Chapter 11:

Broken Goods

[Recommended Music: Prayer, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.]

An evening, a few days before.

"I wasn't messing with them or anything," Takeru complains, sipping at his coffee. "Just rolled out with some of my A game, is all."

A pair of fingers rubs at the bridge of her nose, softly resting onto her desk. "Shirogane, you defeated all of them. Every, single, one of them," Kouzuki notes, slowly, very slowly tapping at the still fresh and steamy numbers from the recent JIVES training.

"Because you put me in a machine with the XM3, and they don't use it yet for whatever reason," he rolls his eyes, an arm thrown behind the sofa. "Even Kasumi would defeat them all with such a disparity in tech."

The finger stops, the blinking too, breathing almost as well. While blank and silent as the office walls Kouzuki remains, the unmoving stare is mired in more shadows than those cast by the ravine of babel towers of papers across the room. Yashiro's ears wilt upon a mere glimpse of the whirling aura.

"…What's up?" he asks, finding enough time to deplete his cup of coffee, rest it on the table, finish a muffing even.

Fingertips tap at each other slow, slower is the spinning Kouzuki goes into. Yet her eyes remain on him, squinted and sharpening. "How much do you know?"

"What? I mean, we literally made the XM3 together last time. I know for a fact the difference it makes in performance."

"…And then, pray tell, why have you omitted this detail until now?"

"I… didn't? I told you how important the OS was for-"

"I'm not referring to that, you'd understand. Why would you not mention you were aware of Yashiro's piloting, Shirogane?" she asks, aiming a verbal gun his way.

Which pops his balloon, sends his expression flying off in shock. "Wait, Kasumi can pilot?! Since when?!"

"Um… I was always meant to perform that duty," young Yashiro says, nodding short, eyes locked on the shade of the ground. "Was I… not deemed sufficient for the task in your prior experiences?"

"I mean… Yes, but actually no?"

"Shirogane," palming the papers, frosting them over, the Professor raises yet slows her words, slithering to the rim, "if you would please cease your jesting. This is quite the important matter for Alt IV, as you'd know."

Clearing this throat, Takeru stiffens his posture, open in the nods offered to both. "Kasumi did 'pilot' once, but as a support navigator for me. Going by your reaction, you're alluding to her also being able to pilot TSFs, right?" he asks, one nod returned is strong, the other wilting and downcast. "I see… I wasn't aware she could do that."

"Hmm. So I never attempted to employ Yashiro as a pilot in your prior experiences?"

"No, not as far as I know. I do know some ESPers were capable of piloting, but I was under the impression there was a different regime they took or something."

"Um… Takeru-san, what do you mean?" she asks, edging to the brink of her seat.

"Oh, nothing much, really. There was a joint exercise arranged in the Empire, to decide which TSF would be chosen as the next mainline machine for the IJA. A lot of squads got to partake in it, mine included, and that's when I got to see the Terminators and Berkuts for the first time. Those chainsaw-arms were so sick, though," he grins, chuckling to himself.

"Look, not to be that person and intrude on your reminiscence-"

"Nah, Sensei, that's accidental, for real."

"Ahem… So Yashiro wasn't made to pilot, in any of your experiences?"

"I know you said no to spoilers, but no, she never did. Oh, come on, little bun. You're still great at what you do," he cheers, petting her shoulder a few times. Before looking back at the scientist, sober as a new moon night. "But still, that's on the table too?"

"…Let's say it is merely an option, nothing else," she simply says, spilling back to a calm, formless spinning.

"Huh… Another difference to the list, I guess. Oh, right!"

"W-What now? Don't shout out of the blue like that."

"I had a few questions, I almost forgot," Takeru says, hitting his palm with a soft fist. Compacting his posture as his arms overlap when resting on the edge of the sofa, he slowly starts, looking straight ahead at the Professor. "Sensei, does Japan have a hate boner for the UN?"

"A… what?" she asks, a few fingers brushing her lips close, drowning a chuckle. "Gods, I do not think I've heard a more fitting description of our state of affairs."

Sharing none of the light shimmer, not a single speck of laughter, Takeru clouds over. "I see… So it's 'common sense' here, huh."

"Ahem… Well, truly, what did you expect?" restoring pulchritude and stillness to her attire, Kouzuki nods back, still sporting a smile. "Between the issues during the invasion, the pressure to restore the Treaty, and the chasm amidst our and the Empire's doctrine, it is only natural end. Why do you ask?"

"Well… The squad has been on a nasty mood, I've never seen them this upset at me."

"And this ties into the UN-Japan relations, how?"

"Sensei, I don't drive a Nerzedes Dense. My usual silly words seems to have lit the fuse, and me being 'better' than them and trying to 'lecture' them seems to have invigorated the fire. Kei literally attacked me over my 'gun expertise' this morning," he complains, throwing arms up before doing so himself whole to the sofa's comfort.

"I see, I see… Not unexpected, no," she simply says, nodding and going for a refill of her coffee. "Yashiro, your opinion?"

