So here we have Chapter 8.
Nothing much to say here, just a couple of minor things.
First, I removed the glossary chapters from the story. I actually did this when I was putting chapter 7 up, but forgot to mention it. I did leave the chapters glossaries at the bottom of the early chapters tho.
I also killed off the rather largest author's notes from the first chapters.
So, the stories total size shrunk a bit there.
Next, I am still looking for a beta reader, and the offer from last chapter stands.
And lastly, reviews, both a request for more, and a response to LEGENDARY and drinker.
drinker. I can't say much without giving stuff away. However, there is a difference between the Betrayers Manga. In that, everyone is taking the burden on themselves to become the bad guy, but in reality it is to unify everyone and is for the greater good. It reminded me of Code Geass in that sense.
In this, the TSAB is clearly evil. They have a reason for the fall, and a really shaky justification, but they are knowingly doing evil, have been doing it since their almost collapse years ago, and will continue.
LEGENDARY. The ASN had no reason to trust the TSAB about the surrender, and they also have no reason to believe that they are in fact just obliterating the planets. Craig however doe beilve what the Admiral said, but you are right. For the ASN to accept those terms, they also need to be able to trust the TSAB. Of course, it doesn't really matter, if the took the terms, and then got betrayed and killed, then they would all be dead. If they don't take the terms, and loose, which they probably will, then they all end up dead.
And as for trying to capture some TSAB tech, the ASN has been trying that, but the TSAB goes out of their way to prevent it. Since the ASN hasn't even managed to hold their position once, their only chance is to come back after a battle and see if they can grab something.
That's why it was a big deal about that bomber that crashed into a ASN ship with the two combat cyborg mages in it. That was the ASN's first glimpse at TSAB tech, and their first look at a TSAB soldier.
And the ASN doesn't know it, but even if they did get something, it wouldn't do anything for them. The TSAB isn't using a trick that if the ASN got a hold of, they could reverse engeneir or come up with counter measures, instead, every TSAB unit is just magnitudes better than what the ASN uses. It would be like if a Taliban soldier captured an American tank. In theory they could use the tank for a while, but once it ran out of fuel, or something else, or it got damage, that would be the end of it. Just capturing that tank wouldn't allow them to produce it, nor would it give them a sure fire way to defeat more tanks. Because the Taliban lacks the high end manufacturing capacity to make tanks, lacks the resources, and lacks the technical expertise to make a tank.
Thats what the ASN would find themselves in if they tried. Eventually they would figure out how the TSAB equipment works, and probably could replicate it with time, but they would lack the capacity to do it in an efficient manner. Instead of making one TSAB gun, they could make 50 of their own.
Chapter 8
January 19th, Uminari City, Downtown, Earth, 17:21 UDT
"Reclassifying object number 4-0-9-5-1 as Contracted Mage, Senior Grade, Signum Yagami. Scan reveals presence of Ancient Belkan Cartridge System on a Device, classification, Armed Device, Belkan made. Reclassifying Contracted Mage Senior Grade Signum Yagami from Mid-Childa trained Mage to Belkan trained Knight. Saving and transmitting data."
Once the Mechanized Infantry, Lima Model had turned to face her, it dull monotone voice had emitted from some form of speaker. Apparently, it was attempting to classify her.
"Apologizes Contracted Mage Senior Grade Signum Yagami, I can not comply with your request. Article 7, subsection 57 allows TSAB owned and operated artifacts to ignore orders if they contradict existing orders, and originate from a lower ranking officer. Your rank, Contracted Mage Senior Grade, is not sufficient to override my existing orders."
Signum lowered her sword, combat was seeming less likely now, and she was not expecting the Mechanized Infantry to actually be able to converse with her.
"According to my information, you are a prototype still under development, you would not be following orders from the TSAB then."
"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement."
"If you are working on behalf of the TSAB, who gave you your orders? And what rank where they?"
"That information is classified."
"Then what are the details of your mission?"
"Primary objective is to rendezvous with entire squad at Point Omega, Secondary objectives are classified."
"Where is Point Omega? Perhaps I can offer to escort you."
"Negative, Primary objective must be completed at a designated time. Details of Point Omega are Classified."
"Ok, I Assume that the designated time is also classified?"
"Affirmative."
"My information says that your transport, the Ovila, went out of control and crash landed here. I find it unlikely that your objective has anything to do with this planet."
"Apologizes Contracted Mage Senior Grade Signum Yagami, information pertaining to the Ovila is classified."
"I have to consider that you are damaged and malfunctioning then."
"Self Diagnostic commands are showing that Lima Unit is operating 99.8408% efficiency. Diagnostic confirms that Lima Unit is undamaged and operating within expected parameters."
Shamal, this is going nowhere.
Yes, it doesn't seem like it's going to listen. But it is very cooperative. I don't want to have to break it.
Nor do I, but we are running out of alternatives.
Well, if you distracted it, I can probably hold it with a Bind, then I can transport it somewhere out of the way and we can deal with it there. Perhaps Admiral Lindy or Admiral Markly will have the authority to order it to stand down.
Alright, lets go with that.
Signum's job was about to switch from destruction, to distraction, which while not nearly as satisfying, would still be a good exercise. And since she no longer intended to destroying it, she needed a new approach.
Therefore, she slowly backed up off the sidewalk and into the magically empty multi-laned street. The Machine across from her stood motionlessly, trying to analyze her movements to the best its computerized mind could handle. Signum assumed that when it had classified her as a knight, it had made basic assumptions on her fighting style, assumptions that were almost certainly mostly accurate. She did after all have to close in to attack with melee weapons, so the obvious move for a knight would be to get closer to the enemy, Signum moving backwards should confuse it, or at the very least keep it from anticipating her moves. Not that she was particularly concerned, she highly doubted that it would even pose a danger to her, but still, Signum was not one to ever take combat with anything less than 100% seriousness.
The Machine continued watching her until she had backpedaled to the opposite sidewalk, once there, she brought Laevatein back up and into a combat stance, it wasn't until she had started to gather Mana and started laying fields down on herself that Lima finally broke the silence.
"Lima Unit's projections show a 79.1201% chance of an escalation of negotiations into a combat situation. Lima Unit invokes article 7, Subsection 57, which states that it is unlawful for Contracted Mage Senior Grade Signum Yagami to interfere with Lima Unit's Mission."
