Fear the Cold
The temperature had been dropping down to -150°C, the Great Storm had arrived
Lamotte-Picquet: So there had been countless of Great Storm so far?
Kawakaze: Exactly, while you and other were being trapped beneath the ice we had to build four Safe Harbor so far. Every time we did it we had to spend countless of lives to keep the Generator alive.
L'Indomptable: I wish… I could… die in honor…this life is…so awful…
L'Indomptable almost passed out as she hugged a thick layer of blanket, she merely recovered from the freezing cold and now the temperature dropped down from -80°C to -150°C. It's even worse!
Libeccio: Maestrale! Stay with me! Maestrale!
Libeccio had to hug Maestrale as her body gone cold from the Great Storm. Even if they were staying inside a thick building covered by the Generator running with maximum temperature the temperature still hit them really hard. Tartu was also in the medical care as she couldn't wake up.
Eskimo on the other hand had to gather her team searching for any survivors inside the winter. While Lamotte-Picquet knew it was her duty she couldn't feel sad for her when she had to delve outside with a high risk of being buried in some random place beneath the snow.
Despite of that Eskimo was the most experienced one when it came to the rescue operation. After all she and her team managed to survive all of the Great Storm despite of the bad things happened so far.
And yet…
BOOM
A loud explosion happened on the sky as the blimp went onto a burning flare!
Within minutes Shiranui rushed to Shikikan's office despite of the fact she was inside the middle of the Great Storm!
Shiranui: SOS Message! The rescue blimp had been shot again!
The Last Siren Fleet
Shikikan: The Siren is still alive!? I though our previous fight already decimated them!
Kawakaze: That's the problem, there are some Siren ships being stuck in ice so they couldn't join the previous fight. And now from Akashi's scanning device they are actually moving toward Eskimo's location. It will be a matter of time before they reached her spot regardless of temperature.
Enterprise: The only question was, why did they come back to operation right now? It had been a while since we built up the Fourth Safe Harbor and Eskimo with her scouting team never found trace of them to begin with. Also the thick layer of ice couldn't stop them from moving.
Shikikan: It doesn't matter. We must send a rescue team to retrieve Eskimo and other. The rest of us must fortify ourselves before they come.
Lamotte-Picquet: Can I volunteer?
All of the three leaders looked at her as she requested them. Standing next to her was Libeccio who also wanted to join them.
Kawakaze: Negative, you can't leave your friend on the sick bed like that!
Lamotte-Picquet: If we don't save Eskimo and her friend fast they would be dead! Beside, we owned her a great debt.
Libeccio: Me too, I don't want to see Maestrale crying once she found out her savior died there
Enterprise: She got a point, Kawakaze. Time is running short
Kawakaze: Fine then, but I must warn you: the Siren will overwhelm you.
Risky Rescue
While Lamotte-Picquet and Libeccio prepared their equipment along with other volunteers the rest of the population hastily fortified their Safe Harbor as none ever imagined the Siren fleet would attack again especially when they should had been crippled a long time ago.
As Akashi had been working on the latest snowmobile for some time it's time to test it regardless of risk. Right now saving everyone is more important than the risk factor.
Kawakaze: Unlike the last time where we had enough time to rescue Eskimo and her friend this time the Siren fleet location is much closer to the crashing zone and the Great Storm was still going on.
Akashi managed to track down the location of both Eskimo and the Siren fleet. Use this portable device to find her location and save her before they arrived.
Lamotte-Picquet: Was there anything else you need to say?
Kawakaze: Yes. Do not engage the enemy if it was unnecessary. The Great Storm will get worse the longer the fight dragged out. Save everyone and retreat as soon as possible!
Libeccio: Will you come with us?
Kawakaze: No, we must fortify the harbor now. The Siren fleet is very numerous.
Kawakaze walked away as she began to order everyone to speed up their process. Lamotte-Picquet and Libeccio looked at each other nervously, never once in their life everything feels so urgent now.
