Rondo in the Endless Sky

A/N: Alright so quick one up here. I took this chapter down and put it back up real quick in order to make sure ya'll got the alert cause I added a scene to the end, and I know not everyone uses the mobile app... which apparently tells you if a chapter gets edited. Anyway, on with the show.

Chapter 7: A Not so Average Day

Night times at Arzenal were under most circumstances uneventful unless a singular appeared. Since it's location in the middle of a shark infested ocean was considered inescapable security was surprisingly lax. Cameras were only kept at areas considered of strategic need like the top facilities of the island and the launch area. In the halls all one would encounter the few guard patrols making sure curfew was kept. But, if one wanted to wander about, they were easy enough to get past. And even if caught, the guards themselves oftentimes cared so little the offending Norma would be sent back to their room with little more than a reprimand.

Which meant it was easy to hold a private meeting in the commander's office, with it's stowed away location among the inner facilities. It was here the "inner circle" of Jill's most trusted gathered at her call. Jasmine, Maggy, Salia, Mei, and Alain; All of them stood around Jill's desk lit by the soft glow of an oil lamp. A week had passed since Ange's reactivation of the Villkiss. If they could take the plan forward, then Jill certainly planned to do so as soon as she could.

"Quite the kill count for only her third mission." Jill said, setting down the data pad she'd been reading from. "Not bad, not bad at all." 'Only because she kill-steals all the damn time.' Alain muttered to himself.

"Nobody was able to use that machine well, then she comes along and does it effortlessly." Said Maggy, the medical officer giving Alain an amused glance as he huffed. "She's a complete natural."

"Yeah I know." Mei said. "Villkiss just seems to click with her." A sudden ping caught their attention, Alain pulling his terminal off his belt.

"It would be because Ange clears it's biometric lock." Wyvern said, Mei leaning to look at the terminal. "So your assessments is correct to a technical degree. However, despite her prowess her behavior is still a concern. A rift still exists between her and several members of Garm Squadron."

"We'll sort that out in due time." Jill responded. "But either way, Libertus starts now. What do you think, Salia?"

"She'll die immediately." Alain glanced to Salia as she looked away from Jill. Both the young captains thought to the past sortie before now. Unity in Garm was certainly becoming an issue. Ange did well yes, but she'd taken to a habit of breaking formation and stealing kills from the others. Least of all, the fact Hilda, Rosalie, and Chris were still looking for revenge. Alain had stopped counting the amount of times Ange had found herself caught in the middle of "friendly fire" during recent sorties. It was getting to be pretty tiresome.

"She's the villain that killed their beloved captain and the precious new recruits." Maggy said. "Throw in her attitude and you can't really blame them for hating her."

"I could do it." Salia spoke up. Alain couldn't help but sigh. He knew where she was going. "I'll show you. I can handle the Villkiss better than her. If we just shut off that lock…"

"We can't." Jill cut in. "We'd have already done it if we knew how." The woman also gave Alain a look. She'd deigned long ago not to tell Salia that information, and she could easily guess who'd gone and told her. "We just have to make do with the hand we were dealt. Like it or not, Ange is our only option."

"But if something happens to Villkiss…"

"I'll fix it right up if it comes to that!" Mei said, her smile radiating with confidence. "It's the entire purpose of the Armorer Clan after all!"

"We all have our own responsibilities." Jill stood and stepped to Salia, putting a hand to her shoulder. "Alright, Salia?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." Salia's hand clenched tightly despite her compliance with Jill as the woman gave an affectionate pat her on the head. Despite their discussions about it, Salia always got riled up when it came to Jill. Alain knew Salia idolized the woman, it was why she was so driven to pilot Villkiss. But after what happened with Zola, Alain was wondering if Jill's intentions weren't entirely straightforward.

"Onto other matters." Jill said, turning to Alain. "What Wyvern did a week ago, what exactly was that?" Alain pulled out his terminal and began opening files.

"I tried digging into Wyvern's systems, but I didn't find out much. All I got was this." The terminal was turned around and the others gathered around for a look. "It's called the Applied Ratio Inspective Scenario Enhancement System, or just ARISE. It overclocks the particle drives to perform at three times their usual output, increasing the overall performance and reaction time of the Wyvern. Problem is I've got no idea how to activate it manually, and it's easy to guess something like that runs on a time limit. That's on top of those errors they still have." Mei tched and pounded a fist to her palm in frustration.

