And for all those reading this story; I have been gracious enough to write another chapter for your viewing pleasure! This is by far my longest yet in any story, so enjoy it! And definitely enjoy the Dai-Gurren Brigade's debut into this hopeful crossover epic! :)
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"We've finally reached the heavens!"
Kamina's righteous cry could easily be heard over a mile around, causing animals of all kinds to stir. In response to this man's declaration, the winged pig that had woken up Simon perked up its ears and listened intently to what this strange person had to say, despite not being able to understand any of it.
"What...what are you talking about, idiot?" Yoko retorted in annoyance, hitting Kamina hard in the back of the head. In an instant, he had lost his balance, falling out of his dramatic pose and tumbling backwards onto the ground.
"Hey! How dare you strike Kamina-sama!" Kamina complained as he picked up his fallen red-orange glasses from the ground. He gritted his teeth, silently cursing Yoko for ruining one of his moments of glory. Simon watched the situation without saying a word, mostly because he figured that it was never good to mess with Yoko if she was ticked off.
"Where did we go?" Simon finally asked, his eyes curious as he looked all around him. To this digger boy, the sight of fresh grass, trees, and fertile land all around was greatly contrasting compared to the bleak wasteland he, Kamina and Yoko had just been sleeping in only just before. In fact, the sunlight was just a little too bright out here, and Simon found himself putting on his goggles because his eyes were hurting from it.
"Well, I think it's obvious that we're definitely not in the heavens." Yoko said nonchalantly, while Kamina regained his composure after have been literally struck down by her. He was pouting at the fact she was trying to prove his great declaration wrong.
"If it's not the heavens, then it's somewhere else! That's it! The power of Simon's drill has taken us to paradise!"
Yoko sighed. It was clear that actually arguing with Kamina and his overflowing manliness would just be a chore. Reaching down, she slung her rifle over her shoulder, and fixed her skull-shaped hair pin so she knew that her long red hair wouldn't get in her way later on.
"Well...I think we can all agree that we aren't anywhere near Ritona Village anymore. But wherever this place is, it could still be crawling with Beastmen, so we can't let our guard down anytime soon." Yoko stated, making sure that her long rifle was loaded with enough ammo for the time being, just in case they really did run into any trouble.
"Hey! Look at this little guy!" Simon said in a cheerful voice. The tiny mole-pig Boota squealed in delight on his shoulder, as the two were just looking down at the curious, winged pig that had been watching them this entire time. Kamina slowly came up behind Simon, and he seemed to almost lick his lips at the sight of the winged pig. In his eyes, he was imagining the pig looking like a large, roasted pork chop.
"Ah! Good work, Simon. You found us dinner." Kamina said, his hands reaching out hungrily for the pig. Simon turned around, only to see that Kamina's eyes were now completely and utterly focused on the little animal, and he wasn't looking at the pig in a very friendly way.
"Wait!"
But before Kamina could get his hands on the pig, Simon quickly picked it up in the safety of his arms, and he backed away from his soul-brother with a nervous look in his eyes.
"We can't eat this guy, Aniki! He was just watching out for us!"
Kamina's facial expression quickly changed from a look of hunger to a look of clear disapproval. He was beginning to get really annoyed with Simon now.
"Simon...Kamina-sama is hungry! Aren't you hungry too? That juicy morsel could be our dinner!"
Although Simon's legs were shaking in nervousness, he still didn't let go of his new friend. Boota stood his ground right on Simon's shoulder, while Kamina seemed to just become more and more annoyed as he started to realize that his soul-brother wouldn't just hand over their dinner without a fight. Simon closed his eyes shut, and held onto his new pig friend tight. The tiny winged pig just seemed to squeal loudly, confused by why this human was squeezing it like a stuffed animal.
"We're not eating him!"
In a matter of moments, Kamina's expression began to soften at the sound of Simon's words. He admired the fighting spirit that he could hear in them, despite all this being over whether or not they roasted a wild winged pig. Kamina stood before Simon with a calm expression now, no longer interested in consuming the tiny animal. He put a friendly but strong hand on Simon's shoulder, and feeling relaxed now, the smaller boy looked back up at his taller soul-brother.
"Alright then. Kamina-sama respects you protecting your new friend." Kamina said wholeheartedly, his smile comforting Simon greatly. Yoko just raised a questioning eyebrow at the entire situation, once again wondering just how strange of a pair these two were.
"I wonder what this is place is..." Yoko said out loud, rubbing her chin as she thought long and hard about the answer. She had never seen this kind of landscape in her entire life. She'd heard legends of places like this, but that was about it.
"Just how did we get here? And when did it turn into day all of a sudden?"
Yoko turned to her two male companions, searching for a thought or even a possible answer from either of them.
"Does it even matter? The Dai-Gurren Brigade doesn't need to know where it is! Wherever we end up, be it the heavens themselves or the center of the Earth, we will triumph against all who would try to strike us down!" Kamina exclaimed with a ton of machismo, grinning widely again as his glasses seemed to almost glint brighter in the sunlight.