"Their auras are spiky, whirly, very upset but besides base grievances I detect no lingering malice. It is most unfair, Takeru-san is only trying to be supportive," young Yashiro says, nodding along quite the flaps of her bunny ears, enough to barely propel her off her sofa.

Despite the shiny breeze offered by the assistant and the calmness of the one emptying another round of coffee faster than his own spins, Takeru finds his own mouth drying, tongue scraping the back of his teeth. "…This ain't a surprise for you, Sensei."

"And it shouldn't be for you either. Had you not said you were aware of their circumstances, Shirogane? I thought I could delegate their commission to you?"

"You can, yeah. But they never reacted like this, not even when I was a useless civvy parading as a cadet."

"Come on, now. It is only normal, any Japanese would shun and avoid contact with someone who speaks as informally as you do."

"Except this is out of place. Just like… you lashing out when you thought I was a spy," he slowly says, inhaling sharp, holding her stare.

That oscillates around the room in a spin, as unreachable as the peak of the paper towers, as blank as them as well. "Such discrepancies are insignificant in front of the greater picture, and could indeed be only a cause of your newfound attitude. As we discussed previously, this is the Empire of Japan. Those who would be seen as counter to the values preached will be scorned, regardless of their exploits," she spits raw venom, a coiled fist resting on her chin.

"…Anything you wanna share?"

"No, it is unnecessary," she shakes her head, sighing back to frozen boredom. "I am not criticizing your methods, but allow me to remind that I am expecting results from your endeavors," she slowly tells, sprouting a gorgon his way, enough for young Yashiro to compress herself into a statue. "May I ask why do you care so much about this?"

"How can I not? I don't wanna spark a fight, and… it's honestly concerning, to see them scorning me over nothing."

"I assure you, it is nothing," she says, shrugging. "Can you not try and adapt back to proper form?"

"I never had to, Sensei. We could get along without accusations being thrown around. Siiigh… All I want is to lend them my strength, but at this rate it might be better to shut up and not incite them further," he defloats, hunching over.

"…Have you thought of their point of view, Shirogane?" Kouzuki asks, shaking her head at young Yashiro while raising her posture, staring into him as he looks up. "Maybe they don't want to be helped or saved. Perhaps, they desire to honor their own ambitions."

"But they never-"

"Exactly," she cuts in, pointing a finger, the full viper his way. "Stop pushing the expectations of other worlds into this world's inhabitants. Those living here are not your old squadmates, the way they came to know you is different so, of course, their assessment of you will change. Would you be comfortable if someone who knew this world's you approached you and began talking as if you were long lost friends, although this person knows nothing about you?"

"Well… I guess that makes sense, huh…"

"Chin up, Shirogane," she orders, folding her arms. "I only placed you in that squad because you promised to bring the cadets up to skill, nothing more. I cannot risk you causing any more friction, and I will warn Marimo to punish you if you continue to do so."

"But how can we truly make a difference if we can't trust each other? Even if I gotta tone down my slang, there's gotta be something I can do," he asserts, holding the silent slither of the eyes. "Even if they're not my old friends, I still want to save them from that madness."

She scoffs, forwarding a freezing frown. "If you truly wish to 'save them', mister hero, then start by treating them for who they are rather than who you'd like them to be. Any further forced altercations will negatively impact my assessment of you, Shirogane. You knew their circumstances, so make sure you hold your end of the deal. If Squad 207 does not clear the CCSE thanks to your presence, we shall have to revise our agreement going forward. Are we clear? Good. Anything else you wish to report?" she asks, slowly sorting the papers on her desk.

A moment to silently thank the concern away from young Yashiro's complexion, Takeru coughs while tightening and loosening his hands. Flattening his jacket, a slow tingle runs through his back. "Actually, I do. And it's a serious thing this time."

Sharply, the papers are sorted into a folder. Faster, the pens stashed along notebooks. A few clicks and pokes to what was on screen later, Kouzuki scuttles her chair closer to the wood, leaning her weight fully on the desk. "…Out with it, what's going on?"

"We've got a BETA incursion heading our way in around a week's time," he causally throws out, causing cracking compression of Kouzuki's crest. "Wanna start a recording before I begin the report?"

"…Is this imperative for me to learn of this?"

"Sigh. Worst case, you hold your hand and the rest of the world will be none the wiser."

"I suppose… Alright, give me a moment."

A few more clicks, another round of coffee was shared between the scientist and the soldier amidst the reports. Or cocoa for young Yashiro, as she hurries to write down key details, fixing a map on a screen lodged in the wall to better fit the telling.

Arrows, positions, timestamps, latitudes, battle groups, little by little more darts fly to the blanks and complete the reenactment of this opening song. With every drop, Kouzuki could somehow feel her own insides do the same.

"…What's next?" she hurriedly asks as he delays further words, emptying his coffee.

