Chapter 23 – Rockets R Us
"Hey, Toshiro, guess what?"
"It's five AM you stupid snake, I don't have the mindset for guessing…"
"You don't have to be a dick about it… Well anyway, according to my info, you can now use your sword again, if you so choose."
"Oh really?"
"Yup. There's a little catch to it. You have to use a metric assload of willpower and have a really strong desire for the souls to get gathered again into the sword."
"Why do I have the feeling this will involve some dramatic circumstances?"
"You learned to see into the future? Teach me, sensei!"
"I will strangle you one day…"
After the usual jog of his, Toshiro was going to return to his room, but then he heard something through the transponder.
"Hello, Toshiro, are you there?"
"Ursula, is that you? Here already?"
"I did tell you I would be here in about thirteen hours, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Look to the west."
Toshiro, who was now standing in the bases courtyard, looked to the west and saw a big plane incoming. He didn't recognize the make and the model, so he asked Ursula, "Ursie, what's that plane you're flying?"
"Ursie… My own sister isn't calling me that… But anyway, this is the Blohm & Voss BV P.216.03, our quick response emergency jet transport plane."
"Jet? Wow…"
"Yes, it's powered by four BMW 003 E turbojet engines. We've managed to optimize it enough to have enough range to get here, and back to Gibraltar for a refuel. Wait a few minutes, and you will get a closer look at this magnificent machine."
"Where will you land?"
"We have to land on water, since the take-off distance is much longer than the runway in that base of yours."
"Okay. See you down in the dock!" Toshiro waited a second and said, "Mio, Minna, care to join in?"
"Of course, Toshiro." Minna said.
"Why not…" Mio muttered.
Toshiro went down to the northeast of the base, and saw that Minna was walking towards him from the dorm, accompanied by Mio. They looked up into the sky as the plane rushed eastwards to make a turn and approach to land, passing above their heads with a thunderous roar.
"Is that Ursula's plane, the one she talked about?" Minna asked as she approached.
"Yup. If that's the future of aviation, sign me up for a lifetime membership…"
The plane made a wide turn and started approaching for landing. Big floaters started being lowered from under the wings, and they were secured to the sides of the plane by some mechanism that Toshiro couldn't quite recognize. It touched down gracefully, and the plane started to decelerate, skimming across the azure waters of the Mediterranean.
The three watching it land descended the lengthy stairs, and approached the pier just as the plane stopped by. The door on the side opened, and a soldier peeked out of it, holding a gangplank
"Guten Morgen, Herr Oberst! Could you catch this gangplank and place it down, so I can tie down the plane and start operating the crane?"
"Of course, Feldwebel."
He threw him the gangplank, which he carefull placed between the pier and the plane. The Feldwebel went through and said, "Thank you."
Another soldier threw him a line, and he tied down the plane. He then went towards the crane. In the meanwhile, a bunch of soldiers spilled out of the plane with Ursula leading them.
"Good morning, Toshiro." She said. "I hope you don't mind that I brought some help?"
"Ask Minna, she's the one that's got a grudge against men…"
Ursula looked at Minna, and the latter said, "Well, as long as they only work in the hangar, and keep their hands to themselves they can stay…"
"Thank you." Ursula replied. "This will substantially hasten the preparations. But we will stay here until after the operation anyway."
"Ugh… Collecting data, I guess?" Minna sighed.
"Yes."
"They will sleep in the plane, no buts. You can sleep wherever you like, Ursula." Minna commanded. "But the bed selection is rather limited, so I advise you to sleep with your sister."
"Yoshika can sleep with me, thus freeing up a bed. Problem solved." Toshiro said with a wry smile.
"Toshiro, I can't say no, but… You know the regulations all too good…"
"Yes, Minna… Was worth a try though…"
Toshiro saw as the top of the plane opened up, and something on chains was being lifted by the crane. After a few seconds he could see that those were a few bundled crates, tied together tightly by chains. Most were the same size, but one was bigger in every dimension than the rest. The crate bundle was lowered on the pier, and the soldiers started unchaining the crates.
"Okay, people, follow me to the hangar. No detours, no lewd looks at the girls. Especially at the one with the brown hair." Toshiro commanded.
"Yessir." The men replied.
"Come on, girls…" Toshiro said with a bored voice.
He led the caravan to the hangar without incidents. The crates were placed on the hangars floor.
"So, Ursula… Do your guys have any food on them?" Toshiro asked.
"Yes, they have their own provisions."
"Then please, if you would let yourself be invited for breakfast…"
"Oh, thank you. But which Striker should be fitted with a booster first? So the men won't idle while I'm away…"
"Yoshika's. That's the Zero by the Shiden-Kai there. I want her to practice a bit before the mission. Afterwards, modify the Striker of the second participant, Sanya. That's the MiG I-225 over yonder."
Ursula relayed what Toshiro said to her men, and they went on to the dining room. While they were walking there, Toshiro asked.
"So, is that big crate the surprise for me?"
"Yes. But you will see it after breakfast, during which I'll talk about a few things with all of you."
"Fair enough… Did you by chance come up with a way to get up to the required altitude without us dropping dead halfway?"