"Maybe there's someone around here who can tell us where we are." Simon suggested, but Yoko just seemed to be in thought again. For one thing, she had easily figured out by now that Kamina's comments weren't helping them much. She took a good look at the landscape again, and wondered just how they could have gone from a blasted wasteland to this. It didn't make any sense at all. She could have sworn that it was almost as if the three of them had fallen asleep in one world, and then woken up in another. It was so strange...
However, something broke Yoko's train of thought, and completely got all of her attention. She focused her eyes, and she figured out just what in the distance was bugging her. Silently, she acted quickly, reaching for the long rifle on her back and flipping out in front of her.
Without even a second thought, Yoko fired forth a powerful bullet from her over-sized gun, which sped straight towards a patch of tall grass in the distance. Less than a second passed before a blue explosion could be seen erupting from the grass patch, blowing it apart and causing quite a bit of noise.
"Yoko-san! What's wrong?" Simon said in panic, as he was usually the first one to become afraid when fighting broke out like it was now. At the same time, the winged pig in his arms seemed to squeal loudly again, as if it was just as afraid as Simon. Yoko still didn't say a word, and instead silently motioned for Kamina and Simon to follow her to where she had just fired. Both Kamina and Simon each gave each other a partially confused look, before they both reluctantly followed the scantily-clad girl towards the now partially burning patch of grass.
"Looks like there are other humans besides us around here." Yoko said seriously, and down below her was what looked like the body of some sort of armored soldier. At first, Kamina expected that the guy would have been fried from the rifle shot, but instead, the soldier was breathing heavily, and it was obvious that one of his arms and good part of his body were burned to a black crisp. While he didn't get completely caught in the energy explosion, he certainly took a good part of it.
He coughed in pain, and Yoko just angrily put her foot on his chest. Kamina and Simon were just surprised that she was so forceful right now.
"Who are you, and just why did you try to shoot at us?" Yoko asked in a clearly pissed-off tone of voice. Simon's eyes glanced to the man's burnt arm, and he could see what looked like what was left of a rifle, only a few feet away. This rifle was badly damaged, and from what Simon could tell, it looked a lot smaller and a lot more primitive than Yoko's.
Kamina was already gritting his teeth in obvious anger. Simon could already see that his soul-brother was clenching his fists.
"A sneak attack on the Dai-Gurren Brigade....you cowards!" Kamina said with much ferocity. The injured soldier in question coughed again, and than began to laugh in a wheezy voice.
"....you're...in the Empire's way...and...those who block our path...will be crushed without mercy..."
Yoko just narrowed her eyes, before taking her foot of the man as she realized he was already dying by now. However, Kamina was beginning to lose his own temper, and he brought the injured soldier up by the collar, glaring at him face-to-face through his sunglasses.
"Who the hell do you think I am?!? Kamina-sama is not afraid of any empire! We're the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and we kick reason to the curb! It's people just like you that I can't stand..."
"Aniki...calm down. He's not worth it." Simon said quietly beside Kamina, sounding concerned for his older soul-brother. He could see that Kamina was letting his anger get the better of him. Nevertheless, Kamina was slowly allowing himself to relax, and his grip on the man was beginning to loosen.
"Ha...it doesn't even matter...the rest of the...battalion...will finish you..." the soldier said as his voice seemed to weaken more and more with each word. Dark red blood dripped down from one side of his mouth, sliding down onto his melted armor.
He let out another hoarse laugh, and slowly, Kamina could feel his body becoming limp. Kamina's expression of anger softened as he fully realized the man's fate, and Kamina just closed his own eyes as he gently put the body of the dead Imperial soldier back on the ground. Without another word, Kamina turned around, and began to walk back towards the Gurren and Lagann.
Neither Simon and Yoko could say anything in response to what had just happened, so the both of them just silently followed Kamina back to their respective robots. Simon felt a little sad, and at the same time, a little disturbed. The way that dying soldier spoke was frightening to him, not to mention how he mentioned that a battalion would be coming to finish them off. Yoko, on the other hand, hoped that Kamina could just keep his sense in this situation. Not to mention that she was still more worried about where they had ended more than anything else.
"I don't think we should be out in the open like this. That guy could have been bluffing...but still..." Yoko stated, her voice sounding a little worried. Simon was already in the process of boarding the Lagann, having brought his new winged pig friend inside with him, and he motioned for Yoko to come in the small red robot with him.
She looked to see where Kamina had gone, and it was clear that he was already inside the Gurren, which had its arms crossed as if it was as in just a bad mood as he was. The giant robot's surprisingly expressive face was now in a grimace.
As Yoko made herself comfortable inside the cockpit of the small Lagann robot, she heard what sounded like loud rumbling close by. She looked out from the Lagann's cockpit as Simon activated the robot with his drill, only to see what looked like strange vehicles closing in on them. At first, they weren't anything like she'd ever seen, but as this battalion of large, gun-toting tanks edged closer, she began to slowly recognize them as long lost example of human weaponry. They were from a bygone era; one that she had seen in old books from an archaic age of humanity.