Within a matter of hour they quickly reached Eskimo location, Lamotte-Picquet had been praying while riding on the snowmobile while Libeccio sat behind her trying to look for any survivors
Libeccio: There! There is a fight happened too!
Eskimo who was badly injured began to shoot at the incoming Siren fleets out of desperation as she couldn't run away. She fully knew the moment she gave up and ran away her friend will be killed instead. As most of them already fell unconscious during the crashing impact she was the last one standing who had to protect them at all cost.
Eskimo: Almost anytime now…please send help…
Eskimo keep repeating her words on her handheld communicator but no signal had been found. As she collapsed out of exhaustion she cursed her fate for being that unlucky.
BOOM
Suddenly, a barrage of fire keeps her hope up! The new rescue team quickly attacked the Siren fleet to distract them which saved Eskimo and other from the imminent destruction.
Lamotte-Picquet: Keep firing at the Siren!
Libeccio: GO!
The rescue team split into half, one group saved everyone while the other keeps firing at the Siren while keeping their distance. They fully knew the Siren fleet was numerous so they can't afford to charge headfirst at them.
Eskimo: I'm so glad…we were…
Lamotte-Picquet: Don't waste your breath! We will take care from here!
Eventually everyone fled as fast as possible even if the Siren keep firing at them. Despite of their overwhelming firepower everyone managed to flee with some level of injury. The snowmobile proven to be a superior transport thanks to its amazing speed
Suddenly…
Lamotte-Picquet: Look out!
It was too late, the ground suddenly cracked and everyone fell into a large cave below!
Everything went black as Lamotte-Picquet lost her consciousness.
Inside the Cave
Libeccio: Lamotte-Picquet, wake up! WAKE UP!
Lamotte-Picquet: Huh!? What happened!?
She looked around but found out everyone already regrouped and they were trying to find a way out of this deep cave.
Lamotte-Picquet: Where is this place?
Bristol: We are investigating on it. By far all of our effort to climb out of this cave proven to be fruitless, there must be a way somehow.
Bristol was grabbing the rope connected to the ground above but the rope had been torn apart as the ground in here was too unstable to get a hold on.
Libeccio: Maestrale…
Seeing how Libeccio feeling sad about their situation Lamotte-Picquet began to think of the old idea that she and Tartu escaped back then. Suddenly, she fired at the cave wall!
Bristol: Zoinks! Are you trying to bury us alive!?
Lamotte-Picquet: We must dig a way out if we can't climb up! Please help me with it!
Bristol began to look at other and agreed with her
Bristol: Hmph... Our adventure went so badly, maybe it's time to change out plan
And so, everyone began to fire at the wall in order to dig a way through the icy cave. Suddenly, water flow out of the cave!
Bristol: Agghh! We are in the below of the sea!
Before they could even complain, the water smashed through the cave pushing everyone out of the cave instantly! Bristol dragged other out of the flooded cave with a remark.
Bristol: This investigation is a failure! All of the snowmobiles are dysfunctional now!
Lucky for them Eskimo and other were still alive. However, they need to find the medical support asap
Lamotte-Picquet: There is no time to waste! We must return to the Safe Harbor fast!
Libeccio: Whooooo. What is this thing? Is this some sort of new Siren technology?
Libeccio picked up an unknown object with a shape of a black cube
Bristol: Hold it! Is that the Cube that Shikikan threw it away a long time ago!?
Lamotte-Picquet: No time to talk, we must hurry now!
During their journey Bristol quickly explained her about the cube.
Bristol: The cube was an abandoned piece of Siren technology that Akagi intended to use for reviving her sister, Amagi. However, there was a huge strife between the leadership back then so the cube had been lost beneath the sea. I heard a rumor the Siren will be attracted by it if you carried it with you. Thought from my investigation it wasn't real to begin with, just a rubbish rumor anyway.
Libeccio: Everything is burning!
Everyone hurried back to the Safe Harbor on foot only to see the whole place was on fire!