"I thought about that, and I came up with a solution. I will also talk about it at breakfast."
"Good girl." Toshiro said and they ventured on.
After going into the dining room, they saw Lynne and Yoshika, bustling around the kitchen as usual. Yoshika noticed as they came in and greeted them.
"Good morning, Toshiro, Miss Sakamoto, Miss Minna! Oh, and Ursula! Will you be eating with us?"
"Good morning, Yoshika. And yes, I will." Ursula replied.
"Morning, sweetie." Toshiro said, causing Yoshika to blush lightly.
"Morning." Mio and Minna answered.
Lynne also joined the greetings and the four sat at the table, waiting for the rest.
"Tea, coffee, wine?" Toshiro asked Ursula.
"Coffee, if it's not a problem…"
"Coming right up!" Yoshika cheered and made Ursula a coffee in a matter of seconds. "Please, for you." She said when giving it to her.
"Oh my, what speed… Hmmm…" Ursula looked at Toshiro and Yoshika a few times. "I have a feeling my advice worked, Yoshika."
Both of them reddened on their faces immediately.
"Ah… Well… Ummm... I put some of it into practice…" Yoshika squirmed around with her head almost steaming.
"Good… If you want, I still have some… secret techniques in store…"
"N-n-not now!" Yoshika shouted and hid behind the kitchen counter.
"Toshiro… What is this all about?" Minna asked quietly.
"Oh you know… Birds and bees…" Toshiro replied quite baffled.
Minna looked him, then at Ursula. The latter put down her cup of coffee, leaned over to the rest at the table and silently answered.
"Well, I'm actually a theoretician in that matter. When I was ten, I served in the 507th, called the Suomus Misfit Squadron back then and for a valid reson. The name truly suited the personnel… Anyway, I was a taciturn bookworm back then, which made me an ideal confidant, and nobody would suspect me of anything if I pulled out some info out of the girls… So I gathered intel… A lot of it… I won't tell any names, but dear Lord, some of those girls were horny as a March rabbit… The poor Tomoko even fell for a trap… It turned out a mechanic she truly loved was in fact a woman… The uproar she then caused, Mein Gott! But anyway, what I'm relaying to Yoshika is basically all the compiled knowledge I gathered in Kauhava and Neue Karsland. I'll ask you directly, Toshiro, did Yoshika use any of the knowledge?"
"Urrrrghhh… Talking about love matters like that… We really are open-minded people here… Yes, she told me you told her some dirty knowledge. I actually wanted to thank you, really…"
"The pleasure is on my side, Toshiro. Since I see that it didn't go to waste, I will teach your girlfriend things that I didn't yet unveil to her."
"Please, just no kinky S & M stuff…"
"Did you know that Tomoko has a bondage fetish?"
"Tomoko? You mean Anabuki is such a pervert? Hahahaha!" Mio burst out in laughter.
"Oh crud… I didn't want to name anyone from name… Oh well, the cats out of the bag…" Ursula sighed.
"Let's change the topic, Ursula…" Toshiro mumbled. "Oh, look who just got in!" Toshiro shouted and pointed out to the doorway.
"Sisssssy!" Erica yelled with joy from the doorway and ran up to her twin sister. "Weeee! You're here!"
"Yes, yes, Erica… You are lively as ever when it comes to seeing me…"
"So, how long will you be staying?"
"I'll have to sleep overni…"
"YOU TOTALLY HAVE TO SLEEP WITH ME!" Erica interrupted her sister.
"Eheheh… Just sit down, Erica… Don't worry, I will sleep in one bed with you."
"Provided it won't look like a goddamn minefield…" Toshiro grumbled.
He got an elbow in the ribs from Erica in response.
"And what was that for?!" Toshiro shouted confounded.
"Don't slander me in front of my sister, ersatz bro…" Erica grumbled.
"Prove me I'm wrong, ersatz sis…"
Erica immediately looked to the side puffing her cheeks.
"See? Your room still probably looks like the trenches at Verdun…"
"Don't worry, as long as the bed is clean, I can sleep." Ursula replied with a small giggle. "I'm used to rough lodging, Toshiro, you don't have to pamper me like I'm the Kaiser."
"Hey, you're our guest, I wanted you to feel like one."
"And I'm grateful." Ursula said with a bright smile. "But this is odd… Erica woke up before Trude?"
"Um…. Well… Eheheheheh… I kind of woke up past five and couldn't sleep knowing you would come…"
"Aaaaaw… My dear sister missed me so much…" Ursula said while patting Erica on the head. "You'll have to miss me a bit more after breakfast, because I'd like to be undisturbed during the Striker maintenance. But I promise you, afternoon you will have me all for yourself."
"Yay, thanks!" Erica cheered and hugged Ursula.
"Seriously, Hartmann, you are behaving like a spoiled child…" Mio grumbled. "Maybe you should let your sister be?"
"How would you know anything about sisterly love…" Erica pouted. "We have been separated since 1939, always in different countries…"
"Don't try to get me emotional, it won't work. Whatever, I can't deny anyone contacts with their family. Not that you are busy or anything…"
Erica moved her gaze to Minna.
