0800 GST August 13th 2125AD
Reina Vance climbed into the cockpit of her Paladin class Otome battle suit. The pilot pulled up a checklist on a display, glanced at it then flicked a few switches.
The blonde frowned, studying the readouts then pulled on a single earpiece headset and targeting monocle. She flicked a few more switches then sighed as she shook her as she looked at the display again She looked at the Otome's power systems and tapped her chin. 'The Dualium drive's output is still still higher than normal. Why?'
"Problem?" A tech asked after climbing up to the cockpit.
"Yeah, the Dualium drive is acting up again, can you check it out," Reina noted as she handed him a data padd.
"Really?" The tech frowned as he took the padd from her. He glanced at the data then looked up at her below his cap. "Yeah this does seem off. I'll have to look into it."
"Thanks, we don't know if the Grel will attack, so please do," Reina nodded and turned away as the tech climbed down. She fiddled with her controls a bit, checking the power-supply to her battle suits actuators, computers and weapon systems. 'Will the output affect my motive systems too? What's going on?'
She heard someone climbing up the ladder, frowned a bit then looked up to see a tech climb up to the cockpit. "Don't tell me you've figured it out already."
"Oh yes, I've already figured it out," The tech claimed, doffed 'his' hat to reveal long blonde hair and a beautiful face. "I've definitely figured it out Reina."
"Lena?!" Reina exclaimed.
"I've figured out how to finally catch you sis!" Lena exclaimed and dove at her older sister with star filled eyes. "Come to me my beautiful breasts!"
"NO!" Reina exclaimed and kicked her sister out of the cockpit.
Superdimensional Fortress Kaguya: Homefront.
Sortie 14
**** 09:45GST Area 135AX ****
"Jeez, sis, you didn't have to physically kick me out of the cockpit," Lena pouted over the commline as a pair of white and gold 'Vanguard' Paladin Class Battlesuits patrolled space together. "You could have just pushed me away with your hands you know."
'...and if I did that I would have left myself open for a perverted attack,' Reina Vance thought and shook her head. "Sorry. It had to be done, Lena. I know how you get when your around me."
"Aw can't we just enjoy some skinship?" Lena whined.
"No," Reina frowned.
"Spoil sport..." Lena pouted then blinked when she picked several unidentified objects up on her radar. She blinked then looked off to her right. "Sis! We've got a bunch of bogeys. Three O'clock high."
"Are they Grel? Rogue Zentradi? Triolian Supervison Army Remnants?" Reina asked crisply.
"Wait one," Lena spoke up, worked her controls to identify the opposing forces. "Hm. It looks like a mixture of Rogues and Triolian Remnants, big sister."
"How many?" Reina asked.
"Thirty ships, several dozen squadrons," Lena noted.
"Call for reinforcments," Reina mused then nodded. "We'll regroup at waypoint charlie.
"Ah, we can take em." Lena quipped.
"Don't joke," Reina frowned then sighed. "Even if we're in paladin class suits we're no match for them."
"Sorry big sis," Lena sighed and did what she was told. She sent out a tight band message to command as she kept an eye on the mixed group of rogues and triolian remnants as commercial vessels traveling to and from Cardair passed them. "Message sent...also detecting requests for assistance from the freighters nearby."
"Must be nerves, but thats understandable," Reina noted calmly. "Lets head to waypoint charlie but keep in sensor range. We've gotta track these bastards."
"Right right," Lena sighed as the pair of Paladin classes banked to the left towards Cardair, both keeping their sensors trained on the hopefully unaware enemy.
"They're definitely Rogues and Triolians," Lena noted then frowned. "But where are they going?"
"Don't know...lets keep an eye on them." Reina sighed and continued to cruise cautiously through space. As they did, they were soon joined by a patrol of six ships and wing of Otome battlesuits. A dark sliver, red and white Paladin machine swept up alongside them. Reina sighed as as the machine sent a flash singal to their suits. "Lieutenant Colonel Grosse. Good of you to join us."