Raging Fire
Not only the fight is still going on but half of the harbor was burning furiously. Because nobody expected the Siren would come back again after their previous defeat they never had enough time to fortify their harbor no matter how much they tried. In the end they had to sacrifice some of their buildings and used it as the speed bump while evacuating their population outside.
Shikikan: Keep firing at them! We must stall them long enough for the noncombatant to escape!
Shikikan shouted in the middle of the snowstorm as everyone keep firing at the Siren regardless of temperature. Even if the temperature is currently -150°C the heat of the battle turned the whole place into a burning inferno. Lamotte-Picquet knew it was a matter of life or death when it comes to this.
Bristol: We must defend the Generator or else we will be done for!
Lamotte-Picquet: I have a plan…
Bristol: What are you doing!? Get back here!
Lamotte-Picquet grabbed the black Cube and ran into the Siren fleet while firing her cannon at them. The Siren at first ignored her but after she raised the cube high on her hand the Siren fleet began to chase her. She knew this is the only way to buy time for other to find a way to deal with them.
As she tossed the black Cube to the ice surface below she ran as fast as possible in order to escape their incoming firepower.
Libeccio: Lamotte-Picquet!
Within a blast of cannon Lamotte-Picquet fell to the ocean below as the icy surface crashed by its immense firepower. No matter how she tried to run she couldn't escape from its firepower.
Bristol and other had to keep firing at the enemy so that they could distract them while Libeccio rushed toward her and dragged her out from the cold water
Lamotte-Picquet: Ugh…I can't move…my leg hurt…
Libeccio: I will carry you, let's go!
Both of them flee away as far as possible toward the Safe Harbor as Shikikan just finished evacuating the noncombatant and the injured.
Kawakaze: What happened to her?
Lamotte-Picquet: I managed to bait them away but I was reckless. Sorry about that.
Libeccio: We must come back! Britsol is distracting them with her friend!
Enterprise: It's fine. We must regroup and attack them before Bristol group fell!
As the Siren fleet got attacked from two different sides their firepower had been diverted. Fortunately, the distraction plan worked. Bristol and other suffered some injury but they had been keeping a distance against the Siren in order to avoid their firepower.
The fight keep going on until the last of the Siren ships ended up as the wrecked scrap. But the outcome of the fight was brutal. Some of the shipgirl were badly injured while other had been buried in the graveyard later on. The Great Storm had passed away but the Fourth Safe Harbor ended up as a destroyed settlement.
Still, the worst had passed…
Chilling Celebration
In order to cheer everyone up Shikikan opened a party in the wrecked harbor for lifting their spirit off. So far it was a painful victory at them but they managed to survive and the Generator didn't suffer any damage despite of the fact half of the harbor was destroyed during the fight.
Lamotte-Picquet: Looking at this mess made me feel sad
Kawakaze: Me too. Still, Eskimo and other already been cured. Luck was on our side
The two looked behind and saw how everyone managed to survive despite of all sort of injury and illness on their body. It was a miracle that they still lived long enough like this.
Lamotte-Picquet: Though I must wonder what will happen next. Soon or later we must build a permanent settlement instead of moving away and building another one.
Kawakaze: It's hard to do so. All of the seedlings you carried had been burned during the fight. All of our attempts to store the seed for creating a green world had been destroyed as well.
Lamotte-Picquet: So there was no hope at restoring this world right?
She looked onto the gray sky as the snow keep falling endlessly
Kawakaze: I'm afraid so. We are out of option right now. By far our only choice was to survive and find some way to turn the situation around. But even by then I was unclear if there is a hope for it.
Shikikan: I believe hope is at the horizon if we keep looking at it. Let's go back to the party!
He put a hand onto the shoulder with a happy face. Everyone smiled in return as the party go on in the middle of the cold winter.
Shikikan: Even if the sky turn dark and grow cold hope still burn brightly at the end of the horizon!
End of Arc 11