"What is it, Yoko-san?" Simon asked as he noticed that Yoko was looking out at something with her mouth open in awe. Yoko turned to him swiftly, and her face became serious in an instant.
"Looks like we've got company."
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TIME: 10:05 AM
LOCATION: 15 MILES OUTSIDE OF RANDGRIZ, GALLIA
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"Damn scout...." an Imperial tank commander said as his battalion rolled along at a steady pace. The soldier he was referring to should have come back in less than a few minutes, but his battalion had been forced to wait over a half-hour for his return. After becoming adequately pissed off at this man's incompetence, the commander decided he would make sure personally if his scout had decided to break his vows as a member of the Imperial Army.
As his tanks rolled through this vast field, the Imperial commander could spot what looked like titanic objects in the distance. Grabbing a pair of binoculars, he observed from the top hatch of his vehicle what looked like two machine-like, red objects in the distance. However, they were nothing like he'd ever seen before. One of them towered over the landscape, while the other one, which was much smaller, looked more like a face with arms and legs than anything else.
"Commander Ethen! What are those things up ahead?" one of his soldiers said from inside the command tank below. The commander was speechless for a moment, unable to comprehend just what these imposing things up ahead were. He grimaced as he lied through his teeth.
"They're...some sort of Gallian prototype weapons."
"Are you sure, sir? I've never seen Gallians build anything like that." the soldier asked, and above, his commander bit his lip. He knew that what he was about to say was another blatant lie, but in war, sometimes deceit was necessary.
"It's Gallian alright! All tank units; direct your firepower on the two machines ahead! We won't let these Gallian bastards get away with defying the will of the Empire!"
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"What...what kind of attack is this?" Kamina shouted in confusion as he watched the approaching tank battalion from the inside of the Gurren. Yoko was holding on tight to her long rifle as she sat next to Simon, who was more in awe than anything else. He had never seen vehicles like this before. They were very different from any Gunmen, as these vehicles moved on wheels instead of mechanical legs.
As the Dai-Gurren Brigade watched, the tanks began to slowly circle around the their two robots. The battalion was approximately composed of about sixteen tank units in total, with the largest tank belonging to the commander. Kamina looked from side to side, confused by the tactics of these machines. He didn't know what to expect, but he smiled to himself anyway, knowing full well that even these unknown enemies wouldn't take him down so easily.
Finally, the group of tanks stopped around the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and they had effectively formed a circular formation around them, blocking the two robots off. Kamina could make out a lone man in the tank about twenty feet in front of him, and he spoke loudly from the top hatch of his command vehicle.
"Gallian scum! Prepare to taste the wrath of the Empire!" the commander shouted, before Simon, Kamina and Yoko could see him wave his hand in a directing fashion. A second passed, and a sudden symphony of fire erupted from the sixteen-strong battalion of tanks, grealty surprising Kamina, who didn't expect much of an attack at all from these weak-looking vehicles.
Powerful shells blasted against the top shell of the Lagann, causing the entire mech to rock as it absorbed the impact. More of the same tank shells hit the much larger Gurren robot, spraying up dust and dirt from the many explosions that popped around it. Yoko nearly fell on top of Simon inside the Lagann from the vibrations, and the tiny winged pig with them squealed in what sounded like fear.
Clouds of dust formed from the many explosions caused by the tank shots, and the commander of the Imperial battalion began to smile in satisfaction. He looked through his binoculars, waiting for the dust to settle and show him that those machines were now burning wrecks after being bombarded by his tanks.
As the dust began to settle, the commander's eyes widened in surprise, and his expression sank as he could see the unbelievable in front of him. He knew in an instant that this sight would no doubt lower his soldier's morale greatly, and the thought began to scare him.
The two Gurren and Lagann robots were clearly visible after the dust had cleared, and from what the tank commander could see, they had absolutely no damage of any sort on their frame. He had watched shells hit their mark, but it looked as if they had no outward effect. Both robotic devices were still good as new, save for dust that had collected from the debris caused by the explosions.
"W-What!?!"
"Commander! The Gallian machines...they're untouched!"
The Imperial commander wanted to believe he was going mad, but the proof was right in front of him. Both the Gurren and Lagann had taken the full salvos of sixteen Imperial tank units, and managed to come out completely unharmed. What made the commander even more afraid now, was the fact that the two machines seemed to be smiling at him. He rubbed his eyes again in disbelief. He was seeing right. The Gurren and Lagann robots were both smiling at his tank units victoriously.
"Ha! The Dai-Gurren Brigade doesn't fall easily to the likes of you!" the Gurren exclaimed in Kamina's voice, which was amplified through the robot's own mouth. Kamina felt his blood pump faster, and he was already beginning to taste the excitement of battle ahead. Clearly, these strangers were trying to put out the fire of their existence, and as the leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, Kamina didn't plan on letting them get their way.