"Hello Reina," Fiar answered her crisply then a hint of mirth came over the commline. "...and greetings to you too, Lena."
"H-Hello..." Lena stammered then asked her. "Did you get our request?"
"Yes. Whats the situation?" Fiar Grosse answered her.
"We've been tracking a combined group of Rogue Zentradi's and Triolian Remnant ships, ma'am," Reina answered her crisply as she sent over the data. "They've passed several commercial vessels but they haven't attacked them."
"Strange," The woman with short slightly wavy orange hair noted then glanced over the data. She glanced at the movements thoughtfully then mused. "This a modified zentradi search pattern. But what are they searching for?"
"Definitely not commercial vessels," Rena noted.
'What are they up to?' Fiar frowned.
I suggest we break them then ask questions later." Rena noted With a dangerous smile.
"I like the way you think," Fiar agreed, called up a battle plan, then spoke up to the battegroup the squadrons flying alongside them. "White Onyx to all units, intercept the mixed recon group at waypoint eplison."
"Have I mentioned I LOVE your call sign?" One Otome Battlesuit replied.
"Its not time for that, Noble Garnet," Fiar stated crisply.
"Yes ma'am," Noble Garnet replied. The wing of Otome battlesuits surged on in front of the battlegroup, ready for the coming battle. Noble Garnet flew on Fiar Grosse's left while Reina and Lena flew on her fight. The quintet scanned kept constant watch as the Cardair battlegroup edged closer and closer to the seemingly unaware mixed recon group. Noble Garnet spied at the battlegroups battlepods with her great railguns rifle scope then sighed before she contacted the rest of the otomes on a secure channel. "I just did a telescopic scan...one of those battle pods had a arm patched with sheet metal and spot welds."
"Poor bastards. This is gonna be like taking candy from a baby." Another pilot noted.
"Maybe we should just disable them?" Another pilot noted.
"If thats what it'll take, then I say go for it," Leina noted.
"worth a try anyway..." Lena noted.
"Indeed, but if its to risky take them out," Fiar noted then frowned as the ships started to turn towards them. "They've spotted us. All units prepare for battle!"
"Yes ma'am," The pilots harmonized and surged ahead of the ships to provide cover for them. Moments later, the cardair ships fired their first salvoes of anti-ship missiles at the Triolian and Zentradi ships. The enemy ships dodged and weaved, pumping out anti-aircraft fire, even as the battlepods clumped together for protection from the larger ships guns. "That got them together. Otome, move in!"
"Yes ma'am!" The Otome charged in, melee and ranged weapons drawn.
**** 12:30 GST ****
"So...whats your report?" A elderly looking female asked as she turned towards Fiar, Lena and Reina. "From what I've been told you were in quite a fight."
"Yes Brigader General Shamrock," Friar nodded then frowned "We engaged the force at 1000 hours. We had minimal losses on our side ma'am."
"Sorry, she likes keeping thins short and sweet, ma'am," Reina noted then mused. "We ecountered a force of 30 ships and 1000 mixed small craft."
"Wouldn't you have been at a disadvantage?" Una frowned.
"THey were in fairly poor shape, to start with." Lena noted then shrugged. "Most of their mechs had patch work armor and patch work improvisions.
"I see...and their ships?" Una noted.
"The same," Fiar noted then smiled. "You will be happy to note that we captured several of their ships ma'am. However, they're they're in such poor shape that...its best to not use them.
"I see..." Una frowned then sighed. "We might have to scrap them. To bad. We could use more of them."
"How do they get in such poor shape anyway?" Lena asked.
"UN SPACY's been tightening the noose on their supply routes recently," Fiar noted then nodded.
"That and they have a limited ability repair their ships..." Reina noted.
"I see..." Rena mused.
"Well, we can always examine the wreckage for improvements on our own ships," Una noted then looked up at them. "Anything else?"