Walking to and fro, eyes on the ceiling, the coming whisper far more distant. "Depends on which stance we take. If we do nothing as history is meant to be, the IJA suffers many losses but eventually the BETA are repelled. A few cities from Niigata to the base are heavily damaged."

"How much?"

"Enough to halt progress on the infrastructure plans for a few years, if my few memories of those futures say anything. Let's say the population takes on a… very negative view of the UN after Alt V and the Treaty swing back over Japan."

"I see… And I assume, the other outcome is the result of this 'last loop' of yours? What did I do with this knowledge?" she asks, staring.

"You lied."

"What?"

"You told me you didn't believe me, but then warned the IJA anyways however slightly. You never told me what you did exactly, though. Also, you sent the Valkyries on a capture mission."

"A… capture mission, you say?"

"Where do you think the BETA from the memories I've shown you came from, Vice Commander?"

"…Which means, it may be necessary for the future." I wouldn't have released the BETA without a good reason, despite his prior words. "I assume, the spoil I offer in exchange of the XGs is a live showing of the XM3. This is why I released the BETA, correct?" she asks, gaining a sighing nod collapsing to sand. "Hmm. Perhaps, there is some merit to following that same approach. Anything you might wish to add Shirogane?" she asks, going for a sip while closing a few docs.

"Yeah. I want to join the mission this time."

For a second, the coffee clogs and swirls in her throat. Wiping her mouth while glaring his way, the Professor frosts over. "Are you insane? You will do no such thing."

"I insist, it's necessary."

"Why?"

"Because we lose two Valkyries during this mission, and I'm sure I can at least prevent that little."

"Or you might perish in their stead. This is non-negotiable, you are too valuable to risk on this situation. Allow me to remind you, your main task is to tune the 00 Unit."

"I know, and I will see to that. But I must insist."

"My position won't change," she says, immovable as a statue, glaring as a gargoyle.

Yet the little horns seem to pop over Shirogane's head as he smiles, walking up to the desk. "Even if I offer you one of your theories in exchange?"

A slight twitch, lips and venom retract like a wave off the shore. Blinking slow, she rests her chin on interlocked fingers, meeting his stare. "So you are willing to forfeit one of the theories over this simple matter? May I ask why?"

He smiles, waving a finger up and about. "Simple. We can protect the Valkyries that would've otherwise died, while we obtain hard data of a live test for the XM3, while I get to show Cpt Isumi the true effectiveness of my piloting. And I make sure you don't bring as many Laser-Class, if you're still dead set on sicking the BETA on our necks."

Her solidified glare moves not once. "And, again, where is the merit in this? It does not pay off for the risk of possibly losing the tuner of the zero. We can continue to test the XM3 here."

"And I'm asking, can we do things differently? Or are you letting me know you're planning to stick to what I showed you of last loop?" he asks, breaching the desk, and her personal space.

"…Two Valkyries, you said. Are they worth one of the theories for you?"

"It's not only that, but the impact going forward, Vice Commander. Two more pilots, an earlier sampling of live data for the XM3, and the Valkyries adapting to it as well. Plus, the same goes for you getting to work on both the 00 Unit and whatever you can cook for my own anomalies," he lowly says, unblinking, unmoving. "I insist to sortie."

"And you will heed Isumi's and my orders to the letter, no selfish nor crazy maneuvers as you've attempted on your drills thus far?"

"I'll do what's necessary to bring them all back alive."

"Huh… Do you think yourself capable enough to do so, mister hero?"

"Siiigh… I may not be a hero, but watching their backs isn't off my possibilities. I can do that little. Come on Sensei, I've been doing my part thus far, haven't I?" he complains, walking back and off the desk.

She shakes her head, still leveling a blizzard into his sight. "Remember that we are allies, Shirogane. I shall cooperate with you so long as capitalizing on your talents yields rewards for Alt IV."

"And haven't my activities thus far meant something for you?"

"Isumi and the rest are having trouble adapting to your supposedly savior OS, your squadron is apparently wholly against your presence, and now you're asking me to risk your neck over a simple capture mission," she narrows everything further, the prior ice blistering into a mirror sheen. "I do not do charity. I help you, so long as you help me. Give and take, that's the core rule of the world. And do not forget, we still need to see whether your goals align with mine. Depending on what my theories reveal, we very well may see there is no answer but to repeat your last loop… by then, you'd understand, there would be little point in arguing semantics about saving your comrades' lives if I'll have to throw you all headfirst into the Original Hive. We both know only the XG will manage to survive the raid, and barely going by your tellings."

Mirroring the form yet downcast, not a speck of light shines as he stares, barely asking. "…So if it came to that, you'd truly repeat the madness I showed you?"

"If it guarantees the survival of the planet? Yes. My goal won't change, and neither should yours. Simply remember to play your cards accordingly. I won't refuse you handing one of the theories, but for the good of our partnership I would remind you to gauge if this is truly worth losing that leverage."

