Endless Waltz

By: Daishi Prime

-18 – Drumroll-

Noriko was just finished changing for Laura's extracurricular course when there was a pounding on her door. Snugging the gi tight, she used a twist of magic to open the door, while picking up Senbonzakura where it waited on her desk. Unsurprisingly, Laura burst through the door, but rather than come bouncing over, she bounced around the door and slammed it shut, slumping against it.

For a second the two just stared at each other. Noriko took careful note of Laura's wide-eyed expression, rapid breath, and jittery air, and decided that something had spooked her. That in itself was a unique occurrence, but not entirely unbelievable. Noriko's first thought was, it's about time something got to her. Aloud, she asked, "Is something wrong, Laura-chan?"

Laura blinked at her, then shoved off the door and started pacing, staring at her feet. She did not, however, answer, but rather began hemming and hawing. "Um... well... ah... it's... there's... um..." She made two passes, stuttering but not really speaking, then paused, grabbed Noriko's shoulders, and said in a very small voice, "help!"

Putting a hand on one of Laura's, Noriko answered, "Of course, Laura-chan. With what?"

"With this!" And then Laura was off, pacing much more rapidly, arms flailing, as she ranted, "I have no idea what I'm doing, what I'm going to do! I mean, I have ideas, but none of them will work, none of them are right! And I'm supposed to go in there in, like, ten seconds, and just... do it! Teach all of them everything and..."

"Laura-chan! Calmly, Laura-chan," Noriko ordered, trying to intercept her. When that failed, she tried distraction, "Laura-chan, you're floating while you pace. While I supposed it might strike some people as 'Zen', it's hurting my neck. Are you saying you're not ready for tonight?"

"Of course I'm not ready! How could I be ready when nothing will work?!"

"Laura," Noriko finally caught her arm, stopping her pacing. "Seriously, calm down. Take a deep breath, focus." Laura grumbled, but complied, even closing her eyes as she repeated the breath. When she opened them again, she was calmer, at least outwardly. "Good," Noriko continued, "now, if you would please be so kind as to stop floating, and tell me in some detail precisely what is wrong, maybe I can help."

"Yeah, yeah," Laura muttered, and resumed pacing, a little slower but still a good half-meter off the floor. "I literally have no idea what I'm going to do tonight. I've got this grand vision of all of us being the absolute best, being untouchable, samurai in the mythical sense, you know? But the only thing I've got to guide our training is Yussef's class, and that just plain won't work for us. Well, maybe you and K-chan, but not the rest of us. Sensei just told me it was my class and thus my problem, but she also said I already had the answers and should go with my instincts, but I can't see it!"

"You should have come to me sooner than this," Noriko said, turning the situation over in her mind. "Now... all right, tonight is the first session. No one will expect much in the way of lessons, it will be like the first day of any new class – expectations and current status. So, we give them an example of where we want them to end up, then determine where each of them is. Start off with you trying one of Signum-sensei's training programs, then you and I spar – magically as well as physically – and then set them to individual sparring to see where they are."

Laura was shaking her head before Noriko was half finished. "Never work. One little demo, and everyone'll go all scared and defensive..."

"Which is why one of the demonstrations is you and I sparring. First, you alone to show that you know what you're doing..."

"They already know that!"

Noriko very carefully avoided rolling her eyes, "No, they don't. They've heard about it, they've seen you in class, they saw a little in February, and Allison saw a little bit in China. But no one but Signum-sensei has actually seen you at full hue and cry, except for Takamichi-sensei, and she was distracted by her own battle. So, we show them that, prove that you know what you're doing. Then you and I spar, to show both that there is more to it than your way, and that you know how to tone things down to teach, especially if you take the time while we're sparring to point out where I need work. Will it impress them, maybe make them nervous? Yes. But it will prove that you have something to teach them, and that you won't just pound on them. Okay?"

Laura nodded slowly, still looking doubtful. "Yeah, okay, that sounds doable. But it's going to scare all of them off!"

"Just because every reporter with two brain cells is terrified of you doesn't mean we are," Noriko reassured her. "Remember, we know you. Now come on, if we don't get moving we'll be late, and that won't look good for your first ever class, now will it?"

"Um... could you go first?"

Noriko blinked at her, then studied the closed door, wondering at that request. "Why?"

"'Cause the twins are waiting out there at the end of the hall, and Allison and Juliet are in the common room, and K-chan's... well, please?"

Noriko sighed and shook her head. "No. They're your students, it's your idea, you have to face the music. Now come on, my room isn't big enough for you, especially not in one of these moods."

"I'm not that bad," Laura complained, but she opened the door and preceded Noriko out.

Sure enough, Allison and Juliet were waiting in the hall, and the twins were waiting at the door to the quad. None of them said anything, but Noriko could tell from Allison's smirk that she knew something of Noriko's and Laura's discussion, at least in general. Still, none of them said anything as they fell into line behind Laura, who at least managed not to fidget too badly until they reached the classroom building.

