THE OTHER SIDE PART 1: RELAXATION
As they passed through the Gate, Princess Piña and the other Falmarians, Rory included, watched in awe as they exited the portal and saw skyscrapers towering above them as
colorful advertisements and news reports played out on large holographic screens.
"...Only for the low, LOW price of 200 yen!"
"Reports of flying saucers and UFOs have reached an all-time high, the military claims it as 'prototype' testing..."
They went through more various inspections, but soon they got the all clear, as the Sudden Transports took on the appearances of everyday civilian vehicles:
As it turns out, the Emperor would have to go to France to attend a meeting with the UN regarding the Special Region, which means the Princess couldn't have picked a better time to go visit the other side of the Gate in the pursuit of peace.
They had about a day to relax before they would have to take a flight to the said meeting.
This was the calm before the storm.
A storm that would tear through the wallets of many!
As for the Princess and her knights, they were on their way to visit Emperor Tatsu.
Meanwhile with the other girls...
"Myuaaaao!"
"These dresses are so pretty!"
Miraculously avoiding the swarm of news reporters (mainly because of the presence of armed guards, including Kelvin. Or maybe it was Rory's axe.)as they went through a local shopping district, as Special Region girls gawked and stared at the marvelous wonders of technology.
As mentioned before, it was starting to take a toll on their bank accounts. And even worse, Itami had to carry it all.
Fortunately, Myuu had opted to carry her new teddy bear.
And what could possibly be even better?
Itami met up with his ex-wife, Risa Aoi, whom he had married after graduating the Ginza Veteran Academy.
"WHAAAAAAAAT?!"
Shino collapsed on the ground, foaming wildly at the mouth, writhing in confusion and denial. Clearly, there was something about Itami that yelled "LOSER", yet here he was, revealing that he was both a Ranger and amember whom graduated from a Veteran Academy. And was married, nonetheless!
Apparently, he had managed to talk his way through, having told the supervisor something about how if they got rid of one slacker, another would take it's place.
And the marriage? Well, it was mostly out of convenience, Itami provided Risa with financial support, which he still continues to do even after they divorced.
That's actually pretty nice of him.
Meanwhile, unnoticed by them, someone took cover in an alleyway.
"Master Yuri, the Apostle of Emroy has been spotted."
"Good. I want her neutralized or captured soon."
Meanwhile with the Princess and her knights...
Piña looked around at her somewhat unusual surroundings.
Part of mostly paper and wood, which seemed to have quite an artistic feel to it. In front of where they sat, was fairly large pond, filled with fish whose color seemed to range from gold, orange, to even white, and occasionally, a mixed pattern of the two.
Of course, there was a fairly strong military force present, but it seemed to blend in rather well.
The 'wall' next to her opened, and the rather young-looking Emperor Tatsu walked out, and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, princess. We do have much to talk about. But first, would you like some of our finest tea?"
[Falmar]
Prince Zorzal wasn't very happy.
His current slaves were starting to lose their value, but unfortunately for him, someone had bought just about every single slave on the market.
Who could possibly need so many mistresses? And who even buys male slaves anymore!?
[Earth]
A full day of fun and relaxation has passed. Tuka, Lelei, and even Rory enjoyed modern day shopping, proving that even when they're from another world, women LOVE to shop.
Who doesn't love shopping?
As for the princess, she had been surprised many times during her time with the Emperor, for he was both the honorable and wise type, yet he also seemed to treat her more like a close friend than royalty. He had even given her a beam sword, the hilt of which could transform into a bracelet with various functions, such as radio communications, and even a simple watch.
The Emperor had told her that even if they went to war with her father's Empire, she'd always be welcome to come back anytime. After that, they went their separate ways to prepare for the meeting in London.
[Somewhere in Ukraine, in a TSU base...]
"Alright, we only have ONE shot at this. We HAVE to get across the border."
"Lady Sovi, how are we gonna do that?!"
"Easy." This "Sovi" person turned around, looking up at a large Harbinger Gunship covered in crude red platings (and lots of duct tape). Crudely painted in white on the fuselage was "Old 666", which had a cartoonish skull drawn next to it. Several engineers were busy, welding parts together.
The top part where the Collider Cannon's generators where located were cut out due to intensive damage, replaced with a large tesla-like device.
"We take this, and we hope we make it."
"And if we don't?"
"Well...then 'Old 666' can add another war story to its collection."
Sovi turned around, to see a familiar over-sized figure, holding the hand of a young-looking emotionless female whom floated alongside her. Her good friend...er...lesbian lover, Apocolyptia, whom was just a normal-sized female walking around in a giant suit of armor.
"Apoc...how did you...?"
"I punched the weird thing on her back until she stopped trying to stab me. Good thing the clones can't terminate themselves."
"I still...I still think I hate you." The young girl in question muttered, her voice devoid of emotion, but still filled with a sense of uncertainty.
"Anyways, Sovi, you better make it, otherwise, we're gonna have a few things to discuss in the afterlife~" The tall one "threatened", making 'grabby' hand gestures. Libra clones are quick to recognize lewdness.
"Duly noted, dearie. Anyways, I want you to keep working on finding where this "Dragon lady" is being held."
The next day, The 3RT boarded an airplane to London, which made several stops to refuel as it had to go around the Russian regions.
Other than a few A-10 sightings and the occasional turbulence, the flight remained mostly uneventful, a nice change of pace from the fighting that they had just went through.
Of course, being a VIP flight, they were spared of the curse of airline food. Somehow. Not that I would know what it tastes like, mind you.
And thus, part one ended.
Author's notes
Haha, two part event! So cool, right?
Old 666 is a reference to a real life Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress of the same name, one that was said to be cursed as it had always come home with heavy battle damage, and so Captain Zeamer, unable to acquire a fresh bomber, pulled Old 666 out of the ' boneyard', changed the number of guns from 13 to 19, and set out on the more suicidal missions.
One of it's many tales is the story of when Old 666 went out on a mapping mission, alone, and encountered at least seven Japanese Zeros, and successfully, yet barely, fought them off until the hostile pilots ran low on fuel. Two members, captain Zeamer and a gunner, Sarnoski, were rewarded the Medal of Honor, the latter posthumously, for their bravery, and for risking their lives in such a critical mission.
Old 666 wasn't called that because it was cursed, it's serial number was 41-2666. Spooky.
Anyways, see you in part two!