're having trouble with the investigation, try a different line of questioning," the blonde said snappishly. "It is merely the basics of what I taught you. Did you forget?"

"No!" Teanna said defensively. "But, I don't know what else to look for."

"Think, Teanna! The enemy had us in their hands, ready for the slaughter. Yet, we—a single, outnumbered, and heavily damaged ship—managed to escape out using a short-range warp spell. The enemy could have pursued before we warped out, but did not. This is a clue. Did you add this as a parameter in your investigation?"

"No. I didn't think of it."

"You didn't think. This seems to be a recurring theme."

Shame burned away, replaced instead with hot anger. "What did you say?"

Fate crossed her arms over her chest. "Signum and Agito are missing in action because you didn't think to look back and make sure they were all right," she accused openly. "I cannot tolerate this kind of incompetence, not when my friends are on the line!"

Teanna slammed her hands on Subaru's bed. "Do you think I wanted this to happen, Fate? They're my friends too! I messed up—I should have looked, should have seen trouble, and should have helped! I know that!" The tears she was fighting burst over her cheeks uncontrollably. Her voice shook and cracked. "I kn-know that! And it h-hurts to know I c-could have done s-something!"

"Subaru was your wingman," Fate said suddenly. "And now she's like this as well."

"Damn it…I d-didn't want any of it to h-happen like th-this," the enforcer burbled. "B-but you're not h-helping, either! You look all h-high and m-mighty…well, s-sorry that we m-mere mortals are n-not perfect! Subaru's like family, but you w-wouldn't be this mad if N-Nanoha was the one messed up! You'd forgive her even if she k-killed your own m-mother!"

Her head whipped around, her cheek burned. Stunned, she raised a hand to the angry red welt where Fate slapped her. She could only stare into those crimson eyes in utter shock.

"Shut up," Fate hissed in low tones. "I see it was a mistake coming here. Give Subaru my regards." The blonde stood and stormed out. Teanna looked down at her hands, clenched them into fists, and lowered her head. The tears flowed with her sobs. She just sat there, crying into Subaru's bedding, until she fell asleep.

A short while later, a rough hand shook her gently awake. She found a bouquet of flowers wrapped in colored foil stamped with a Cerigo merchant's mark on Subaru's lap in front of her. "What?" She looked up and saw Vice Granscenic with his hand on her back.

"Hey kid," he greeted softly, taking a seat. "You look like hell, even worse than bot-girl here." The pilot ran a hand through the cyborg's blue hair, gently stroking away the bangs. "Tougher'n a badger in hell," he praised gruffly. Then he looked back at Teanna. "You want to talk about it?"

Teanna groggily sat up, scrubbing tear-reddened eyes and wiping the sobs out of her nose. "Talk?"

"Half the people in the infirmary heard about your fight with Testarossa," he explained. At Teanna's blush of shame, he patted her shoulder. "Hey now, buck up. Maybe some folks are thinking or saying things after that, but I know at least one guy who isn't gonna judge." He jerked a thumb into his chest. "But I can listen, if you want to get it off your chest. I'm not gonna say anything to anyone. Just listen."

His words reminded her of what Zafira said earlier. Maybe it was Vice's easygoing nature or the kindness he often showed her even during her days as a forward, but she decided to take a chance on him. "You know about what happened during the fight last week, right? About how Signum and Agito went MIA?"

He scratched his nose. "Yeah."

"Fate blames me." She folded her arms on Subaru's bed and dropped her head on them. Her voiced was muffled. "I blame myself. She's right. There're so many things I should have done, but I just didn't think. Didn't think to do them. And I didn't think again, just now—I said something that made Fate really mad." Her shoulders shook as renewed sobs wracked her body. "I-I d-don't think she'll f-forgive me…."

She felt Vice's palm run soothingly down her back. "Kid, what's there to forgive? Sounds to me like the luck of the draw. It was a battle. Things never go right in a firefight. If guns and spells are shooting, then a mistake's already been made. But blaming people won't fix what's done. The Captain knows that. But she's hurting. Signum's one of her closest friends. She needs to lash out, needs to find a way to cope with the hurt. But it's a sad fact that when we're hurting, we tend to hurt others in return."