They encountered Cidela coming out of a workroom, but the Arabic girl just looked embarrassed and tried to sneak past them. The others looked at Noriko, who merely smiled and nodded to Cidela as they passed, watching her go until Shamal's foundling was out of sight around the corner. Then she looked back at the others and asked, "What?"

"Ah, she came out of the device workroom," Juliet commented. "Shouldn't you be yelling at her?"

Noriko shook her head, "She has Shamal-sensei's permission to work on her device outside of class. She's also close to finished, another couple days if I'm right. Mostly, though, I think she's trying to avoid Mariachi after yesterday's impromptu concert."

"Wait, wait, wait," Allison held up a hand, "we can get permission to work on the devices outside of class? And you were going to tell us this when?"

Noriko shrugged slightly, "Never. None of you are very far behind, you should all finish next week sometime. Other than that, what's the rush?"

"Um, hello, this 'self-study' program," Allison countered.

"Not really," Laura said. "I mean, I'll work you harder once your devices are done, yes, but you don't need one for this class. The twins haven't finished their designs yet, and K-chan hasn't even started, but they're here. At least, he better be. But even before then, a lot of it's mental. Think right, act right, teach yourself the reflexes and patterns that work best for you. You don't need a device for that, a device just gives you more options and a wider safety margin. Now come on, stop hassling Riko-chan and let's get to class."

"Yes, we're going to be late," Noriko agreed, slipping past everyone else to take Laura's arm, and the two of them carried on down the hall, leaving the others griping behind them.

00000

"Signum?"

Without looking away from the screen, she answered, "Yes, Hayate-sama?"

Hayate stepped fully into the watch room, moving to stand behind Signum's chair and look over her shoulder. "Just wondering what you're watching. Ah, Laura's project is starting."

"May be starting," Signum replied with a slight smile. "She is not as organized as Yussef was, though that would not necessarily help with this bunch. She's also much more nervous about it than he was. She finally did what she should have at the start, and went to Noriko for help."

"Hmm, I supposed that is good, but it would have been nice if she asked you."

"She did," Signum replied, "but like Zafira, I am unwilling to teach this class for her. She will learn more leading this class than assisting me. We'll go over it tomorrow while she practices in the sparring circle."

Hayate nodded, though she was uncertain of the wisdom of leaving Laura on her own. Still, she had not interfered in any of her Knights taking personal students, because she knew they saw things she did not and interfaced with their 'apprentices' better than she did. As usual, she trusted her Knights to do their duties. "Are the twins with her?"

"Yes, standing in the back."

"Would you do me a favor? Meet them after class, and tell the twins and Laura that they will be going with me to Yellowstone tomorrow?" Signum slowly turned to look at her, giving her a silent questioning look. "I spoke with Hughes a little while ago. The twins' mother will be there, and I wanted to give them a chance to see her under relatively safe conditions. Laura will be going along to keep them safe, and to remind the Revenants of the dangers of underestimating us. There should not be any combat there, and with the forces at our disposal, the Revenants cannot hope to succeed at an ambush, so it should be safe enough."

"Forces?"

"Nanoha, Yuuno, and Fate will be here later this evening," Hayate told her, "they got held up in Uminari City talking to Lindy-san and Nanoha's parents. So, between me, the two of them, and you, our students should be safe enough."

"You'll forgive me if I worry," Signum replied, "especially since even you going is a bad idea. Bringing the children..."

"Will convince the Circles that we are there to talk, not fight," Hayate interrupted. "Besides, I would be willing to bet that Takashi and Akira will be skulking about as well. You know I won't risk my students. But the twins deserve a chance to talk to their mother again, even if she is 'the enemy'. Their father even agreed with me, and you know how worried about them he is."

Signum's questioning look became even more doubtful, but she turned back to the screen. "I'll let them know, Mistress," she said, "but I'll also take some extra precautions."

"I was hoping you would, Signum. Just because I'm confident this is not a trap doesn't mean I'm taking it lightly. Now, I'm going to go meet Nanoha, Yuuno and Fate. Shamal is readying the guest-rooms now, Vita and Zafira are patrolling the wards one last time. Vita should be in on time to relieve you from the watch."

00000

"Okay, this here's the most complicated simulation the workroom can handle," Laura explained as the force-field structures rose up out of the floor. They were more coherent than what Lotte had used in class, forming actual buildings. "Using the shields and generators, the workroom computers can simulate enemy mages. At the moment, it's reserved for the teachers to use, with one exception. This program was created especially for me by Sensei, and I can bring it up without her. Thing is, it's rather... difficult."

Everyone except Laura was standing on a shield-ledge halfway up the wall over the doors, to have a view of the entire room. Noriko recognized the pattern of the buildings easily. "It's China, isn't it," she said, "your fight with Li."