Instead of answering, Signum kept increasing her Mana without using cartridges, as long as the increase was gradual enough, she suspected that the unit wouldn't make the first move, and would allow her the initiative.
"If combat were to occur, Lima Unit would be authorized to defend itself, lethal force could be used."
She just needed to gather a little more Mana to be able to switch Laevatein into Snake form, which had been her plan from the start. Originally she had intended to aim for Lima's legs while charging forward, now she would be doing the same, but she would be holding back enough to not actually damage it.
"Preparing for combat. Assessing threat level for Contracted Mage Senior Grade Signum Yagami."
"Assessing..."
"Assessing..."
"Completed. Contracted Mage Senior Grade Signum Yagami Threat Level assessed at threat level D-"
Signum almost faltered in her preparations, Lima's assessment of her causing her to almost forget what she was trying to do.
The TSAB uses a simple ranking system to define and categorize almost all things magic, and the scale starts at F-, and then works it's way all the way up to SSS+. Only the A ranks and S ranks go into doubles and triples, all of the other ranks just go from minus, to standard, and then to plus, and then rank up to the next letter. This system is used for absolutely everything, from general mage ranks, of which Signum herself was ranked S+, to individual aspects of a Mage, such as speed, defensive ability, reactions, endurance, Mana reserves, offense, and range. The system even extended to individual spells and abilities, such as Takamachi's Divine Buster, or Testarossa's Photon Lancer or her own Snake Form and then they are broken down farther into control, power, duration, and such.
Also, the system was used to categorize the threat that an individual or object might pose. Vita was ranked S class, but her threat level to various Mages might be different. Against Takamachi, Vita's threat level was probably the same as her rank, against Testarossa, it was much lower due to to huge speed difference.
All of that didn't particularly interest Signum, centuries of constant warfare had given rise to a level of insight that allowed her to instinctively gauge an opponent's strength. It was nearly as precise as the TSAB's approach, but it didn't require a lab of people analyzing every scrap of data, it was also quicker and harder to fool; unfortunately, it didn't work that well on machines.
Signum would have put Lima on the same scale as maybe a B ranked mage, and as for a threat level towards her, she would have put it somewhere near the complete bottom. But the fact that Lima assessed her as Threat Level D-, which is probably only slightly more than she had given it, had caused her to momentarily pause, and alter her own assessment.
Lima obviously couldn't read her strength, and not being able to tell your opponent's strength was it's own form of weakness, now she had assessed it as the lowest threat level.
Threat Level D-? Have you been neglecting your training?
Telepathy only conveys words, which was a small blessing that Shamal couldn't directly transmit her laughter into Signum's mind. Of course she was laughing, and Signum knew that, but she didn't need it directly in her own mind.
Signum then decided to make some minor adjustments to her plan, the spontaneous and violent kind.
Laevatein popped a singled cartridge, which combined with what she had already gathered, was more than enough. She shifted into a downward stance and swung Laevatein out to the side, right as he screamed,
"SCHLANGE FORM"
The blade popped apart, becoming a segmented sword whip, and then shot forward across the street, coiling around and then skidding across the pavement. When it was mere meters, away she expertly flicked her wrist, the small movement altering the tip's path, sending it into an upward ascent, right towards Lima's shoulder mounted cannon. A split second after, she launched herself across the street towards the prototype mechanized infantry.
Lima now had two threats to deal with, a rapidly approaching weapon which Signum knew from experience, would slice through his armor, even if it was the TSAB's precious ship armor, and the Knight herself. She was clearly the greater threat, but if he ignored the blade, then his only visible weapon would be rendered useless.
"Initiating Barrier Break."
While saying that, Lima launched itself away from the blade and towards it's right, which was exactly what Signum had anticipated and was heading strait for. While the bladed end of Laevatein would miss by a fair margin, Signum still held the sheathe, and while it was nowhere near as powerful of a weapon as the actual sword was, it was still part of an Ancient Belkan Device, and when she used it to smash into Lima's knee from the side, it would be more than enough to severely limit the machine's mobility.
Unfortunately, with just under half the road separating them, Signum realized a couple of things; first, that she had underestimated Lima's grasp of tactics, and second, that she had just walked into its trap.
A Pulse of energy, unlike anything Signum had ever felt from a Mage, rolled out from Lima. And then, immediately off to her left, coming in from her blindside, Signum sensed something extremely large and fast moving.
She moved by reflex, swinging the sheathe out across her chest and building the momentum she would need. Instead of stopping the swing, she spun with it, flicking her right hand out and bringing Laevatein back into it sword form while popping another cartridge. Just as the approaching attack had entered optimal range, and right after the flames had burst out of Laevatein, Signum finished her spin and lashed out with her sword; her backhanded attack catching the object and effortlessly slicing through it in a downward angle.
She had intended to follow through with the slash, once Laevatein had cleared the object she was going to convert back into Snake Form and aim for Lima's Knee, the same one she had been aiming for a half second ago, but she was forced to abandon the plan for two reasons.
The first was that Lima had continued its own charge side ways, and was now just barely on the boarder of being within range. Signum was confident she would be able to hit him, but she would have to over extend herself, leaving herself open for a counter attack. A counter attack that she knew was coming; Lima's chest had popped open, revealing a small three barreled cannon, a make that Signum recalled as a small scale anti-aircraft weapon, which while not designed to be used on a ground target, at this range would be effective enough to cause a problem. And because it was a rapid fire weapon, if Signum allowed the initial barrage to hit, Lima would keep up the fire, forcing her to fall back and regroup, thus causing her to loose the initiative.
That was the tactical problem, and despite the issues with it, she still would have followed through with the attack, Lima's AA weapon wouldn't pack enough punch to seriously wound her, let alone disable her, and if she went through with her own attack, Lima's mobility would be almost completely removed, if he wasn't just out right destroyed. It was only because her Mistress would be upset if she came back injured, and her own desire for perfection that Signum was even considering falling back.
That, and the second issue.