By now, Teanna's tears had lessened into muffled hiccups. Vice saw the drying rivulets on her cheeks and smiled reassuringly at her. Then he moved his seat to Teanna's side of the bed, plopped down next to her, and let her lean against his chest. "Hey now, you're a tough girl, Teanna," he said quietly, as she used the front of his shirt to wipe her nose. "No one will ever doubt that. Fate will eventually come around. She's your mentor. She cares about you, deep down. But she's hurting. Maybe it'll take you, who is close to her, to help the hurt go away."

"B-but I've been working so h-hard, these t-two years," Teanna murmured brokenly. "A-and now I s-screw up this badly. I don't know what else I can d-do. I feel useless. How am I supposed to help Fate i-if I'm this much of a screw-up?"

"Confidence is born out of respect, Teanna. From the people you look up to, from the people you help out, and—most importantly—from yourself. The first two come and go. But the last one always sticks around and shows up every time you look in a mirror. You gotta remember that you're worth something." He leaned his head back, his gaze going back several painful years. "Yeah, if you remember that, you'll be fine. It's when you forget and stop respecting yourself that your mistakes—both real and imagined—really hurt you. And just because you've made one mistake doesn't mean you won't learn from it. And that'll make you stronger, teach you something to show others—that's how you can help Fate."

Teanna lifted her head off his chest and wiped her face again, feeling better. "Thanks, Vice. For listening."

"You're a good kid, Teanna," Vice said with genuine praise. "Smart and hardworking. But you're gonna make mistakes; everyone does. It's how you handle yourself after you make them that defines you."

She glanced at his ruined shirt and blushed. "Sorry about that."

He idly plucked at it. "Hey, not a problem. There's worse on it than a few boogers already," he said lightly, earning a soft chuckle from the enforcer. He stood. "Well, I just wanted to drop off these flowers and see how you were doing. Give it time, Teanna. She'll come around. She'll come around faster if you help her through the hurt."

As he turned to leave, Teanna grabbed his hand. "Wait. Vice, wait." Her visage was grimly set, a stark contrast to the burbling girl that sat in the stool scant minutes before. "If I want to help anyone, especially Fate, then I need to be stronger."

"Eh?"

"I see it now. Why Subaru got hurt, why Signum and Agito got captured under my nose. It was because I was weak. I can't help anyone the way I am now. But you said it, that I need to learn from my mistakes. You can show me how—after all, you were one of the best snipers around, before Nanoha came."

"Kid, what're you—"

"Teach me." Vice's jaw dropped. Teanna pressed the issue. "Teach me how to fight like you! Help me become strong enough to protect the people here! Fate said that she couldn't tolerate incompetence when her friends are on the line. That's how I'll help her get through this, by becoming someone strong enough for her to rely on for everything. Please, Vice! Train me."

"That's not what I meant," he started. But seeing the pleading look in her eyes, the stern set to her jaw, he found his resolve weakening. "Teanna…if I teach you, it'll set you on a path that nearly destroyed me. The sorrow that waits for you there may be greater than the strength you'll obtain."

"There's sorrow where I am right now," she countered grimly.

"Teanna…." The pilot closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he asked only one question. "Tell me again why you want this power."

She replied with resolve, "I want the power to protect everyone here. I want the power for everyone to rely on me. So that what happened one week ago will never, ever, happen again. That's the power I want." She waited for his answer.

January, 2018 AD. Cerigo Station.

Though it was primarily an orbital refinery and its recreational facilities were barely civilized by Midchildan standards, Cerigo Station was still the happening place in the region—mainly because it was the only happening place the backwater miners could get to. Since the LA-1 was slated to remain for three more weeks, General Yagami allowed the crew to spend their off-shift hours taking advantage of what relaxation the station provided.