"Yeah," Laura said, scratching the back of her head. She was already in full armor, floating a couple meters out, and looking distinctly more nervous. "So, it's going to be a little intense, but probably the worst-case scenario. Thing is... it's China. So, I still tend to go a little schizo towards the end. I've put in a safety timer, so when the first two go down, the program will terminate, but... yeah."

"We'll keep it in mind," Allison reassured her. "We all know what you went through last year, I'd be more worried if you weren't still a little freaked by it."

"Yeah, not what I meant," Laura said. "When I said 'schizo' I meant it. Sometimes I freeze, sometimes I go berserk again, first time she pulled it up, last year, I just burst into tears and ran away to hide. So, fair warning. This'll show you the level of skill you'll have when I'm done with you, but if the computer doesn't cut out quick enough, I may go a little schizo. Don't worry about it, Riko-chan'll stop me."

Then she was gone, launching across the room towards three figures. None of the figures were recognizable, beyond 'human', though each was distinct enough to differentiate. The trio separated, the two larger figures moving to intercept Laura while the third held back. They then proceeded to give a fairly intimidating re-enactment of Laura's original battle in China.

Noriko was nervous enough about it to wake Senbonzakura and call up her own armor, letting the first few petals float out a good ways, to give her a better view of the simulation. This was the first she had heard of Laura's reaction to the simulation, though she had known Signum was using it in furtherance of teaching Laura self-control. It was obvious that Laura was very familiar with the tactics in use, probably a standard pattern based on the original battle, with the two subordinates attacking while 'Li' stood back and observed, or at least tried to. Laura was quite obviously bamboozling the 'subordinates' and focusing on taking down 'Li'.

Juliet stepped up next to her, "So, any particular reason Signum-sensei tortures her like this? Making her relive this, it's kinda harsh, don't you think?"

Noriko nodded slowly, "Yes and no. It's a hardening exercise, putting Laura through her worst experience over and over again. She's not nearly as bad about it as she was after February. Had a talk with her brother, he got her through it, but it's still a sore spot, a weakness someone could exploit. What happens the next time she finds herself facing three mages, two attackers and one superior? She could very well 'go schizo' like she mentioned, with far worse results than China. This scenario is designed to get her used to it, so she can keep hold of herself. I am going to ask Hayate-sensei some questions, though. If she's still reacting so strongly to it, there may be something else wrong."

Juliet shuddered. "If you say so. Still seems harsh to me."

"Is it supposed to be this scary? I've sparred with her every week since September, and I can't follow half what she's doing." Kaemon did not actually sound scared, more annoyed.

"She's not showing you techniques, Kaemon," Noriko explained.

"Tactics," Saeryn or Rhys said.

The other twin picked up, "She is demonstrating how to face multiple opponents simultaneously."

"True," Noriko agreed. "Watch how she handles the two aggressors. Distract them with her Bolt Drones, if those fail then she goes with her own buster spells, and finally hand to hand. But whatever she does to them is designed to get them to back off. She is not trying to fight them, she is keeping them out of her way while she tries to take down their leader. Tactics. Focus on the major threat, keep the minor worries busy elsewhere. Either that, or pick off the weaker threats while avoiding the major threat. I would be willing to bet that in China, Laura tried the second option."

"Yeah, she said something like that while we were working on her Cloak of Shades," Allison said. "Personally, I think I'd prefer this tactic. Take down the big fish, the little ones are more likely to scatter."

"There are times when leaving the 'big fish' for last makes sense," Juliet countered. "What if you need him alive? Or if you're trying for a big flashy distraction? What if you aren't sure you can take him?"

"If you aren't sure you can take him, you shouldn't be fighting him," Allison countered, "you should be running." Then she shrugged, "I suppose if, for whatever reason, you can't run and can't fight him, tangling with the little fish would be the smarter way to go. Thing is, that's strictly time-limited. What happens when you're out of little fish?"

"You go down fighting," Kaemon suggested.

"I would suggest, when facing such a battle, that you call for reinforcements," Noriko countered. "That is part of why we are here, after all, to learn how to be each other's reinforcements. Pay attention, though, she almost has the leader down."

Laura's strategy did appear to be paying off, as 'Li' was on the ground in the rubble of a building. The 'subordinates' were at that point falling back from concentrated assault by multiple Bolt Drones. Laura herself was a few feet higher than 'Li', using Escher Step to spin around him while unleashing a hail of punches and kicks. As they watched, the last of the shields she was hitting failed, and lines of white power flowed out of her hands to wrap the simulated mage in a binding. Almost immediately after that, an alarm sounded, and all three enemies vanished in flashes of light, followed a second later by the simulated buildings.

Laura looked distinctly confused for a minute, turning about in mid-air, then shrugged and returned to her audience. "So," she said, "any questions?"

"Yeah," Allison said, "was Noriko right about what you were doing?"