Attacking Lima with Laevatein still on fire, and while going all out like she would need too, would be sacrificing control and precision for the needed strength and speed. To get Laevatein's blade where it needed to be in time, Signum would be giving up her capacity to stop it afterward, and the nice shinning glass entrance way of whatever building was there would receive a rather large amount of collateral damage. Not that it couldn't be repaired, the Sealed Space Barrier was intended for this exact reason, to create a sub-dimension that kept damage separate from the real world. As long as the Barrier remained, the damaged could be leisurely repaired and then the sub-dimension would be allowed to recombine with the original. It was just that repairing the damage is difficult, and they were already tight with resources.
And while the building could be repaired, the people who where standing in front of it, about twenty of them, they would not be able to be repaired, when Laevatein cut through them, those that would survive, would be severely injured.
For a moment, Signum was unsure how people had managed to slip though Shamal's Barrier, but with the realization that they had, she immediately went into action,
With a jolt Signum slammed her foot into the ground, shattering the pavement and halting her rotation. Before she could even begin to move, she was forced duck as the burning, top section the public bus that she had just cut in half, flew over her head. She dropper her stance, dodging under the bus as it soared over her, all the while resisting the instinct to just slash at it again and destroy it.
The bus was about halfway past her when Lima opened fire, the three stubby cannons in his chest glowing gray for a second before discharging their energy in the form of a high speed gray energy bolt. Signum had seen those cannons in action before, the shot's would close in and then violently separate into about fifty smaller high density bolts that would tear small unarmored craft apart, or the shot could stay intact to give it more stopping power for larger targets. Signum doubted Lima would use the scatter function, she was effectively pinned down, but either way, the bus would get caught up in the explosion, and Signum couldn't let those people get any more injured that what she had already done.
Defensive spells were never Signum's strong point, and in the fractions of a second remaining to her, she knew there was no way she would be able to raise any kind of shield or barrier that would be able to protect the bus. She only had one available option, and her pride as a knight demanded that she take it, so without a moments hesitation, she hurled herself towards Lima in an effort to use her body to shield the bus. It wouldn't work perfectly, but it was all she had.
However, right before she cleared the underside of the bus, two things happened simultaneously. Blue chains sprang into existence, leaping out from the ground and wrapping themselves around the bus. The chains caught the front of the bus and pulled it down, preventing it from careening into the now crowed road. While the bus was dropping, the same chains latched onto Lima, coiling around his legs and torso and rooting him down to the ground. The second thing was the appearance of a large rectangular wall of the same blue magic. The barrier flared into existence an inch from Signum's nose.
The Sword Knight halted her charge right before she hit the barrier, just in time to see the first of Lima's AA fire explode spectacularly against it. The shock wave cracked the ground and knocked the pedestrians, who hadn't even realized what was happening, over and into the front of the building.
The second bolt hit and exploded with equal force, the building shook, the glass windows and doors shattering and the rock foundation began to crack. The explosions were beginning to obscure Lima, but from what Signum could see, the blue binds that were holding him in place had almost entirely dissipated.
With the impact and explosion of the third shot, Signum lost sight of it completely. The bus had just hit the ground, skidding across the road, sparks flying and metal tearing as it flew into the opposite lane, it smashed into one car, knocking it backwards, battered another out of it's way before smashing into a van and coming to a rest.
SHAMAL, We need to fall back
Agreed. Two short range teleports coming right up.
A fourth round flew in and exploded, from what Signum noticed was a different direction; Lima had apparently broken the binds and was back on the move. Signum wanted to return the attack with Laevatein, but with low visibility and all they people, she couldn't risk it.
SHAMAL!
Sorry, there is interference. One sec.
A fifth and sixth shot exploded against the barrier, more glass shattered and part of the ground started caving in, apparently there was a tunnel of some form underneath them, but Shamal's barrier barely even shook.
NOW!
Going out, now.
For a split second Signum saw the barrier fade out of existence, and then in a blue flash her mind blanked out.
When she came to, she was standing alone, inside of a boiler room of some form, which was a far cry from the chaos of the street she had just left.
Shamal, where are we?
Good question. I am on a roof someplace. Where are you?
It looks like a maintenance room. Why were we split up
There was some kind of interference that was preventing me from teleporting us away. I would have figured it out eventually, but we didn't have time, so instead I relaxed the parameters.
Relaxed?
Instead of trying to go somewhere specific, I went with somewhere far enough away that wasn't currently occupied.
That was dangerous.
Yes, we could have appeared in street again, or a room of people, but it was better than staying there. Also, I have a better grasp on our locations, I can't sense Lima, but I can see smoke coming up now, I am about ten to fifteen blocks away, and you are another two or three. You're underground, I guess a subway maintenance room.
Ok, can you teleport me out? Or is the interference still there?
No, that cleared up right away, Lima was somehow causing it. I couldn't sense it until I tried to get us out and couldn't lock onto any coordinates.
Was it trying to prevent us from escaping?
I don't think so, while you were busy I got a chance to study it a bit, I didn't sense it casting anything that would have done this, perhaps it dual cast it along with something else, but duel castings are nearly impossible for machines. I think the interference was always there.
What purpose would that serve?
Well it would cause the same problem we had, but more than likely, it was to prevent others from teleporting closer. The field can't be sensed, and if you didn't know it was there, it would cause the teleportation spell to fall apart, possibly leaving you stranded within the Lines.
That isn't good.
No, no it isn't. Unless we know the location is secure, we can't teleport with them around. I am going to risk this one, but I will be teleporting us pretty far into the air, but still, I don't want to take chances. One second...
All of a sudden, the world around her flashed blue again, overwhelming her senses, and for the second time in less than a minute, she found herself in a new location, this time she was almost a hundred meters in the air, floating over Testarossa's apartment.
Mistress is not going to be happy.
Signum, you are too hard on yourself. Hayate-Chan will be happy that you're home safe and sound.
No, I am not happy, I've failed, and Mistress Hayate wont blame me, but that doesn't change the fact. Mistress will be upset because she will know that I am.
Awwww, Signum, your getting pretty good at this.
Shamal...
I like the cute side of our brave leader.
Shamal!
Sorry, sorry, you're just too fun to tease. But, now isn't the time.
Lets just go.
Signum, you know, the less you blame yourself, the less the mistress will be saddened.
I know Shamal, I know.