Nanoha Takamachi took full advantage of this, strolling through Cerigo's indoor marketplace with her companion, Yuuno Scrya, at her side. Nanoha had just finished drilling Caro and Elio on combat tactics while Yuuno returned from helping Zafira; both looked forward to a night on the town, at least as much as Cerigo could provide. The brunette doffed her stark uniform for hip-hugging jeans and a sleeveless white shirt, purely casual. Yuuno held onto his conservative air, donning a dark green button-down shirt and black slacks; the most daring thing he did was undo the top two buttons.

"I'm glad we're getting some time off," Nanoha said out of the blue as the pair wove their way through the crowd of shoppers exploring the options of the open-air stalls. The brunette stopped to examine several pieces of imported fruit, none of them even close to resembling what was on Earth. "The atmosphere on the ship was…how do I put it?" She frowned. "Grim."

Yuuno patted her shoulder in understanding. "Everyone's taking things hard. Fate especially. She's lucky to have a good friend like you around."

"And you," she replied, casually linking her arm through his. "I'm really happy you were able to come all this way to help out, Yuuno-kun."

"When my best friends give me a call, I just have to answer," he said. "I didn't really get a chance to talk to the others aside from you, Fate, and Zafira. How's everyone holding up?"

Nanoha pouted glumly. "Fate-chan isn't talking to Teanna. She's angry. Teanna probably thinks she's blaming her, but that's not true at all. Fate-chan has a lot of pent-up anger right now and just wants to lash out everywhere." She looked away as a pained expression crossed her face. "I hate seeing her like this. I wish there were more I can do to help, but this is something she has to ultimately deal with on her own. Teanna, too. Hayate's burying herself in work, trying not to think about what might be happening to Signum and Agito. Vita, too—she's always training—and Shamal is taking on more shifts than she should. Caro and Elio are depressed, but they're doing okay. And Zafira won't show it, but he's worried too."

"And what about you?"

"Eh? Me?" The brunette went silent and then, very quietly, said, "I'm worried too. I just…feel so helpless right now. We got beat bad, Yuuno-kun. I want to send a rescue team to look for them, but honestly, I don't know if we'd survive another fight against those WVs. And we still don't know who sent them." She looked up suddenly. "Unless that's changed?"

Yuuno smiled. "I'll tell you about it. Say, over dinner?"

Nanoha's eyes widened in surprise at the offer. From anyone else, it would have been a casual delivery—more than one prospective male coworker had tried picking her up over the years—but from the normally quiet Yuuno, it was uncharacteristically bold. She idly wondered what brought about the change in him, though she did like it. The scholar steered her toward a cafe down the street, pulling out her chair after a waitress showed them to their table.

"Dinner, huh?" Nanoha murmured thoughtfully. "That's getting…personal, don't you think?" She was surprised by how calm she felt. Just two years ago, seeing him had sent pink to her cheeks. Now, though, she felt only interested curiosity.

"We have been dancing around each other for, what? Ten, twelve years?" It seemed he lost some of his nerve with that admission, as he coughed suddenly and scratched his cheek, which was reddening slightly. "I mean, even the Harlaowns are taking a little too much fun in teasing us about it."

Nanoha chuckled. "Amy-san really is a busybody, isn't she? Well, dinner's a start." The waitress came by with drinks and took their orders. Once alone, the brunette ventured, "Well, don't keep me in suspense. What did you and Zafira find out?"

"Mixing business and pleasure, Nanoha? Nothing less than expected of the Ace of Aces," Yuuno teased, to Nanoha's consternation; she stuck her tongue out at him. He continued, "I went over Teanna's notes—they're quite thorough—and cross-referenced it with the Infinite Library archives." His expression became grim. "Looks like she was on the right track, even if the result doesn't make sense. Given how fast the attack was, there are only two people skilled enough to pull it off—Gil Graham and Ryou Narishima. And we've been to Gil's funeral, so he's out. That leaves Admiral Narishima."

"How's that possible?" Nanoha wondered. "He's dead."

"So say the official reports. But the Library has access to the actual top-secret records from the battle, which were sealed behind ultraviolet security; it took Zafira and me hours to hack it. Those records have Narishima listed as MIA. Evidently, no one ever found a body—he was just presumed dead." Yuuno paused as the waitress brought their meals. But the pair left them untouched for the moment, so engrossed were they in the implications of their conversation. "However improbable it might seem, Narishima was leading those WVs. I'm sure of it."