"If only I knew how to fix it's drives! Those things are far from running at max capacity, and even with all the work I've done I've barely added to my sister's notes." The mystery of the Wyvern's particle engines had been inherited by Mei from her older sister Fei-ling when the elder Zhao had died during the previous Libertus. After Villkiss it was her second most cherished project. "No way engines like that merely run at double the output. There's gotta be more to that system, I know it!"

"I do wish I could assist in the repair of my platform." Wyvern spoke up. "Unfortunately the system locks imposed on the OS prevent me from further delving into whatever data may be contained within the onboard quantum computer, and I have no way to breach those locks at current."

"It's fine!" Mei assured the AI. "Alain somehow got one of them undone to use that new system, which means there's a way to unlock the rest!" Mei was clearly excited at the prospect, enough to earn a warm look from Alain. But Jill rapping her desk with her prosthetic drew attention back to her.

"Wyvern is secondary to Villkiss, Mei. All I need to know is that we can use it. Just find out how to use that system on command." Jill had always considered Wyvern a lesser priority. Despite the fact both machines had notable past records and were just as mysterious in their wider functions. She always brushed it off when someone brought up wanting to dig further into it.

"We better get ready." Maggy reminded them, particularly the younger ones. "It's going to be getting busy around here."

"Remember not to get cocky." Jill said. "Especially around the Overseer. With the meeting over, Mei checked the hall for any passing security and gave the all clear with a thumbs up. Alain took a glance back as he filed out after Mei and Maggy, pausing at Jill for a moment before continuing out. A tap on his shoulder drew his eye back as Salia gestured for her to follow him.

"What's up?" He asked as they walked off together.

"Should we really just trust Jill with allowing Ange to fly Villkiss?" It was almost a surprise to hear Salia questioning Jill's decision. But, considering the subject, perhaps it was only natural. "There's so much riding on it now, and if she screws up…"

"I won't let that happen. I'm sure Jill attached me to Garm indefinitely to make sure I do. What we should worry about is sorting things out before someone else ends up dead." Alain stopped for a moment to check the halls, continuing since it was still clear. "I'll talk to Rosalie and Chris about it tomorrow when I get a chance. Hilda's going to be another matter."

"It's my squad, so please, let me deal with it if they take it too far. I should be the one to handle it. I know they're more likely to listen to you, but that's part of my job."

"If they don't push it, then I'll keep out of it." He replied. "But I can't guarantee I won't step in if I catch them in the act." Salia nodded, finding that a fair enough compromise. She knew Alain tended to be an impulsive sort. "And it's not like Ange doesn't share some of the blame either. She's not exactly doing much to dissuade them."

"Yeah. Agh! Why does this have to be a mess?" while Salia sighed, Alain gave a snide chuckle. Salia tapped him on the arm for it. "Hey… your room is closer right? Mind if I just stay with you? B-Besides… I could use some… stress relief after everything."

"You must really be needing it if you're being this direct about it." Alain's amused sigh was coupled with Salia hiding the blush that rose across her face. "But sure. It'll be easier for security to believe if someone finds out we were out past curfew."

"O-Of course! It's purely to be practical. And just normal procedure."

"Salia I can see you blushing. It's cute."

"S-Shut up!"

Alain's usual snickering carried down a bit as he dodged Salia's swing at him. All the better to lighten the mood a bit was his thought. It was better than always weighing themselves down with worries like that.


Post-sortie debriefs at Arzenal were rather straightforward. Once a squadron returned, the first stop was always the banking counter just outside of the hangar bay. There the attendant would run the numbers based on a pilot's recorded kills, role in damaging larger DRAGONs, repairs, and the usage of ammo and fuel to determine the total payout for the mission. Once the pay was given, they could either hold onto the cash to use immediately or bank it for safe keeping. Granted there were ways for pilots to lose cash beyond spending it. Primarily if something that prevented them from operating were to happen, which incurred a hefty fine of one million cash per-day regardless of the circumstances. Non-combat personnel were paid by the hour, and while it was more stable than a pilot's income, it wasn't as generous so many qualified candidates were quick to take up open slots despite the risk.

"Downed three Schooner-classes and an anchor driven into a Galleon-class." The teller said. Rosalie already knew this wasn't going to be much of a day for her. "Subtracting ammo, fuel consumption, and damages. This week you earned 180,000 cash."

"Tch, that's it?" Rosalie grimaced at the stack of bills that, by pilot standards, was all too thin.