With a heavy atmosphere, the two Knight descended down to the building.
-Page-
January 19th, Uminari City, Fate's apartment, Earth, 17:39 UDT
[This is Sasaki Akiko from Flower TV, reporting live from downtown Uminari City. We are right on the outskirts of the scene where multiple explosions just ripped through the nightlife. The police are currently keeping us at bay, but from what we can see, there is extensive damage to the road and surrounding buildings. Nishinishi Financial Bank's regional headquarters seems to have taken the most damage, the windows are broken and the marble entrance is in shambles.
[Nishinishi just renovated the build, am I right Sasaki-San?]
[Yes you are, the building renovations were wrapped up last November, but now look at the damage. Even the sidewalk in front of the build has collapsed into the sewer tunnels bellow.]
[Sasaki-San, I am seeing a lot of damaged cars, what happened there?]
[The police are still piecing that together, but, it appears that in the confusion some motorist lost control of their vehicles, causing a twelve car pile up that severely hampered the emergency responder's efforts to get to the the site of the explosions. Worth mentioning, the crash involved one, possibly two, cities buses. Details are sketchy at the moment, but if you'll look over here, you can definitely see the burn wreckage of a bus.]
[Sasaki-San, do the police know what happened?]
[Tentatively, they are claiming it to be a gas explosion, however people are saying that that doesn't hold up. Terrorism is also being discussed. All I can say, is that at this point, no one knows.]
[Now the question that every one is concerned about, have the police released names of the injured?]
[The police are not releasing names right now, in fact, I don't even know if they have all of the injured out yet. So far we have seen over twenty people being taken out in stretchers to waiting emergency vehicles, and an unknown amount have been airlifted to Uminari Hospital. The police have yet to say if there have been any deaths, but looking at the damage here, if no one had died, it would be a miracle.]
[Well all of our thoughts here, from all of us at the studio, are with the injured and their families in this time of tragedy. Sasaki-San, I hope you will continue following things there and let us know when there are any breakthroughs?]
[Will do, this is Sasaki Akiko from Flower TV.]
[Thank you Sasaki-San, now while the recent tragedy is currently our main issue, until a few minutes ago, we were instead focused on the loss of TV reception throughout the Japanese mainland, and parts of Hokkaido. We have recently learned, from a press release from NHK, that one of their broadcasting satellites was struck with a small, undetected meteorite. The receiving array was damaged and the satellite was knocked from it's orbit. NHK has not stated whether or not it would be able to be stabilized and then repaired, but experts around the country are saying that it is unlikely. The satellite in question, B-SAT 2a,was a Geostationary satellite that covered a large section of the country. For now, with no quick fix, NHK is working with other satellite controllers to try and cover as much of the country as possible, but for now, a large part of the country is going to be without TV, internet, and even phone service. Now we have with us, a Mr. Chang, who previously worked for NHK, and he is going to try to explain the-]
"This is not good."
"Admiral Markly, that is quite the understatement."
"No... it isn't that bad yet, it's just not good. No one knows exactly what happened, and the loss of the communications satellite is preventing the spread of real information, giving us time to do some damage control. My people have already deleted any footage from security cameras on that road, and are actively spreading misinformation amongst the internet forums. The real problem, or should I say problems, are the Mechanized Infantry."
"I am sorry Admiral, we didn't think they would be that powerful."
"No, no, Miss Yagami, that isn't Miss Signum's fault at all. We had almost no actual information on them in the first place, and ignored the little we did because we had assumed that they would not be active. And while that particular moment could have gone better, the opposite is also true, it could have gone much worse"
"Not to mention that we learned a fair bit about them too, both spec wise, and as for their motives, if it could be called motives, they seem to be malfunctioning."
"Regardless, if Lima's words are to be trusted, then it is part of a squad, meaning at least two more are active, but we should assume that all of them are operational, and we can assume that Lima, being a support unit, is the weakest of the four."
"Has Verzi-Tech said anything new, now that they know their products are still functional?''
"No, they just repeated their issues of confidentiality and a lack of trust is our comm lines. They did say that their representative would be here within the hour. That reminded me, I need to ask Miss Testarossa to grant them access to the house, do you know where she is?"
"Arf, her familiar, locked her in her room in an effort to force her to rest. My daughter can be a bit pigheaded when it comes to not pushing herself, a trait that all three of our young mages here seem to share. However, I can give permission for the representative to enter, I am a sub owner of this house."
"Good, then we will leave her to rest. Miss Yagami, I leave you and Admiral Lindy in charge of the base camp, I will be going out to meet up with Miss Tackamachi. Our searching efforts are now many times more important, but now many times harder since we can't fly, so I can't be seen sitting around up here while the young ones do all the work, now can I?"
"Don't worry Admiral, command and control our what we are best at, right Hayate-Chan?"
"Good then, I will leave it to you."
-Page-
January 19th, Uminari City, Lobby of Fate's Apartment, Earth, 17:44 UDT
The ride down the highrise's elevator had been uneventful, it hadn't made any other stops and the Admiral had the entire car to himself. The Building was technically only 35 stories high, Miss Testarossa's living quarters added an extra four levels to the building. Which was an interesting fact, because even with a relatively large training room built in, the entire space should have fit within only a single floor. Instead, her house was built with hallways and staircases separating each room, obviously a sign that it's designer had already become unstable if she had built a house like that. In fact, the entire idea of building the house on top of another building like that was just a tad bit insane. It did have it's strong points, but the risks were massive, as where the costs, for what Precia Testarossa had investing in a oddly designed house, she could have just built another dimensional base like the Garden of Time.
Regardless, while the house was an interesting anomaly, and being in it for the first time was...informative, he had already seen all of the details, so there really wasn't anything new for him to see, plus, he had more pressing concerns.
Public knowledge of their activities was the worst possible outcome, and they had been failing at keeping this under wraps in the most spectacular ways possible. A small, high speed meteorite would suffice as an explanation for the satellite, and for those who did really know what happened, his team had taken care of most of them, and the others would have nothing to gain by spreading that information. Just in case, he would keep an eye on things for another year or two, just to make sure no one leaked anything.
