You Can't Fight Fate

Rain poured from a dark sky, gloomy in the light of a red dwarf sun. A crack of thunder went off among the swaying black-leaved trees, a flash of yellow searing through the branches. In an explosion of wood and splinters, a small figure came hurtling through a tree.

Homura bounced once, flipped herself upright, and tore a long furrow into the muddy loam as she planted her feet and slid to a stop with Skjoldur raised in front of her.

PRECOGNITION, Skjoldur droned as a purplish black Circle snapped into being under her feet.

Homura lunged forward, only to be caught by a Plasma Lancer that streaked in from her right -

RESET.

Homura lunged forward, swaying to the side as the Plasma Lancer missed her by a hair, she leaped into the treetops, but her boot slipped on the wet bark and movement in the corner of her eye -

RESET.

Homura lunged forward, swaying to the side as the Plasma Lancer missed her by a hair, she leaped into the treetops, planting her foot just so, slipping off the branch in a controlled tumble that turned her just in time to brace Skjoldur between her and Fate's scythe blow. The crackling yellow blade smashed into a purplish black field. Homura rode the impact and landed smoothly some distance away.

Homura pointed, another Circle springing into being as Skjoldur announced, WARP SPLINTER.

A sharp triangular shard of purplish black light streaked from Homura's hand. Fate dodged to the right.

RESET.

Homura repeated the previous sequence, only to flub the first dodge.

RESET.

Homura repeated the sequence, but her block was bad and she didn't land well.

RESET...

Fate watched the Circle under Homura's feet fade almost as soon as it formed, and the younger mage lunged forward.

Homura dodged Fate's concealed shooting spell and leaped into the treetops as Fate closed in, only to slip on the wet bark. Homura seemed to expect it though, using it to line herself up for a perfect block.

Fate's weapon met Homura's defensive field, and Homura used the impact to launch herself backwards. Homura landed lightly, another Circle already forming in front of her hand.

WARP SPLINTER, Skjoldur intoned.

The glowing shard blasted out, and as Fate moved to dodge, she realized the shooting spell was already aimed right where Fate's dodge would put her. Fate threw up a Circle to block, and flew straight up behind the cover of the resulting explosion.

ARC SABER, Bardiche droned as Fate slashed the air, sending whirling crescent projectiles down at Homura.

Homura dove out of the way, moving unnaturally fast, but the yellow crescent accelerated as it got near her and clipped her anyway. Homura went tumbling into the mud with a cry of pain.

Far above, two pink search spells of a slightly different shade hovered.

A massive silvery white Belkan Triangle turned slowly in the air above, keeping the rain off their heads and casting a soothing illumination over the clearing around the Stargate. Major Carter tinkered with the innards of the dialing device, Unraveller Exalt sitting on top of the pedestal in its bulbous gun form. Hayate stood by patiently while her knights maintained a perimeter.

Madoka winced at what she was seeing through her search spell. "Uh oh. That looked like it hurt."

"Don't worry. Fate is ending the spar," Nanoha assured her. "That was impressive, though. Fate began fighting seriously ten minutes in, and Homura managed to hold her own. She's really learning fast."

Madoka nodded proudly. "I told her she had it in her to be amazing. What was that at the end, though? Fate's spell... it moved strangely."

Off in the distance, Fate helped Homura to her feet and flew them back towards the clearing, picking Homura up with telekinesis.

"I think Homura was using telechronosis to move faster," Nanoha reasoned. "It looked like the Arc Saber sped up in time to match her when it got close to her, and Homura failed to account for that."

Fate flew in over the black treetops, landing with barely a whisper of noise as she set Homura down. Madoka jumped up and threw her arms around Homura.

"That was amazing!" Madoka enthused. "I knew you could do it!"

Homura met Madoka's lips in a kiss and sagged against her bright and wonderful girlfriend with a sigh. "I missed you."

Madoka smiled at her. "You were only gone for half an hour."

"It... felt like longer," Homura murmured.

"Oh," Madoka said sheepishly. "That's right. How long...?"

SUBJECTIVE TIME ELAPSED, THIRTY ONE HOURS AND SIX MINUTES, Skjoldur spoke up.

"I see," Fate said thoughtfully. "You used your Precognition spell to get weeks worth of practice in a single spar. I didn't realize that spell allowed you so many attempts."