"Hey don't complain." Chris commented. "I barely earned half of that." The two may not have been the best pilots in their squad but getting paid that much was a downright crime to behold.

"Hilda, how much did you earn?" Rosalie turned to the redhead. With a smirk to it, Hilda turned her pay around to show a much thicker stack of bills. "Whoa!" both gasped.

"Your pay is five and a half million cash for this week." The entire squad turned in shock to Ange as she took the full plate of cash with a dispassionate look. That kind of number was only earned by the best Aces and she was pulling it inside a week. Not surprising considering the amount of kill stealing she did.

"Whoaaa!" Vivian gasped. "I've only seen Big Bro and Zola make that much!"

"You really racked up the pay this week!" Ersha praised. 'Don't encourage her.' Alain thought as Ange handed back the cash.

"Thank you for your deposit." Ange left without a word, seemingly oblivious to the glares thrown at her by Hilda and her sidekicks.

"Does she ever spend her money?" Vivian asked.

"Hardly ever see her at the mall, so I'm guessing no." Alain sighed as he stepped forward to get his pay. His earnings were at times considered a "cheat" by others, since due to the Wyvern's particle engines and beam weaponry, it knocked off ammo and fuel costs almost entirely. However…

"Two million cash for the week." The number was not what the others considered an average pull for him at all. He couldn't help but grumble as he took the stacks and ran his thumb over them.

"Oh my." Ersha noted. "I've never seen anyone earn more than Alain except for Zola."

"What do you expect?" Chris sneered. "What with that bitch kill stealing from everyone."

"It's about time someone showed her her place." Rosalie muttered. Alain rubbed his temples and gave a groan. This was exactly the kind of thing he was worried about.


They didn't even make it past the locker room.

Alain should have known why Hilda and co. had gone ahead of the rest. Though he didn't need a plugsuit to pilot Wyvern, he did have gear he needed to stow after sorties. He turned from his own when he heard Ange gasp.

"What's wrong?" Vivian ask as she trotted over to Ange. Ersha, Alain, and Salia went over to see what was going on, and Alain felt another headache coming as he blanched. Ange's locker was strewn crude graffiti with "SKANK" being the most prominent marking, and her uniform torn to complete shreds. Salia immediately knew who the culprits were.

"Did you three do this?" Salia snapped, Rosalie chuckling as she put a hand behind her head.

"Gee, who knows?" Rosalie went from playing it off to flinching as she caught the wide-eyed glare Alain was giving her. Ange's reaction was a bit different. With a complete lack of care, she grabbed the shredded uniform and threw it own. Ersha was sure to cover Vivian's eyes as she averted her gaze. Arzenal pilot uniforms tended to vary on the owner and at times wouldn't leave much to the imagination. But the state Ange's clothes barely even qualified them as clothes anymore. The top barely held together, and the ruined skirt showed more than a generous view of her panties. It was eye catching for all the wrong reasons.

"W-What's your problem?!" Rosalie yelped when Ange stepped forward and roughly grabbed her. Ange's knife flew from her holster and flashed twice before anyone could act. The top of Rosalie's plug suit fell from her breasts as the orange haired girl screamed, quickly putting her hands up to keep herself covered.

"Rosalie!" Chris gasped.

"Bitch." Ange huffed and left.

"Wow!" Vivian awed. Without a word, Alain turned on his heel and walked out into the shower room. Another second later, and an aggravated scream could just be heard from the other side. A silence followed as Alain walked back out. He shot a look the way of the offending trio as he left. He didn't want to think about the odds of him being right this would only get worse.


'I don't think I can take much more of this.' Alain thought as he lathered up his hair. He and Ersha were showering after an intensive training session with Ange, who as usual took the stall furthest away from everyone else. If ever there was a place to yell a bit, may as well have been the showers. A couple of days had passed since the "uniform incident" and operation "Revenge for Zola" was getting old fast. First Rosalie tried to toss her tray at Ange in the cafeteria which missed by pure dumb luck and hit a girl from the third squadron, Wardog, who didn't hesitate to give Rosalie a beating. Then she and Chris tried to get Ange with a water bottle spiked with a laxative, only for Ange to turn that around. As he and Ersha had entered the showers, Alain could still hear Rosalie's cries of pain from the bathroom.

"Oi, Ange!" Alain said. "You seriously don't have a problem with them messing with you like that!"

