Shirogane Takeru
December 11, 2001
Shirogane's room
Shake, shake. Shake, shake.
Maybe if I hit them really hard on the head, this'll stop.
"Wham!" Jumping out of my bed while shouting a sound effect, I chopped whoever was annoying me to no end.
"Agaaa." That was about right, Kasumi backed off and rubbed the point of impact on her head.
"Aaaawa! Takeru-chan! That was super mean!" And one for the supercomputer as well.
"Owieeee!" Sumika rolled around on my floor, holding her round top with her cute palms.
"That was fun."
"It wasn't."
—
"Let's get ready then, what're you two waiting for?" After dressing myself, washing my face and checking my hair. I was set for a new day.
"Owi… so mean… why do you always treat me like this, Takeru-chan!?"
"Hum… don't know. You're just so punchable, things happen, you know?" Sumika puffed her cheeks out to show the pent up frustration.
"Mou… whatever. More importantly, have you felt anything weird these days?" Catching me by surprise, Sumika asked an unusual question.
"Weird? Give me an example."
"Umm… I'm not too sure how to say it though… like, have you had nightmares or anything similar happening lately?" That was quite the trigger word for me. As if Sumika knew exactly what I was suffering from the past few days, she pinpointed my recent distress with ease.
"Yeah, actually. I have been having nightmares and the like for a few days now. Well, not really nightmares, more like just old memories resurfacing. None of these happened in my past loops which just makes things stranger."
"I knew it. What about you, Kasumi-chan?"
"Me too, I'm have memoires of things I can't remember doing. It was probably from before we were able to retain our memories." Sumika nodded in agreement.
"I'm a bit worried, Takeru-chan. Your Causality status isn't right. It's… like you're slowly turning into 'not Takeru-chan' anymore."
"…What…?" I stared at her blindly in response to a made up word.
"This should be happening to everyone else as well. Their old memories could be coming back."
"…Okay? So what does that mean?" This woman just makes no sense from time to time.
"I don't know too well myself. None of this had been happening before and I can't do anything about it. Just watch out for yourself, okay?"
"Alright, if my spidey sense tingles. I'll let you know." A short chuckle later, Sumika linked her arms around my neck and kissed me gently.
"Be safe, okay?"
"Huh, don't worry about it." I smiled softly at her tender reminder. We shared another kiss before Sumika let me go.
"Me too, Takeru-san." Carrying a soft blush along, Kasumi reached out her hands as well.
"You asked." Instead of mildly pecking her lips, I seized Kasumi's hands above her head and forcefully tongued her depths.
"Oooo, Takeru-chan…" Sumika watched excitingly off to the side, a little blush over her adorable face.
"M-mwwaa… Ta-Takeru-san… stop…" Squeezing out some lines of pleading between ragged her breaths, Kasumi flustered hot red in matter of seconds. But our period of fondness protracted much longer than that.
"There you go, happy now?" The bunny girl finally regained her freedom after many seconds. She slid down on the ground slowly from the loss of strength in her legs.
"…That was mean, Takeru-san. I have to change my panties now." Kasumi said with unfocused eyes as if she was staring into the void.
"Huh…? Hahaha! …!" I burst out full laughter at her shameless declaration. Dirty Kasumi was the best Kasumi.
"Eh…? Why…?" Sumika undeniably wasn't innocent enough to misinterpret her lines, which led me to the conclusion that she just couldn't accept reality.
"It got wet." Sumika's expression was pure gold that I have trouble describing it in words.
"Hahahaha! We'll continue at night, okay?"
"Okay." Seeing Kasumi talk dirty was a true rarity these days. Below her pure illusion of a young girl was another more mature side of her that I undoubtedly corrupted.
Briefing room
"Nice uniforms, right? I think they look great for the all of you." The crew gathered for our morning roll-call in the same briefing room we always used.
Each of them donned the official officer suit instead of the cadet uniforms. In comparison, I valued the officer uniform higher than the cadet's. Since it just beams off an aura of professionalism.
"Indeed, I feel much more adequate bearing this clothing."
"I know, right? It just feels so right!" The amount of the word 'right' was too damn high.
"…Good taste." So more comments fired out before the team ceased their chattering for me to resume.
"Alright, bitches. Listen up!" Murderous intents, murderous intents everywhere.
"Today is the official day we form our new team. I'll just be blabbering here for the whole day so you girls better not let me catch you snoozing." Having to go over all the knowledge stuff again was such a drag. Being the squad leader had its moments, but now wasn't one of them.
"Yesterday I briefly went over the unit structure and all that stuff. So I'm going to explain everything better now. Publically, we're the 13th Squadron of A-01, but that's only the surface of the truth. We're an independent specialized covert unit working for the completion of Alternative IV."
"…Alternative IV? Is that what you told us before the coup?" Class rep's natural question reminded me again of the pain in teaching others.
"Right… got to explain all this first… Sumika, you want to try?"
"Okay!"
—
"You're useless, woman. Get off." If someone understood Sumika's nonsense, their future in a mental asylum is unavoidable.
"Aaa! That's really not nice, Takeru-chan!"
"…I can't even… just shut up, stupid. Picking up from where Sumika's dumbass left off. Alternative IV currently is the only project of its kind in progress and thus…"
—
"We're all clear then, any questions?" The silence over the room meant that all the girls understood enough of my explanation to not be confused. Alternative IV was a simple enough plan without discussing the details.
"So back to us. Like I said, independent unit. We operate off the record with the right to intervene in any conflict as long as it relates to Alternative IV. Shout out to the Vice-Commander, by the way. She hooked us up with this much power, so we better not let her down, you all hear?"
"Yes, sir!" A nice response echoed a little in the room.
"What else, what else. I'll go over the TSFs we'll be using from now on. With the exception of Meiya and my own units. Everyone else will be using Type-94 Shiranui, as you're should know by now. Also, 'team specific TSF' here, Meiya and I." My hand was out-reached to high-five her.
"Ahh… I just clap your hand, right?"