"Impossible! No machine can withstand that much!" the commander choked out as he gawked at the state of the two mechs. To him, these machines were each like some kind of abomination. The commander was already on the verge of wetting his pants from fear.
"Simon! I think it's time for us to become one!" Kamina announced in a charismatic fashion, and in the cockpit of the Lagann, Simon nodded, knowing fully well what his soul-brother meant.
"Alright, Aniki!" Simon responded, and at that moment, the Gurren seemed to give its own response by jumping right up into the air, signifying the first step of their union.
As the tank units watched in awe, the Lagann rocketed upwards as well, coming a few feet above the Gurren's top. The Lagann's arms and legs retracted into its face, and a large drill formed on the bottom of the Lagann as it came down closer to the Gurren. Bright neon green light flashed around the drill, right before it literally connected itself through the top of the Gurren. A bright explosion of incandescent green light followed, and the Imperial commander and his men were momentarily blinded by the merging between the two robots.
As the transformation continued, the Gurren's frame began to become more powerful, and armor sprouted from various points where it was previously unguarded. A partially cut, golden half-circle formed on the Lagann's forehead, signifying the final step of the union between the two robots. Stepping down onto the ground and now complete, the Gurren-Lagann turned its eyes to the tank battalion around it. By this time, the commander had already wet his pants, and he could feel fear coming over him like a dark blanket. Inside the newly formed robot, Kamina and Simon were both wearing serious expressions, and Yoko was just letting herself relax now, as she already knew that this was about to end quickly.
"D-Destroy it! All units; turn this abomination into dust!" the commander roared, with his voice showing obvious fear. His tank units responded by moving closer and firing their shots at the same time, many of which managed to hit the surface of the towering Gurren-Lagann. However, every shot bounced off of the titanic robot's armor and ricocheted into the ground around it.
"Abomination?!? This thing...this Gurren-Lagann...is beautiful!" Kamina shouted out loud; his overwhelming voice causing some of the tank units to actually move backwards in addition to them seeing the sight of their shells having absolutely no effect once again.
"Aniki! Let's go together!" Simon said from the head of the robot, while Yoko couldn't help but smile at the teamwork that these two always showed. They truly were the soul-brothers they referred to each other as.
Even though the tank battalion was beginning to retreat, the Gurren-Lagann was clearly faster, and the robot moved forward with uncanny speed, putting fear into the hearts of all the Imperial soldiers. The commander had already retreated back inside of his own vehicle, and he was screaming at his soldiers to move his command tank faster.
"Damn it! This thing is a monster! Get us the hell out of here!"
"We're moving at our maximum speed, sir!"
"Make it go faster! Do it for our lives, you fool!"
As his driver tried his best to make their tank move faster, the commander looked up through the viewing port in front of him, and his eyes widened as he saw something large coming directly their way. His face drained of color, and he could see what looked like a massive drill speeding towards them, and revolving at a impossibly fast pace. It glowed a bright neon green; a light which pierced right through the tank commander's soul as the drill closed in.
The Gurren-Lagann's wrist drill bore right through the command tank in front of it, spinning rapidly as it caused the vehicle to explode in a ball of flame. Debris flew outwards from the explosion as the drill ripped through whatever was left of the tank, causing chunks of metal to violently bounce off the now fully retreating Imperial tanks.
It only took a few seconds before Kamina and Simon figured out that the tank they had drilled through had been reduced to nothing, and in matter of moments, the Gurren-Lagann's wrist drill disappeared back into its frame, and the robot now stood tall and triumphant, for all surrounding to see.
"That's right! Run! Go and tell your friends that they've messed with Kamina-sama, and that they'll face the power of the Dai-Gurren Brigade if they want to keep messing with us! Just who the hell do you think we are!?!" Kamina yelled to the retreating tanks, the small victory empowering his already over-the-top macho attitude more than ever. Yoko sighed in the Lagann, before speaking to the pilot below.
"I think they got the point by now, Kamina."
Simon felt relieved now, and underneath him, the winged pig squealed in delight. They had managed to rout this unknown enemy for the time being. Simon could feel his hands relaxing on the controls of the Lagann, and Kamina was beginning to settle down from his battle-craze, much to Yoko's relief.
"Well....at least we don't have to worry about them now. We're still kind of lost though." Simon commented, his voice unsure.
"I can't imagine everyone around here is hostile. Maybe if we search the surrounding land, we might be able to find someone who can tell just where we are." Yoko suggested, but she was quickly interjected by a still pumped Kamina.
"And if they are hostile, then we'll show them the power of the Dai-Gurren Brigade as well!"
"We're not attacking everyone we see, you idiot!" Yoko yelled down to Kamina, his voice and attitude at the moment having finally gotten on her nerves.
"You don't know what kind of people we'll run into! We have to think ahead!"
"You're just going to start more trouble then we need! Do you want us to become everyone's enemy?