"It doesn't matter. What some idiots do doesn't mean a thing to me." Ange said, Alain clicking his tongue. "What I'm wondering is what you're even doing showering in here with us." What Ange probably wasn't expecting was for Alain and Ersha to start laughing, the former in a more sardonic manner befitting his usual attitude. "And you act like I'm strange."

"Look Princess…" Alain had to stop himself as he pulled his damp bangs back. "I've been here my whole life. If I couldn't handle being around naked girls, I'd have never made it past thirteen. Besides, they don't allow personal showers."

"But Zola had a hot tub in her room." Ersha said. It was a thing they'd heard about plenty of times, both from the woman herself and her harem.

"Pretty sure they didn't use that for bathing." Alain remarked. Ange just huffed and went back to her own shower. "Well I'm done here. I'm gonna head to the mall since Vivian said she wanted help checking out some new stuff for her Razor."

"Have fun!" Ersha waved to Alain as he left while throwing a towel around his waist. And no sooner than him opening the door did he hear Rosalie and Chris discussing their latest scheme.

"Sh-She wears that?! She's a total slut!" Alain looked out and facepalmed. What Chris was holding, could barely be called a thong. Mostly see through with a bare minimum of black to cover the best parts, the rest a thin red strap for what would fall around the waist and rear. Rosalie was both gawking and looking a bit turned on. "Perfect! Let's hang it in the hallways!"

"What the hell are you two doing?" Alain demanded, making them jump.

"Alain look at this!" Chris beamed. "Can you believe that princess bitch wears this kind of stuff?!"

"That's Ersha's." Alain's deadpan response made the girls stop dead in whatever momentum they had gained.

"Eh?" was all Rosalie got out.

"N-No way. How would you…" Chris stammered as Alain raised a single brow. "Of course you would know." The full implications of what they were holding dawned on Chris and Rosalie. Ersha was well known for her warm personality, so this was the last thing either of them expected her to wear. "That uh… that's news."

"So what was it you were planning to do exactly?" He asked, both going white. "What exactly was running through your heads when you thought those were Ange's?"

"That uh…" Rosalie murmured.

"That we could totally expose that pig hoe bitch skank." Chris said.

"Unnecessary number of expletives aside…" Alain had to take a second to mentally hit himself. He was not in a place to deride someone for being foulmouthed. "You're lucky I came out first. If Ersha did you'd have ended up on the receiving end of her specialty moves. And I know from experience how much they hurt."

"Yeah that's not a fun idea." Rosalie gulped as she dropped the thong back into the laundry basket. Chris looked similarly worried at the idea herself.

"Look…" Alain went to his own locker and began to get dressed. "I don't like Ange as any more than you. And I don't blame you for holding a grudge against her. But, enough is enough. I'm going to have to tell Salia about this so she can actually settle things."

"But she…!"

"Rosalie, I said I get it." He was sharp on the response. "We have enough problems without you two making more. So cut the shit and stop being idiots." Rosalie and Chris flinched and turned away.

"Ehhh… I forgot how scary he can get." Rosalie whispered.

"Almost as much as the Commander." Chris said.

"I can still hear you!" Alain pointed out. What really bothered him though was Hilda. So far the redhead hadn't tried anything, and that was what worried him. He couldn't help but feel she had something planned, something that went beyond petty pranks. In the middle of his thoughts, the door to the shower opened and Ange appeared. He cooled off quickly when the two girls laughed themselves. That was a better mood at least. Alain watched from the corner of his eye, he watched as Ange changed into the shredded remnants of her uniform. The past few days of wear had left it all the more ruined. As if to emphasize the point, Ange sneezed, causing the torn top to rip apart and nearly cause her ample bust to spill out. 'Alright, enough is enough.' Alain thought, storming over to Ange and grabbing her by the elbow. "Come on Ange, you're going with me!"

"Eh? Get your hands off me!" Ange protested as Alain dragged her out. Rosalie and Chris glanced over as Alain angrily dragged the complaining girl out. Better her than them was what they thought.


The typical bustle of Jasmine Mall was going strong. Off-duty pilots and support staff spending their free time in the recreation zone. Others doing routine shopping or pilots purchasing upgrades or accessories for their Para-mail. Amid the crowd, one excited figure with vermillion hair hurried through, a sucker stuck in her mouth and knapsack full of cash slung over her shoulder. It had taken Vivian months to save up what she needed, and while the last few missions hadn't earned as much as she would like, it was still enough to shore up her Razor. She had to keep up with Alain after all, and she didn't plan to let "Big Brother" down.