"…If this stops the BETA from damaging the cities as in my first loops and saves at least one of the Valkyries that died last time, then it'll be worth it. And that's saying nothing on you getting hard data for the XM3." Which would mean we could assist in the relief efforts once Mount Tengen erupts, now that the squad won't have to shoulder the burden of generating the samples.

"…I see. I still don't understand how this plays to your advantage, but do not mind if I accept your generosity. I shall be arranging the preparations, I hope you don't mind sorting with a Gekishin."

"It won't be an issue."

"And as I said before-"

"I won't die, XO. I'm not stupid, nor do I lack the skill."

"…Good. It's just…" her hands stall, undoing their form much like her prior bracing.

"What?"

Kouzuki sighs, resting both hands on her abdomen as she spins away again. "No, I simply do not understand you, is all. Between your preaching for peace and handling over key bargaining chips, the you in front of me seems entirely different to the one in the trainings. Why?"

"…I just wanna lend a hand, Sensei. Is it that hard to get?" he whispers, messing with his hair as he looks up.

"Again, why? What compels choosing such a low return for your exploits when you're risking your neck and your world alongside it? You've no ties to honor here, after all."

"Siiigh… Whatever, you won't get it too."

"Care to try?"

"…Different world, right? Even if I explain myself, we'd be going in circles. You may think I'm a fool but even if all of you are not my old comrades I still want to lend a hand. Just that. So, are we in agreement?" he asks, offering a hand.

She stares at it, waving off. "Fine, we have a deal. I shall arrange the preparations for your unit as well."

"I see… I assume you want your theory on causality first, right?"

"Of course, the 00 Unit takes priority. I am interested in the second one, but it can wait."

"Got it. Anything else you need?"

"…No, you may retire. I will be expecting the theory in my desk tomorrow by 1900 hours."

"Roger. Until tomorrow, Vice Commander," saluting slow, Takeru turns around and swiftly evades the babel towers of papers.

Nothing happens on the way to his room. Not much of import happens after inside.

After a shower, Takeru stands for a moment besides his closet. Opening it, pushing his hand to the back of it has him pulling a hidden object. A long azure cloth safeguarding a long item, the final wisps of lavender still lingering on it. Removing the cloth reveals an equally azure hilt and sheathe, quickly taken off to allow a shimmering to reflect the overhead lights.

"We finally made it to the first important flag, huh," he says, nodding at his own reflection on the blade's steel. Taking a deep breath, slowly so his position, he then begins to repeat slashes, patterns and echoes on his ears.

Pouring from his prior memories from his home to further push the practice, those from battle against the aliens to guard against the ill words from his comrades, so do the nights pass for the soldier. With a nightly self-sparring, and a delayed moment of silence hugging the blade, the scent that threatened with vanishing with each passing day.

Even as his attempts to smooth things out rise further thorns and edges, even as his suggestions for training methods leave older comrades cursing under their breath.

"It's the least I can do, to keep offering a hand in silence if they wanna take it," is what he reasons, taking glimpses of a burning gym, a collapsing street, and a hesitant, scarred gaze of azure as he goes silent, enduring the scald. "Even if it really seems like they'd rather marry a BETA sooner than give me the time of day…"

Through the dart in the heart, Takeru remains coursing on the classes, the vipers too. No tips nor subtle questions can cleanse the grime off the impregnable masks.

"Not like I can complain, being a harbinger of disasters. Who knows? Maybe their subconscious are blaring alarms to them, so that I can't affect them negatively…"

So silent he remains, simply waving away offers to study from Yoroi or practice from Tamase. And the nightly trainings only invigorate more in force when Mitsurugi tries and parleys him to rejoin the PX's round of games. The formality only rivets more nails into his chest, bringing true silence to his heart.

Looking at the calendar, knowing what it is to come by the next dawn, today he chooses to end the practice early, to hug the Minaru Kamui as he sits on the floor, nuzzling against the hilt, the distant lavender.

"If only for all of your sake, to ensure everything is alright back home… A coward like me can do that little, can't I?"

Early Morning

(Shores of Niigata)

Smooth yellowish white claims the horizon over the waves, that come and go, rocking back and forth as if in a carousel. Desolated was the inert soil, far more the sea, but the breeze seems to wish and sparkle a small joy to the morning of November despite the chill

It is a fine, bright morning. Warmth that soon won't reach the land enjoys its early shift, as if knowing what skirts closer below the waves.

"Valkyrie Mum to all units!" Haruka reports, opening a line. "The Ocean Defense Line has been breached! Prepare to engage at any second. The MDF Naval Platoon will be sending missiles towards the shore as the BETA surface, remain in your current position until the bombardment has ceased," she tells, in sharp contrast with the day's weather, although not for long.

"Valkyrie 1, roger that. One to all! Assume formation, remember that we are here only to thin their numbers and capture some live specimens. Don't go doing anything crazy!"

"Roger!" All answered in unison.

A slow rumble tickles their machines, forcing the OS to keep their firm posture. A round of cheering beeps from the radar, missiles just about to hit. As the Destroyers paint wings on the water with their rush and bring a min tsunami along them, a whirlwind of fire ravages and dries the shoreline. Multiple tornadoes made of blazes scorch the BETA, only to be followed by giant explosions.