"Yep, like what we did during the exercise." She hesitantly stretched her arm and clapped mine with a jumbled façade. The others just watched us with dead eyes until our little session was over.
"Nicely done. Moving on now, I'm assuming we all know about the TSF squadron organization and roles. But since we're a special unit and all, I'm changing some of the jobs around." Opening the screen behind me, it showed a fine listing of everyone and their assigned duty.
"Going from the front to be back. We have Meiya, Storm Vanguard-1. Carrying a gun, two swords, two knives and a Supplementary Armour. That's a very coveted title, you bear the most risk but is also the most trusted member."
"Yes, sir. I will not fail my team." She seriously saluted me, which only got laughed off with a wave.
"Next, I'll be Strike Vanguard-1. And before anyone asks, no! I'll not be Gun Interceptor because that crap is boring as hell. My TSF can hold up to six different weapons so I'll just double down on the assault rifles. I don't have a shield which is fine either way." Some chuckled a bit when others sighed at my usual behaviour.
"After that is Gun Sweeper, which will be Kasumi here. She has been granted the usage of additional Mount Pylons for her personal fighting style. Normally Gun Sweepers have four rifles, however, Kasumi'll take eight of these pew-pews. Don't question it."
"We'll have Class rep play the role of Gun Interceptor. The most boring one, a gun, and sword, a shield and two knives. Since she used to be the old squad leader, she'll be in the best position in case of emergency."
"Wait, Takeru. Basing this on rank, shouldn't Sumika be the Gun Interceptor? Since she is a First Lieutenant and higher in rank than I am." Another great point by Class rep, I decided now wasn't the time to reveal everything just yet.
"No, Sumika's too stupid to have a real role, she'll just be the wildcard here."
"Hey! Why you so mean to me all the time, Takeru-chan!?" Sumika's complaint was filed to the wrong superior.
"Shut up, woman. Unfortunately, we don't have enough numbers for an Impact Guard so Tama will be promoted directly to Rush Guard. You'll get a support assault rifle and two actual rifles along with the normal knives." Tama enthusiastically nodded at my order.
"Ayamine here will be… actually, let's make her a Gun Interceptor as well. You have to work with Class rep for the rest of your life. Oohhh noooo~!" I flailed my arms a bit like a crazy person.
"Ayamine requesting permission to shoot Class rep in the back." She raised her hand high and asked.
"What! Stop saying such nonsensical stuff and focus, Ayamine!"
"Approved, double points for tapping that ass." Since Class rep couldn't do anything to me, she moved over and pretend-strangled the joker.
"Finally, Mikoto. You'll be the Blast Guard, the one with the missiles and all that good stuff. The Autonomous Multi-Purpose Missile System; that thing looks ugly as hell, but big explosives come out of it so it's not too bad. Other than that, a gun, a shield and two knives will be your inventory."
"What if we don't use the missiles, Takeru!?" As hyped up as ever, Mikoto did bring up a good point.
"We'll have you switch for an extra gun and sword, nothing fancy."
"Now is the time for questions, anyone got any?" The screen behind me reviewed what I explained again to further hammer home their roles.
"So what will Sumika-san be piloting?" Tama asked first.
"I don't care, really. What do you want, Sumika?"
"Em… I'm not really sure. Maybe just the typical loadout?" I applied my palm directly to forehead.
"We'll… figure that out later. Probably in the simulator or something. Anyway, for the next topic, I'll go over the cause to our possible extinction; the BETA, that is."
—
"First, we have hives. The BETA's fortresses. A hive is a forward base established at the point where a BETA spaceship or landing unit, if you want to call it that; impacted." I clicked on the computer for a new image to materialized behind me.
My lesson was going relatively well, teaching everyone all the knowledge needed in such a short time could be a bit of a starch. However, we did not have the leisure to diddle daddle around the shop.
"The aboveground portion is called the Monument, the underground portion called the stab. After landing, the BETA digs their way around the place and expands both structures. Next for the phases of the hives." Some girls were writing down my every word in their notepads while the ones that didn't listened intensely.
—
"To summarize, all hives on earth are part of the first six phases. There all three main parts of the hive structure, the Monument, the Stab and the Main Shaft. At the very center of the hive is their reactor, think of it as the heart of said hive. We get rid of it, we win. Any questions?"
"How much hives are on earth in total?" Class rep inquired about a meaningful subject.
"Twenty-six. Two in Japan, three in China; Mongolia, Burma, India, Iran, Iraq, Finland, Belarus, Hungary, France and South Korea each have one. Kazakhstan got two and Russia with the winning number of nine." This basic information was painted in my head long ago.
"…Two? Don't we only have the one in Sado?" The follow up by Class rep reminded me of a detail.
"Nah, second one's in Yokohama. Thirty-three floors under us."
"…" Now for the shock to sink in, about five seconds should be good…
"EEEEHHHH?!" Everyone almost jumped out of their skins from that super surprise, Sumika and Kasumi were still acting normal though.
"No joke, we're sitting on one. I know you all got questions and stuff but most of this is all classified. Just know that it's safe until Sadogashima goes down, won't have a problem before that, I promise." Taking my vow at face value, the girls settled down and found their composure.
"That's it of the questions? Good. The upcoming class is about the species actually living in these hives. Fifteen minutes break, don' t be late."
—
"All the intelligence we have on the different strains of BETA are from Alternative II. While there are many species, it's these seven that we have to watch out for. Shout out to the past Eishis who passed on their experience in dealing with each of these seven BETA species."
The room was emptied of any sound other than my sole voice. The girls listened with absolute attention, knowing that everything I teach here will be of uttermost importance.
"This is the good part, I'll teach everyone about the seven strains and tactics on fighting them." The slide altered itself once again as my next lesson begun.
"First, we got ourselves the laser strains which ruined humanity's concept of aerial combat. This is the small guy, we call it 'Lux'. And, ahaha… you know what? Kasumi, do you want to give this a shot?" Finding it difficult to explain all the species of BETA without cracking too much jokes, I passed the teaching role to Kasumi instead.