"Don't look at me, Erica. Only a monster would separate twins…"
Erica's eyes then rested on Toshiro.
"Hey, I know how it is to long for your family all too well…" He responded with a gloomy voice. "Just don't interrupt your sister while she's at work. Afterwards - the fuck do I care.,."
"Heehee, thanks… Oh, Trudy, there you are! I woke up faster than you!"
Toshiro turned around to Trude, who stood in the doorway looking like a sleep deprived scarecrow.
"I couldn't sleep, because you were squirming around since five, and your bed is creaking like hell… I thought I'd get some shuteye after you left, but then the alarm clock started ringing… Oh, hello there, Ursula."
"Good morning, Gertrud."
"So you'll be upgrading our Strikers for the mission?"
"Yes. But let's wait for the rest, I don't like to repeat myself."
"Me neither…" She shot a sore look to Erica, to which the latter only tilted her head in surprise. "Ughhh… Miyafuji, coffee please…"
"Okay!" Yoshika shouted back.
The girls started slowly flowing into the dining room, with every single one greeting Ursula personally. After everyone ate, Ursula started explaining her master plan.
"Listen up, everyone. Six of you will have their Strikers outfitted with HWK 109-503 KsMa liquid ether boosters. Those are the improved versions of what Toshiro had mounted in his Akuma. Don't worry, we reduced the magic usage substantially, so an average witch can use it for about a minute, reaching the speed of a thousand kilometers per hour. On the top of the Striker Leg, you will have a small control panel mounted, which will enable, disable or dump the booster after you reach the designated altitude. Don't worry though, they have parachutes and inflatable floaters attached, and my men will scour the sea or land to recover them."
Erica raised her hand.
"Yes, Erica?"
"As far as I can count, we constitute a dozen…"
"Ah, yes. I'm getting to that. The plan is to form a pyramid, using a conical rack. Five of you will hold it, and will be the first launch stage. You will lift the rest up to an altitude of ten kilometers, where the five people will initiate stage two. Toshiro, I want you to be in stage two, you will see why. You will all use the boosters to reach an altitude of twenty-five kilometers. Stage 3 will commence afterwards, with, what you all told me, Sanya and Yoshika, starting from the top of the rack, up to where the core of the Neuroi is located. Simple as that."
As Ursula said those word, Eila made an angry look towards Yoshika, who thankfully was too absorbed by listening to Ursula.
Hmmm… Eila seems to be a bit on the possessive side… I won't poke into the matter now, but if she goes into an open conflict, I'll tie her down to the flag pole.
"Okay, what about the roster then?" Mio asked.
"I analyzed your performance and abilities, and came to the following conclusion.
Stage 1 - Shirley, Mio, Trude, Minna, Erica
Stage 2 – Lynne, Perrine, Francesca, Eila, Toshiro
Stage 3 is of course known."
"Baaawwww… I won't get to use the rocket boosters…" Shirley moaned
"Why is Toshiro actually in Stage 2?" Mio asked. "Shouldn't he be in Stage 1?"
"I suppose I can tell it already… He will be testing experimental rockets, that's why I want him to be in Stage 2."
"Well, I suppose that's a good excuse…" Mio grumbled.
"Experimental rockets you say?" Toshiro asked curiously.
"Two wing mounted HWK 109-509 E-1 Ma. It will be wired into your Strikers electronics, so you will be able to control it using an additional panel attached to the FFG-4."
"Baaaawwwwwww… You always get the cool stuff…" Shirley moaned even louder.
"Oh, don't moan like that, Shirley." Toshiro said. "I said I'll give you an opportunity to fly the Wotan one day?"
"I want now!"
Toshiro looked at Ursula.
"Please, before we begin work on it. Have a nice flight." She said.
"Hear that? You are cleared for takeoff, heheh… Just don't bust anything."
"Yahooooo! Thanks, both of you!" Shirley shouted and ran off as fast as the wind.
"She is a real speed freak, just like the intel I have states…" Ursula sighed. "Okay, Toshiro, let's go into the hangar…"
"Ummm… Toshiro…" Yoshika said shyly.
"Hmmm? What is it?"
"You'll be busy for the day?"
"Probably. What, you wanted to spend some time with me?"
"Y-yes…"
"Awwwww… But I believe you will have to do some training before the mission. Handling the booster, studying the flight path etc."
"He's right, Miyafuji." Mio said. "You and everyone else who will use the boosters will have to study how to use them. Also you and Sanya will have to learn a flight path, since I have a feeling that straight up won't cut it this time, right, Ursula?"
"Correct, but I will get to that later. Now I would like to look up on my men with Toshiro." She said and stood up. "Coming?"
"Yup." Toshiro also stood up and went after her.
"My, my… Your men are really the working sort…" Toshiro said when they arrived in the hangar.
"For the money they get, they ought to. Now, I see that they finished the two Strikers I told them about… And your redheaded friend is probably having the time of her life in the Wotan I guess?"
"Let's take a look, shall we?"
They went outside, and looked around. More than seeing her, they heard her. A flash of lightning passed over their heads with an unearthly whiz, throwing up a cloud of dust from the runway, making Ursula jump up.