"Whoaaa, they have a new one!" She cheered as her beeline for the weapons racks showed her desired item. A new model of the boomerang weapon her Razor was equipped with. "Yo Auntie, how much is this!"

"It's Big Sister dammit!" Jasmine huffed. She and Vulcan came over and gazed up at the item Vivian was drooling over. "The new super-chrome-steel boomerang? Eighteen million cash." All around them, Arzenal residents stopped to stare in shock. Jasmine was known around the base for her exorbitant prices, but that sounded steep even for her. But Vivian didn't look at all deterred.

"Glady!" Not missing a beat, Vivian dropped the sack of cash and Jasmine did a quick count while Vulcan gave the bag a sniff.

"Thanks for the business." The older Norma said. "I'll have the Armorers get it installed right away." Suddenly, Vulcan began to growl. Jasmine long considered her hound a reliable source of reading people, so him growling the moment he picked up on something meant trouble. And Jasmine could already guess what it was. Amid the shocked whispers that replaced the background chatter, Jasmine turned to see Alain dragging a half-naked Ange behind him, the girl obstinately struggling in his grip.

"Whoa, sexy." Vivian said, looking up and down at the state of Ange's clothes.

"Don't encourage her." Alain said, letting go of Ange. "I think you can see what we're here for."

"I would've just come myself." Ange said, rubbing her elbow as she tched at Alain. The young man glanced back over his shoulder with a narrow look as she tossed a stack of bills at Jasmine. "You have uniforms right?"

"Do I?" replied the woman as she thumbed the money. "Sweetie, I've got everything from lingerie to rail cannons in this place." Jasmine pulled out a fresh uniform set from a stack nearby other essentials for pilots, tossing it to Ange. "Changing rooms are this way."

As Ange went and got changed into the new uniform, Alain stood outside the stall with Jasmine and Alain. It didn't take long for the old woman to give a telling smirk.

"That thing looks like it went through a shredder." Jasmine commented, eyes on the scraps at the floor of the stall. "Care to tell me how it ended up like that?"

"Three guesses, first two don't count." Alain answered just before Ange stepped from the stall, only pausing long enough to put her boots on.

"See you." Was all she said as she pushed past the others.

"You're already leaving?" Vivian asked. "You should buy a new weapon or two!"

"You've made a ton, haven't you?" Jasmine added.

"At least humor her." Alain advised as he pat the younger girl's head. "She'll keep bugging you otherwise." Ange glanced back and sighed in resignation.

"Fine." Together, all three of them brought Ange to the Para-mail section. All around them; weapons, shioelds and other implements far too big for a person to use loomed over them.

"Hey, how about this one?" Vivian chirped as she gestured to a sword with a fancy red hilt. "I think it'd look super awesome on your machine!"

"They probably already told you this." Jasmine mentioned. "But it's because you're going to die in that machine that you're allowed to customize it as you like. Powerful weapons, thick armor, flashy decorations. It's one of the few freedoms given to Norma."

"Pointless." Ange huffed and turned away.

"Y'know it's that attitude of yours that's why they keep coming after you." Alain said, turning on his heel.

"Alain's right. You can't blame them for something you started." Jasmine said. Ange whirled around with an angry look, Jasmine knelt down with a smirk while petting Vulcan. Alain could already tell where this was going. "But you know hon, even that's something you can easily solve with all the money you have. Safety, peace of mine, and life; all those things can be bought and sold here."

"Jasmine not everyone thinks that way." Alain groaned.

"I'm merely offering an option." Jasmine chuckled. "I'm a merchant after all. I merely distribute products to my customers. What they do with their purchase is none of my business."

"Spoken like a true entrepreneur." Alain commented.

"So you're saying I should bribe them?" Ange asked.

"That's a princess for you. Rather astute." Pulling an abacus from her jacket, Jasmine ran a quick calculation. "How about ten million a head?"

"They're only worth that much? C'mon Jasmine, we're talking about Garm members here." Alain said. He was against the idea just as much as anyone else, but even Alain had to admit there was a certain note of pride some had in knowing just what they were worth.

"Well that's just their price." Jasmine countered. "You wanna know how much some of the girls here would pay for you?"

"Pass." Alain looked to the side with a groan, Jasmine snickering.

"Such a shameless Norma." Ange sardonically laughed. "I don't need to pay off trash like them. I'll handle it my way."