"3 meters tall, 1.2 meters long and 1.6 meters wide. The Laser-class BETA are the smaller Laser strains. They're weak to 36mm and can be killed easily. But their laser is a threat to TSFs and tanks, like aircraft…" The Russian girl was doing just fine going over the details of each and every species of BETA without my help.
"Oh, by the way. Let me explain the things like the Laser Hazard region Warnings and Laser Exposure Warnings."
—
"So to shorten my points, your XM3 allows you to bypass the automatic evasive system. However, if you don't have a planned course in mind while overriding the protocol, your ass is just going to be fried to a crisp which leads to a very embarrassing letter home. As we mostly will be operating in teams, data link will paint your threats for others to shoot at; saving you in the process. That's why trust between the Eishi in a given unit can determine the outcome of battle. You got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, let's continue the lecture. Before that though, someone pass me a chair, I'm tired."
—
"And that's it for the Laser-class. While they sound like the most dangerous dudes on paper, the reality is that the BETA just Zerg Rush everything to shit with their sheer quantities. Which, is their number one advantage over us the humans."
"You all should understand that by now, remember yesterday? When the crab looking guys and the triangles just wouldn't stop coming. That's your life now." Although the subject was a solemn one, my team still had some light hearted laughs at my below average jokes.
"In conclusion. When we're taking on a hive, we blow away the Laser-class first for aerial bombardment. Then we clean up the stragglers, got that?"
"Yes, sir." The crew was quite intrigued by my presentation. I had nothing against their focus so the lesson continued on without interruption.
"Let me talk about all the other strains in detail now— oh, we're actually cutting into lunch break pretty soon, you girls want some food first?" No one replied to the opportunity at early dismissal.
"Then we'll continue, other strains… other strains…"
—
"These three are like the main anti-TSF classes. Grappler-Class will snatch you up, the Destroyer-Class will ram you down and the Fort-Class will just stab you or something. If you're out there, make sure to remember the proper steps in dealing with each of these guys. Don't let up just because their long range attack is gone. Kasumi, keep going."
"These are the smaller species, infantry units are capable of killing them. First is Tank-class, actually I kinda lied earlier; Tank-class have the highest K.D out of every species, for a super simply reason. Look at this." The projector lid up again to display an easy pie chart.
"…45 percent… of Tank-class." Meiya muttered on instinct when the numbers show up.
"…That is a lot."
"Indeed a lot, girls. Compared to Laser, Heavy Laser and Fort which are only 3 percent combined. You should have a good idea of the numbers we'll be dealing with."
"Then let's go in the specifics."
—
"Lastly, the Soldier-Class, 2.3 meters tall, 1.2 meters long and 1.4 meters wide. They're the smallest strain of BETA…"
"Though the Soldier-Class are the weakest. Never take them lightly, they have a tendency to be very good at sneaking up on people; I experienced that personally. On the other hand, if you have to face one solo; as long as you're armed, you should be fine. I killed one with a single knife just for fun yesterday, it wasn't that fun."
"Ehh? You really did that yesterday, Takeru-san?" Tama sounded excited from my action.
"Wasn't that entertaining, 5 out of 7." I got some strange looks for using a weird scale but I paid them no mind.
"Anyway, let's take a break. We've been in session for six hours now, didn't even eat lunch." A short moment of quietness filled the classroom. We sat around for some time, not really knowing what to do next.
"Say, Takeru. When you first faced the BETA, what was it like?" Meiya asked me after we relaxed a bit.
"I got scared, just like the rest of you. That day was much like yesterday, my team was out doing an exercise. The BETA jumped us, we took heavy casualties because no one had real ammo. I lost my instructor that day too…" The tragic days were behind me, never to be repeated again.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"But all this is in the past. As the commander of the Archangels, I will watch the back of each and every one of you here. And I trust you all to watch mine. Unlike other units, you girls saw the horror of combat first hand yesterday. Don't try and forget your fear, embrace it."
"You have lots of edges compared to any other training squad on this base. We're an elite team, girls; we're going to be the best unit of this world one day. Everyone here, all together." A single hand raised in the air, mine. It didn't have any symbol, really. Yet, that was fine too, as long as our goals are the same, we will never fail anything again, I will not permit it.
"Yes, sir!" The girls shouted righteously in unison, their faces beaming with hope and courage. It was the confident look of a person knowing the unfavourable future, but still chose to bear the burden of traversing such a path.
PX
"One Yakisoba, please." With the ticket in hand, Ayamine begged me for her most preferred food.
"I got you covered." I left my seat to fetch Ayamine's food for her.
—
"Ahaaa… such a looooong lesson!"
"Do not complain about needed education, Yoroi. It is our duty to understand our enemy to the best of our ability."
"Still, Takeru-san kept the class going… like forever! I got really hungry around 3 O'clock. Hehe."
"Can't help it, we agreed to skip lunch and take the class instead. Takeru had to miss his meal as well."
"Good guy squad leader."
—
"Ayamine! Fetch!" A long distance throw came sailing from my side of the PX to the table where the squad sat. Like the good pet she was, Ayamine jumped out of her seat and caught the Yakisoba bread with only her mouth.
"What…?" I was greeted with glares of confusion and disrespect upon my return.
"Takeru… you… such arrogance…"
"Takeru-chan always acts like this… but it was still super mean!"
"Takeru-san, why?" The criticism was just raining down with no gap for me to escape.
"Takeru… good throw." At least Ayamine admired my delivery.
"That's better, now who's a good doggi— girl. Who's a good girl now?"
"Go kill yourself." Didn't admire it very long, I noticed.
—
"We'll go over TSF specs, history and settings tomorrow. Although we know about most of these things in training class, I still have to remind you all. However there is some good news with that, we'll be taking our new TSFs out for a spin in town, just because we can." Getting them used to the Shiranui as soon as possible was the best course of action.
"Really!? That's amazing, Takeru-san!"