Simon couldn't help but sigh. He didn't know how much longer it would be till these two stopped arguing, but he figured that the waiting probably wouldn't be so bad. He looked down at his new winged pig friend below him, and whispered quietly.
"It's too bad you can't tell us where we are. Hopefully we'll find out for ourselves soon enough."
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TIME: 11:01 AM
LOCATION: RANDGRIZ, GALLIA
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"Lieutenant Welkin Gunther!"
The voice of the green-haired, glasses-wearing Captain Varrot easily emanated throughout the spacious room, reaching the ears of just about everyone present. All the recruits stood in an organized, row by row fashion, as the captain began to announce squad placements for all those present in the room.
And at this moment, for one of the first times in her life, Haruhi was actually listening to someone else without question, much to Kyon's surprise. Standing right next to her, Kyon silently marveled at Haruhi's willingness to stand perfectly. She didn't make a noise, or fidget one bit. Kyon on the other hand, was beginning to getting a little tired, as standing this stiff was getting uncomfortable very fast.
"Welkin Gunther...you are the son of the famous General Gunther, am I correct?" Captain Varrot asked Welkin, who, realizing now he was be addressed directly, answered her swiftly and clearly.
"Yes. That is correct, ma'am."
The captain seemed to be looking through the Militia registry as she listened to Welkin speak. She glanced at the information before her, and looked up at Welkin again, speaking in an even more serious tone than before.
"Starting today, you will be assigned as commander of Squad 7. From what I can see here, you have taken Organizational Training in high school and finished the Officer Candidacy course during your time in the university. Just those two things are enough to convince me, and on top of that, you still are General Gunther's son, and that could be enough by itself."
Welkin's face became surprised all of a sudden, though he didn't relax his stance.
"I don't have much field experience, to be honest. Are you sure I'm even fit for this role, Captain Varrot?" Welkin asked, his voice sincere. Beside him, Alicia tried her best not to blurt out the fact that she almost didn't' think he deserved to be commander. Behind her, Haruhi continued to remain silent, while Kyon just wondered if these people were on crazy pills.
Him? A commander? Well, I really don't think I'd want to be in his squad.
Despite the fact that Kyon didn't necessarily dislike Welkin, he had recognized by now that the man was quite oblivious to a fault, and Kyon figured that kind of thing would no doubt affect his role as a lieutenant and commander of an entire squad. Kyon held in the urge to sigh, and just listened as Captain Varrot continued to speak.
"From what I've been told, you have enough experience. I am confident you'll be effective in this position."
Welkin nodded.
"If that is so, then I will accept the position of commander. However, I do have one request."
Captain Varrot looked up again, curious to hear what Welkin had to say.
"Go on."
"I would like to have approval for the usage of the vehicle that belongs to my sister and myself, the Edelweiss. It's unique in design, so it will be difficult for most mechanics to perform matienence on it. If that is alright with you, I believe it will help greatly in future battles."
Captain Varrot looked back at the registry book, flipping through the pages and momentarily stopping at the picture of Isara. The captain certainly wasn't dense. She knew for a fact that Welkin's sister was no doubt a Darcsen. Nevertheless, she also knew that at this time, in this war, they needed all they could to win. She looked up again, sounding slightly disappointed but nevertheless willing.
"Very well. I will assign Corporal Isara Gunther to your squad as well."
The captain then stood up again from her chair, registry book in hand as she faced the rest of the recruits.
"Now for the rest of you...Sergeant Alicia Melchiott...you will also be assigned to Squad 7 as a non-commissioned officer to support Lieutenant Gunther."
Alicia's facial expression seemed to change in an instant from passive to shocked.
"What?!?"
The captain narrowed her eyes, suddenly becoming very serious.
"Is that alright with you, Sergeant Melchiott?"
Alicia could feel a tinge of embarrassment, and her cheeks flushed red. Why did she have to be in Welkin's squad, not to mention having to be his support? It almost wasn't fair. Nevertheless, she stood up straight again and tried to brush off the fact, answering as confidently as she could.
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Alicia felt like an idiot now. She glanced at Welkin, and wondered to herself just why she had to end up in his squad, and as his support on top of it.
The captain nodded, and paced back to her desk. Opening up the book further, she stopped on a page of interest, and it was the one that contained the recruit information of both Haruhi Suzumiya and Kyon. She read it over carefully, realizing that there was in fact not much to actually read over. She looked up again, and her gaze was directed straight at Haruhi and Kyon.
"Now...Private Haruhi Suzumiya and Private...Kyon? Are those names correct?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Kyon replied instantly. He would rather Haruhi not end up being the one to say something to insult this captain. It was bad enough that they still had basic training to go through tomorrow; something that Kyon certainly wasn't excited about one bit.
"I don't seem to have any background information on either of you. No place of birth, no family...I don't even see your nationalities on here. Not to mention that you don't seem to have a surname, Private Kyon. I'm a bit concerned. I understand both of joined the Militia only yesterday, correct?"
Kyon was ready to hit himself in the face, but he held back the urge.