Laura blinked, then cocked an eyebrow at Noriko. "Depends on what she said I was doing." Noriko rolled her eyes, and explained telepathically, to which Laura shrugged. "Yeah, mostly. There's also this, though it's more applicable to the original fight. Odds are meaningless, unless you give them meaning. Three to one, four to one, a million to one, the odds don't matter, not with magic at your back. Magic is too flexible, too powerful, too reliable, for mere odds to sway a battle. A war maybe, a major military assault, sure, but a battle? No. If you think you can take on three to one odds and know what you're doing, then you can. That's what I did in February, that's what I just showed you here, that's what you're going to learn from me. Along with some nasty techniques, hand to hand combat, and some really serious control.

"So, Riko-chan... you ready for round two?"

Noriko sighed, but nodded. "Yes, mostly. What are the rules?"

Laura smirked at her, then turned to the rest. "Pay attention. These are the standard rules whenever any of us spar, no matter the number, no matter how formal. One, nothing fatal. Two, anything else goes." Noriko winced at that, realizing just how relaxed Laura was willing to be, and how far she was planning to go. Laura continued, "Before any of you get all mad at me keep in mind, those are more relaxed rules than Sensei uses with me. She has this extra rule about respecting the teacher and no back-talk. I couldn't care less about that. My version's simpler, so – third rule. If you want to scream at me, punk off to me, or take a swing at me, go right ahead. But there's only one way to be in charge of this class, and that's to take me down in single combat by formal challenge. Clear?"

"Sounds like some sort of old-school trial by combat," Juliet muttered.

"Precisely," Laura agreed. "Don't forget, kiddies, we're here to learn how to engage in battle. That's what I'm going to be teaching you. If one of you can do it better, then you need to be the one up here giving the lectures and what-not. So. Riko-chan?"

Noriko nodded again, jumping off the platform to float out past Laura, "Ready as I'll ever be. Fair warning, though, I am not you. I've only been studying martial arts for a couple of months now."

"Yeah, I know, but you've got all those fancy dancy spells backing you up," Laura countered, floating wide of her, and settling into position. "Though, fair's fair, Riko-chan, take a look at this." She held out both hands in front of her, palms up, "Hicho." A white glow formed above each of her hands, then spread sideways. A second later, a rod of glowing white rested in her hands, capped by a blade the same color. "Isn't he pretty? Some bits from Juliet and Noah, a little sideways thinking, and I've got myself a naginata that won't break, won't get away from me, and won't kill anyone. Like it?"

Noriko looked at it, considering it for a few moments. Then she shook her head, "You and your big sticks, Laura. Sometimes I think you're a boy. Cascade of Spring's Glory." The scattering of petals around her shattered and exploded, swirling up in a moment into a massive cloud, tightly compacted around her. "Whenever you're ready, Laura-chan."

"Allison, call time. Five minutes, no more."

Allison nodded, and flipped her wrist to look at her watch. "Both ready? Go!"

Laura disappeared, mostly, and Noriko reacted defensively. About half of the cloud of petals contracted instantly to a solid sphere around her, while the other half burst away from her, spreading out to fill the area around her for a good twenty meters. That showed her where Laura was, as the petals slipped through Laura's Cloak and still, fuzzily, reported back to Noriko. She shifted stance to face Laura, one fan in lead guard, the other just outside her rear shoulder.

In her eagerness to find Laura, however, she forgot that her friend did not need to attack from her own location. As she was relaxing her shell of petals to turn it towards offense, a Bolt Drone fired on her from behind. A handful of Noriko's petals interposed themselves, failing under the strike but disrupting it enough that it barely kissed her armor. That fist bolt was followed by several more, however, and Noriko had to leave off her thoughts of attack and focus on defense. Between her petals and Senbonzakura's own fans, she was able to avoid or re-direct the bombardment, but lost track of Laura in the process.

Then she noticed a flicker of white and managed to fold at the waist as Laura's energy-naginata flashed past her head. She was halfway through turning around and slashing with one fan before she remembered that, being a good ten meters up, she did not have to worry about hitting the ground, or even standing upright. Then she dropped slightly, before rocketing up, trying to go over where Laura's naginata was on its return swing and get a strike in at Laura. She got nothing but air.

In the two minutes it took Laura to finally pin her to the wall, Noriko realized two things. The first was that, however much she had learned over the summer from Takahata-sensei, she had a lot more to learn about magic battles, things Laura seemed to grasp intuitively. The second was that her petals gave her far more than just all-around view, they let her sense more of what was immediately around her, such as being able to sense them within the vaunted Cloak of Shades.

Laura held her pinned in place, a combination of bindings and naginata, then faded back into view, backed off a bit and grinned, "Sorry 'bout that, 'Riko-chan. You kept surprising me with those petals, took me forever to figure out how to handle them."

"I'm still trying to figure out how you did," Noriko muttered, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck. She could tell she was going to be sore in the morning just form the sparring. She started flying back towards the others, "Concentrating them, dispersing them, nothing worked."