The recent battle in the street was going to be harder to deal with. Blaming it on Terrorism was the best bet; no one was going to believe the gas explosion explanation that the police had initial released, if only because there would be some thousand or so public workers who would know without a doubt that there were no gas lines there. Unfortunately, the terrorism explanation was going to require more post-opt work. After things died down, he would have to make sure that there were more terrorist incidents, and these ones would need to leave behind some actual evidence. Not necessarily a problem, but he disliked such heavy handed tactics.
But all of that would be a moot point if their existence was revealed any more than it already was. The Lima unit had likely escaped into the sewers, which as long as it stayed there, would be perfect. However, with the other three possibly active, and wandering around, the situation could quickly spin out of control.
Keeping his newly acquired assets out in the field in an effort to find them, despite it's low odds of success, was still his best option. But with the ability to search now hampered by the swarming local media, it was basically like finding a needle in a haystack. The odds of them actually discovering one of the other units, or even the Lima unit when they already had a rough idea of where to look, were just not worth mentioning. But with all of his people out and about, they would better be able to react when something did inevitably go wrong.
And his other options were limited, he had to split his crew on the removal of the Ovila, and with destroying evidence, and while the latter task there was moving along well, the first was not. He was short staffed due to the split, and already the Terra had picked up three ships moving into the area, a Japanese self defense ship, and American missile ship on exercises, and a joint American and Korean oceanic mapping ship. He had about a day to get the outskirts cleaned and to hide the rest under some very potent stealth fields, but he was going to be pushing it. And now he needed to divert people to spin control of this latest mishap, and probably to help in the search. Once the clean up team finished in San Diego and he was able to recall the support team, he could keep at least one of them on standby, and use another as a searcher, he could also possibly bring in one of his mage team members too. There was also Vier, she was still on the Outpost, but if the representative from Verzi-Tech ended up not being as forthcoming as he would like, he would need to arrange for a transport to get Vier here long enough to preform an interrogation.
Yes, there was a lot to do, but he would do it. He did have unilateral ability to command the situation, in a worse case scenario, the Terra's Dimensional Vindince cannon applied directly to the nearest tectonic fault line would cause enough devastation to obscure everything that was happening. That would of course be a last of the last resorts, his, and Mobile Section 2's main object was not only to prevent the earthlings from learning of magic, but to also protect the planet at all costs, he could only ever cause that level of damage if it was an absolute necessity.
So while pondering thoughts of possibly destroying the entire city, Admiral Winston Markly strolled out of the elevator and down the main hallway to the lobby, his cane clicking against the tile floor until he was met by one of the many inhabitants of the city, Nanoha Takamachi.
"Miss Takamachi, you didn't need to wait, I would have been able to catch up."
The young girl fixed him with a stare and said nothing. Instead, she just fell into step beside him as he continued on out of the lobby and into the cold January air.
Nanoha Takamachi, Contracted Mage Senior Grade of the Air Forces, was the more interesting of his new temporary assets. As a fully developed Mage from Earth, she was an enigma. Unlike Miss Yagami, Miss Takamchi was a natural mage, not getting her powers from a powerful Lost Logia, which was already a strange enough occurrence, but the fact that she was such a powerful Mage was what made her so unique and intriguing. He had traced her genetics, she had no connection to any of the major Magical blood lines on Earth, so her magic wasn't genetic, which ruled out that possibility. And her environment was normal too, and had an abundance of technology, a fact that usually hampers Magical development. There was nothing unique or out of the ordinary that would indicate that she would develop into an S ranked mage. It was very odd.
Admiral Markly had more than a passing interest in her too, normally any earth born Mages would become part of Section 2, for what ever reason his predecessor hadn't recruited her, he wasn't sure. And now he got to meet her in person, and that had only increased his interest.
"I get the feeling you don't like me very much."
He said it as a kind of off hand comment, meant to surprise her into giving away details.
Instead she looked up at him from her position at his side and responded immediately.
"I don't dislike you Admiral Markly-San. We've just met."
If he hadn't been used to seeing through Vier's face all the time, he would have believed the angelic face she had on right then. But he did have a lot of practice, and he did see through her, but barely.
"Hmm, perhaps it's more like... You don't trust me?"
"I don't know why you would think that."
"I guess it's just a hunch. But either way, I have picked up an interest in you."
They reached an intersection while the light was red and were forced to stop and wait. After a short pause, the light turned and they made their way across.
"Before coming here, or I should say while we were on our way, I had the time to look over your records."
They were passing though one of the busier areas, the road was lined with cafes and other restaurants. Most of them had outdoor patio sections, but they were mostly empty, the cold and bitter wind driving the people inside.
"Your aptitude tests and Mage ranking assessments along with most of your training data were fascinating."
While no one was eating outside, the sidewalks were far from empty; people walked briskly to and from buildings, others took more leasurly paces as they walked to farther destinations, taxi cabs pulled up and ejected people only to be immediately filled again. The environment might have pushed people to stay inside longer, but it wouldn't prevent them from leaving entirely.
"But I found your combat missions to be the most interesting of the bunch. Your work on Zestus XI was commendable, as was your rescues on the Lilic Asteroid facility. The operations on the Jikintiz Moon was well done too. Everything you do is done well."
The cold had failed to keep people in, as had the recent incidents. The last report he had received was that two bystanders had died in the small battle, and several others were in critical condition, two of which were not expecting to survive. And despite that, everyone went about their business like a unexplained explosion hadn't just moments ago torn through the heart of the city.
"Worth noting was your rather unique way of keeping those transports from crashing into the refugees on Hrend II. Gently pushing Axel Shooter orbs into the underbelly of four transports at once to push them off course or to stall long enough for the people to move was rather inventive. Not many Mages would have considered that, let alone been able to pull it off."
He wanted to call them brave, foolish, but still brave, but he knew that was wrong. The people weren't brave, they were just unaware. The news media of this world, just like most others, focused solely on the bad, spewing a tidal wave of negativity out, that after a while just numbs the recipient to it. The people weren't dealing with the danger, nor were they consciously ignoring it, they were just conditioned to not be able to notice it. Sad really.
"And then there was that mission to take out a smuggler base Non-administered Planet 144. you simultaneously attacked over thirty defense turrets built around the base so that they wouldn't have a chance to activate their defenses. You, by yourself, accomplished what would have been difficult for a highly trained team of Mages working with perfect cooperation."