""We think they were seaching for something, ma'am," Reina noted. "We captured pilots and crew of several vessels as well, and collected escape pods and interrogated them."
What escape pods they HAD. Damn suicidal Zentradi..." Lena snorted.
"What did you find out?" Una asked.
"THe data on what exactly they were searching for was deleted, we think by the computers as we captured them. They wanted it kept a secret." Reina sighed.
"And the surviving crew?"
Also didn't know." Reina sighed. "All they knew it was organic and wanted to capture it for further study."
"Organic?" Una Shamrock murmured then sat back closing her eyes. 'Could it be THEM?'
"Ma'am?" Reina blinked.
"Its nothing,' Una noted then sighed. "Good work on securing the Rogues and the Triolian vessels. Hit the showers and get some rest."
"Come on then!" Lena grabbed Reina tugging her away the desk as Fiar glanced at the pair.
"Wait, what?" Reina blinked.
"Come wash my back! Brigadier Generals orders!" Lena decreed then yelped as Leina smacked her cheek and stormed away. She pouted and chased after her big sister leaving Fiar and Una scratching their cheeks. "Awww. Big sis don't be like that! Big sis Wait for me!"
**** 21:00GST Helena Chases suite Superdimensional Fortress Kaguya ****
"So, have you heard back from the Elyisian Security Council?" Cornelia asked as she sipped some tea after a quiet meal. Helena and her fiancee, Minmei, invited them over earlier in the day. Not wanting to pass up another chance to get close to Helena, Cornelia agreed, on the condition that Euphiemia also joins them.
"They're reluctant to jump on board with our plan, sad to say," Helena sighed, shaking her head. "mostly due to the remaining tensions between Cardair and Aires and the civil dispute in Lutesia."
Helena sighed, "It was rather disappointing. They will offer assistance, but no where near what we hoped."
"I see," Cornelia sighed then asked her. "So how long did it take?"
"More than I liked..." Helena sighed.
"Each system has its own methods..." Cornelia shrugged her shoulders then sighed. "Happy that your group decentralized."
"I'm impressed you got anything out of them," Euphemia added
"Helena is one smooth talker," Minmei smirked
"I wouldn't say that," Helena noted then sat back. "Back to Cornelia's question...it has its upsides and downsides. On the one hand we're not being ironfisted and letting the other colonies breath a bit. On the other hand they can be a but...fussy when we want something done."
"Thats the price of freedom, I guess," Minmei noted thoughtfully.
"You COULD just take over. My ancestors could give you some hints," Cornelia offered wryly.
"...and end up hung like Emperor Charles? No thanks." Minmei shook her head.
"They know our history well, half sister," Euphiemia noted with a smile.
Not all out Emperors ended badly," Cornelia protested mildly.
"Lelouch the First got drawn and quartered as I've read," Helena noted.
"She knows..." Cornelia noted.
Minmei blinked, "Isn't your cousin named Lelouch? Who would name their child after the bastard who took over the empire by force, executed his enemies and reformed the lords?"
"His mother has high hopes for him?"
"You people are STRANGE..." Helena noted with some amusement
"We're not that strange..." Cornelia sniffed.
"Don't pout. You look too cute doing that," Minmei advised.
"It does?" Cornelia blinked.
"Indeed," Minmei nodded then winked. "It softens that cold hard glare that you often show."
"Oooh, ouch!" Euphie laughed. Helena smiled as Minmei teased the pouting heiress to the Britonnian throne, poking her finger at a cheek. She sighed and blushed knowing full well what the four of them did several weeks ago.
**** 21:30 GST Steel Dragon team lounge SDCV Wolfram ****
"What a day, nothing but meetings and more meetings," Dustine stepped into the Steel Dragons lounge blinking as delicious smells reached her nose. "Dinner, here?"