Homura lifted her head but she didn't stop clinging to Madoka. "It didn't, before I got Skjoldur. It was the first spell I ever cast, actually, but without a Device I would get really bad headaches if I spent more than a few minutes in the spell. I couldn't make the accelerated feedback effect precise enough on my own, but now that I do have Skjoldur I figured out how to remove that limitation."

Nanoha caught Fate's eyes, and the two of them had a brief telepathic exchange.

"Do you know what you did wrong at the end there?" Nanoha asked.

Homura nodded. "I dilated time around myself to give myself more time to dodge, but it was a soft area of effect, so the closer the attack got to me, the closer it got to sharing my chronal reference frame."

"See? You're good at this, Homura," Madoka told her fondly.

Homura smiled. "Um, I think I can do better, actually. I've been working on a new spell to augment and focus my telechronosis into a form-fitting boundary by repurposing some of the standard code from the Barrier Jacket. If I'm right, I should be able to form a skin-tight event horizon around my body, and effectively freeze time completely, but those formulas are a bit beyond me."

"Why don't you show Nanoha?" Fate suggested, and Nanoha nodded.

It was still sinking in, Carter thought. She, personally, could use magic, and as much as it sounded like a contradiction, it was magic that made sense. Sure, she was new at it, and had to use a Circle and stoke her emotions into a fervor to do anything, but once she did it was like being handed a debug console for reality itself.

Although, the fact that it was possible to edit the very fabric of the universe like a piece of software did raise some unsettling questions about the underlying nature of said universe. It was like Willow had told her back when they first met. The only coherent way to define magic: It was external. Imposed. An outside agent interacting with an otherwise perfectly emergent system.

Carter shook her head, leaving her philosophical musings aside as she fitted the access panel back onto the dialing device and picked up Unraveller Exalt. "I've got the next address."

"Dial it up," Hayate suggested cheerfully as she turned and a screen popped up. "Yagami to the Arthra. Chrono! Major Carter found the next planet."

"Acknowledged. Sydar is tracking," Chrono replied. "We'll see you there."

Carter finished dialing and hit the central red orb, but the Stargate merely flashed its chevrons and whirred in protest. Carter dialed a second time, only to get the same result.

"Busy signal," Carter said with a frown.

"They do that?" Hayata asked, but she shook her head. "Keep trying. Chrono, did you get a vector?"

"Stand by." There was a pause. "Affirmative."

Hayate tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Give us another ten minutes. If we can't get a connection, we'll teleport up and take the long way with you."

"The Ori went to this address," Carter said. "If the Stargate on the other end is currently active, either we've almost caught up, or we have caught up and we've found their staging ground."

Hayate grimaced. "It might already be too late, in that case."

Quarters on the Arthra were cramped, bare metal illuminated by a softly glowing stripe on the walls, but it was private, and the small bunk was soft and comfortable.

Homura and Madoka panted softly, heavy breaths whispering across the dewing of sweat on their bare skin as the two lovers lay entwined in a tangle of naked limbs and mutual satisfaction. Homura rested her head on Madoka's budding bosom and Madoka ran her fingers through Homura's long black hair.

"You ever wonder why people say you're supposed to turn the lights out when you make love?" Madoka wondered whimsically.

The lights in their quarters were, in fact, still on at standard brightness.

"No," Homura murmured, smiling into her chest.

"Maybe it's about bragging rights," Madoka mused. "I can make you feel good even when I can't see what I'm doing!"

Madoka's chest shook against Homura's cheek as the pinkette giggled.

"I don't think that's right," Homura told her, snickering. "Maybe it was because people were paranoid about voyeurs."

"It is harder to hide a search spell in the dark," Madoka conceded. "Hey, Homura?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Homura's breath caught, and a tremble raced through her body. Then her arms tightened around Madoka and she let out a little choked noise. I loved you from the first moment you smiled at me.

"I know," Madoka replied. "I can feel it whenever we touch, burning like a blue star in your heart."

Homura blinked. "I didn't send that."

"Eheh, sorry," Madoka told her sheepishly. "I try not to peek, but when we're touching, I have to actually try so the prominent stuff tends to slip through."

"It's... it's okay," Homura murmured. "I'm... you can... I can't refuse you anything, Madoka."