The small part of his mind that wasn't considering all of the pedestrians as potential witness and hindrances, and instead viewed them as actual humans, wanted to warn them, because if the destruction of the Sealed Space Barrier wasn't some kind of fluke, and if the other units could pull off the same trick, their would definitely be more casualties if they were to confront them again. Unfortunately, that part of his mind was so small it almost didn't exist. Instead of worrying about which people here, out of the hundred around them, might end up hurt, he was focusing on how to track down and remove the ones that might end up seeing something that they shouldn't have.
That, and the conversation with this fascinating young girl that he was walking with.
"But what interested me the most, out off all of the reports I read, and video logs I watched, were probably your missions on Nestus III, Non-administered World 50, the Cirilina System, the Yishi Station, the Bis Nebula, Uninhabited World 354, and that chase in Sector Delta 9."
When the first syllable of Nestus III had left his mouth, the girl had faltered just slightly in her step, if it had been anyone but him, they would have missed the small pause. But he hadn't. And then she was back to normal, still in step with him, not saying a word.
"Those missions were fascinating. As you know, missions containing the capture of S class or higher criminals are kept confidential for various reasons. Generally speaking, only the commanding officer of such missions, and sometimes the direct superiors of the agents who take place in the operations are ever shown the recordings. Luckily for me, the special circumstances were dire enough for me to be allowed access to those files."
A lie of course, the special circumstances had nothing to do with his ability to view her records. Technically, he did have the security clearance to request those files, but he didn't need too follow the procedures, all data pertaining to any Mage from Earth was made available to him at all times, a perk to being Director of Mobile Section 2.
"Lets see, first there was Todosen, the crazed monk, one of the last few practitioners of Ancient Belkan Kiaser Arts, the founding system that the more modern Strike Arts were based on. He traveled through the dimensions, challenging what he claimed were worthy opponents, but were usually just random people, to death matches. He stayed in neutral territory, outside of the TSAB's jurisdiction until two years ago when he ventured onto Nestus III. He killed a Mage team who was sent into investigate a disturbance, and then also an Navy Enforcer Team who was sent after him, then you were deployed, bringing it to an end."
Besides that one misstep earlier, she was stoic as she listened too him explaining her exploits. This verbal game of cat and mouse, even if she was staying silent, was exactly the kind of thing he excelled in, and her silence was giving him enormous insight into the young Mage. Not enough to draw the conclusions that he wanted, but soon they would be there.
"Next was Non-administered World 50. Doctor Henry Gustav, a former TSAB researcher, had built a base there, and was performing highly illegal research on the locals, trying to implant artificial Linker Cores into the native reptilian population. Again, you were deployed, and again you wrapped up the incident extremely fast. Then, following Doctor Gustav, you encountered another mad scientist if you will, a Doctor Diana Biscomb. Doctor Biscomb was one of the head researchers for Project F, instead of memory transfer or Linker Core growth, the Doctor instead focused on the physical body aspect. When Project F went under she began producing Cloned humans with extensive genetic modifications. Unlike the previous two, Doctor Biscomb's base of operations had significant defensive potential and guards. Which didn't help her I would like to add. In one of the more unusual moments for you, I believe you personally interrogated Doctor Biscomb after her apprehension."
"That was only because the interrogator was prevented from entering her base. The Cirilina System has intense electrical storms, they prevented the main Mage team from going in on time."
There had been that misstep that she had made earlier, obviously stemming from pure surprise that he had brought the subject up, and that he had highlighted those seven particular missions, but since then, she had remained unmoving and unflinching besides him. But now, as he brought up Doctor Biscomb, she had felt the need to defend her actions.
"Yes, the report mentioned that. How the storm intensified, making Teleportations risky, however you volunteered to go in regardless. Ultimately, only you and a support team got in safely, and then you single handedly took out the defenders and captured the Doctor, before commencing with a short interrogation."
Generally speaking, one doesn't defend themselves unless they think they might have done something questionable; the fact that she did attempt to defend herself, meant that she herself had felt that something was wrong with that mission. From the surface of things, interrogating the Doctor wasn't that unusual, and to a casual observer, her actions in the Cirilina System were no different than her actions on the other six places he had mentioned. Of course, those seven missions were completely different from every other non-classified mission she had been on, but they all had each other in common. However, he was not a casual observer, he had noticed her odd behavior in interrogating the Doctor, had also noticed how she had been, overly eager, to be on the mission in the first place, how she had refused to wait, taking on much greater risk to force through the interference, and he also knew of her connection to Project F, and how she jumped on any opportunity to be involved with missions that pertained to it.
When she had been on the Cirilina System, she had been just slightly different than from when she was on the other six, a fact that she herself was aware of, thus the defense of those actions. And while that didn't tell him anything new, it was just one more piece of the puzzle that was Nanoha Takamachi.
In fact, the mere fact that she did focus on Project F was an anomaly itself. She always volunteered, a bit forcefully, to take on missions that had anything to do with the Project, and when time was an issue, she always seemed to be deployed in the area. Intel would pop up about a possible lead, and she would be conveniently stationed on a nearby system for training. And somehow, with a highly unnatural frequency, normal mundane criminals that she would bring in, would have the strangest connections to the Project; this one occasionally smuggled in supplies, this one helped find financing and funneled money, this one was at one point a client. Somehow, Miss Takamachi had become the single leading force in the destruction of what remained of Project F, a fact that most of her superiors seemed to have overlooked, or at least acted like they didn't care.
But what concerned him, was that her motivation for targeting the Project F, was totally incomprehensible. Revenge would be the first thought, that she was targeting those responsible to avenge Miss Testarossa, but, that didn't really hold up to logic. Any problems that Miss Testarossa may have, would be attributed to her creator, Precia Testarossa, not the project itself, in fact, she should be grateful that the Project existed in the first place, since it allowed her friend to exist. It was possible that she didn't see it that way, but he doubted that greatly, someone who meticulously and methodically went after every aspect of the Project couldn't be lost in anger and irrational like that.