The mixed bombing approach had proven effective for the IJA, and a small tip from an unknown source had their bases and carriers at the ready for the occasion. First drop the heavy incendiary bombs, to burn the squishy and fragile Destroyers, then the explosive ones hit the rest, to deal with their overwhelming numbers with the great AoE of the explosions.

"Valkyrie 1 to all units! March forward!"

A low roar is drowned by the one from the boosters, arrows flying headfirst at the BETA.

In a galloping tempo the Shiranuis swerve and pour through the cracks in the formation, hitting and slashing at legs and bodies. Sometimes a spurt of blood gushes out, sometimes shells take the brunt of the hits. Veering along the small dunes, hopping down behind carcasses. As the prior pristine skyline is bathed in dark, the sun withdrawing its offerings, a larger shaking runs through the ground.

"Commence Phase Two!" Isumi orders, her machine taking out another rifle and dropping an already spent dagger.

As small squads of infantry depart from the far away support vehicles alongside containers with a liquid of dubious origin, the STF holds its ground together and begins clearing a path to the shore. In a combined assault, raiding the sides, blocking the rush into a bottleneck before crippling slashed meet flesh and sulfur.

And yet, the ante is raised. The ground as well.

Hands of crimson raise for their ankles, jaws sprawling open below. Dust and curses run amok, more than the BETA poking out of the sand like a cast ant hive.

"Valkyrie 8, 9, remain in position! Do not spread your angle!" Isumi scolds, yet Akane and Tsukiji remain firing as if on automatic.

Teeth fused, too hard to separate. Limbs locked on their duty, awash in petrification.

A solid posture as frozen as the odd head-like appendage from the Grapplers that jump and hop their way, plunging and piercing the ground. Grazing their armor, their skin, too closer, closer with every repetition. And as if it were a competition, the endless tide swarms over their fallen fellows, the rampart of corpses serving little more than a minimal delay.

"Let's go off the lasers then! The quicker the better!"

"You tell them, Senpai!"

"Three, Four! Do not break forma- Dammit! Two, remain-"

"I know, leave them to me!" Hayase frantically nods, breathing in reverse while trying to catch up to the other two vanguards.

What meager light still fell on them is obstructed, denied as Forts claim the shore and begin to surround the Shiranuis. Even if a few stumble down under localized fire to their legs, even if the stingers miss and melt the sand. Even then, that does not prevent that alarm from drowning all else.

Those small, stubby shapes, those large eyes. Blinking once or twice, scuttling forward and tilting their heads about the dark smoke clouds pervading all. Before letting brightest light pierce it all, aiming for one Shiranui. Only for more darkness to emerge, as another jumps right in front.

For a second, or half of it really, all those presently fighting are frozen as not even figments or shards remain of their comrade, erased by the light.

"D-Daikuuji, we have to retreat!" Hayase warns, already backboosting.

Unlike the other Shiranui, with both guns forward and blazing through whirlwinds of gray. "Fuck off! This is for Mayu, you pieces of shiiiiiit!" she screams, firing off all of her ammo.

And yet, that too is soon diluted to dust amidst shining threads. Those same ropes constrict over the skies, tying it all up in eccentric angles, flashing on and off tension as if in the middle of a rave.

"Mum to One! We've finished capturing some specimens! I repeat, we finished capturing our allotted specimens! Evacuate immediately, IJA forces are soon to arrive."

"One to Mum, copy that!" she says, gritting her teeth as she deactivates part of her functions, letting inertia due its job to cascade her mech down a dune, away from an onslaught. A quick boot-up back to usual has a rush slicing limbs and heads off, much as those nearby had done in sync. "Valkyries, we're retreating! Mission's over!"

"W-Wait, Captain! Hayase is still not back!" Akane complains, trying and failing to aim her shots well enough to clear a path.

"Valkyrie Six, Seven! Report your status!" Isumi asks, gathering all the fresh pilots around her to ward off the Red Zone and letting the catapult in eyes and fingers fire off with gusto.

All steam goes poof the second her radar updates, her heartbeats too when the glitched voice slurs through the distortion in their comms.

"Eiko! Can you hear me?!" Kazama shouts, breathing more ragged than her daggers as she strikes and hacks at Tanks surrounding her comrade.

"T-Touko, I… I can't feel my legs… I'm done for, get out of here," a whisper barely slips through, before pitless coughing claims the throat.

"Valkyries Six and Seven, report your status!"

"Two right here, ma'am!" Hayase says, wincing in the projection, landing atop a Tank. "Seven took a direct impact from a Destroyer, her Shiranui's upper torso is lying on the ground. Six is unharmed, and so am I."

"I see… Two, Six," taking in a sharp breath, tasting acid herself, Isumi nods to the visors, "put Seven out of her misery. We must retreat at once."