"Wah!"
"That's Shirley for ya…" Toshiro sighed.
He looked at her making a turn and approaching to land. She touched down on the runway, and started shouting, "Catch me!"
Toshiro, without further ado, positioned himself before her and braced for impact. She bumped into him with mediocre force, as the engine wiz stopped. He looked at her face, which was all red. Shirley was panting heavily as she raised her head to him.
"Toshiro… I wouldn't mind… If you fucked me right here… and now…"
Toshiro let her go and she dropped face down on the stone runway.
"Owwwch…" She muttered as she got up. "Heh… Sorry… I got a bit… wet… if you catch my drift…"
"Shirley, seriously, go to one of the guys there, pick the most handsome, drag him under the hangar, and let loose. I permit you."
Faster than he could see it, he felt it. Shirley slapped him on the cheek swift and hard.
"Don't toy with my feelings, you idiot…" She said with an angry voice, looking to the side.
"Shirley… I…"
"I promised myself, that if I can't have you, I won't have any other man until I find the one. Don't think that I'm some nymphomaniac or floosy, just because I have this big rack and happy-go-lucky attitude…"
"I'm sorry…"
Shirley placed her hand on his cheek and said, "Oh Toshiro… I feel that you are the one that should get laid… Yoshika should step up to her duty as your girlfriend, and let herself be ravaged by you…"
"Now I should slap you, Shirley. Don't poke into our love life, ever. Don't think that I'm some horny bull that can't keep his dick in his pants longer than ten minutes."
"Okay, okay… I understand… Sorry for calling you an idiot…"
"I deserved it, don't worry."
"Um… You two…"
Shirley and Toshiro looked at Ursula, whose face looked like a burning flare like now.
"Oooops…" They both said at the same time.
"I w-wasn't ready f-for this…" Ursula stuttered nervously.
Toshiro sighed and said, "I'll take my Striker, Shirley, and you calm down Ursula."
"Kay."
He took of the Wotan from Shirley's legs, and wandered back to the hangar, looked upon by the bored mechanics.
"Herr Oberst, how is the Wotan doing?" One of them asked.
"Good. Splendid even."
"I'm glad. If you ever look on the plate with the name of the assembler, my name is on it." The guy said with pride in his voice.
"And if I get my legs ripped off, I know who will have a free vacation in jail… He… Heh…" Toshiro laughed morbidly, to which the rest of the mechanics laughed heartily. "Say… Are you perhaps Josef Friedman?"
The man Toshiro claimed to be Josef said, "Yes."
"Ah, so I should thank you that I almost died." Toshiro said with a happy tone, contradicting his words.
Josef's face paled immediately as he understood the situation he found himself in. His colleagues also looked a bit uneasy.
"But don't worry, it was a unique experience. Forgive, but not forget, Josef. I hope you won't do such a shoddy job right now, or you did on the Wotan?"
"No, Herr Oberst!"
"Good." Toshiro said with a smile. "Now loosen up, but not too much, because you look like you would shit yourself right now, heheh…"
The mechanics looked amongst each other and the laugh that roared was even louder than before.
Toshiro turned around and saw that Ursula came alone into the hangar. She approached him and whispered, "Shirley said it's too much for her to see all these men right now."
"Heheh…" Toshiro laughed silently.
"Okay, Toshiro." Ursula said with her normal voice. "Unpack that long crate please."
"Sure thing."
Toshiro took the long crate, and placed it on the table. He ripped off the lid, and saw a peculiar construction, times two. An aerodynamic fuselage in red and orange stripes, with a half meter pipe protruding from its back, ending with a double nozzle exhaust.
"So… This is it? The prototype rocket booster?" Toshiro said a bit disappointed.
"Why do you sound so disappointed, Toshiro?"
"I already had a rocket booster you know…"
"This one is different. Using the dial on the FFG add-on, you can regulate the thrust of the first combustion chamber, not just go full out like with the experimental revision. The second combustion chamber however is the old story, heehee…"
"So… If I could set it to very low power, I could hover using the rocket?"
"Possibly yes. We only did one test flight, a very brief one…"
"Another homicide attempt from you?"
"Don't be so harsh… Look at that package in the crate."
Toshiro picked up a bag, which appeared to be some kind of backpack.
"Is this…"
"Yes, a parachute."
"How thoughtful…" Toshiro said with sarcasm. "What's that other bag?"
"The conical rack. It assembles like a tent structure."
"Oh, okay. So… Will you or your guys mount that rocket booster on my Wotan?"
"Yes, right away. Then we will mount the rest of the boosters."
"Okay then. I'll find something to do th…"
Toshiro interrupted his utterance, because he saw Eila literally dragging Perrine and Lynne into the hangar. She stopped when she saw the gathering, but she powered on to Toshiro with the two in her custody.
"Toshiro, I want to do some training now. You won't mind?"
"Be quick about it, your Strikers are next for a fit of the boosters."
"Sure thing! Come on you two!"
"Waaaah!" Lynne shouted as she was dragged along.
The fuck is that… Meh, they could do a threesome for all I matter…
The three mounted their Strikers, but only Lynne took her rifle.