Nanoha sat back in her chair to digest this, her expression one of great awe and pensiveness…and some deep-seated worry. "He was required reading when I was in officer school. They say there wasn't anything he couldn't beat. An exaggeration, of course—he lost battles before—but he won a whole lot more. Admiral Graham and the Legendary Admirals created the TSAB, but it was Narishima and his generation that let it expand."

Yuuno nodded. "It's quite the legacy," he agreed. "Which begs the question: Why is he attacking Bureau ships? By all accounts, he was a man of integrity who gave his entire life to the Bureau and what it stands for. He was a patriot."

Nanoha's hand went to the V-cut of her shirt, where Raging Heart nestled between her breasts. "I'll be sure to ask him."

The scholar smiled in amusement. "Going to befriend the hell out of him, huh?"

"Eh?" The brunette blinked in confusion.

"Never mind. Just something I heard your students say about your fighting methods. Let's put aside business for now. I wanted to take you out to dinner, so let's enjoy, okay?"

Nanoha nodded vigorously in agreement, taking up her drink in toast. "Let's." She forked a piece of steak into her mouth, letting out a soft moan of pleasure. "It's good. I'm surprised, considering the nearest farm is, what? A couple hundred light years away?"

Yuuno chuckled. "It doesn't beat lunch at the Midoriya, though. How is the family?"

"No idea. I haven't been home in over two years. I was planning on bring Vivio there so she can meet them." She set her utensils down, suddenly feeling weary. "It's funny. Ever since Vivio entered our lives, I've been…I don't know how to put it. Feeling old, I guess."

"You're twenty-one, Nanoha," Yuuno pointed out. "You're hardly old."

Her expression did not lighten. If anything, it grew grimmer. "But how many twenty-one year-olds have traveled outer space, or fought dimensional criminals, or saved a planet from a mad scientist? I never really thought about it until I adopted Vivio. Now, there isn't a day that I don't think about how absolutely weird my life is. Fate's too. Hell, I've been a soldier since I was nine. Back on Earth, that'd be completely messed up."

"Nanoha…."

She closed her eyes; her shoulders slumped. "I've fought crazed sorceresses, ancient artifacts, mad scientists, and now a resurrected super strategist…stuff like this would scare the hell out of a normal girl. But it's almost old hat to me. And it's exhausting. I'm tired, Yuuno-kun. I'm still young, but I feel like a battered war-horse. I find myself saying, 'I could use a break from all this.'"

She leaned back in her chair, tilting her head to look toward the station's ceiling, several dozen meters above. "I also find myself asking if carrying on the good fight is even doing a damn, if we'll ever beat all the bad guys out there. Every time we take one down, another shows up—it's a never-ending battle. I have a daughter now, Yuuno-kun. I want her to grow up in a safe world. But there's always a new crisis waiting to happen, another fight. And now we're taking casualties. Subaru, Signum, Agito…who'll be the next one to get hurt?"

Yuuno's hand snapped out and clasped hers. "No one," he said firmly, "because I know you. No matter the odds, no matter the opponent, you never give up. That's who you are, Nanoha. It's your secret strength. Beneath the barrier jackets, the spells, the magic devices—you're a person who'll never stop trying."

"Yuuno…."

"This new enemy is strong, I don't deny that. He has to be to beat the LA-1 and its Strikers. But you've been put into a corner before and came out of it on top." The scholar smiled broadly, a private one just for the two of them. "There was a time very long ago when I thought I was going to die. I was ready to give up. Then a kind little girl came by and helped me. All I had to give her was a mission that I had no right to put on her young shoulders. Challenges, enemies, and even friends in danger were what I gave her. But she never once gave up." His thumb ran over her knuckles tenderly. "I admired that girl. And when she grew up, I continued to admire her."

Nanoha colored. "Thanks, Yuuno-kun."