"W-What?" Touko asks, widening features going past natural limits, the rims breaking to dampness. "C-Captain, her vitals are still stable! I am right besides her unit, it shan't take-"

"We do not have the time, and you will get surrounded if we dally!"

"Captain, requesting permission to assist-"

"Denied," Isumi glares at Munakata in the projection, gritting her own teeth. "We cannot move out from here, the corpses are our lifeline. Hayase is still there, biding her time. We must wait for the right time, else we become target practice for the Lasers."

"H-However, at this rate, they'll be overrun," Takahara interjects, eyes wide and twitching.

"Even if only for long range support, please let us help them!" Asakura joins in, shaking more than her machine as it fires off non-stop against the Grapplers to a side.

"We must make our death count if it comes down to it, isn't it ma'am?!" Akane asks, munching invisible ice cubes.

Groaning as she takes a glance at the radar, at the distance and time available. Realizing the numbers return in red. That her own infantry troops would be left wide open, and on the radars of the army. Smacks at the common channel to reach Hayase proves futile under the distortion of the heavy metals in the air, ordering Kazama to retreat incites further ignorance of said commands. More does her abuse of the controls rise when the fresh pilots stumble words and tactics, for a moment her finger lingers above the button to apply further hypnotherapy. Swallowing her own bile the narrow way it came, a small moment to curse at herself lets Isumi regain the front of the formation, attempting to devise a path forward.

And closer and closer, the Forts come. And closer and closer, the edge of the lasers. Mixing in sulfur and acidic blood, the remains they hide behind are assaulted, lines vanishing.

Except one, as a blue dot of hers blasts off into the herd.

"What the… Lupine, what do you think you're doing?! Return to the formation!" Isumi fires off, seeing the black Gekishin that had been guarding the rear not listen to a thing.

"The more time we waste, the worse the BETA's numbers become. We must retrieve Six and Seven posthaste!" the glitchy mess of a voice snaps back, as blazing as the barrels cutting into the red spiders.

"This is insubordination, we cannot- Ugh!" the fumes aiding her tempo, what few Tanks wished to prey upon her shadow finds only the comfort of the soil. "Six, Seven's vitals are plummeting. There is nothing we can do at this point."

"Captain, please, at least allow me to take Eiko back with-"

"Get a grip, Kazama! We cannot linger any longer, and you should have the visuals. There is… nothing to be done, it's our duty to complete our mission."

"C-Captain… Cough!" a battered whisper comes through, buried under dryness. "Listen to the Captain, Touko… I'm done for, anyways. Shoot… Shoot my S-11, please…"

"H-However, your suit's numbers- They're not-"

Fire breaks out around them, BETA steak flying off as Tanks and infantry classes fall to an overhead shadow, rolling and landing above the flames. Giving no time for Hayase or Kazama to piece together what happened, the curtain of blazes is cut in twain, literally, along a few BETA. In more clean strokes the field is plowed, the dark shadow marching forward in a steady rhythm.

"Six, I'll buy you enough time. Remove Seven from the cockpit immediately!" the glitch orders, before launching itself into the herd, and causing Kazama to just as quickly follows suit.

"Lupine, you're interfering with command!" Isumi repines, struggling to advance amidst the strays along the rest.

"I'm not, all I'm doing is keeping my comrades alive. That's all."

Tapping a few buttons, flicking a switch or two, a private line is established with the black Gekishin in question, allowing the collapsing sand to flow out. "This isn't the battlefield where someone of your skill should die. We are better served to marshal our troops and retreat before the losses continue."

Surfacing to avoid a stinger, hovering and swerving aside, skinning a Grappler in the process, the distorted voice slows down. "…I'm not intending to die. I know I can do this, ma'am."

"This is not the time nor the place for such juvenile conduct. If you're intent on proving your OS's superiority then leave that for the trainings. If Six opens the cockpit, she won't rest until Seven is taken care of. Will you listen to me?! Lupine, retreat back to formation!"

"I won't let anyone else die here, not again. I won't run away like a coward again!"

"Listen to me! Sometimes, there is nothing to be done. It is the nature of the military. All you can do is stymie your losses. The S-11s are there for a reason, as a way for all of us to make our deaths count. It is… all a dead soldier can do, after all." The only thing, the only comfort to leave to the others who take up the torch in your stead. Even when those of us now standing… may not measure up to the mantle entrusted to us.

And yet, while Isumi and the others were slowing down upon a clearing the Gekishin is on the other end of the pendulum.

[Recommended Music: Sweet and Red, Monark.]

"…All a dead soldier can do?"

As the Forts' tilting heads blocked the clouds nearby and all boosters heat up more than the pleads for Kazama to make haste, the Valkyries' guts almost entangled and pushed out by their own will. By the echoes of the melting acids edging closer and closer, the gurgling tinctures almost taste-through on their lips.

"…Making death count?"