Why? Just why did my sister have to tell everyone that nickname?!?
This time, Haruhi was the one to answer first, much to Kyon's displeasure.
"Yes, we did! And we both plan on trying our best to fight for Gallia! Please assign us to whatever squad you find suitable, ma'am!" Haruhi said out loud, surprising Kyon, Alicia and Welkin alike, as well as the rest of the soldiers surrounding her. On Haruhi's left side, Susie was trying to stop herself from shaking out of nervousness, and Haruhi's loud exclamation just only seemed to make things worse for the girl.
"I see..." Captain Varrot said, looking back at the registry book. Welkin was looking down, deep in thought. Alicia was curious to know just what was going on in his head, and at the same time, she, along with Kyon, wanted Haruhi to just shut her mouth for once.
"Excuse me, ma'am...but I believe I would like to ask for another request."
Welkin had spoken up, attracting the attention of just about everyone around. Captain Varrot looked up again, acknowledging Welkin.
"Yes, Lieutenant Gunther?"
Welkin cleared his throat, and he spoke as sincerely as he could.
"I would like to request that Private Suzumiya and Private Kyon be assigned to Squad 7. I believe they will work better under my guidance."
As if almost in perfect unison, Alicia, Haruhi and Kyon's thoughts were all thinking about the same thing, and that was the thought that Welkin Gunther was out of his mind. Alicia could barely stand Haruhi already, but to have her in the same squad would be pure torture. She didn't necessarily care about Kyon much, but she knew that Haruhi would most likely get in her way.
What? He's kidding, right?
Kyon felt his heart sink. He knew something bad like this was bound to happen. Next to him, Haruhi's face looked very unhappy. She didn't like the way Welkin was talking about her and Kyon, but mostly about her. He made it sound like she was an average rookie, and she didn't like that one bit. When Kyon thought Captain Varrot wasn't looking, he sighed deeply to himself.
"Very well. Private Suzumiya, Private Kyon; you are now both assigned to Squad 7, under Lieutenant Welkin Gunther's leadership." Captain Varrot stated, making Haruhi a little ticked off and Kyon just more worried than he had been before. Alicia was already in a bad enough mood, because now she knew she would have to deal with Haruhi much more than she thought she would have to, along with having to be under Welkin as his support.
"You're going to have a lot of attention on you from now on, Lieutenant Gunther. I expect much from you." the captain added, saluting Welkin in an orderly fashion. Welkin saluted her back in an instant.
"Yes ma'am!"
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Where did we go wrong? Not only are we stuck in a war we shouldn't be in, in a world we shouldn't be in; but now we're under Welkin's leadership? Is this really what you enjoy doing, Haruhi? Making me suffer?
Kyon was deep in thought as he walked down one of the long halls of the academy. With that meeting now over, he was wondering on about their current predicament, and perhaps what exactly could be done to get them out of it. However, Kyon was fresh out of ideas, and he sighed to himself as he began to figure out that he really didn't have an answer to any of this. In an instant, thoughts of Yuki Nagato, Itsuki Koizumi and Mikuru Asahina began to swirl around in his head. It was already obvious that he was beginning to miss the three of them. Anyone could get sick of just Haruhi by now.
Where's that esper boy and his long-winded explanations when you need them?
Kyon's thoughts were swirling around in his head so much at the moment, that he didn't notice the person walking towards him, who he managed to bump right into.
"Ah, sorry about that." Kyon said apologetically. He looked up, and a very familiar sounding voice spoke back to him.
"It's alright. I can see that you're probably deep in thought. Your face says it all."
If Kyon hadn't looked up, he could have easily mistaken the man speaking for none other than Itsuki Koizumi. Kyon's hopes had actually risen for a moment before he got a look at the speaker's face, and he easily imagined Itsuki in front of him, clad in a Gallian Militia uniform and ready to provide him with the solution to returning himself and Haruhi home.
However, Itsuki was not the speaker in front of Kyon. This man was a bit taller than Kyon, and while he shared some of the esper's features, he had much lighter hair and a stronger frame. However, he had a smile on that was eerily reminding Kyon quite a bit of Itsuki's.
"You must be one of the newest recruits. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Faldio Landzaat."
Kyon's face sunk a little bit, but he nevertheless tried his best to sound enthusiastic that he had met this guy.
"My name is...just call me Kyon."
Faldio chuckled, and the look in his eyes was almost exactly like Itsuki's at this very moment. It was almost scaring Kyon a little bit now.
"That's an interesting name. I've never heard of anything like it before."
Kyon just groaned internally at this comment.
That's because it's not my damn name! For some reason, Haruhi just likes to pass it around as my real name, even when we could be possibly on a completely different planet!
"Faldio!"
Kyon looked over Faldio's shoulder, only to see none other than Welkin coming towards them. He looked relatively pleased, much to Kyon's annoyance. For some reason, Kyon couldn't help by envy every time he happened to see this guy in a good mood. It was almost beginning to get on his nerves in a way.