So then, why did she target it? He tried to put himself in her shoes, to see it from her perspective, but he was unable to gleam anything from his attempts. Perhaps his lifetime of deception had prevented him from truly understanding what it meant to have a friend, to have someone to care about. That might be possible, but he was confident that it wasn't the case, he did have people that he cared about, he did have friends, but he understood that that was a weakness, and he also understood that he might need to, and he eventually did, sacrifice them.
He was forced to concluded that it wasn't a matter of understanding and not understanding, but that there was a detail that he was unaware of. That there was more to the picture than he could see, something else, some unknown variable was leading to what seemed like irrational behavior, and once he discovered it, everything would make sense. Unfortunately, he didn't know where to even start looking, and assuming she kept gaining more information from her continued involvement in the project, then he knew he would be unable to follow, since large parts of the information web no longer existed. Databases and computers were destroyed, witnesses, either passive or active participants in the project, had been removed from his access, either through long prison terms, or death through various means. Precia Testarossa would have been a good start, her Garden of Time probably had been a wealth of information, but both where lost at the end of that incident, and there was no telling what Miss Takamachi had learned before that information had been destroyed.
No, that trail was not one he could follow any longer, to find out her motivations he would need to wait until new data made it's way to him, if it ever did. For now, he would have to content himself with what he had, and what he could get, which lead to this rather interesting conversation right now.
"Moving on, on the Yishi Station, the Air Force received a tip that Mario Altomaro, an anti-government terrorist, was hiding out after a his latest attack. Mr. Altomaro was an accomplished Mage and also had a small following of loyal fanatics. You teamed up with a special forces squadron to take out his terrorist cell. You specifically were brought in to handle Mr. Altomaro, since the special forces wouldn't be able to face him alone. You were ultimately successful, but the station received extensive damage in the process."
They stopped at another red light, pausing with another group of people who were all waiting for the light to change. He took this time to steal another look at his companion. Outwardly, she seemed to be just standing there waiting for the light to change, inwardly, he honestly wasn't sure. He was picking up the most particular signs from her, and they weren't matching with any of the things he expected to find.
Saying that the station was damaged was a slight understatement, of course, the station was an old mostly abandoned wreck in the first place, people lived there, but they were all mostly the undesirable aspects of society, smugglers, thieves, refugees, and other people that wouldn't find a welcome if they came to a local TSAB immigration office. Instead, they made a home out of an old Belkan Era resupplying station on the far outskirts of TSAB space. When Mr. Altomaro was taken down, the battle, and resulting damage to the station, was enough to force an immediate emergency evacuation of the station. A token attempt by the TSAB to repair the station only got so far as to patch up the giant breeches in the hull, the station still lacked power and even a livable atmosphere.
He had considered the possibility that she might have viewed that mission as a failure, because while she did take care of the terrorist, she had basically failed to prevent civilian losses. She might have been feeliing guilty about the collateral damage, a possibility that he considered slightly unlikely, but he still mentioned her failure to see if he would get some form of reaction, but instead, he got nothing. Either she didn't feel any guilt, or she didn't consider it a failure, or, she had received enough time to steel her emotions. And if that last one were the case, he would find it nearly impossible to break through that armor now, but, he did enjoy a challenge.
"In the Bis Nebula, you, along with a small Naval task force, were tasked with capturing Lord Geth, the self declared pirate king. Lord Geth, who's real name and identity remain unknown, somehow amassed a small fleet of pirate vessels; they stayed within neutral territory, only leaving to raid far flung Irlian and Allied States outposts and other neutral worlds. Two JST Class Cruisers along with three HK Class Destroyers were deployed to take out his fleet, along with the fleet, a squadron of Strikers, and Three Aces; you, Miss Testarossa, and a senior Navy Ace. Lord Geth kept two decoy ships that were identical to his flagship, so, each one of you were sent towards one of his ships with orders to bring him in alive, you lucked out, being sent to the true flagship, and brought him back almost immediately, although he was a little worse for wear."
The light turned green and the mass of people surged forward, Admiral Markly was about to follow with them, but he noticed that his companion had instead turned and began walking down the road.
"This way is a short cut."
They didn't exactly have a dedicated path to follow, or any kind of real search pattern, whether or not they went left, right, or strait, didn't really matter. But the Admiral disliked the sudden change in direction; he followed anyway, otherwise he would be loosing his initiative and stalling their conversation.
"Alright, lead the way then."
He had had a half second to decide how he would handle this change in directions, as stalling or hesitating would be the worst thing he could have done, he didn't want her to know she had cause him a problem, thus he needed to immediately flow with the situation. Even now, he couldn't see a better way to have handled it, but, he wasn't happy that he had allowed her to take the lead. Having her follow him had kept her in a subordinate position, that, along with his few mentions of rank, his efforts at pointing out his greater expertise, all of that had been in an effort to keep her in a lower ranking mindset, and more responsive to his words and actions, but now, she had just reversed one point.
Well, there was nothing he could do about it now, he could only continue the conversation and hope for the best.
"But continuing on, you were sent to uninhabited world 354 to hunt down an Irlian Spy. Agent Seven, real name unknown, was convicted in proxy of nineteen counts of espionage, he was sentenced to death and a warrant was put out for his arrest. He was supposedly spotted looking for a transport to uninhabited world 354, you being the nearest agent, returning from another mission, were dispatched by yourself in advance to the world. The plan was for you to lay in wait for Agent Seven, and then ambush him. The plan worked well, you successfully shot down his transport, bringing the entire mission to a close in seconds."
They were now off the main street and were instead on a mostly deserted road, small business and offices lined the sides, their employes had long since gone home and the buildings closed up for the night. Whereas before there were still hundreds of people out, now there were only one or two here and there.
"And lastly, while coming back from uninhabited world 354, your transport stumbled upon the Death Lance, the personal ship of Enfelaed, one of the top underground assassins. Knowing he had a warrant out, you ordered your small transports to give chase. In a move that even I consider reckless, you ordered your ship to ram into the side, the Death Lance, obviously not expecting that from a small TSAB transport, was caught of guard and suffered extreme damage. From the hull breech, you entered the ship and went after Enfelaed, unfortunately, he was either not on-board, or managed to escape, so instead you attempted to commandeer the ship, taking over the bridge and going after the engine room. Unfortunately, the crew set an auto-destruct sequence and you and the transport crew managed to just barely escape before the Death Lance was destroyed."