"Ever hear of the pot and the kettle?" Alain snarked. Ange left without a response. "This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, will it?"

"Ah! Gee I almost forgot!" Vivian downright bounced over as she grabbed Alain's arm. "Alain, I got the new boomerang for my Razor! So come on, help my pick out some tuning options for it! You said you would do that today!"

"Yeah yeah don't worry." Alain assured her with another pat to the head. "Afterwards we need to go see Salia. I got some things to tell her."


As Alain had hoped, Salia had wasted no time in calling Chris and Rosalie to Garm's briefing room. The two were knelt on the floor before Salia like a pair of disobedient children, which fit considering how they'd been acting. Ersha and Vivian sat nearby yet Hilda hadn't shown up yet for some reason. 'Why does that give me a bad feeling?' Alain thought.

"I've been dismissing it as just blowing off steam because I know you're upset." Salia scolded. Chris timidly hung her head, while Rosalie simply sulked. "But Alain's right. This is getting out of hand and it needs to stop."

"Doesn't any of this bother you?!" Rosalie shouted, looking to Vivian and Ersha. "She killed our captain and two recruits and she doesn't even care!"

"I know." Ersha said. "But she bought all their graves and returned to the battlefield. She's already atoned for it."

"That's enough?!" Rosalie countered as the door open.

"Of course it's not." Hilda said as she entered. "Maybe a good girl like you could, but not the rest of us ordinary people." Hilda cut a glance to Alain. "Why do you even care Alain? I thought you disliked her just as much as we do?"

"I do." Alain bit. "But harassing her isn't going to bring anybody back. And you're just as at fault for letting her get to you in the first place."

"Bastard." Hilda growled.

"He's right, Hilda." Salia said. "I'm not saying you have to like Ange or forgive her. But this squad needs to get in order. And like it or not, she's a part of it."

"I'm just wondering what the hell Command is thinking. Her only punishment was being put in that crappy machine." Hilda strolled over to Salia, a snide look coming to her face. "Oh, maybe she's planning to sleep with her. How naughty." Salia tensed, and Alain got ready to move if things got ugly. "If you look at it that way then it makes sense. It takes a lot to get on her good side. You've gotta step up your game. The Princess may just be better in bed than you."

"That's insubordination!" Salia drew her knife at Hilda.

"And if it is?" who drew her gun in response.

"Cut it out!" Alain yelled. Before it could get worse, Alain grabbed the two by their wrists, twisting enough to make them lose hold of their weapons. "Salia, cool it. It won't do any good for you to get heated either. Hilda, you cut the shit too. Whatever Command's reasons are for it, we don't have a place to question orders." Hilda growled and wrenched herself free.

"And when the hell were you such a goody two shoes huh?!" Hilda snapped. "What the hell is with you Alain? I heard you got punched out by the Commander for trying to deploy that night and now you're rolling over like some puppy?! What, you wanna get in the Princess's pants too?"

"Don't push it!" Alain growled, releasing Salia and staring Hilda down. "I'm still pissed at Jill for that. I'm still pissed at Ange for getting them killed. And I don't like the fact she's been put in that machine. But I'm not going to let anyone in this squad die because of some petty grudge.

"Just stop messing with Ange. I'll step in more personally if I have to." Salia said.

"That girl treats us like shit!" Hilda yelled. "And you two are taking her side?!" Salia's glare narrowed.

"That's an order."

"Alright, Captain." Hilda huffed and picked her gun off the ground, stowing it in its holster as she went for the door. "You two, let's go."

"Sorry about that." Alain picked up Salia's knife and returned it to her.

"It's fine." Salia said. "It was my fault for letting her get to me." Alain guessed he couldn't blame her. Hilda was about as good at getting under people's skin as Maggie was. But where Maggie had a certain playfulness about it, Hilda's was caustic and biting. She hadn't always been like that though. When they'd been kids, he couldn't really have said they were best friends, but they could get along. But then she became part of Zola's circle, and it was like her personality changed overnight.

It didn't seem like they'd be getting much of anywhere today.


As they followed Hilda through the hall, Rosalie and Chris were wondering what her deal was. Especially with her snapping at Alain in particular. The two had it rocky for years sure, but the way Hilda had singled him out went beyond that.

"Don't you two know not to start something you can't finish?" Hilda lectured with a backwards glance.