"Actually, they both worked," Laura replied. "Thing is, you were trying to do too much at once. You should have picked one and stuck with it. Either use the petals for defense and Amaterasu for offense, or use the petals for offense and trust to your armor and auto-defense spells. You also still need time to react, once you see something is happening. Your petals let you notice it, but you have to be faster."

They were close enough by then for Juliet to overhear that and comment, "No one's fast enough to keep up with you, Laura."

"Sensei is, Vita-sensei, Hayate-sensei, Zafira-sensei. You don't want to think about how fast the Lieze twins are. Oh, and remember Tai-yu's lecture on Circle magic? How reliable she said her spells are? Sensei had her show me once, and she can throw out a Buster Cannon level strike like blinking. Admittedly, she wouldn't have time to do that more than twice before I was on top of her, but still. Speed isn't just about reflexes. Anyone else notice anything, before I continue?"

"She wasn't very aggressive," Allison commented, "most of what you tried was defensive, Noriko. Is that how you plan to fight, or were you afraid of Laura?"

Noriko thought that over briefly, before admitting, "A little of both. Laura is very capable, and highly unpredictable, so I was cautious, possibly overly so. On the other hand, a solid, steady defense can wear down an energetic assault. Between the tessenjutsu and my Cascade spell, I will probably always be somewhat more defensive than the rest of you."

"There's also this about a defensive stance," Laura continued, "I burned up a lot more energy than she did, even without using any of my cartridges. Any of you try my sort of free-wheeling fast-moving attack on Noriko's defenses, she'd have a fair chance of holding you off until you were tired enough to make a mistake. Her petals aren't the most efficient shield out there, but just like she said last year, she can flip them from defense to offense in an instant. She can also apparently rely on them to handle some of her defense automatically. Now, in detail, here's where I saw problems with Noriko's performance..."

Noriko was a little embarrassed at how frank Laura was in her criticisms and compliments, but she had received harsher comments from Signum, Vita, and Lotte at various times. The only problem was that Laura was not a teacher, but a fellow student and friend. Still, that was what she was here for, and while Laura delivered her comments – more to the others than to Noriko – Noriko prepared her own critique of Laura's approach, and looked over the others.

Well, she thought, at least no one looks scared anymore. They're thinking, good.

00000

Tessai stepped onto the bridge with more than a little nervousness. Aignu was a good commander, and he was both honored and happy to work on her ship. But the past days, since the withdrawal and interdict orders had come in, she had been in just as angry a mood as the rest of them. The briefing she had given the entire crew that morning had been... strained, to put it politely. Tessai himself had heard the worst and gotten over his own initial sense of betrayal, but only he and the Admiral had been privy to those orders prior to the briefing.

Tessai had actually been particularly impressed by Ensign Reian's response, however close the boy had come to being insubordinate. The usually nervous young man had been a little dramatic about it, but when he protested and questioned the orders, reminding all of them of their service oaths to 'defend all against the depredations and damages of uncontrolled magic', he had spoken clearly and directly, and even managed to be polite right up until he walked out. It spoke well for the Ensign's control and confidence that he managed all that in front of so many superior officers and more experienced personnel, even if all of them had been thinking the same things.

He was actually here to speak to her about the Ensign now, and was not looking forward to it. He strolled out to her position, admiring the raised platform's view while he waited for her to acknowledge him. She closed the screen she was working on, turned her head slightly, and gave him a flat look, saying, "Why do I dread the sight of you on my command deck right now?"

"Because you are a wise and insightful woman," he replied with a half-smile. "I'm afraid I have bad news."

"Reian."

Tessai nodded. "When I went to speak to our good Ensign about his behavior this morning, I'm afraid he handed me his resignation. According to him, he 'swore an oath to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and will do that in the Bureau, or in spite of it.' I think his drill sergeant didn't take enough time to knock all the romantic nonsense out of his head before they made him an officer."

Aignu stared at him for a moment longer, then chuckled darkly, leaning back in her chair. "Funny, I was just speaking with Admiral Hallaoun about the Ensign. Apparently, the Admiral is tired of people filing the wrong paperwork for everything, and has demanded that Ensign Reian re-file the correct paperwork to request a leave of absence, and that an admonishment be entered in his personnel file noting poor ability with administrative tasks. Quite the long conversation, for something that he should not even have noticed, don't you think?"

Tessai could almost not believe it. A Sector Operations Commander did not have anything to do with Ensigns, any Ensigns, not even the Ensigns in his own office. For Hallaoun to call Aignu directly, and so quickly, based on what had to be a courtesy copy of Reian's forms, meant any number of things, most of them very dangerous, politically speaking. "He has to realize this is going to explode on him," Tessai commented. "High Command is going to see through this in a heart-beat."