"True that, those units are fresh out of the factory with your accumulated data from the XM3 already transferred over. On that note, the XM3 we'll be using is a specialized vision exclusively tuned for A-01. It'll be different from the mass-produced vision and our old concept vision." I got Yuuko-sensei to make some upgrades for our XM3 now that we were an official unit.
"Reeallly!? The benefit of being a special unit is so great!"
"That's sooo awesome!" Tama and Mikoto both expressed their joy.
"There shouldn't be any inconstancy between the different OS, only an improvement in efficiently."
"Are you sure about going right to piloting? Shouldn't we practice more in the simulators?" A logical question for Class rep.
"I believe actual pilot time is more important than simulation time Also since they'll be renovating both the pods and JIVES for our TSFs, we can now simulate BETA attacks no matter the condition." That was another big favour from sensei, she cooperated nicely thanks to my charms.
"Such advancements… you are viewing us quite highly, are you not?"
"That's because I believe in this team, Meiya. And it's not only me who sees great potential in us. The Vice-commander and the general also think of us as a very capable unit." Meiya nodded in silence, she must had also understood how reputable we were.
"For our outing tomorrow we'll be carrying live rounds and weaponry, so just be careful, alright?"
"Wait, isn't that like, really dangerous!?" Always got to be a party-pooper, that Class rep.
"The weapon system will be locked unless I say otherwise. Don't worry too much, Class rep, you're not the leader anymore." Dejected by my rejection, Class rep shot me a disappointed glare before focusing back on her food.
"Alright, once we're done here. We'll be dismissed for today."
Kouzuki Yuuko's office
"Updates, sensei?" I took my regular seat on the sofa as per habit.
"You're late, I was about to go to bed." Couldn't argue with the clock, the current time was eleven at night. A time when the good children were wandering in their dreamland.
"Look, things happen. What do you want to tell me?"
"First, how was leading your own independent unit?"
"I would tell you after we break some rules. Haven't done that yet." Yuuko-sensei slipped in her chair and laughed.
"Guess that's true. Another topic then, your weapon system from Boening arrived."
" Oh, sweet. What did they bring?" A PDA was thrown like a Frisbee by sensei to me, she should seriously consider taking better care of military properties.
"Eight sets of XAMWS-24 rifles, XCIWS-2B Melee Halberd and LCIWS-1C daggers. As for your attachments: four sets of multi-purpose Blade Sheath, universal YF-23 Mount Pylon, Pratts & Witney YFE119-PW-100 Jump units and extra ankle blades."
To a normal person, what sensei described was probably total nonsense. Nevertheless, the gist of it was that my new frame was super awesome, pimped out with the best our technology could offer.
"Hehehe, can't believe the Americans just handed over their good stuff so easily. They really want these Russian twins or whatever."
"No doubt, if they're willing to trust us with this gear. The Scarlet twins must be worth more than this." It didn't matter to me since I don't have a Russian fetish, not counting Kasumi, of course.
"Then I have some cool stuff to show off tomorrow. Nice, nice."
"That was great news so this won't be, Shirogane. The head officer from PROMINENCE will be coming over tomorrow, she'll be checking Alternative IV's progress for the Ministry of Defence as well as delivering us the railguns. Here's her file." A document folder was sent soaring through the air this time.
"Let's me see here, Fudai household vassal of the Honour Guards: First Lieutenant… Takamura…? Yui… okay." And the file that never nagged my curiosity was tossed to the side without any caution.
"You seriously don't care, Shirogane?"
"Nah, just some Japanese princess whose entire live is set by her family name. I don't like people who can't adapt to this changing world. Pretty face, but doesn't interest me in the slightest." I may have met her during my days in Yukon, or maybe I didn't.
"If you say so. Strange, and here I thought you tap all the girls around you." Now that was just offensive.
"If they're free, I'll do it. However, NTRing some poor guy isn't my hobby. Although, I'm also sure that I can change her opinion given enough time, huhuhu." My evil giggle was brushed aside by a not-so-impressed Yuuko-sensei.
"Well, the operation for the DIA will be next week. If your team is ready, we can launch you sooner; if you, you are ready that is." It took me a couple of seconds to pick up her undertone.
"We're not ready to go just yet, anything else?"
"Not really, go have some fun, Captain. The real battle will begin before you know it."
"Don't worry, I definitely know it."
December 12, 2001
Hiiragi ruins
"—Sumika, you step on this, you ain't going to be able to pay for it." The source for my warning was due to Sumika's Shiranui almost stepped on my Arondight.
"—Araa, I'll be careful." Such an idiot, this girl. But that's what I love most about her.
The squadron stood around outside in their various TSFs with no target to engage. This might appear to be nothing but a waste of military funds on the surface; however, it actually was nothing but a waste of military funds. Except for a short mission requested by headquarters, we had no reason to be running around in the city.
"—So why exactly are we out here again?" Class rep questioned my command almost immediately.
"Oh… shit. I forgot to tell you girls." Even without looking, I already knew Class rep sighed while faceplaming yet again.
"That's okay though, we still have lots of time. We're here to escort the 211th Flying Crops who'll be delivering some armaments for the Ministry of Defense, the content is classified so don't even ask. It won't be a fun mission, we'll just be guiding them to the airstrip in three hours, that's it."
"Ehh… that's just boring." Sumika had the bravery to complaint about my order.
"I'm gonna ignore her and start the class. As a covert unit, we have no restriction when it comes to our TSFs, exhibit A and B; me and Meiya, right here. So that means if you find another TSF you somehow can use, go ahead." My machine signalled for Meiya to pilot hers beside mine.
"All of our frames are third gen. I could go in detail about your Shiranui's history, but that's what history books are for." The rest of my squad formed up single file facing us. Having six TSFs staring me on was quite an uncomfortable feeling.
"The term 'third generation TSF' refers to many different models. Imperial's Shiranui and Fubuki, both of which you all have rode. Honour Guard's Takemikazuchi, American's F-22A Raptor, F-35 Peregrine and A-12 Avenger. Not forgetting about the YF-23 Black Widow II, mine is based on that, just so you know."