"If you were watching from the side you could've helped us." Rosalie replied, Chris nodding. Hilda smirked and held up the key in her hand.

"Well I've had my own plans.

"Hey…" Chris murmured. "Isn't that…?" A short while later, they found themselves at the place they'd spent more time in than their own dorms. Zola's quarters were as much a testament to her skill as it was to their hedonism. And Zola had spared no expense in being able to live as comfortably as possible. A king sized bed that took up a quarter of the room next to the equally large hot tub. Bottles of win sat on a mahogany cabinet next to a velvet sofa set against a wall that hadn't just been fully plastered but painted as well. And from the ceiling hung a gold plated chandelier bathed the room in a warm glow.

"Haven't been here in a while." Rosalie commented. "I missed this room." As rough a lover Zola had been, the former captain had always been kind to them in her own way. With tears in her eyes, Chris approached the pin board hanging from the wall. Dozens of pictures hung from it, in particular one showing Zola arm in arm with the three of them. Most were of them and Zola. But there were some of Norma they weren't familiar with, including one of a younger Zola with the current members of Garm from long before they were pilots. Including Alain. It was almost odd to see a picture from a time where he and Zola weren't going at each other. Why couldn't things have just stayed how it was when they were kids?

"Captain." Chris sniffled as she looked at the pictures. "I'm sorry, we tried to avenge you but we couldn't."

"Quit crying Chris." Hilda ordered from where she sat on the bed. "Just leave everything to me from now on. After all, everything Zola left behind belongs to me now." Rosalie and Chris looked to each other in shock as Hilda approached Rosalie. Before the buxom orange hair could response, Hilda cupped her face and kissed her. Rosalie's eyes widened in response for a moment before she gave in and leaned into it.

"Hilda." Chris gasped.

"I bought everything." Hilda continued as she stepped to Chris and cupped her chin. "Everything that Zola owned is now mine. Understood?"

"Y-Yes." Chris blushed.


Hilda had hoped that being the dominant for once might give her some kind of satisfaction, but she still felt the same sense of emptiness she had with Zola. She glanced over to Rosalie and Chris sleeping in each other's arms. Salia and Ersha, she had to wonder if that was how those two felt when they laid down with Alain. It was one of the things that drover her crazy about him. They didn't have to sleep with him to ensure his loyalty and protection. How could he give it so freely?

Climbing out of the bed, Hilda went to the barred window and looked out over the moonlit water, the cold night air raising goosebumps across her naked body. Hilda wondered if that person was looking at the moon and thinking of her too. In her hand, Hilda looked to the prosthetic eye she held. When they had taken Zola's remains away for burial, it had been left behind and Hilda collected it before it could be disposed of. When she'd first joined Garm, a Brig had nearly gotten her before Zola had pushed her out of the way, but she'd lost her right eye as a result. She'd always looked out for them, and now she was gone because of that selfish bitch.

"You know, there was a time I think I really loved you, Zola." As much as she hated the things she'd had to do, Hilda had to admit it hadn't been all bad. Balling her hand, she pitched the fake eye out of the window, and it disappeared under the waves with a soft splash. It was time to get to work.


Alain peered out from a corner as the maintenance bay finally went quiet. He'd been waiting for a while for the Armorers to finish their work, and once Mei was gone he'd had his chance. With the tracker in hand, Alain stepped out towards Villkiss.

"Hey there big guy, sorry to intrude on you like this." Clambering up top, Alain flipped the release and dropped into the cockpit. Leaning around the seat, he ducked under the main console and found an out of sight panel. A quick twist locked the tracker on it, and a tap turned it on. "Wyvern, how's the signal?"

"Confirmed. Might I inquire why you feel the need to attach the tracker?" Alain clambered out and glanced back at Villkiss.

"Better to be safe than sorry. Now c'mon, let's get out of here before the guards come around." Alain made a mental note to be sure to thank the other guys the next time he was out.

As Alain left the bay, what he didn't see was a head of red hair peeking out from the other corner. Hilda's smirk widened as she leaned out and stepped to the Villkiss herself. She hadn't been expecting she would also get a chance to mess with Alain. 'Two birds with one stone.' she thought.


The order to sortie came bright and early the following day before the sun even cleared the horizon. Despite her less than restful sleep, Ange leapt from her bed and raced to the locker room. "Issuing a first encounter alert." The command tower broadcast. "Garm squadron, prepare to launch." Following a quick suit up, Ange arrived at the launch deck just as the Para-mail were being taxied to formation.