"Don't ever lose your confidence, Nanoha. Even when the odds are against you, even if all hope seems lost, I know you'll beat them all." Suddenly daring, he leaned in close, pressing his forehead against hers. Nanoha took in a sharp breath in surprise. He murmured, "You'll definitely win against this, too."

They finished their dinner without much conversation after that and returned to the LA-1 arm-in-arm. The scholar escorted her to the cabin she shared with Fate. "I had a good time," Nanoha said, leaning against the door. "And thanks again, Yuuno-kun. For more than just the dinner."

Yuuno lightly ran a knuckle against her cheek and then sharply pulled his hand away, as if he had not realized what he was doing. Suddenly, the veneer he had earlier slipped back to the awkwardly quiet scholar she met all those years ago. "I, um, I'll see you around. Heh, I guess I can't help but see you around, since we're both on the ship. Okay, I'm just going to go now, before I say something that'll make me look like an idiot." Nanoha laughed at that and bid him goodnight. She went into the cabin.

"Fate-chan?" she asked, hearing rustling in the darkness. She flipped the light switch just as her partner stepped out of cabin's private head, wrapped in a bathrobe with her long blonde hair soaked through.

"Nanoha," the blonde greeted flatly. She seemed…distant. This was no surprise to the brunette; Fate seemed to need her space after the explosion with Teanna earlier, and the blonde definitely did not consider it a topic for discussion. "I just got out of the shower. Where did you go? I thought I heard…."

The brunette spotted a newspaper on the nearby desk, glancing at it only long enough to catch the headline: "Bureau's Krauffas Gains Majority Popularity In Polls." She dismissed it instantly.

"Dinner date with Yuuno-kun. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing." She kicked off her shoes and leaned against the door with a sigh. She thought she heard Fate cough, as if choking on something. But when she glanced at her partner, Fate's face was buried in the vigorous scrubbing of her towel. "It was nice," Nanoha confided. "He was different, but still the same. A lot more confident, but at times he was also, well, the same shy kid we knew." In her reminiscence, she missed the wince that danced across Fate's features.

"I-I see. I'm glad you're happy," the blonde mumbled. Then she chuckled, though it was shaky and sounded forced. "Y-you know, people have a running bet about how long it'd take for the two of you to get to second base. Isn't that funny? Ha, ha."

Nanoha missed the nuances, taking her partner's words at face value. "That right? Heh, he did say we've been dancing around for too long. We really don't have an excuse, do we? I like him and I know he likes me. And we get along real well."

"The Bureau's perfect couple," Fate grunted in a tone too low for Nanoha to hear. Louder, she said, "I think I'll turn in early today. Shower's all yours."

"Thanks. Oh, hey. Do you want to get breakfast tomorrow?"

Again, the blonde sounded distant, almost reticent. "Sure."

January, AD 2018. Masamune.

The week passed by uneventfully for Signum, whose world for those seven days consisted of the four walls of her prison cell, guarded diligently around the clock by the lifeless, mindless programmed constructs with Nanoha's face. Signum had no choice but to wait, though she was far from idle. Even in the tiny confines of her cell, she exercised vigorously through calisthenics and minor magic exercises—though any attacks against the force field that stood between her and the hallway were completely nullified.

Narishima occasionally dropped by, usually only twice a day to bring her meals. No words passed between them during his visits. He was content to observe her for an hour or two, while she had nothing to say to her captor. Signum got the feeling that despite her silence, he was still learning from her, if only by studying her movements and behavior. It made her feel like an animal in a zoo, which only fueled the irritation burning within her like quiet, but ever-present, embers. Once he had finished his mute observation, he would leave after setting aside a large barrel of cold water for her to bathe in, which the Nanoha doppelgangers would later dispose of after Signum was finished with it.

The knight was in the middle of a punishing set of knuckle pushups when she heard the force field hiss, the telltale sign that it was coming down. She did not bother to stop her activities or even look up; it was about time for the admiral to visit anyway. One thing she noticed was that he was a man of habit and a very punctual one at that.

"You are a very diligent woman," Narishima said in his deep, resonant voice. It was the first thing he said to her all week. "Here." He dangled a towel in front of her face.