"There're still more. EU's EF-2000 Typhoon and Rafale, Soviet's Su-37 Terminator and Su-47 Berkut. All Third gen, best of huma—"
"—Takeru-san, Su-37 is 2.5th generation." I shot her my classic deadpan look for that correction.
"…Shaddap!" I danced my mechanical arms around like I was trying to swat some flies for show.
"Moving on, I'll discuss the main points of Third-gen compared to the previous ones…"
—
"To make the long lecture short. With lighter armour, operation By Light, more efficient and powerful engines together with the XM3. The miraculous mobility of the third generation is made possible due to all these combined. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." It was a radio answer that greeted me from my earpiece.
"Let's talk about your components next. From your Anti-Laser Countermeasures to autopilot, Slave Mode and the exact purpose of the XM3…"
—
"That covers all of the functions of a third gen TSF. To be honest, the Shiranui isn't a great example of the third gen. Remember during the coup when the American's Raptors had a K/D ratio of seven? That number would decrease drastically if they were to face… say, Type-00s or Su-47s."
"The Type-94 is just a very basic TSF, not bad; certainly can be modified for the better though. Like Meiya's Takemikazuchi here. I'll spare you all the specs details and go right to the best parts, its fixed armaments. Meiya, show us." By passing the spotlight to Meiya's unit, everyone's concentration shifted to her.
"Very well, I shall demonstrated said attachments…"
—
"The Takemikazuchi isn't branded as the 'big three' of TSFs without a solid cause. A Retractable Dagger in the arm sheath facing forward and two that faces backwards on each arm, pairs with its Blade Edge Armour on its head, shoulders, fingers and toes make it incomparable with the Shiranui."
"Is that satisfactory, Takeru?" Meiya asked me as she sliced a piece of rumble in half with her rear facing Daggers.
"Good job, Meiya. How's the Type-00?"
"It is very much smoother and powerful, from my experience in the simulator with the Fubuki, my machine is probably around 30 percent more competent." That was obviously self-evident, but no point in chewing her out for it. The percentage estimate was very close though.
"Nice, now for my Surface Fighter. Officially, this TSF, the YF-23 Arondight doesn't exist. It was entrusted to me by our good buddies in the America intelligence agency. They told me to take good care of this frame as every record of it has been erased." I heard some soft giggles but opted to cease the jokes for the time being.
"Disregarding that, this is an experimental unit developed by Boening specialists. Notable features include the capacity to carry up to six different weapons which are mounted on universal Mount Pylons; foot and ankle mounted blades, a more advanced arm-mounted blade sheaths and many other great additions." Demonstrating my awesome unbeatable machine as the rest of the girls watched my movements in awe, I swung around the blade with tactical precision.
"Also I got second-generation active stealth functions, this crap is complex as shit so I didn't get my chance to try it out during the coup. Looking at the manuals here, it tells me I can hack the data-link of other TSFs and manipulate their information. Cool stuff, gonna try it out later."
"For now, just get used to your Shiranui and go to town." we spent some more hours outside, practicing maneuvers and getting familiar with the new units.
—
"Hehe, try and catch me then!"
"Takeeeeru! Stop running awayyyy!"
I soared to the sky in my YF-23, Mikoto chased my back intensely without losing too much space. We were engaging in a mock dogfight with JIVES active, using simulated bullets was a drawback but firing the weapons was obvious not allowed.
Relying on simulators as our only form of combat would eventually rust our edges as an elite squad, experiences were gained through real combat instead of imitated ones.
"Lock-on is only good for mid to long range combat! Don't try and get lock onto targets in close quarter where point-blank firing could be more effective!"
"Aha…! Understood!" Teaching Mikoto as we flew along, I helped her with many combat tactics I accumulated myself.
Out of my peripheral vision, I could spot Tama and Kasumi down on the ground, practicing their sharpshooting skills and honing their ability to react to speedy targets.
Meiya and Sumika were fervently training their close quarter sword fights; I warned them earlier about the danger of using real swords for practice, so it should be fine even if I left them to their own devices.
Lastly and remarkably, Class rep and Ayamine were attempting to improve on their lackluster teamwork. Even if they weren't the best of friends, it brought me some reassurance when I witnessed them trying to fix their problems with cooperation.
"I'm gonna get you soon, Mikoto! You better retreat or fight back!"
Reacting to my provocation with a bit of dismay, Mikoto dashed straight up with her Shiranui before slamming the brakes and diving back down, striving to catch my back.
"Huhu, good try."
Spinning my own YF-23 in response, I faced her upside-down with both guns primed. Just when my auto-aim was about to lock-on, Mikoto executed a Thrust Vector, a maneuver that rotated her TSF vertically to avoid my aim which was limited due to my position.
Unfortunately for her, I foresaw that trick thanks to my wisdom in anti-TSF combat. My unit boosted downward with great velocity which threw her for a loop and made her lose sight for a split second. Coming up behind her after a hard Surface Jump off the ground, I surprised her with my daggers when she looked down to acquire her target.
"Mikoto, you're dead."
"Ahaha… you're just too strong, Takeru. I didn't seriously think that would work, but it was worth a try."
"It would have worked on anyone else, I think. You're getting really good these days, you know?" And it wasn't Mikoto only, I could see a clear distinction between the piloting skills of all the girls skyrocketing before and after the coup. Maybe it was just me, but there was absolutely something going on here.
"Actually, I just feel like I know how to do all this. Emmm… it's hard to explain, but, it feels like I just know how to perform all these movements." In classic Mikoto fashion, she indicated the same statement twice in one sentence.
"Huh? So you're getting better without trying. That's quite interesting."
"And it's not only me! We discussed this with the others and everyone agreed that they just feel better at piloting." I honestly had no prove to say the Causality stuff was affecting their skills; most importantly, if they were getting more effective without training, then I didn't care for the rationale of it.
—
"—this is HQ to Archangel 1, 211th Flying Corps are 200 kilometres out, move your team in position for escort." I was finally put on guard duty after my conversation with Mikoto went nowhere.