It lasts only a mere second, however, for one of those towers soon begins to tilt in full. Much like the Valkyries' minds, that is, when seeing the searing red surrounding the lone blue dot. Only then, a small twister races through the gale. A forced oscillating pattern turning damp, strafing soon meeting the ground, grinding on it for another jump into a cyclone of blades. From each and every little nick on the skin pours the liquid, falling onto the aliens below, steam and sulfur raising as goo is all that's left.

"I'm done with that shit! I rather despair after I'm dead!"

And along that declaration, those two boosters hovered barely over the ground before fully awakening into an eruption. An eruption that lighted the acid up, galloping flames consuming the Tanks, the Grapplers, the infantry. And the Fort from within, threads and wisps of blazes popping off the body like a kettle left uncaringly above the fire.

Short of stopping, the gliding shadow aims for its next victim, shrieking pained and dry lungs out.

And causes Isumi to gasp, bracing back to form. "One to all available units! Aim all ammo at the Forts' legs, immobilize their advance! If we align them up, the flames will do the rest of the work for us!"

"Roger!"

In less than second, an arrow rain falls upon the appendages of the Forts, that still try and advance, try and sting that little shadow roving their lower sides, spreading hellfire with the tail-end of the boosters.

"Lupine, you've done enough! Pull back, leave the rest to us!" Isumi orders, seeing the growing numbers in red of the unit and pilot on her visor.

Yet her words fell on deaf ears, swallowed by salt. Salt that rose to obscure the sun, much like today.

With each spin and backflip, a small piece of armor falls off, flies off, melts away before even touching the toxic goo permeating the ground. On every whiff of the boosters, of every rising fire wall faces linger and claw at him.

"Y-You better tell them… how awesome I was, you got it?!" a voice gurgles out through acidic pain, blue eyes smirking through the wincing.

Despite the strain on breath and muscles, further and further the Gekishin flies. Almost stumbling, the lower heels bitten inwards by acid. And yet, a lightning bolt for strafing, the oscillation remains unchallenged, landing on the aliens and forcing them into becoming a new brand of soda.

"Hey, come on now… Do not cry, you're a squad leader, are you not, 1st Lieutenant?" a rasp lowly tells, nodding halfway while attempting and failing to properly salute.

Yet the gagging continues, unable yet to shed tears. Unable to tear off the band-aid, unwilling to cauterize the wound. Because there are some costs that are not wise to pay, fights that are better to not take to the last moment. And deaths that, no matter how tactical, cannot be replaced with any material gain.

How enthralling it is to see, repeatedly swaying to and fro, the sharp strafing elongating into patterns and dances with the embers lusting for his skin. How the typhoon of red emerges around with each hack and slash and gun blast to muting screams, yet at the very bottom it holds such a fluffy yellow and pink core.

Surfing on a molten Destroyer's horn, riding the acid waves and igniting them further, the collapsing Forts felled by the Valkyries find a ring of fire, a pledge of eternal bonding. Of bonding together in their own juice, that is. In equal violence the ranks are split, the ground and clouds too. Swiftly. Firmly. Fiercely. But not very calmly, to be honest, is his cascading flow rippling through rock, acid and flesh.

And yet, and yet why is it that Gekishin keeps on marching? Why slice at the horde? To keep away the echo inside? To let it out? Isumi and the rest, having already secured Seven, warn that they must retreat, that the soldier going by the Lupine callsign cannot continue to fight all alone, that it's foolish to press on.

A fool, perhaps. Singular and alone, however, is perhaps the most mistaken label to apply to Shirogane.

Lost in an all too similar recollection to days where he mingled with them, the shadow does not stop its hunt until only it stands above the remnants, with the smoke of battle as its cloak. Despite the plating being very much gone, inner cables almost see-through. Wilting to the bone, tendons exposed, slicing and opening wide like a flower.

Only that inside it is not steel what cracks and fades, what fuels the backflips and sharp spins, the dead-eye precision of every strike to sever limbs right off the joints with every strike of each limb.

Lost in the thickened clouds where heavy metals devour laser irradiation mixed in with the evaporating substance from the acid, the otherwise punished Gekishin continues its onslaught to the chorus of shocks coursing through its pilot.

As if roots mingled with his feet with every kick he sends to sink Tanks.

Or many, many hairs had sprawled over his arms, when bending them both backwards into a reverse hold, into a twister sending waves of gore far beyond the clouds.

Perhaps the same tendrils that within hurt in dark have come out to play, along the blankness of the rage that sways beneath and about, slicing and dicing, dancing to the tune of carnage, of revenge.

However, unlike the prior time when like this Takeru felt, the shimmering light around him did not welcome nor soothe at all. These crimson fireflies laugh and cackle as they cloud over him, from him, from every crack. Rather than giving, these lights were instead taking away. Much like the last flicker of light from a candle, before it fades to ash.

And it is only through the sharp boost of Isumi that the Gekishin does not end up face-first on the acid as the lines of red crack right around his heart, compulsing all air out of him.

"Damn it… Why did you refuse to retreat? Two, lead the way back. I'll take Lupine with me!" she orders, grappling the withering remains of the TSF.