Aignu nodded. "True, but the member worlds may not, and if they do notice, may not comment. Even if the member worlds do see through it, and do call High Command on it, there are several levels of scapegoat available, all the way up to Hallaoun himself. And if they want the 'rogue officers' for some public trial, retrieving the Takamichis, Testarossa, Reian and whoever else pulls this little trick will require a rather serious Bureau intervention on Terra. Serious enough to shut down the entire situation, like we should be doing in the first place. High Command may just let the whole thing slide with some token notes in everyone's files."

Tessai cocked an eyebrow, "How did you know Reian was going to Terra?"

Aignu sniffed, "Don't be insulting. Just because I'm older than you doesn't mean I'm senile. The boy's going to help Hayate, just like we should be doing. I just hope he doesn't get himself killed. Hayate would never forgive herself."

Tessai could understand that, and from the half-amused tone of her voice, thought Aignu might not actually be that unhappy with him. "Well, in that case, ma'am, I suppose I can just skip the report that he'll be teleporting to Terra within the hour. Technically, I suppose, we should stop him to maintain the interdict, but as I recall that does not go into effect for a few hours yet."

"Hmm, not yet, so we can let him go with a clear conscience." Then she smirked up at him, "I've already got Issa down there to get him to sign the right forms this time."

Tessai chuckled, then continued, "So, since you already know that, on to more personal matters." Tapping at an empty clip on his belt, he said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to requisition a new device, ma'am. I seem to have misplaced mine."

Her eyes widened slightly, and her smirk became shocked, "You didn't."

"I'm certain I have no idea what you mean, ma'am," Tessai responded airily, "I simply can't remember where I placed it."

Aignu suddenly began chuckling, almost evilly, then waved at him to lean over. Opening a small screen, she brought up a snapshot of the teleport bay. Reian was already there, personal effects in a carry-all over his shoulder, but there was also a small cargo crate at his feet, and he was reading a hand-written note. Aignu focused the image on the note, and Tessai chocked in surprise.

Ensign Reian,

Deliver the attached case to Yagami-san, with my compliments. Please remind her she is to have the stress-testing and field trials on the new design completed as quickly as possible, with reports and results forwarded to R&D through the usual channels.

Admiral Aignu.

"You didn't."

She chuckled again, and replied, "I'm certain I have no idea what you mean."

"A full crate?"

"Fifty standard devices," she replied, "a new modification the girls in development wanted field-tested, according to Admiral Hallaoun. Where better to field-test them? Too many for her students, but Hayate will find a use for them, I'm sure. I would like to make you a wager, though."

Tessai gave her a questioning look, the asked with some trepidation, "What would that be, ma'am?"

"More than half of your Enforcers probably did the same thing you just did. Met him in the hall, 'tried to talk him out of it', and subsequently 'misplaced' their devices. We may not be as able and willing to walk away from our careers as Reian, but that doesn't mean we won't go as far as we can to help."

"I'll take your bet," Tessai replied, then grinned, "but I say that all my enforcers did the same thing. And if I'm reading the other field commanders, Reian will have company over the next couple days. To be honest, I don't envy Hayate. Her poor kids."

Aignu snorted, "Our poor mages, you mean. I've met some of those little hellions. Our poor mages, indeed."

00000

The machine came from deep in the Ural Mountains, where it had lain secure for centuries, forgotten by all but those who stood guard over it and its ilk. The men who had it now neither knew nor cared about that. Drawn from all over Europe and North Africa, driven from their homes and lives by heretics and the corrupt, all they cared about it was that this device would let them strike directly at the monsters they had trained all their lives to defend against. Some of them were uncomfortable with it, but all recognized that, in times of dire need, only fire could be used against fire.

The machine had arrived shortly after the orders to use it. It was surprisingly small, only slightly larger than a grown man's torso, and light enough to be hollow. Despite its physical dimensions, each of them that had to touch it in maneuvering it off the airplane, onto the cargo truck, or onto the jeep that would deliver it to the target, reported feeling an unpleasant draining sensation. It was better than they had expected from one of the Lord of Light's engines of destruction, but unsettling nonetheless.

Getting it into the back of the jeep was uncomfortable, but once it was loaded, they covered it in camera gear and tarps, then tried to forget about it. The orders had been specific about the operation's timing, and they were ready more than a day ahead of schedule. The two men who would take the engine to the target, selected by lots, remained with the engine, in meditative vigil, while their comrades guarded them.

They knew what the target date was. The 'invitation' from the Containment mages had been delivered to every cell, every faction of the Circles, just as it had been to the corrupt, and the men and women in the shop in Cairo had shared a hearty laugh when they noticed the date on their orders. Just as Hughes was being raked over the coals and forced back to the true path, the Circles would strike and prove that accommodating the heretic was useless or worse.

00000

Hayate was more than happy to see Fate, Nanoha, and Yuuno again, despite the circumstances. None of them had been able to get back to Earth very often, and video-messages were not the same as sitting around talking over tea. What she was not so happy about was Reian's arrival, polite as it was. His appearance at the overlook foreshadowed far too many things for her to be happy about it.