"—Archangel 1, copy. —alright girls, fun time is over. Link up with me and head for the waypoint on the map."
"—Understood."
Hanger
"That was so borrring!"
"Yeah, absolutely. We watched some planes fly away and that was it." Guarding some aircraft to the landing zone was never of any entertainment value, but that along won't stop my grievance.
"What're we doing now, Takeru-chan?"
"I have a meeting after this, you girls are dismissed for today. Oh, by the way, we may have an operation coming up soon so just be prepared for that. The training schedule for the next few days will be very tight, you all have to be ready for real combat." The team got a bit puzzled and confused from my revelation.
Being in no mood to answer any questions, I quickly exited out before their questions could ever shower me in their puzzlement.
Takamura Yui
Conference room
Sitting on a slick, black sofa in the center of the room alone, Yui was quite upset with her treatment after stepping off the C-2 transport aircraft. Sure, she was told to wait for the Vice-Commander of Yokohama Base who was supposed to greet her after her arrival. However, the fact was that nobody have entered the room after her for ten minutes now.
Two EML-99X Electromagnetic Induction Launchers, also popularly known simply as the railgun was what the Vice-Commander of Yokohama had ordered a week back. Seeing the astonishing grow in power of Alternative IV left the Ministry of Defence no choice other than to comply with the demand of Alternative IV's head director.
Besides, the cold, hard cash was already paid fully in advance, so the ministry had no reason to turn down their request in the first place. Also, a sudden push from the newly reformed Imperial Diet had called for full support of Alternative IV, making it impossible for the ministry to refuse ever if at all.
Her initial impression of Alternative might not be the greatest, but Yui knew that was because they didn't need to leave any. She wasn't too knowledgeable about every detail of said project, all she knew was that whoever they were, or whatever they did. Alternative IV just demolished, quietly literally; America's number one intelligence agency for disrupting their own plans.
That ruthlessness was already fearful enough, having a single project left with the brand of 'humanity's last hope' didn't create much space for competition.
"—Ara, sorry about the late entrance, Lieutenant. I was busy dealing with some other things." The door suddenly swung open, and from it entered a beautiful purple haired lady in UN uniform and a lab coat.
"Vice-Commander Kouzuki, is it? It's my pleasure to meet the director." Yui's outstretched hand was casually shook by Kouzuki who just didn't seem very interested, in anything.
"First Lieutenant Takamura Yui, welcome to Yokohama Base. The main base of the UN 11th Force as well as the current home to the Alternative IV project. I'm not one for fancy greetings so let's just get to the point."
"I have no objections." Taking a seat herself, Kouzuki crossed her legs while relaxing down on the sofa. Even a child could understand just exactly how serious she was taking this discussion.
"So then, I'll assume my package has also arrived with you, Lieutenant. Let's talk about your goal here first." Brainstorming didn't help Yui find a way to deal with this obviously insidious professor.
The Royal Guard understood from the moment of the Professor's entry the ball was out of her court, so the best Yui could do for now was just going along with the Vice-Commander and not causing any hard feelings.
"I am ordered to… research, the progress of the project, Vice-Commander. The Ministry of Defence wishes for a report on the status of Alternative so we can better assess what further assistance we could provide."
"Huhuhu, how nice of the department indeed. What'll you do then?" Still informally smiling at her, Yui was secretly annoyed at Kouzuki's openly superior attitude towards her.
"If it's not too much trouble, I would like to meet with the task force leaders for Alternative IV."
"Yeah, sure I'll call them." That was only the easy part.
—
"Professor, you called for us?"
"Yo, Yuuko-sensei." Two soldiers entered shortly after Kouzuki asked for their presence.
While wearing the same uniform and bearing the same rank, the one point that screamed out to Yui was how different the two Eishis were.
"Isumi, Shirogane. Meet 1st Lt. Takamura of the Imperial Royal Guard. Introduce yourselves, and don't worry about secrecy. Lieutenant Takamura here is an ally of our project, I think that's reasonable to say." The female officer showed no sign of difference while the male chuckled coldly to himself.
"Nice to meet you, First Lieutenant. I'm Captain Isumi Michiru of the A-01 Special Task Force 9th Squadron, Valkyries." Yui shared a film handshake with Captain Isumi, someone who she was fond of based on first impression.
Yui thought of her as a very professional soldier purely from observation. Short hair, serious demeanor and the stance expressed her expertise of being part of the military for ages.
"The pleasure is mine, Captain."
"Hey, Shirogane Takeru of the A-01's 13th Squadron, Archangel. Also a Captain." Gripping Yui's hand with a flamboyant carriage, Shirogane gave it a lacking shake as he pasted a smug smirk perfectly over his evidently cocky face.
"Good afternoon, Captain." Her first impression of Shirogane was on a totally different standard.
A young male in his late-teens or early-twenties, Shirogane's untidy hair flicked with every movement of his head. He was about the same height as herself, maybe only inching her with a few millimetres; or that was what she would like to believe.
However, the most puzzling feature of this young Eishi to Yui was his aura, there was no doubt that he was a strong man, a self-assured combatant that had overcome his own devil to achieved such poise. Yet he felt empty, his dark irises told no tale of joy in contrast to his below respectable behaviour.
Still that wasn't all, while Yui disliked the thought of it, she felt as if the man's hollow aura also carried with it a pressure of complete dominance over all others in this room, even the ever-crafty Vice-Commander. It was a strange feeling, really. She got the sense that just speaking with this man will distract her heart from the path she should never stray away.
"As you can see, these two are the squad leaders for A-01. If I recall correctly, you will be staying here for five days, right?"
"That's correct. Thank you for your hospitality, Vice-Commander."
"Alright then, I'll arrange a room for you. In the meantime, you're free to do whatever you see fit to better judge our progress on this base." Not restricting her meant either they had nothing to hide or the confidential items were impossible for her to discover.
"I still have other business to attend to so I'll bid the three of you farewell now. Isumi, Shirogane, take care of the Lieutenant, okay? I already sent over all the details like her room and all that, so it shouldn't be hard for you two."