"Oh," Madoka said softly. "You mean that. But you're afraid, still. That I'll see something I won't like?"

Homura nodded into Madoka's chest. Madoka went on stroking Homura's hair for a while.

"Homura?"

"Hmm?"

Madoka nudged Homura into meeting her eyes. There's something I want to try. Will you let me into your mind completely?

Homura's eyes widened. Um... are you sure?

Madoka nodded, and Homura gulped.

And then the world faded as Homura felt the immense power of Madoka's mind gently enfold her own. Homura didn't have words for what happened next. To say Madoka violated her mind was like comparing their earlier lovemaking to rape, for all that Homura was utterly helpless before the strength of Madoka's telepathy. The thrill of opening to her and accepting Madoka within her was quite similar.

Madoka's consciousness danced down into the depths of Homura's mind, coaxing up all her fondest memories and proudest moments. See? You are a beautiful person.

Homura floated in a sea of emotion, but Madoka was only beginning. Thoughts and feelings swirled, and Homura caught glimpses of herself through Madoka's eyes. Not just memory or images, but feelings. She could feel not just that Madoka loved her, but how she loved her.

It wasn't exactly the same way Homura felt, but it was just as strong. Just as enduring. Madoka wrapped her in it, like a warm bath made of affection, and that's when Madoka reached down even deeper.

Madoka caressed her darkest desires and most perverse fantasies, enfolding them in a warm glow of acceptance. You don't need to be afraid.

Slowly, gently, Homura came back to the present as Madoka withdrew. Homura just stared at her breathlessly. Madoka smiled softly, and their lips met in a sweet massage. Homura didn't even try to stop the tears she felt welling up, clutching Madoka tightly as hot tears trickled onto the flushed skin of her goddess.

"Attention, we will be entering realspace in five minutes," Chrono's voice announced throughout the ship. "All hands to battle stations."

Hayate blinked blearily as she came awake in her officer suite, at the center of a tangled mass of naked female flesh and variously colored penetrative aids. Signum was likewise woken by the announcement, and the fuchsia-haired knight shared a brief kiss with her before setting about extricating herself.

"Ahhh, yes, definitely my favorite way to wake up," Hayate mused.

Sitting up, Hayate pried a sleepy Vita off her tit and reached over to remove the strap-on Shamal had fallen asleep wearing. She slid off the bed and pulled out the drawer underneath. It was the drawer. The drawer filled with every naughty toy a shamelessly perverted Japanese schoolgirl could want, short of a tame tentacle monster.

Hayate slotted every toy in its proper place, trusting the spells Shamal had installed to keep everything clean, and climbed back up on the bed to wake up her sleeping knights with kisses.

Carter only briefly glanced away from the shifting colors of the dimensional sea when Hayate and her knights strode onto the bridge. Nanoha and Fate were already there. Madoka and Homura showed up after another minute.

Eldritch colors peeled apart to reveal stars and nebulae.

"Give me a full Sydar sweep," Chrono ordered tensely.

"Detecting a singularity and an unknown planetary-scale Barrier," Amy reported. "I'm also getting subspace activity and a steady electrical buildup in orbit around the singularity."

"Oh shit," Hayate whispered.

"Power the wards," Chrono ordered. "Bring us into weapons range. Are we dealing with a second New Aln?"

Carter studied the energy readings. "It's possible."

"It is," Hayate said as the orbiting object came into view.

It hung in space, a vast segmented ring, sparkling with electric discharge.

"Can we risk using the arc-en-ciel?" Nanoha asked.

"That could be playing into their hands," Chrono said. "We don't know if the portal has the same properties as their Barrier."

"Then we should hit it with something smaller first," Nanoha said. "Do they know we're here?"

Chrono accessed communications. "Arthra to Headquarters. Chrono Harlaown Priority One. Mission Failure. The Ori have established a beachhead. Recommend all battle-worthy ships make haste to the Arthra's coordinates."

(Oh Hayate, Willow has an eromorph for you... Hehehe just imagine the expression on Vita's face when that inevitably happens...)

(So yeah, Madoka's telepathy picks up stuff from people she's touching even when she doesn't intend to. For extra fun, go re-read the last scene in chapter three while keeping that in mind.)