"Chrono won't let the Bureau turn on him," Fate reassured her as they flew up to the overlook to meet him. "And we can use every mage we can get."

"I know," Hayate admitted, "and it's not so much him as what's coming after him. You three could be explained by our long friendships. Reian has never served with any of us. He was still in Bureau training when I retired, for Heaven's sake! He's here strictly because of his view on the situation and his conviction that High Command is wrong. The Bureau won't do anything about one ensign, no, but what happens when half the Enforcers decide he's right, and follow him? Aignu's already passed on information that more Enforcers are asking the same questions he did, and more will reach the same conclusions, especially with his example. The Bureau will have to respond to that, have to take some action, but High Command isn't likely to admit they were wrong in the first place."

Fate shook her head, "I think you underestimate High Command. They have to play politics, but they know the Bureau's purpose. If they were as worried about covering things up, Chrono would already be in trouble, ne? And like I said, we can use every mage we can get."

"I hope you're right about High Command, and wrong about us needing them. But then there's the question of what I'm supposed to do with all of them? I'm a teacher, not a soldier! I'm supposed to be holding classes, worrying about Laura's latest prank, or parental interference. Except everyone seems to think I know how to handle Al Hanthis all by myself."

"It might have to do with you claiming ultimate authority over Terra's mages after China," Fate reminded her with a small smile, "What was it Chrono found in that book... 'She who has the power to destroy a thing, controls that thing.' Since you're the most powerful mage in the area, naturally everyone looks to you for answers."

"I know, I know," Hayate grumbled, "But I'm just supposed to be a teacher now. That's what I want to do! Nothing like this was supposed to happen."

"No, but we do not choose our crises," Fate said, "we can only rise to meet them. This isn't like you, though, Hayate-chan. You're used to be much more certain of yourself."

Hayate grimaced, "I used to have the Bureau's authority and rules backing me up. Here, on Earth, I'm just a teacher with some unique skills. I've been thinking about it since March. I had to do what I did to protect my kids, but what right do I have to do it? Now there's this, and everyone is either blaming me for it, or expecting me to fix it in the blink of an eye. But I don't have the Bureau, I don't have any authority to do what everyone expects me to, so how can I do it? How can I do anything?"

Fate shrugged, "I'm not sure, myself. But you do remember the third rule of command, don't you?"

"I remember the first two," Hayate replied, "never give an order that won't be obeyed, and never assume you planned for everything."

"Number three is, lead, and others will follow," Fate told her. "Ever since I took command of the Asura, Chrono and I have been talking about command and leadership, where it comes from, how to use it. Given how we became officers, no one ever really taught any of us, but there are books out there, even here on Earth. From what Chrono and I could tell, it really all boils down to rule number three. People are social animals, pack animals. They want someone to lead, not necessarily to tell them what to do all the time, but someone to give the pack direction, stability. If you lead, people will follow, sometimes only because you are leading." Fate chuckled, then continued, "Of course, then there's rule number four, a corollary to rule three – give orders, even if you don't know what to do."

"That sounds rather dangerous," Hayate replied, "going off in random directions like that."

"Hmmm, yes, but the point is, whatever authority you might have or might not have is immaterial. Either you lead, or someone else will. Nanoha or I would be willing, but the Terrans all know you, and you know them. I know you don't want to, but if you don't take command of the situation, of the response, then the Circles will. You know how they'll respond, they've been doing it since last winter."

Hayate shivered at that, recognizing it as true, having realized it herself, but hearing it laid out like that was depressing, terrifying. "I know you're right," she admitted, "but I don't have to like it."

Fate actually chuckled at that, "You wouldn't be you if you did like it. But for now, here's our wayward ensign."

Reian was standing at a somewhat stiff parade rest, doing a credible job of watching them without looking like it. There was a Bureau-issue cargo crate at his feet, and he was still in uniform, but looked distinctly nervous. He almost saluted as they landed, hesitated, then tried to imitate a Japanese bow.

"Hello, Ensign," Hayate told him, "relax, you don't have anything to worry about."

He grinned sheepishly, "I kind of doubt that, ma'am. Admiral Aignu may have let me slide, but..." He trailed off, then shrugged. It was patently obvious he expected to be seriously punished for being here, and Hayate wished she could promise he would not be.

"The Bureau won't trouble you here," she said instead. "But we need to talk, before you come down to the campus."

"I understand, ma'am."

"Hmm, I don't doubt that," Hayate murmured.

"I'm curious," Fate asked first, "about what, precisely, you think you're going to accomplish here?"

Reian flinched slightly at that, but answered, "Ma'am, I came to offer whatever assistance I can in preventing a repetition of the Al Hazred disaster, or Terra's own cataclysm. I know Miss Yagami's record and reputation with the Bureau, and thought she could use some help."

"You realize that may be 'nothing'? We are not exactly overflowing with resources here."