"Understood."
"Yeah, I got you covered." With that, the Vice-Commander left Yui and the Captains without another word.
To her bewilderment, neither Captains saluted Kouzuki on her way out. Similarly, the two didn't bother to act out military discipline when they entered as well.
PX
"And that about covers it. Did we miss anything, Isumi?"
"No, I don't think so."
Yui's tour of Yokohama Base was lackluster, to say the least. First, she wasn't even shown around one third of the hangers and what she did see was only Gekishins, Fubukis and Shiranuis.
Second, whereas she already picked up on the fact that there was no town outside the base, she didn't think that the base would be limited to only the factices on the hilltop alone. Unlike her old home, Yukon Base which had a small city surrounding it filled with civilian housings. There was nothing at Yokohama save for the base itself.
Having said that, the most essential reason for her unstated boredom was from a different cause altogether.
"And thus concludes your tour of our grand base, 1st Lt. Takamura. Any questions?"
"I cannot say that I have seen this base in its entirely based on the fact that everything below underground level 22 is off limits." Yui fired back for Shirogane's displeasing attitude, but the young man only slugged off the damage done.
"Well, we showed you everything you needed to see. What you didn't see today doesn't exist."
"…I understand, but please know that all that I have witnessed, perceived or comprehended will be included in my report." Yui was never a person to back down from a threat.
"Is that so? Haha, then please know that where we're now, Alternative IV could pretty much sway the opinion of the UN council by presenting an argument, any argument. That is including and not limited to finally shutting down even a program belonging to the Japan and America. " Opting for a more direct method of blackmail, Yui widened her eyes from Shirogane's proclamation.
"…" There was nothing she could have said as a comeback to a very realistic possibility.
"Your development project isn't doing too well, right? Maybe we can help with that. Or, we can help it out." Yui held down the bitterness in her heart from this man's provocation.
"…I think your point has been made clear, Capt. Shirogane. 1st Lt. Takamura very clearly understands her position." It was Isumi who came to Yui's aid.
"Huhu, if you say so, Isumi. Huhuhu."
"If the tour is over, I would like to return to my room." Believing for there to be no benefit left if she was to stick around, Yui called for an early dismissal.
"We can't tell you where to go, First Lieutenant. Do whatever you want, other than what you can't do."
"Then if you will excuse me."
Shirogane Takeru
And there she goes, what a free spirited person. Kinda made me feel dumb for still standing in the PX when there were chairs all around us.
Takamura was definitely a beauty, as a man I must grant points where points were due. Her figure was just… very natural and elegant. Takamura's every step was carried out with a sense of pride for her own origin. Even when the situation was plainly not in her favour, Takamura still didn't forget the reverence for her name.
Also that hair, I haven't seen natural hair in so long that I thought she had a hundred pins stuck up there until I inspected closely during the guide. Living with girls that styled themselves in Zaku haircuts was probably ruining my attractiveness perception.
"That was quite unnecessary of you, Shirogane. Why did you bully the Lieutenant to that extent?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Isumi. I was only righteously demonstrating my right, you should understand." As we were now, I could allow myself some leeway in my dealing with Takamura. Her unfavourable position left her with little ground to stand on.
"She is an officer from the Royal Guards, you know?"
"And what does that matter?"
"…Nothing… I guess. Say, I know I shouldn't be asking you this; but what did you do with the Shogun during the coup?" I let out a short laugh in response to Isumi letting her curiosity take over her discipline.
"Come on, now. You know I can't talk."
"Yeah, didn't think so. It's just with the sudden support from the Imperial Diet for Alternative IV blew up after the coup. With the current election mess going on and all, I thought it's too unusual. They're even rumour of the Honour Guards wishing to supply us with their Type-00s, which normally never happens."
"You for real? How come I didn't hear about that?"
"Huh? The Professor didn't tell you?" Now that was surprising. If Yuuko-sensei was planning on giving the Takemikazuchis to Isumi's team alone, we're going to have quite a fight. And sensei should know that I am not one for losing any one-on-ones.
"No she did not. Luckily I don't care too much right now, got a mission coming up so I have to focus on that."
"For your team? Isn't the squad all cadets until recently?" How insulting, Isumi should know that Kasumi was very experienced. And Sumika… was Sumika.
"That's why we got to train, hard. Besides, we're an independent unit. Missions your team can't legally handle get passed on to us."
"I see, good luck in your training then, Shirogane. I gotta run and find Hayase, she's probably skipping her paperwork again."
"—huh, you talking about me, Captain?" Just like that, a wild Hayase suddenly appeared. Along with her was Suzumiya, the tag-team combo.
"How rare, did you give up trying to abandon your duty?"
"That's mean, Captain. I finished today's share already. There weren't much to write when literally nothing happened." Was I being ignored? I felt like I was being ignored.
"Oi, Hayase. You blind?"
"Huh? Ah, sorry Shirogane. Missed you." This girl was just like the old me, except for that she wasn't secretly the same rank as I was.
"Err, Mitsuki. You shouldn't address Capt. Shirogane like that!" At least Suzumiya knew her manners.
"Haa…? Oh, right. Sorry, C-aptain, S-hirogane. Your title doesn't roll off the tongue too well."
"You're going to roll off the roof very well if this keeps up, 1st Lt. Hayase. I suggest you practice your etiquettes before a sudden demotion hits your ego." Suzumiya and Isumi giggled softly off to the sides as the spitting contest between me and Hayase took off.
Kouzuki Yuuko's office
"Suuup, sensei. You done with your stuff?"
"Yep, checked the railgun myself. Nothing wrong with them." Taking my reserved spot on the same sofa, I discussed today's inspection with sensei.
—
"I won't say she's a threat, sensei. Takamura is part of the Royal Guards as of now, so that means I can just use Meiya's name to clear us of any problems."
"I see, Mitsurugi has been somewhat restored of her status as a royal family member. Besides, if the Ministry of Defence decided to send an Honour Guard for their inspection, that means they're not allowed to use their own."