Weird… But with Eila and Perrine… I can't figure out what will actually happen… Might as well look on it from land…
Toshiro slowly walked down the runway, and saw Eila from afar, with Perrine behind her. Lynne was hovering half a mile over his head, aiming in the direction of the two. Lynne suddenly fired her rifle, and Perrine almost bit the bullet, putting up her shield in the last moment.
"What the hell was that?! You were supposed to SHIELD ME, not dodge the bullet!" Toshiro heard the angry Perrine despite the distance.
"Oh, sorry, that was on instinct." Eila replied carefree. "Kay, Lynne, another one!"
Lynne loaded another bullet into the chamber and fired again, and the situation repeated herself, with Eila making a swift dodge, and Perrine taking the bullet head on with her shield.
Now I get it… Eila wants to force herself into using a shield in battle. But you can't teach an old dog new tricks, it's almost hardwired into her combat routine now. I'll have to keep an eye on her, she's bound to pull off some weird stuff because of Sanya…
Toshiro slowly strolled back into the hangar, and he saw that one booster was already mounted to his Striker.
Fits nicely… Those warning colors give off a nice contrast to the piano black paintjob of the Wotan… And the wiring and tubing is also well done, not some rush job…
"I see that you are looking at the fine work of my men, Toshiro?" Ursula asked.
"Yeah. Looks really nice, I can't wait to fly it."
"Wait a few minutes more, we still have to mount the second booster."
"I'll bring in Yoshika and Sanya; they'll fly with me on a test run."
"Three booster pairs in one go? Mein Gott... That I have to see! Can I borrow a Striker?"
"Take Erica's, she won't mind, heheheh…"
Toshiro went to the PA panel near the stairs up.
"Mio, if you're now torturing Yoshika or Sanya, stop for now. I want them inside the hangar."
He returned to Ursula, which was now overseeing the installation of the second booster. He could see that the mechanics were working like a well-oiled machine, making no excess movements, with the precision of a surgeon. After a few minutes, it was ready, and he heard his favorite voice in the whole world.
"Toshiro, I'm here."
He turned back and saw Yoshika coming in with Sanya. Both were a bit nervous, probably because all of these men inside the hangar.
"Great. Mount your Strikers; I'll join you in a second."
The two nodded and went to their respective Launch Units.
"Toshiro, here." Ursula said from his side.
He turned to her and saw that she was holding his FFG, with an additional panel strapped on to it. There was a knob, three switches and two bars on it.
"I added the control panel for the booster rocket. The knob is for controlling the thrust of the 1st chamber, the switches and bars are clearly labeled, so I don't have to explain, heehee…"
Toshiro strapped the device to his forearm tightly and went to the girls. They already mounted their Strikers, and they were looking at the booster fastened on to them with light metal frames.
"Wooooah, Toshiro, are these the boosters?" Yoshika asked amazed.
"Yup. Nice mounts I must say… Couldn't have done it better."
"I'm a bit scared…" Sanya said silently.
"Don't worry, Sanya, I trust Toshiro!" Yoshika tried to cheer her up.
Sanya brightened up a bit and said, "Well if Toshiro will be teaching us how to use these, then I'm a bit less scared…"
"I will be assisting him, at least until you launch the boosters." Ursula said, walking up to them. "Look down on the control panels on both your Striker Legs now."
The two looked down at the small boxes affixed to the booster frames. Toshiro also peeked on one of them.
"The buttons and switches are pretty much self-explanatory. You flick the 'prime' switches when you want to ready the booster. However, I must warn you that you should flick the 'launch' switches soon after that, because do to its construction, the engine of the Striker and the booster can't work at the same time. The third switch pair, the ones with the safety pins, are for detaching the boosters. If there's an emergency, or if the boosters are dead weight for you, just pull the pins, and flick the switches. The boosters will fall down on parachutes, and my men will try to recover them. Don't worry though; they are relatively cheap in manufacturing, so the boosters are marked as 'disposable' equipment."
The girls nodded fervently while Ursula was explaining everything. Ursula mounted Erica's Striker, and Toshiro climbed into his own.
"Okay, everyone, let's please start slowly and orderly… It's the first time I flew a Striker in… Ho… A lot of time…" Ursula said a bit flustered.
She was between Sanya and Yoshika, who now exchanged nods, tiptoed up to Ursula, and each grabbed one of her hands.
"Oh… Oh my… Why are you…"
"I was in a similar situation, Ursula. I was to go on my first night mission with Eila and Sanya. They saw that I was jittering, so they both grabbed my hands… So how long didn't you fly?"
"Since Sumous…"
"But that's… long…" Yoshika said.
"Yes… I devoted my life to science and my twin sister to combat…"
"Quite a nice spread, Ursula, heheh… Okay, let's start!" Toshiro shouted.
They started off slowly, reaching the altitude of about two kilometers.
"O-okay… You can let go of me now…" Ursula said silently.
The two girls let her go, and Ursula flew up a bit, doing a few maneuvers afterwards.
"I really should fly more…" She said after descending back to them. "I forgot how magnificent it is to do so… But anyway, girls, prepare your boosters. You'll have forty five seconds, that's about the time you'll reach the core. After that time, return to me with the reciprocating engines active."