"Ah, Welkin. Trying not to be late to our meeting, eh?" Faldio joked, piquing Kyon's curiosity.
"Meeting? Didn't we just have meeting just before?"
Welkin had caught up to the two by now, and he was the one to answer Kyon's question.
"This meeting is for the commanders specifically, I believe. Faldio's just accompanying me, as he's the commander of Squad 1. I apologize that I can't stay longer and chat, but we really can't be late to this, Kyon."
Faldio laughed. Seeing Welkin again like this was certainly refreshing. It was almost as if their days in the university were part of a completely different life. War certainly changed a lot.
"I can't recall you ever being late to a single class, Welkin. Let's not break the habit now, right?"
Welkin smiled back at his friend, and for a brief moment, Kyon couldn't help but slightly feel ignored, or possibly almost jealous.
Hmph...he's lucky to have a trustworthy friend around here. All I have is that Brigade Chief of mine. Lucky me.
"Right. I'll talk to you later, Kyon." Welkin said, before waving goodbye and walking down the hall with Faldio by his side. The two were already talking like they were best friends, and Kyon just sighed to himself as he turned a corner and could no longer see them.
As Kyon walked down one of the large hallways of the academy, he failed to notice someone watching him as he silently continued on his way. It was none other than Isara, who wore a curious face as she watched Kyon make his way down the hallway, hands in pockets and his head down. She happened to be walking down the hallway at the time, planning to head to the vehicle bay to go work on the Edelweiss, but she couldn't help but wonder what was up with Kyon as she saw him looking a little depressed.
"Are you feeling alright, Kyon-san?" Isara asked sincerely, causing Kyon to suddenly look up and acknowledge her.
"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern."
Yeah. It's nice that someone cares. Haruhi certainly doesn't.
"Are you sure? Do you need anything?" Isara asked him, still sounding a little worried. She didn't know Kyon very well yet, but from what she could see, it seemed like he was just a regular, albeit confused boy. He was quiet though, and she wondered why. She hoped it didn't have anything to do with her and Welkin.
Kyon smiled. Isara's concern was in fact helping him up a bit.
"Well...I guess I could say that I am a little curious about that tank of yours. It's pretty interesting, and I can't say I wasn't surprised by its capabilities back in Bruhl a few days ago." he commented, his voice sounding a little more upbeat than before now.
"The Edelweiss? I'm sorry if you aren't used to tanks like it. My father and stepfather both put a lot of hard work into the design. At least, from what I can remember." Isara replied. Her voice sounded happier too, because it seemed like her concern was making Kyon open up a little more. She was glad about that.
"I'm sure they did. Still, I don't think I'm used to tanks of any kind, to be honest." Kyon said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously.
Isara giggled. She was beginning to like this Kyon. He seemed a little bit more laid back compared to her brother. She could only wonder how he and his friend Haruhi got along so well.
"Would you like to help me with matienence? I could use a hand."
Kyon's eyes widened. He thought about her proposal. He knew absolutely nothing about tanks or maintaining them. He barely knew anything about warfare in the first place. Nevertheless, he was a little bit interested now.
I guess anything to keep my mind off of Haruhi-related stress can't be a bad thing, right?
"Sure. I don't have much else better to do."
Haruhi would probably kill me if she found out I wandered off without telling her. Oh well. I'll just deal with her wrath later.
"Great! Let's hurry then!
Isara smiled as she unexpectedly grabbed Kyon's hand, in an effort to playfully pull him along. Despite trying his best not to think about it, Kyon could feel a slight hint of embarrassment building up in his stomach. Nevertheless, he tried to ignore it, and just let Isara lead the way to the vehicle sheds that lay outside of the academy.
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"I can't believe this. Why did I have to be stuck with you?" Alicia complained on her top bunk as she glared down at Haruhi. Haruhi was in the middle of changing her top shirt, and she made no effort to ask for any privacy while she was changing. Despite the fact that both of them were girls, Alicia still found it kind of strange.
"I don't see what all the complaining is about, Alicia. You should be happy you're getting to be in the SOS Brigade Chief's presence." Haruhi replied without regret in her voice. Alicia just jumped down from her bunk, and made a very annoyed face at Haruhi.
"You talk like you're the greatest thing ever. Just because you've got that Kyon guy in the palm of your hand, doesn't give you the right to boss the rest of us around. And that especially applies to me! You forget I'm a sergeant, and that means I have a higher position above you!"
Haruhi's facial expression changed, and the mention of having Kyon in the palm of her hand made her blush slightly. From her own bunk, Susie watched the conversation unfold, but was just a little too meek to add any input of her own.
"Kyon's just an idiot. A loyal subordinate, but still an idiot nonetheless. And I don't have to listen to you anyway. I don't take orders from normal people!" Haruhi replied indignantly, which only seemed to infuriate Alicia more.