Signum finished her set and stood, taking the cloth and wiping down her neck. "You know, for someone who finds me interesting, you sure don't do much in the way of interrogation."

"On the contrary, I've already learned a great deal about you. But I believe you already realized that. You're no fool." He then turned, exposing his back to her. Signum narrowed her eyes suspiciously, as it seemed he wanted her to follow out of the cell. When she did not come, he addressed her directly. "I'm giving you free reign of the ship, Signum. I will even return both your weapon and your partner. Its not like you can stop me here. While powerful, you are no match for a ship full of my constructs; their numbers alone will defeat you eventually."

Signum grunted out a sound of grudging respect, her anger giving way to curiosity—particularly to his motivation for this unusual act. His assessment of her was true enough and she would at least get to see Agito and Laevatein again. That alone filled her with relief—not that she showed it, as she purposefully keeping her visage flat. "Where are we going?" she asked, following behind him as he led her down the hallway to a turbolift elevator.

"Bridge," the admiral ordered; the turbolift hummed as it ascended. "To show you my intentions. You and I are bred for war—you in the defense of your master and what your master holds dear, I the same vein but on a much larger scale."

Signum quirked an eyebrow. His words intrigued her, but she listened to them with wariness. "Are you saying you're justifying the destruction of Bureau warships—your own countrymen—for the sake of a 'larger scale?' I call that treason."

His face was unreadable. "I understand your reservations. Believe me when I say I had my own doubts when I first began. But that was long ago. When you see what I have seen, you, too, will understand what needs to be done." His faced hardened, though it was as if a stone were to become even rockier than granite. "Especially since the Bureau is still running things." Signum detected the venom in his gravelly tone; she found it curious, considering his background as a devout patriot.

"Why me?" she asked. "I get the impression that if I hadn't been one of the Wolkenritter, you'd have left me to die."

He nodded. "I knew you were no fool," he said again. "As one of the Wolkenritter, you have a unique perspective on the Bureau—its former enemy-turned-defender." Again, the knight heard the subtle shift when he mentioned the Bureau. "Also, you have a connection to the Book of Darkness." He locked gazes with her, holding her with its intensity. "And I know you can sense it lingering on me."

"I did wonder," she admitted, feeling strangely small and vulnerable under that hard gaze—an uncomfortable position that she rarely found herself in. It did not help that he was head and shoulders taller, adding to his intimidating presence.

Suddenly, the admiral pressed something into her hand. It was sword-shaped pendant, Laevatein. Signum clasped her fingers around it gladly, feeling more secure with its simple metal biting into her fingers. "As I promised," Narishima said. "Your partner is waiting on the bridge. She was…loquacious…about what she would do to me if you were not brought to her."

Signum found herself smirking, easily imaging Agito spewing one fiery outburst of threats after another. "Is that what you finally decided to let me out?"

"No," he said simply. "But doing so would shut her up."

The turbolift slowed to a halt and its door slid open. Signum stepped onto the bridge of the Masamune, which had a similar tiered appearance as the style found on the XVs and the LA-1. The only real difference was how much more compact it was in comparison, sacrificing comfort for efficient use of space, hearkening back to a time when warfare was more commonplace. The bridge stations were occupied by Nanoha doppelgangers, silently keeping the Masamune moving, though its destination was a mystery to Signum.

"Signum!" The tiny, heartfelt speaker zipped like a red bolt, slamming into Signum's chest. The knight let out a grunt at the impact and then felt Agito tenderly rubbing her cheek against her own. "Oh, thank God you're all right!"

"It's good to see you again, too, Agito."

The sprite suddenly tensed, seeing Narishima behind the knight. "Hey! It's that jerk again! Yeah, that's right, geezer—I'm talking to you!" Agito jumped onto Signum's shoulder, jabbing a finger at the admiral, who placidly watched. "Don't just stand there when I'm yelling at you, wrinkle-face! What the hell do you want from us, eh? If it's a fight you want, just wait until we unison—"

Signum touched her fingers lightly on Agito's head, almost engulfing her with the size difference. "That's enough. I want to hear him out." The admiral's actions over the past week had stoked her anger, but his recent words also stirred her curiosity. She detected purpose in him, a sense of duty and diligence that she could respect, even if she did not understand it.