Having Takamura here instead of some IJA personal must also be related to Yuuhi's current policy. As things stood now, let's just say the Royal houses don't have the greatest relationship with the opposing parties in the Government.
Yuuhi's election is going to take place soon, the fate of this nation hanged in a balance. Whoever controls her will have this country, and I just happened to have reserved Yuuhi since the beginning.
"So what do you think of her, Shirogane? Good girl?"
"…Errm… I kinda like her. If I can get pass that hard-ass barrier of hers, I can have her dancing to my tunes." I held a neutral opinion regarding playing others, as in I'll do it if it helps whatever my goal is.
"Well, I mean; what is moral, right? You probably don't know."
"Sure, sure. I do think we got pretty intimate when I was in Yukon. Then again, I wasn't sure of the exact relationship we had." Maybe we were together, maybe not. Old memories slip me by too often for me to realize at this point.
"Huhu, this actually makes me curious. Is there a girl on this base you haven't done?" The answer to sensei's strange question took much longer to come out than I would like to admit.
"Not counting anyone I don't know and Kyozuka-oba-chan, who I am one hundred percent certain. I can't think of another untouched face."
"Jesus Christ, you an animal or something?" Many have called me out for being very alpha, I approve.
"That's just mean. I… am very free when it comes to my sexual preferences."
"Still, so like everyone here on base? What about Isumi, you went with her before?" Reminiscing the more pleasant times in my loops brought a smug smile to my mouth.
"Think so, we did that right on that desk."
"Nooooo, that's like, disgusting. So what was it like? Give me details." What a magnificent one-eighty turn of attitude, guess entertaining sensei with my love stories wouldn't be too destructive.
"I can't remember what happened before we got here. We entered, you weren't here. Both of us came back from a tough battle and the hormones went to work. It was a good time indeed; great climax when Isumi gave herself a golden shower." After the initial shock, sensei rolled back in her seat and laughed like mad.
"Hahaha…! You're not joking about this, right? Please tell me you're serious."
"No mistake, sensei. It was just a fun time all around."
"Hahahaha! That Isumi… how did that happen anyway? Tell me everything." Yuuko-sensei got overly excited about my personal tales.
—
"That's about what I expected form you, Shirogane. So how did she react?"
"She's the kind of a passive person, not really dominant like me; not that submissive either, just not aggressive." My first impression was that Isumi never tried that hard, probably because I wasn't her number one.
"In retrospect, you're definitely not a passive person yourself. Probably the most dominant person I've ever met, no doubt." That couldn't be closer to the truth.
"Guess you're right, I haven't been on the bottom since god knows when."
"Tell me another one, how about that other Royal Guard? Tsukuyomi, was it?"
"Yeah, Tsukuyomi Mana. I banged her in one of my earlier loops. Can't remember the details but it got really messy, especially after her three lackeys walked in on us. Did pop her rear, so that's a plus." Yuuko-sensei covered her mouth and escalated her laughing.
"Wowow, up the butt? You have fetishes."
"Again, just rude, I think of them as services."
"Sure! Sure, that works too. Alright, you got to give me the juiciest one here. Have you, or have you not; done it with Marimo?" That would be where most of sensei's interest laid.
"Yes… but I prefer not to think about that… too much." Recalling my time with Marimo-chan sent a thousand shivers down my spine. She was… untameable, very untameable.
"Huhuhu… ahh, you're a great man, Shirogane. Whatever, Being the Causality Conductor, I won't be surprised if you have a chick magnet up your ass." Why does everyone think it's up my rear? Can't it be somewhere friendly and nice? Like in my pocket or something?
"That's enough of that. I heard that the Honour Guard are thinking of sending us some Type-00s, that a fact?"
"No, it's nowhere near 'a fact'. There're rumours, sure. Nothing we can confirm as of now, that's why I didn't tell you." What a simple and understandable resolution. The upset in my mind dispersed immediately afterwards.
"Fine, as for my side. The team is training hard these days; they have great potential, like I told you. However, we really need to know what to do for this operation."
"That makes the two of you, Shirogane. The DIA is also asking for our plans."
"What you gonna tell them? I would greatly appreciate it if they would exchange information instead of dumping all their files and running off." It wasn't very good manners to leave us all of their mess.
"I would like that too, no shit. However, they're saying they know nothing more than we do."
"Can I trust that?" Sensei only shrugged her shoulders as an answer.
"Dunno. We're on our own for now, not gonna make much progress if we don't have information."
"Then what do we have?"
"I'm coming up with a mission plan but some details are missing from the picture. For example, we don't know Bridges' exact location other than he and the twins are somewhere in Russia."
"Tsk, really can't do much then." I clicked my tongue in frustration.
"Except one thing, if someone knows Bridges' heading, it would be the yellow suit sent by the Ministry. She was the last person to see Bridges and the twins before they disappeared off the map."
"Takamura had a history with Bridges, that's for sure. Her report said that she fought against him in the second Phase 3 when he deserted with the twins. The exact relationship statues between the two are fuzzy at best, still she must know something about him."
"So you want me to just dig those out of her, right?" Yuuko-sensei responded with an evil nod.
"Done. I can manipulate someone like her easily, either mentally or emotionally. Nothing to brag about, skills are skills after all." As long as my façade can handle it, I can wear any mask I please.
Author's note
Now we're finally starting to pull that TE plot into here, good times all around. The focus of this story will still be on Takeru and his side but maybe some characters will stick around after the arc ends, who knows?
There's also the Sahckaomarken, (the German story, I can't spell that.) anime coming out soon. Smart people have already played the Japanese VN, unfortunately I don't speak moon-speak so I'll just watch the anime like a normal person. I don't want to decide on anything right away but if the show is good and usable. I could make some stuff connect.
Again, don't forget to favourite, follow and review. Also, while I do play a lot of games and stuff. If you seriously want guides, please check trustworthy sources on the internet, not me. I just play them.
BETA done by chad001, something, something got infinite tests all day.