"Everyone mount up!" Salia ordered. With the signal given, the members of Garm shot off to their machines save for one. Behind Ange, Alain half shambled towards Wyvern with a yawn, and Ange shot him a disdainful look. How could he be so casual at a time like this? Well whatever. As long as he kept out of her way, she didn't really care. Climbing onto Villkiss, Ange dropped into the cockpit and cried out when something stuck her rear. Reaching down, Ange grumbled as she pulled out a thumbtack that had stuck itself in her rear.

"Idiots." Ange grumbled as she stood up and tossed the pin out onto the cockpit. She had just settled in when Mei's face appeared on her left console.

"Ange, your final checks!" Mei shouted. "PMA exterior armor normal. How's the interior?" Ange grumbled as she tapped her console.

"Yeah yeah, they're fine!" She didn't have the patience for this right now.

"Final preparations complete!" Salia announced. "Garm Squadron, launch!" The units in front of Ange lifted off the tarmac and shot out of the hangar until only Villkiss and Wyvern remained.

"Unit Ange, taking off." Ange and Alain brought up the rear of the team as they left. Once the unit was clear of Arzenal, Garm lined up in their usual formation. Ange took center behind Salia while Alain followed behind her. All the better for him to keep an eye on Hilda who was bringing up starboard while blocking of Chris and Rosalie.

"Distance to Singular: 12,000." Pamela declared over the line.

"Roger, all units, release safeties." Salia ordered. With Alain keeping an eye on Ange, Salia didn't have many concerns about what could happen during the fight. But yesterday's events left Salia wary of Hilda and company potentially trying something again. Ahead, the sky began to pulse and crack and Salia shoved those thoughts aside for later. "The doors opening!" No sooner had she said so that the Singular popped open and a swarm of Schooners poured out of it. "All units fire!" Cannon and machine gun fire carving up the forward swarm, and in something Salia should have seen coming, Ange broke formation immediately to rush ahead of them all.

"Dammit! Princess don't rush ahead!" Salia barked. Ange clearly didn't care as she swooped through the swarm "Trigger!"

"Cover me, I'll get her." Gunning Wyvern's throttle, Alain split off from the group and after Ange. 'When we're back to base I am gonna smack some sense into her.' He vowed.

"Alain, watch out." Wyvern warned. "Barrage incoming." No sooner had the AI given the alter had a swarm of scales come flying out of the singular.

"Shit! Brig incoming!" Alain and the rest of Garm spread wide to avoid being shredded as a purple Brig emerged from the singular. Ange however, continued her charge. She was about to shift Villkiss to Destroyer Mode when it suddenly jolted on her. Black smoke poured from the forward vents as she tried to adjust herself, and the machine began to plunge towards the sea.

"Whoa, Ange!" Vivian called out. Alain turned to go after her, but the Brig's barrage demanded his concentration just to keep from being shredded.

"What are you doing, get your machine under control!" Salia yelled. 'What do you think I'm trying to do?!' Ange griped as she wrestled with her controls.

"Want some help?" Ange looked up and saw Hilda's Glaive alongside her. As the red-head's face appeared on her screen, the smirk Hilda had told Ange all she needed to know.

"Get lost bitch!" Ange snapped. Hilda obliged her and veered away. Finally, Ange was able to transform Villkiss and at least slow her descent when one of the Schooners charged in from above and slammed right into her. The impact sent Villkiss and the Schooner spiraling down before they crashed into the surf.

"Villkiss!" Salia was quick to veer off when she saw the splashdown.

"Teach watch out!" Ersha called out. A sudden roar, and Salia juked to the side, barely avoiding the Brig as it attempted to snap her up in it's jaws. As much as she hated to admit it, they couldn't do anything for Ange until they dealt with the DRAGONs. Ange would have to fend for herself in the meantime.

"All units target the Brig!" She ordered. "Trigger on me!"

"Yes ma'am!" Alain responded. Taking position at Salia's port side, the two captains started a strafing run against the Brig, though Alain cast a glance sideways to where Villkiss was still floundering. Despite the size difference, Para-mail weren't designed to be submersible and the Schooner had a firm grip on top of it. At least he'd had the foresight to install the tracker.

Ange wasn't faring so well however. In addition to the Schooner thrashing on top of her, water was beginning to fill into the cockpit. 'Dammit, I can't just die like this!' she thought, the water rising above her head and things going black…