"But you do have to listen to Welkin, because he's the commander of Squad 7, which you're now a part of. You act so high and mighty, but like I said before, I don't think you'll be so confident when we have to go through basic training tomorrow. And that's just saying if we don't have a mission right after that as well!"
As Susie watched in silence, it seemed as if lightning was flashing between Haruhi and Alicia's eyes as they stared each other down. And who knows. Susie even thought she might have actually seen a spark for a second.
"I see where this is going. You think you can seduce Welkin and convince him to make it hard on me? Not a chance!"
Alicia blushed almost instantly at the Haruhi's statement, and she raised a fist in anger.
"What? You're crazy! I'd rather be captured by Imperial soldiers than be anywhere near him!"
Haruhi smiled to herself, knowing that she was beginning to hit Alicia in just the right spot.
"Sure. I'm not dense like Kyon, Alicia. You'll probably fall for him and his charm in no time."
Alicia was beginning to become speechless. She didn't even want to acknowledge what Haruhi was saying, but she couldn't just let it slide by. A few seconds passed by, and Alicia pointed a finger right at Haruhi, sputtering out her own accusations.
"Well...I bet you're just head over heels for Kyon! That's why you boss him around so much! I bet this "SOS Brigade" of yours is all just a ruse to get close to him!"
Haruhi gritted her teeth.
"Lies!"
"Don't go denying it, Haruhi!"
"I said it's Brigade Chief to you!"
"Oh yeah? Who's going to make me call you that?"
"I will!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
"Well I'd like to see you fail at even getting Welkin's attention for a second!"
"Hmph! Like I'd want attention from that airhead anyway!"
"You're just trying to hide your growing feelings for him! I bet you like him already!"
"Never! You're just spouting out nonsense!"
As Haruhi and Alicia continued to go back and forth like this, Susie was watching helplessly from her bunk, as she was unable to provide any mediation, nor did she want to even try side with either one of them.
"Oh dear..." she said quietly, sincerely hoping that it wouldn't be like this between Haruhi and Alicia every time they were together in this room.
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Welkin was deep in thought now. Faldio was sitting beside him, listening as Captain Varrot began this meeting in which she had requested the presence of all the squad commanders.
"As you all may know, the Imperial Alliance's forces have been pushing our defensive line back for the last few days. We had estimated that they would reach the city of Vasel sometime later today, but reports from our scouts have told us otherwise. The Imperials have moved back towards their own territory, despite the fact that they were sighted only some fifteen miles away from Randgriz."
Welkin was confused. He couldn't possibly think of a reason for the Imperials to stop their advance. They had the perfect chance to surprise them, and it seemed like something had gotten in their way.
"I'm a bit perplexed. What could convince the Imperial forces to retreat back towards their borders?" Faldio asked, and Captain Varrot seemed as if she was unable to answer for a brief moment. She cleared her throat before responding to Faldio's question.
"Scouts have confirmed that something had engaged and then proceeded to scare off an Imperial tank battalion that had gone ahead of the main Imperial force. The details sound a bit unreliable however. I was informed that the tank battalion suffered a causality during the engagement; losing their commander."
Welkin couldn't help but become curious, despite hearing what sounded like reluctance in Captain Varrot's voice.
"Excuse me for asking, captain, but what exactly could have convinced an entire Imperial tank battalion to retreat after only one causality, despite it being their commander?"
Captain Varrot looked away for a moment, unsure if she should answer Welkin's question. She sighed quietly to herself before answering.
"Whatever caused this was described as a strange type of machine that didn't bear any resemblance to anything Imperial-made. The reports I received say that the machine towered over the Imperial tanks, and it moved more like a soldier than a vehicle. It took the full force of the entire battalion's fire, and came out unscathed before completely destroying the commander's tank in one blow."
Welkin's eyes widened, and Faldio couldn't help but feel slightly worried, despite not actually showing any sign of it.
"But just what kind of machine could do something like that?" Welkin asked, suddenly feeling incredibly curious as to what exactly could have done that to the Imperials.
"I am afraid I do not know myself. Nevertheless, it will be Squad 7 and Squad 1's job to investigate the nature of this strange machine. If it is in fact hostile as described, it could prove to be a threat to Randgriz. Tomorrow afternoon, your squads are to move out north and embark on your first mission."
Welkin just rubbed his chin in wonder.
"But for now, you are all dismissed."
"This is truly something..." Welkin said to Faldio as he stood up from his seat. He was now very interested in the coming mission tomorrow, despite the obvious danger that lie ahead. Faldio seemed to just smile in response to Welkin's usual curiosity. This kind of thing was nothing new to him.
"Let's just hope this something doesn't end up putting us out of commission. I'd like to sleep well knowing that you made it through your first mission safe and sound." Faldio said, half-joking, half-serious.
Welkin just nodded. He knew tomorrow would be important. Later today, he would make sure to formally introduce himself to the rest of his squad. Tomorrow, everything would just become a lot more serious. Welkin almost couldn't wait.
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A new chapter will come soon! And in that one, more characters will definitely make their debuts! :D