"Okay." Both responded.
"Just watch out, it has a nice punch." Toshiro warned them. "You might want to curl up a bit at launch."
The two squatted mid-air, as they flipped the switch. The magic propeller blades disappeared, and they flipped the launch switches.
The nozzles spat fire, and surprisingly, both withstood the initial g-forces of the launch rather well.
"WAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhh..." Yoshika screamed as she flew away.
"Damn… Looks scary from an observer's position…" Toshiro said.
"I'm used to it… But anyway, you should start your boosters too. Compared to theirs, yours has to work on a running engine."
"Okay then…"
Toshiro turned the switches, but nothing happened. He turned the knob all so slightly, and he heard a hiss from down under.
"You have to turn it a little bit more for it to actually give thrust." Ursula said. "Now you are just burning magic away…"
"Kay…"
Toshiro changed his position to a flight position and turned the knob halfway. He felt a familiar sensation and he was pushed forward. His acceleration rate was steady, but not impressive, so he turned the knob all the way to the right. The acceleration increase visibly, and he was closing in on the girls fast.
Time to go all out!
Toshiro flipped the switch enabling the second thruster, and his face was almost smashed by the air pressure caused by the sudden acceleration. He looked at the FFG and saw that his speed was well over two thousand. When he looked up, he saw that he missed the girls by a hair.
"OH FUCK! That was close… Yuki?"
"I knew your trajectory."
"Kay…"
He looked back and saw that the girls disengaged their boosters, so he did the same thing. The temperature bars on the FFG add-on were going into the red zone already. Toshiro turned back to the girls. Yoshika was a bit tired, and Sanya was in a similar state.
"Either you two have limitless magic reserves, or Ursula did a nice job optimizing the magic consumption. Back in Britannia I would be half-asleep after such a long boost."
"I am a bit tired but… not much..." Sanya said.
"Me too." Yoshika concurred.
"Truly a good sign." Toshiro said with a smile. "Come on you two, let's go back to Ursula. I bet she's giddy about the results."
And she truly was.
"Ooooooh! Splendid! Magnificent!" Ursula shouted about joyfully after the three related her all the news. "It worked as planed!"
"Are you energetic, Ursula…" Toshiro mumbled.
"A success is to be celebrated, Toshiro. You can rest easy for today; I will show the ropes to the four that hasn't had any practice with boosters."
"Really?"
"Really. Take a nap or something."
"Okay…"
The all flew back to the hangar, and Toshiro went to his room to take a brief nap.
He woke up about 1400, and went to the office. Minna was not there, much to his surprise. He went to the next room, and saw Shirley at the radio, dozing off. He sneaked besides her, and blew in her ear.
"Wah!" She woke up with a shout. "Oh, it's only you…"
"Only me? I feel deprecated…"
"Heh… You know what? I had some weird dream… That we are only fictional characters and that some fat guy with a neck beard is typing our every thought and utterance on some strange machine…"
"Hah… Well, I can tell you something, you know… We are but only one of billions of universes. Each time something happens, an alternate universe is born, branching out from that moment. I told you about one of the possibilities, where magic was never introduced to the world. And it's a fact, that in that world, we are only fictional characters. In another world, there's this ancient goddess that made a mortal incarnation of herself that will play a great role in the worldwide liberation from the Neuroi. In another one, Yoshika had some weird ability, and she became a genocidal maniac after finding out that her father was killed in an assassination. In yet another one, the 501st got a new member, a feral girl, an orphan from London. And there's one in which the male counterparts of you girls from another world meet… you girls… geez, this is fucking complicated… I could talk on for ages right now, but you know what's weird?"
"What?"
"I am unique to this world. Only in this world, Nobunaga had a mistress before he fell in love in Mori Ranmaru, leading to the current situation."
"My mind is blown right now…"
"You think mine wasn't? But please, don't tell anyone."
"Yeah, sure…"
"Shirley, Toshiro, where are you two? It's dinner time!" Yoshika shouted nervously through the PA system.
"I think it's time for us." Toshiro said, and they went on to the dining room.
Lynne and Yoshika prepared a true feast, accounting for the presence of Ursula.
"So, what did my little cook do the time I was napping?" Toshiro asked.
"Ursula taught me and Sanya how to fly up to the core. Complicated stuff… I had to write it down…"
"Do you have the notes with you? And a pencil perhaps."
"Yeah, sure." She pulled out the notes and a pencil from her apron and gave it to them.
Toshiro looked at the notes and he was stumped.
Holy fuck… These are college level mathematics…
Toshiro started scribbling on the other side of the note and gave it back to Yoshika. She looked at it, her eyes went wide and she cheered, "Yay! I understand it now! Thanks!"
Mio, Minna and Ursula threw a disconcerted look at her and sighed heavily.
"Oh, could I also look at those?" Sanya asked shyly.
The three sighed again.
Eila ran up to Yoshika, swiped the piece of paper from her hands and gave it to Sanya.
"Hey, Eila!" Yoshika protested.
"You would give it to her anyway." Eila answered.
"But!"