Agito, on the other hand, merely grumped noisily. "Fine. He's still a prick."

If Narishima took offense, his face did not show it. He walked by the two females toward the captain's chair. "As you know, I fought the Book of Darkness twenty-three years ago."

Signum nodded. "So you said and so it's recorded. But you said I killed you—I'm afraid I don't remember that." She looked away. "I don't remember much before…well, before everything changed. But my skills were not much different then." She stopped briefly, trying to find a more tactful way of expressing what she wanted to ask. But she decided to just ask it bluntly, "If I killed you, how'd you survive?"

The admiral slowly unbuttoned his uniform coat and undershirt, spreading the lapels open and revealing a long, jagged scar across his rib cage. "I didn't." Signum narrowed her eyes in confusion as he closed his shirt. He continued, "I was near the Book when it was sealed. At the moment of my death, I heard it speaking into my mind. It offered me life if I helped it. I accepted."

The knight frowned, her confusion growing. From what she had read of Narishima, he was a patriot who would never turn against the Bureau. Clearly, that was not entirely the case since he attacked Bureau ships. Still, for him to ally with an opponent he fought…. She raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

He obliged. "It showed me things, told me its true purpose."

"True purpose?"

The admiral extended his arms out in a wide V shape, closing his eyes in concentration. A gold magic circle appeared around his feet, one that combined the shape of Midchildan magic with the runic sigils of Velkan. Dark purple motes gathered between his hands, coalescing into a perfect replica of the Book of Darkness before its reformatting. This time, Signum's surprise became more than just a shift in eyebrows; her jaw dropped.

Agito was far more vocal. "What the hell!?"

"A backup copy," Narishima explained. "When the true Book was sealed away, this was created when my life was restored. It contains data from its parent version and, to a degree, continues to receive information in a limited form; its combat abilities, however, are completely missing. From this, I discovered its true purpose." He waved a hand over the tome, causing its cover to open with a thunderous roar. An image sprang from its pages.

Columns of armored humanoids flew through blue skies riding on dragon-shaped constructs veiled in the glow of square-shaped magic circles. Where Velka and Midchilda mages had circles of widely different colors, these humanoids shared a singular white glow. Each was exactly the same height and build as its neighbor, each clad in the same carapace-like armor and capped with an identical swept-back helmet with a metal crest and iron-mask faceplate. They moved as one with pinpoint precision. One column followed the other as the whole of the fleet swept down on another fleet—one with flying mages surrounded by a rainbow of triangular magic circles: Velka Knights.

The armored humanoids slashed through the Velka Knights with absolute coordination, as if every action were rehearsed a hundred times over like a ballet. But what a deadly, bloody ballet it was. The Knights fought valiantly, slaying their enemies with blade, hammer, and spell…but their armored enemies countered as one, a dozen separate arms and legs moving a singular body. When the Knights were finally battered down and forced to retreat, the armored humanoids reformed in their precise columns and plowed on, intent on sacking a Velka city below.

"What are they?" Signum asked quietly, horrified and entranced by what she had seen.

"The Silence," Narishima answered. "The embodiment of order and conformity. A mathematical construct that acts through individual intermediates, but united under a single mind disseminated throughout the whole. Every action its armies take is statistically calculated against an innumerable number of possible actions and outcomes, the decision relayed to all intermediates, and executed in uniform cooperation. I'm not sure if the Silence is even sentient. It may be an entire programmed society or another Lost Logia gone haywire."

He waved his hand again, canceling the image. "The Silence wants only one thing: To bring all civilizations under its 'enlightened' rule. Safety without liberty, absoluteness and law over creativity and free will. In other words, they promise utopia in exchange for the ability to appreciate it. We've been fighting them for years. The destruction they cause is selective, but complete; where they go, they convert what remains to their definition of civilization."