"Already on it, ma'am!" Hayase quickly replies, who along Munakata plows through what few strays remain close by to allow the rest to blast off as violently as the black Gekishin had ravished the Forts moments before.

Molding their backs to their seats, their heartbeats knocking on their throats, for a moment the Valkyries only boost and boost, everything blurring away. Green dots skirt close to their radar, but in the end are more busy with the newly surfacing horde of BETA.

And yet they don't lift the heels off the metal. Not when a few strays try and ram into their machines, quickly shot and stunned away. Not when the explosions grow distant, nor when the ground returns to normal, or even the sky showers them in a cloak of sunlight. From the distant heights, those threads of light serve only to heighten the patches, the spots cracked open in the frames, melting frames of the machines.

The extraction winds up uneventful, save for the forceful hypnotherapy provided to the juniors and Kazama. Away from the battle, unseen and unnoticed, the supply vehicles try and line up the machines to depart. Except one, that Isumi watches over herself.

Softly cupping the cheek, dry and reddened, causes her to dry her own inner cheeks. What faint pulse comes through the suit at least allows her to swallow that lump blockaded her breath.

"Someone with such a clear death wish should not be given a rifle and told to march. To not retreat in front of such odds, to persevere only to save one person, to push himself and his craft to inhuman levels in front of so many Forts…"

Old days come to mind, days of equally appalling fights, equally appalling odds. Equally appalling weight on her hands, on the missing pieces of the board. On all those hands erased from the wall, their outlines living only within her mind.

"I could understand Hayase or Kazama, Munakata even. But someone so young, fighting as you do… What the hell are you carrying on your shoulders, boy?"

Removing the bolts slowly. Wrapping an arm under his, resting the weight fully onto her body before procuring the helmet. As gradual as the passage of the clouds above, with that same slowness the undoing of the bindings, the checks of the armor. The breaths and heartbeats, the fruits of wilting trees she failed to see to blooming.

"You seem to be about Akira's age, and yet you move like a monster. To employ your body as a shield without hesitation, only to viciously fight as only few can… What exactly are you compensating for, Shirogane? Who could ever believe you to be a coward?"

And no answers does Isumi find, not in the tight sleeping complexion, not in the erratic numbers from his suit that do not match up with the unnatural and blood-starved patterns he employed. Not in his blood either, showing no hint of drugs or stimulants. Nothing on his body, no augmentations, no cyborg parts.

His checkups on the private ride, with only her allowed in the medbay on this occasion, reveal nothing but a young man. With weak pulse and apparently a lack of energy, but just a normal young man.

The colossal bonfires the Forts became, however, would beg to write another tale entirely. For if fire could tickle the sky, then the army wouldn't be stalling for a solution after so long.

By the end of the checkups, all Isumi can do is hang her head in between her arms and sigh, letting the coldness poke and rub at her back, in slow shivers.

"I wouldn't be able to deliver a death notif to whoever is waiting for you out there. Not like I've a right to spew empty consolations when I am still so insufficient to my troop… Your exquisite piloting aside, your resemblance to those line-piercing doctrines aside…" reaching out for a hand of his, it is so, so cold to the touch. "If there is one thing I can promise you as an eventual subordinate, is that I won't allow you to turn into another Reaper," she says, rubbing her cheek with her other hand, recalling a strikingly similar outburst she heard, from an equally deadly pilot.

A/N: On my previous iterations I always kept Takeru's skill as very high but still human. Previous readers will perhaps remember one chapter that was a mess where the element introduced here was first shown. Again, I'm trying to speed things up when appropriate and giving context for future scenes.

Now, I'll go on a little tangent on some AU elements present in this chap.

Feel free to skip what's below if you don't want spoilers, explanations or just don't care.

The 'powers' Keru has are supposed to be a mirror to the state of the world and his anomalous existence. To give or to take, regardless of where he is data comes and goes through Takeru as a conductor, affecting those around him. The core idea for this phenomenon got completed when I was writing for Azur-Lane, with one type of process giving and the other taking away.

We know 'Takeru' is taken away from his homeworld to reach the BETAverse, and at the very least a collective fusion of multiple Takerus across all loops is what forms Alternative!Takeru. As noted before, he cannot yet consciously recall some of the events leading to his many deaths and strongest grief but, through strong emotion, can cause a momentary fusion. This lets Keru 'limit break' and access his complete experience subconsciously, with a cost. As humans are emotional beings with the capacity for reason, taming this anomaly to own his skills again is a small arc Takeru will go on during this story.

I did kind of shorten this chapter a lot, the original Niigata fight was much more descriptive and 'step-by-step'. On a reread, I figured most of the fight served little purpose other than to drag on time. Which is why I trimmed it this much, leaving only what little few pieces of dialogue I thought were important. Let me know what you think of this rendition versus the original one, if you wouldn't mind.

That's all on this one.

Thanks for reading. Stay safe.

Zuoriel