"Dusty-chan, over here," Excellen called to her to from long table occupied by Variable fighter, Personal trooper and Elemental Machine pilots. Masaki and the others grinned as she looked them over. The green haired man's familiars were perched on the table waiting for the meal. "We've been waiting for you!"
"Come on over, we've got a space for you," Erica Hartmann waved her over.
"You didn't have to do that," Dustine said, touched.
"Of course we did, your our team leader after all," Elia noted with a smile as Dustine wandered over.
"Sit, Sit," Excellen patted the chair next to her.
"I'm not a puppy you know," Dustine laughedd.
"You'd make a cute puppy," Excellen smiled then had a thought. "Or...how about you join Lamia, Viletta and I in our beautiful sisters group."
"First Lieutenant," Bullet and the others around her sweat-dropped. Dustine blinked then looked at Kyousuke, wondering what the beautiful sisters were. Nanoha and Fate weren't here so she had to defer to the ATX teams defacto leader.
"Don't take her seriously, Lieutenant Colonel," Kyousuke sighed.
"Right..." Dustine nodded.
"Aw Kyousuke, Dustine, you're no fun," Excellen pouted.
"Sorry about that," Dustine shrugged her shoulders then hummed thoughtfully. "So whats our topic for today's dinner meeting. We've been discussing Anti Grel tactics for a while now. Should we continue or should we move on?"
"You can never have too many Anti-Grel tactics," one officer joked deadpan.
"Actually, we were curious about what happened on Gaia while we were training at Garderobe academy," Elia mused then smiled wryly when the others blinked. "We're Gaians ourselves so thats why we were wondering what happened."
"Ah," Bullet murmured then smiled. "So that's why."
"I'm sure some news about what happened there must have reached you," Kusuha noted.
"Bits and pieces, like Bian Zoldark's revolt, the Aerogator attacks," Erica shrugged, glanced at Dustine then nodded. "That and our instructor wanted us to be focused during our training."
"Well, I also had a responsibility to keep you all out of it too," Dustine added.
"Did you run combat missions?" Kyousuke asked.
"Oh, a few." Dustine shrugged her shoulders. "There were instances command was short pilots. There were a few times I was jumped once or twice by groups wanting to steal prototypes."
"That happened more than once on Gaia," Kyousuke noted.
"But some folks ran off with prototypes trying to defect to the good side," Excellen noted.
"Or at least they were running away from something," Bullet noted.
"Were you ever attacked during training or combat missions, Dustine sama," Lamia asked.
Dustine looked uncomfortable then smiled a bit. "Lets have something to eat first...then we can chat more about this."
"Dusty chan?" Excellen blinked then gasped as the top of the table shifted 'eating' the empty plates, then fresh food rose up from the hidden dumbwaiter.
"Wow...this is quite a meal," Excellen smiled as the fresh food emerged.
"Indeed," Kusuha nodded and sampled it and the beverage. "Delicious."
"I wish we could have booze," another pilot pouted.
"Dig in, we'll chat more later or during our meal," Dustine nodded.
"Here I go!" Lamia Loveless crowed with fork in hand, grunted then frowned. "What was that?"
"Eh? Lamia?" Dustine blinked.
"Nevermind, it sometimes happens with Lamia," Excellen noted gesturing to the green haired woman. "Lamia chan's an android after all."
"Well if that happens shouldn't it be..." Dustine noted.
"We could but then she wouldn't be the lamia that we know, anymore," Excellen noted then sighed. "...and the person who created her is now long gone."
"I've heard about that...where did you come from exactly, Lamia?" Dustine asked.
"I was created in a universe so close, yet so far," Lamia Loveless then sighed. "We were a part of an advanced team sent to this dimension to secure a foothold on Gaia."
"I see..." dustine nodded then mused."Nanoha mentioned this to me once before. It sounds so impossible...and yet its."
"I see," Lamia nodded then wondered. "Do you have any questions."
"Well," Dustine mused then one oddball thought came to her mind. "So... where does the food GO?"