The admiral closed the Book shut, willing it to vanish. Signum and Agito stood quietly, watching him. "They come, they conquer," Narishima said. "I've allied with other groups, doing our best to stymie their advance, but we've done little but delay the inevitable. The Tome of the Night Sky—the Book of Darkness, rather—was built to deter them, but it is not enough to defeat them. Now, the Silence is coming here. Why, I do not know." Wryly, he added, "All I know is that the Bureau isn't ready for them."

Signum caught the change in tone again. "Why do you hate the Bureau so much?"

Narishima seemed all too eager to explain. "The once-noble brotherhood has been replaced with sycophantic bureaucrats who'd rather look to their own ambitions than see the big picture."

"It exists to protect worlds," Signum countered, thinking of Hayate and her driven nature, her steadfast belief. "Its ideals still live on, even if there are a few bad eggs. As long as even one person upholds those ideals…."

"That is not enough!" the admiral asserted. He pointed at the monitor. "The Bureau is divided, it always has been—differences in thought and intent are what enable reform and change, what helps define the principles and laws member worlds abide by. But it introduces delays in action, it introduces time-consuming committee. The Silence does not suffer that disadvantage. It comes to a decision and every part of it, down to the least trooper, acts as one, without question and without hesitation.

"The Bureau is not ready," he reiterated. "Even if I approach them with this information, they will deliberate and lose precious time. The Silence is already on the move. If we are to protect ourselves from them, then we must be as fast and decisive as they are…and we need a centralized order to do it. My order."

Signum frowned. "So you're just another rebel, like the ones that show up and cause trouble across systems—the only difference is that instead of being a conqueror who wants to take over a world or a colony, you're a conqueror who wants to take down the Bureau."

"A conqueror I might become," Narishima admitted, "but you know I play for higher stakes. I'm fighting for people I care about and the ideals they carried with them. I still carry the Bureau's ideals, even if the Bureau does not: Justice. Prosperity. Security. Even if people think of me as a devil, I'll be devil enough to protect everyone. Is that not reason enough to fight, Signum?"

He's…he's like Takamachi. Like Zest Grangaitz, Signum realized. I can sense it. The same sense of duty, the same drive. It's also like Hayate and Testarossa. The same idealism and the simple need to protect and serve. But the words are harsher, jaded. Yet, the core of it…the core of it….

"The Silence is real?" she asked at last, thinking about what she saw from those images. "It will come soon?"

"I expect their vanguard to arrive in six months, perhaps less."

"And you want to take over the Bureau solely to combat them?" she pressed, addressing Narishima directly, watching his eyes, boring into them as she searched for falsehood and intent.

The admiral saw this and met her bold gaze evenly. He did not return the gaze challengingly, but allowed her to see exactly what his motivations were. "I want to take down a weakened regime that is incapable of handling the coming crisis," he said flatly. "When I am done, when the dust has settled, I don't care what happens after. They can incarcerate me as a criminal. They can even execute me as a traitor. But I'll be content knowing I did what was necessary to fulfill my duty and those ideals I believe in."

Signum watched and saw. And was satisfied.

"Admiral Narishima," she began. "A lot of what I've seen and heard from you is questionable at best. You attacked my friends, took me captive, and showed me a weapon made from the sacrifice of Bureau officers."

The knight was aware of Agito's incredulous gaze on her. "Signum!" the sprite balked, realizing what she was thinking.

Signum continued undaunted. "But I also see the same kind of conviction that drives a kind, sweet girl I know. The same sense of duty that I saw in a jaded knight I once crossed blades with. You confuse me; you have their heart, but your methods are cruel and unforgivable. With that combination, you're dangerous. I'm wondering if I should just stab you now, just to be safe."

She steeled herself. "Instead, I ask to join in your endeavor—so I can watch and see if you're truly a just man. If you're not…." Laevatein answered her mental command, forming into a sword with the heavy snapping of metal. She rested the tip of the weapon against the floor, one hand on hilt and another on pommel. "If you're not, then I'll introduce you to my sense of justice. I've fought too long and hard to see my master's ideals go to waste. Prove to me you're the same breed as she—let me see the truth of you."