"Eila, it was rude of you to snatch the notes from Yoshika like that…" Sanya said with a disappointed look.
"But…"
"No buts, Eila."
Eila puffed her cheeks and turned to Yoshika.
"Sorry…" She mumbled.
"It can't be helped…" Yoshika sighed.
Eila is starting to tick me off… One more thing like that and I will seriously tie her down to the flag pole. Naked. At night. Before all those mechanics.
They all ate in piece. Afterwards, Mio and Ursula snatched the two again somewhere. Minna approached Toshiro and asked, "Toshiro, we have to go to town with Shirley and Lucchini, I hope you don't mind we won't take you with us?"
"What business do you have there, if I may ask?"
"Oh, we want to procure some winter clothes, since literally nobody has them. And I could procure something for you…"
"Oh do tell? Then go, you have my blessing. But I seriously don't need anything, you know…"
"It would have a detrimental effect on morale if you'd go in your short sleeved uniform like that…"
"It would have such an effect if I went commando, heheh…"
"You are the worst sometimes… Could you watch the radar when we are out?"
"I knew there was something I'm missing… Okay, fine…"
"Thanks again!"
Minna went out her way, and Toshiro ventured on into the radar room. After a while, it hit him.
But I have a snowsuit… Damn it… Oh well… Maybe it will be a coat I could wear in fall…
Toshiro bored himself to death while watching the radar screen, but finally his relief came in, in the form of Francesca.
"Yo, Toshiro, sorry we took so long!"
"It's almost 1800… Damn you to…"
"501st, come in!" A voice on the radio shouted.
"501st here." Toshiro replied.
"There has been a change of plans! The tower Neuroi has vanquished the destroyers Zara and Pola! Furthermore, it sped up to about 15 km/h, and is now on a course for your base. ETA is about 1200 tomorrow!"
"Is that confirmed intel?"
"Yes sir!"
"Thank you then…"
Toshiro took of the headphones and said, "Looks like there's a small change of plans…"
"Oh? What is it?"
"I'll tell you later on the briefing."
Toshiro went to the PA panel, and said, "Everyone assemble in the aula. I repeat, everyone assemble in the aula. There has been a change of plans for tomorrow's mission." He turned around to Francesca and said, "Come on."
"Okay!"
They ran to the aula, where the girls were assembled already.
"Toshiro, what is it?" Mio asked nervously.
"The destroyers Zara and Pola have been destroyed in battle. The tower Neuroi is heading at our base. It will arrive at approximately 1200 tomorrow."
Gasping and murmuring was hear across the room, and then Ursula spoke.
"That's actually good! We will have a less complicated trajectory now!"
"But if we fail, it's doomsday for our base…" Minna said with a gloom face. "Thank you for the intel, Toshiro. Dismissed, everyone."
"Roger!" Everyone answered and started going their way.
Toshiro approached Minna and asked, "So, what did you buy me?"
"Ahhh… Well… Ummm… Shirley told me you already have a snowsuit, so I didn't buy you anything…"
"Good. I wonder how I could forget about it… Time to do some procrastinating before supper…"
"Yes, you go…" Minna answered nervously.
"Did something happen, Minna?"
"No, no…"
"Whatever… I'm going to get some water in the dining room…"
"What will you be doing afterwards?"
She behaves quite… Oddly…
"Should I be doing something specific?"
"You could help me do some quick paperwork…"
"Okay. But after I get a sip of water."
"Then I'll be waiting for you in the office."
Toshiro went in the direction of the dining room, feeling the burning gaze of Minna on his back.
What's with Minna? Did something happen in town?
He went into the dining room, crossed the figurative border to the kitchen, and took himself a glass and poured himself cold water. Afterwards, he went out of the room, and suddenly he felt something bump into him. He looked to his left, and saw Sanya tightly grabbing his uniform. She looked at him with dear-like eyes, full of tears and ran away immediately.
"Sanya, wait!" He shouted, but to no avail.
What was that? Was she crying because she bumped into me? Or…
Toshiro ran to the room in which both Eila and Sanya resided. The door was wide open, revealing the small curtain hung in the doorway. Toshiro silently approached the doorway, and saw Eila standing before the window, with her back towards the door, apparently hugging something. He was just about to say something when she interrupted him.
"Go away, Toshiro…"
"Sanya was crying, Eila." Toshiro said with a firm voice. "You know that I can't stand by as women cry, especially if they're my friends."
"Then you should go away from me…"
"Whatever… But if this impacts tomorrow's mission, I promised myself I will tie you to the flag pole naked, and let all the mechanics gawk at you."
"Go away already…"
Toshiro turned around and went on to the office.
A fallout between the two… Wow… Not again… But this seems more difficult than the previous issue I had to deal with… I will find Sanya later; she has more common sense than that silver haired dunce…
Toshiro went into the office, and he saw that Minna almost jumped up seeing him.
"Minna, for crying out loud, what got into you?"
"I can't tell…"
"Does this affect anyone in a negative way?"
"Nope…"
"So in a positive way?"
"Yes…"
"So it's some kind of surprise?"
"Sort of…"
"Okay, okay… I understand… Probably… Let's do those papers…" Toshiro sighed and sat on his chair.