Excellen giggled at Dustine's question while Lamia answered her seriously. "Catalytic reactor. I can convert food into energy, actually."
"I...see..." Dustine noted then hummed thoughtfully. "That's quite a feat. Has that information been shared?"
"Only with a handful of people," Lamia noted.
"Hmm," Dustine murmured thoughtfully, took a bite of her meal then asked her. "Nanoha said that the SM universe was parallel to ours. Did it have the Unity Government too?"
"It did for a while," Lamia noted then hummed. "But after the UN SPACY-Triolian war it took on another form: the earth federation."
"Earth federation?" Dustine blinked, not sure what to make of that. "Did they retain our core ideals?"
"Somewhat, Dustine sama," Lamia noted then sighed. "They took a more 'ends justify the means' route, compared to your history. If a colony wanted to secede...the Earth Federation would send its military arm to crush the succession."
"I...don't like the sound of that," Dustines sighed.
"Neither do I..." Erica murmured.
"Indeed," Lamia nodded then closed her eyes. "There was peace of course, but with peace came corruption. Because of that our founder wanted to create chaos in this world and create endless wars."
"Endless wars?" Miyafuji blinked then frowned. "Why would he want something like that?"
"To help humanity evolve, or something like that," Excellen sighed then shook her head, then looked at Dustine "Its not something we wanted or your bosses wanted either."
"Hmmm," Dustine then glanced at Lamia. "Do you feel the same?"
"No, I found that there is more to this world than just that," Lamia shook her head.
Dustine wondered how much she meant that. After all her fighting beside the Dragons forwarded her goals... kind of. Still, no way to know one way or the other.
"I see..." Dustine noted then hummed. "I read the report of system XN. Very impressive. But very dangerous. Could it be used here?"
"Somewhat...but it would have been modified somehow," Excellen noted then sighed. "Our investigations revealed that the Inspectors were also interested in such technology."
"The second group of aliens that invaded after the aerogators," Dustine narrowed her eyes. "If they got their hands on that technology..."
"That would have been troublesome," Excellen sighed.
"Way to understate the case, Excellen," Kyousuke noted, "They could have marched straight through the unity government to Earth...not to mention the other colonies as well."
"If that would've occured We would have had a fight on our hands..." Erica noted.
"We're just glad it didn't, thanks to your efforts," Dustine noted then took a sip. "Were the Shadow Mirrors the only cases of dimension jumping...other than the elemental machines appearing here."
"Its not like we ended her all at once," Tyyti gave her a sheepish smile. "Masaki was the one who arrived here first and we came with the steel dragons to deal with the problems that were arising on the surface."
"...and we were pulled to La Gias to handle some things there," Excellen smiled then giggled. "After that we faced all sorts of strange things, Yokijin that looked like plants and hamsters, Ruina and a Balmarian who was using a anti-alien unit for his own gains."
"Huuuh, sounds crazy," Erica hummed then grinned. "I wouldn't mind going back there, to see whats going on, after the end of our tour of duty here."
"When does your tour of duty end?" Kusuha asked. Dustine also looked curious.
"January 1st, 2127AD," Erica noted then looked over at Dustine and smiled sheepishly at the slightly shocked look on her face. "Sorry but after that we're gonna be moving on. You can check with Minna and Mio if you like to confirm."
"Its okay, that's still ways away," Dustine sighed.
"There'll be other team mates, Dusty chan," Excellen patted her shoulder. "So cheer up."
"Indeed," Dustine noted and played with her food a bit.
"I'd like to hear more about the last bit," Erica noted.
"Maybe we should finish our meal and chat some more," Miyafuji suggested then smiled at the group. "We wouldn't want our food to get cold, now do we."
"She's right, we shouldn't," Masaki noted.
**** An hour later... ****
"So what happened after the Shura and Sealing wars," Erica asked curiously as a small group sat in plush chairs around a coffee table. "More craziness or just testing."