Reian nodded again, "I'm aware, ma'am. I thought I could help with that, even if I'm not A rank yet, and even if all we do is protect the school, it's a better answer to my service oath than sitting in orbit watching."

"You'll follow orders? Just being here, you're technically insubordinate. Whatever we do, we cannot be worrying that you'll turn around when things get tough."

"I'm not going to run away, Admiral," Reain answered, "I am here to fulfill my responsibilities as a Bureau officer, and I will not shirk that duty. I will follow your orders, and Lady Yagami's and Admiral Takamichi's."

Hayate took the next question with a slight gesture, "What about my kids? Will you have any reservations working with them?"

Reian hesitated before answering, looking a little confused. "Um, not that I can think of, ma'am, I would be happy to help with classes."

Fate actually chuckled at that, "Classes? You think Hayate's kids are going to study when there's trouble to be found?"

"While she is being a little dramatic about it," Hayate interrupted, "Fate is mostly right. I will be including my kids in most of our plans. For simple manpower, yes, but also to try and keep them out of trouble. I made the mistake last year of thinking I could shelter them, but they are all too... independent... for such methods to work. So whatever we do about Al Hanthis, the children will be part of it. Will that be a problem, Reian?"

He hesitated again, but only briefly before shaking his head, "No, ma'am, none that I can think of off hand, but I don't know any of them..."

"You'll get to meet them in the morning," Hayate told him. "For now, come along. We can set you up for now in my house."

"If we get any more volunteers, we may want to think about freeing up a wing of the dorms," Fate advised.

"Already doing so," Hayate replied. "I think we'll clear out the rear half of the boys' wing. They won't mind the move as much, and they'll get to feel like they're protecting the girls from any risk with the volunteers. Which just leaves keeping the girls from trying something to protect the boys from the volunteers. Sometimes I regret picking such exemplary students – even when they're doing what I want, they're doing too much of it.

"Reian, I'm going to be going to talk to the Circles tomorrow. Nanoha, Signum, Vita, Laura and the Marterosian twins will be going with me. Fate will remain here with Zafira, the Lieze twins, Shamal, Tai-yu, Noriko, Yussef, and you."

Fate picked up, "We will be responsible for safeguarding the campus against any threat, and moving in to rescue Hayate if something goes wrong at the meeting. There will not be any formal classes tomorrow, but the students will be working on building their devices. You'll stand watch with those of us not keeping an eye on the students. If anything happens, stick close to Zafira, he'll need the backup. Here's hoping it stays quiet until she gets back."

00000

pfeil: While it's going to be somewhat peripheral, Chrono's troubles at the Bureau are going to be quite explosive.

MissGardenia: Thank you for all the compliments, I'm glad you're enjoying it. To be honest, I write fanfiction mostly as an excuse to use my characters. It's worlds I have trouble with, though I'm working on it. May even post it one of the decades:). As far as the 'shipping war' around Nanoha, I like both sides – call it neutral ground. But for this series, the Nanoha/Yuuno pair worked too well after the events of Path of Vengeance. Maybe one day I'll do a different story that's Nanoha/Fate, but I'll probably be distracted before then. I've found that I can't drum up the interest in StrikerS to actually sit down and watch all of it, so I'm afraid the Saint Church won't be showing up. Call them 'busy with other concerns', though from what I've read elsewhere, they should be interested in several of the students. Regarding shipping the students, I was trying for Allina and Niranjana, but the Laura/Noriko one was... unintended. Didn't even notice it until you suggested it (so much for my omniscience). Regarding your second post, I am passing familiar with the mage-ranks, and generally figured officers will be higher ranked (Reian is B+ in my notes, for instance, despite being an ensign less than a year out of Bureau training). The kids have never been through any sort of Bureau-style evaluation and ranking, but would score high. As for getting them well-rounded, that's why they're in school:). Again, thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you continue to enjoy.

MaZe-Pallas: Kriegsen and Chrono are both devious, in their own ways, but neither is finished yet. Fixed the error you noted, Hughes has never been anywhere near Al Hanthis (luckily for him). Glad you're enjoying the story so far, and thanks for the review!

Kell Shock: Kriegsen's smart, but not omniscient. He probably has some leeway in his plans for minimal 'leakage' from the Bureau, but what and how you'll have to wait and see. To be honest, Kriegsen couldn't care less about Nanoha and co – he wants Takashi, and Hayate because she is Takashi's 'heir'. As for Szash's targets, you've guessed incorrectly, but I won't say about which of the three until a little later. Thanks for the review!

Advent000: I'm curious, which part of the crystals was interesting – using them for data transfer, or Sash's switch maneuver? If the first, I claim no credit but blame Stargate and about half the sci-fi movies and books out there these days. As to the second, sleight-of-hand data-theft is always fun, and someplace as politicized as Al Hanthis should be used to it. The real question is, how much of that maneuver does Yosho know about? Regarding the three students, based on Gali's comments, they probably just want to offer the three loving homes and families... and if you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you:). Read on and see.