They processed the paperwork until Yoshika summoned them for supper. Eila was there, but taciturn and shut in. Sanya was nowhere to be found.
"Maybe I should just find her using my magic?"
"Wait a bit more. A woman needs some time alone after such events…"
"I'll wait two hours."
After supper, Erica and Ursula giggled mysteriously and ran off in the direction of their room. Toshiro went outside. It was dark already, and the air was brisk.
Hmmm… Maybe I could take a dip in the 'pool'? Good idea.
Toshiro walked around the dorm building and went to the pool, unbuttoning his shirt on the way. He just finished the last button, when he saw her. The ephemeral beauty from Orussia, basked in the moonlight, floating on the water lazily on her back. She must have heard him approaching, because she dived immediately, watching in his direction while only revealing her eyes and the top of her head. When she ascertained who the intruder is, she returned to her previous position.
"Toshiro… Why is it that Eila behaves so childish?"
"Childish?"
"She treats me more as her plaything, not as a partner, lover or whatever. I'm like a little doll to her… I want some real love, not just pampering…"
"So that's why you ran out of your room?"
"Yes…"
"Did this start happening… Since yesterday?"
"Yes, and I see where you are getting at. I know she is jealous about Yoshika. Nobody in their right mind would send Eila to protect me with her combat style…"
"So what will you do tomorrow? Still up to the mission?"
"Of course. I'm not against Yoshika. And I will ignore Eila until she realizes her mistake."
"Maybe this will work somehow… Remember that I'm the super reserve player, I can always jump into the fray if you feel like not doing it."
"We will see tomorrow, Toshiro."
"Heh…"
Suddenly, Toshiro felt something soft on his back.
"Hmmm… Soft… But small… Erica?"
He felt sharp pain on the back of his head.
"Hey! I'm not small! I just have a petite constitution…"
"Yeah right…"
Toshiro turned around and saw Erica in an Eve attire behind him. And he was seeing double. One Erica stood there just like that, proud of herself, while the other one covered her girly parts with both of her hands, red as a crayfish.
"Oh, hi Ursula. Came to take a dip?"
"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y…."
"Okay, I'm going already… Comfort Sanya if you can, she had a fallout with Eila."
"Okay bro, will do!" Erica said confidently and did a belly flop into the pool.
Toshiro passed by Ursula, and he couldn't resist to give her a slight slap on the back.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She screamed and scooted into the pool hastily.
"Hah!"
He went back into his room, and lied down on the bed.
Minna has some secret… Eila and Sanya have a cold war… The Neuroi is coming at our base… What else could go wrong? Fuck this shit; I'm going to sleep… Oh, I have an idea…
Toshiro got off from his bed and ventured down to the hangar. There wasn't a single soul present in the vast dark space. He went on down to the wine cellar, and picked out a few bottles. Then he went all the way to the moored plane. The door was open, laughter could be heard, and some lights were on. He crossed the gangplank, and entered the cargo bay of the plane.
The laughter stopped immediately, and the men tried to hide their cards desperately.
"Men, men… No panic… I have a gift for all of you." Toshiro said with a steady voice and looked down on the bottles he had been carrying. "I'm a soldier just like you lot, and a man on top of that. The drinks are on the house."
"But Herr Oberst, I don't think we should…"
"You shouldn't what? Drink or accept the wine from me?"
"Both…"
"Suit yourselves. But remember that you guys will be here without a gram of alcohol for the next 24 hours or so."
The men looked neurotically amongst each other, clicking their tongues nervously.
"Come on guys… This amount of wine won't make you all hammered, but it will most certainly cause a pleasant feeling in your heads…"
After that remark, two of the men quickly approached Toshiro, yanked the bottles for him and shouted, "Thank you very much, Herr Oberst!"
"Atta boys! I don't know what to do with that wine anyway… Have a good night."
"You too, Herr Oberst!" A choir of manly voices rang through the plane's cargo bay.
Toshiro turned around and went up the stairs. While he was going through the courtyard, he saw a shadowy figure near the entrance. As he went closer, he started recognizing it.
"Yoshika?"
"Heehee, hi…"
"And why are you on a stake out for me?"
"I forgot about my daily duty as your girlfriend!"
"Oh? There's still time to fix that omission…"
Without further ado, Yoshika jumped up and gave Toshiro a brief kiss on his forehead.
"Again the cold shoulder?"
"Soon, Toshiro. Good night."
Toshiro sighed and said, "Good night…"
He looked at Yoshika disappearing into the dark of the night, and went up to his room, to end this day.
HWK 109-503 KsMa – A booster made by the Hellmuth Walter Kommanditgesellschaft, using a magic compressor instead of a liquid propellant (T-Stoff, C-Stoff or Z-Storr) powered engine (hence Ks – Kompressor, Ma – Magisch). Based on real stuff, with just one digit changed in the designation ;)
HWK 109-509 E-1 Ma – almost the same as above, but this time it's another revision of the D-1 variant of the real thing with a more compact design to fit a Striker.
And if you want to praise/rant about my story, please leave a signed review, so we can continue via PM's. Seriously, I don't bite. Unless provoked :]