"Testing for the most part," Bullet noted with a gentle grin then sighed. "We tested out the Grungust Kikai-oh MkII Super robots as well as the Vanguard Mk III and ran further tests on the Valkbeins. But everything came crashing down around september of 2119 when the Fury showed up in force."
"Your forgetting the numbers chasing poor Vivio around in mid march, Bullet," Excellen chided him.
"Vivio?" Dustine blinked then frowned. "Why were they chasing her around?"
"Yeah, why?" Miyafuji asked.
"They needed her and Einhart to run a superweapon known as the Ark," Kyousuke noted then sighed. "Fortunately we were able to stop them in time before it was too late."
"What would have happened if you didn't?" Dustine asked then sighed when the others looked grim. "Ah I see. That bad, eh?"
"I see, so that's what happened," Dustine nodded then hummed. "My friends explained Einharts and Vivio's situation to me. Poor things didn't have much of childhood. Got sick alot though, from what I've been told."
"Yeah, that they did," Excellen noted then mused. "They and the numbers were even artificially imlanted with piloting skills! Sorta like what happened with Lat and Arado."
"That's kinda cool," Francesca Lucchini grinned.
"I disagree, its kinda creepy," Elia noted. Sanya nodded hugging a pillow.
"So do I, I'd rather learn my skills rather than having them implanted in my head," Dustine noted then sighed. "Still, I feel sorry for them and I'm hoping they're having happier times now."
"So who were the numbers anyway?" Elia asked.
"You might know them as Cinque, Wendi, Deici, Nove and Quattro Nakajima," Kyousuke noted. Dustine blinked then hummed thoughtfully. Kyousuke noted the look of suprise on Dustines face then nodded. "They were under Jail's control for a time."
"Were you able to free them right away?" Dustine asked.
"No...it took a long time," Kusuha noted then sighed. "During that time we were fighting with the Fury and the Triolian Supervision Army Remnant Scout teams."
"I know of the Triolian Remnants but who are the fury?" Dustine asked.
"A warrior race which arrived in this system 3 billion years ago," Kyousuke noted then sighed. "Their scout forces attacked our cities on various occassions and even worked in concert with the Triolians to interrupted a AKB0048 concert."
How did the kids fare" Dustine asked.
"It was pretty crazy but the kids knew how to handle themselves even then," Excellen noted with a smile. "They weren't too happy with us fighting their battles for them but they were grateful all the same. They're good kids."
"Yeah, that they are," Dustine nodded.
**** Two days later ****
Dustine strolled down the hangar bay, walking to her temporary machine. She hummed thoughtfully at the machine under the tarp then was pushed away by a familiar technician. "No you can't see it yet."
"Shari..." Dustine pouted.
Secretly Shari had to fight the urge to melt. Dustine was so CUTE when she pouted!
"Don't pout. It won't get you anywhere." Shari frowned then guided her to the Vanguard MK III Armored Personal Trooper. "How is the Vanguard faring. The same as a standard battroid?"
"Arguably better," Dustine said as she craned her neck to hopefully get a look.
"Stop, your going to hurt your self," Shari frowned then asked her as they walked past a group of fighters then found themselves amongst various personal troopers. "Do you think we should incorporate some of the systems onto our current non transformable battroids?"
"Its possible," Dustine noted then looked at her. "Is the brass thinking of phasing them out for the Vanguard series."
"They are considering it," Shari murmured then sighed. "In the mean time they're calling for outfitting them with tesla drives for more mobility and and strengthing of their frame."
"Sounds reasonable," Dustine nodded then sighed. "Mostly it just depends on how much a coinversion might cost."
"Yeah," Shari nodded as they stopped in front of a towering 20 meter machine which was painted in white and turqouise. Ready to head out?"
"As I'll ever be," Dustine nodded then looked at the machine under the tarp one last time
"Take care or you won't be able to see your new machine soon," Shari warned her.
"Right..." Dustine nodded.
EOF.