For only the second time, she faltered just half a step when he had mentioned how it was reckless. It was so slight, but still there, and then she recovered again and continued down the road.
"The Brass wasn't happy about that one though. They said you were overly reckless, that you should have called for support, despite the fact that the Death Lance outgunned you, was faster, and had impressive stealth abilities. You argued that if you hadn't acted, you would have lost the ship, a point that the Admirals grudgingly conceded to you. However, your actions were reckless regardless, and you were put on temporary probation; you were only saved by the fact that the Death Lance was destroyed, and you were just coming back from dealing with Agent Seven, which also helped you."
The girl stopped for a second, before turning and walking into the street, a move that was technically illegal, but since the road was now completely deserted, he figured it would be OK and followed behind her.
He had considered mentioning the illegality of the move, to perhaps throw her off even more, but he instead let it go for the moment. She had just given him her second sign that something was amiss, and he wanted time to both ponder the implications, and to see if she would give him anything more.
Her faltering when he mentioned this one was obviously due to the fact that she considered it a failure. She had caused the same collateral damage as she had on the Yishi Station, but now, had failed to bring in the main objective, the assassin Enfelaed had managed to escape. At best she grabbed a partial victory with the destruction of the Death Lance. But that clearly wasn't enough to satisfy her, nor was it enough to satisfy her superiors.
It was obvious that she considered this a failure, and that it had caused her to momentarily stop. This could mean any number of things, or nothing at all. As much as it bothered him, he just didn't have enough information to draw any conclusions on that at the moment. But, knowing that she faltered when he mentioned her failure, allowed him to go back and revise his assessment when he mentioned the Yishi Station. Since she hadn't reacted when he mentioned that, the was able to conclude that she didn't consider that a failure, meaning that she considered the collateral damage acceptable since she had accomplished her main objective.
It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it would have to do, plus, it reinforced his current opinion of her.
"I must say, all of those missions were fascinating. It's a shame that they are classified now, I am sure a lot of people would benefit from seeing those recordings."
They reached the other side of the road and then turned, heading the same direction they had originally been going. At some point the large offices had given way to smaller ones, and then to small shops and stores.
"Your technique, although it could still use improvement, was highly skilled. In fact, later on, I would like to go over somethings that I noticed. But that will be later, after this is all over."
Again they stopped, this time at an entrance way to a dimly lit alley. The small passage wound behind the buildings, piles of trash and a dumpster partially blocked the way. At the end he could see street lights, but the alley itself was dark and secluded.
"Is this your short cut? Hardly seems like the place that young lady such as your self should be seen around."
As an answer, she began walking down the alley, and after another moment's hesitation, he followed her.
"Definitely seems like the place that a young lady such as your self should avoid."
That was completely unaltered truth. The alley was secluded enough that few would ever wander into it by accident, and those who did would quickly turn around, it was dirty and there was a foul smell about.
"I hope you don't have some friends out there laying in wait to ambush me?"
He said it with the air of a joke, but the underlying sentiment was still there, why were they in this alley? It clearly wasn't because it was a shortcut. And despite his joking tone, an attack was one of the possible outcomes he was expecting, it would have been the more disappointing and boring one, but still, she might have panicked when she found out how much he knew, and if she were the type to loose herself in the moment and act rashly, then she might attempt to silence him. She could attempt to beat him down and enforce his silence, or she could go for the kill and blame it on the missing mechanized units. Both options would fit with that particular scenario.
The other likely option, was that she was going to try and talk it out with him, to negotiate better terms. This was the option that he was hoping for, besides lacking the complication that would be a fight between the two of them, this was the one that would lead to still more questions.
However, instead of saying anything, she abruptly spun around, stopping face to face with him, almost catching him off guard. He sensed no hostility, and no magic, so he avoided any overreactions and just held his position in front of her.
She locked eyes, her shinning cerulean into his artificial blue, and held that. It was a battle of wills, and exactly his area of expertise. His defenses were perfect, his ability to see through the opponent was also excellent, a byproduct of living his entire life built on thousands of lies. He could shift with any advance that his opponent could make, fabricate any fact or detail needed, and he would never loose his cool. And his own attempts at breaking through someones mask were just as good, he could remember all details, easily capturing an amateur in a circle of lies, he could read even the most dedicated liars without even trying, even Vier, who's face stayed in a fluid state, couldn't lie to him.
He was perfect at these types of things.
And yet, he was pretty confident he was loosing.
Not that the young mage in front of him was actually beating him, just that he was getting nothing from her. Her mask, if she was even wearing one, was perfect, so perfect, that he couldn't even tell if what he was seeing was a facade or the real thing. There were no edge, no brittle parts, no cracks, no holes, nothing. She was empty of emotion, and without that, he couldn't get a read. An attempt to unsettle her might give him an opening, but it would also give her a chance too, instead, he maintained the current status quo and waited her out.
A full minute passed, and then another, neither backed down or said a word, and now the Admiral was convinced that he was loosing. It hit him all of a sudden, she was holding the initiative, he was forced to react to her. She was keeping him at bay with the threat that any action on his part would leave an opening, and for her to be able to corner him like this, he knew it would be true, a wrong move on his part would end in his defeat. What he needed to do was read her enough to be able to find a move that neither benefits him or her, just to regain momentum, but he was still unable to read her, and thus he couldn't find the needed safe move.
Four minutes later, she abruptly spun back away from him, effectively ending their staring contest. He wanted to think that she had crumbled under the pressure, but he was positive that she had only ended it when she had gotten what she had wanted out of it.
"Admiral Markly-San, we should get going."
And then she continued on, slowly making her way through the alleyway and towards the lights that indicated the main road. He waited a second before walking a little faster, catching up to her and regaining his position at her side.
They made their way through the alley in silence, left it in silence, and turned right onto the busier sidewalk in silence. It wasn't until they got to the next red light that she spoke again, finally breaking the silence.
"Perhaps you could tell me what you observed in in my records that was lacking?"
Nanoha Takamachi didn't defy classification, he just had yet to figure her out. Whatever she was however, was fascinating.
And she more than lived up to her nickname.
"Well lets see, you have many of the typical problems that a Mage native to a non-Magical world has, first there is..."