Chapter 26: Pixy
The usual scramble as a sortie began was something Naomi could say she missed. As Garm Squadron moved out and mounted up, dropping down into Halberd's cockpit brought along a wave of nostalgia for Naomi. She'd spent countless hours fine-tuning and customizing it to her liking. She giggled to herself as she recalled a time Alain muttered about her fine-tuning her machine so much she might as well marry it.
"And yet he and the big guy are practically joined at the hip." Naomi's eyes trailed across the viewscreen as it lit up, focusing on the Wyvern, which was parked next to her unit at the rear of the squad.
"You good in there?" Alain spoke over the radio. "No sudden jitters or anything?"
"I'm fine. Salia and I brushed up on things earlier so I'm good to go. Don't worry, I promise I won't go and rush in."
"Hate to say it, but you probably should take it easy here." Rosalie added. "Not like I'm trying to hog the pay. You need it after all, but…"
"Stingy, it'll be fine." Salia said. "Pixy, stick to formation with us and just be cautious. You're in a good spot, but it pays to be safe. Everyone else, you know the drill. Trigger, you deal with anything that gets away from us or, if any Sloops show up, then those are all yours."
"Yes, ma'am." Was the grouped reply.
"Garm Squadron, you are cleared for takeoff."
With the signal given, the Para-mails shot off the runway and into the air. While the lack of the Villkiss and Hilda's Glaive made quite the difference, with the Wyvern and Halberd shoring up the numbers, it kept their airpower from lacking. Naomi's fingers rolled around her controls, ensuring she was well adjusted to them since the custom flight sticks had a different feel than the simulator's controls. 'All part of getting back into the flow of things.'
"It's weird setting out without Princess and Count, isn't it?" Vivian said. "Almost feels like a totally different squad!"
"They can just keep rotting in those cells for all I care." Chris growled. "Once they get out…"
"Cool it Ghost." Alain said. "Just keep focused on the fight ahead. Resolve your beef with Count once she's out, alright?"
"Yeah yeah." Chris groaned.
"Well, hey, the pay will be good, that's for sure!" Rosalie chirped.
"It will be." Ersha agreed. "Now, let's hush a bit. Don't want Teach to get mad at us now."
"Swan, please." Salia sighed. 'Yeah, I missed this.' Naomi thought. It was different without Zola around, sure, but the banter felt the same. 'The more things change, the more they stay the same as some say.'
"Attention Garm Squad." Pamela suddenly broadcast. "Distance to Singular has closed to 1500 klicks. Be ready to engage combat once it opens."
"Roger." Salia replied.
Jill let out a drag of smoke as she leaned back in her chair. She was, in a way, eager to see how Naomi would perform with her return. It certainly wasn't terribly unusual for a Norma to need time to recover from grievous enough injuries, but a coma was something new. Maggy had already told her that while she had cleared her psychological evaluation, there was still some worry once she was in actual combat. 'You never know what trauma may do to a person.' She thought.
The Commander's eyes turned when the doors slid open and Leon entered with Emma. 'He did say he wanted to watch.'
"Well, to what do I owe the honors, Major?" Jill asked, ignoring the look Emma gave her.
"I've been curious as to how Arzenal operates when it comes to fighting DRAGONs." Leon said, taking the nearest empty chair. "While those of us on the mainland are aware of the results of your operations, we know little about the actual procedures. It's all just numbers to some of them back home."
"I mean as it really should be." Emma's remark earned her subtle dirty looks from the operator trio. "The Norma are merely doing their duty. Some of them should feel honored to give their lives fighting for humanity."
"Whatever you say." Jill huffed.
"So, may I ask which squadron it is we're watching now?" Leon asked.
"That would be the 1st Squadron, also called Garm." Emma said. "They're the elites here at Arzenal. Each member is a certified Ace with dozens of DRAGON kills to their records, though some perform better than others. Accompanying them is the boy. While not technically a squadron, he's labelled as Captain of the 4th Squadron, Mobius. Due to his status, we have him rotate between the other squadrons to ensure regular deployment."
"Must keep him quite busy." Leon said. 'Let's see what you've got out there Alain.' He thought. 'Show me how the next generation fights.'
"It's opening up!"
At Salia's call, Naomi's hands tensed as the sky warped and tore open, her eyes tightly locked on the hole as the DRAGONs began to swarm out of it. The usual mob of Schooners came first, followed by a pair of Sloops. And finally, a Galleon lumbering out as it brought up the rear. That was when Naomi felt herself tense. 'The same type… the same type that took me down back then.'
As much as it troubled her, Naomi's memories of that disastrous test flight were still, and would likely always be, raw in her mind. Something that had been totally routine, nothing more than a test of new performance parts. All of it had gone wrong because of a random Singularity opening right on top of the testing area. The last image she had was of a Galleon baring down on her and then waking up in the intensive care wing of the med bay. 'It's fine, it'll be fine.' She told herself as she took a deep breath. 'You've got this… you're not on your own this time. So stay calm.'
"All units, assume assault formation and take on the swarm!" Salia ordered. "Trigger, the Sloops are yours! Have at them!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
As the squadron shifted to Assault mode and opened fire on the incoming Schooners, Alain took off after the Sloops at full speed. Naomi spared a glance back as he vanished high up in pursuit, the Wyvern turning into a glint of light as it chased after the speedy DRAGONs.
"Alright, Halberd, let's go." Schooners were something she felt like she could handle. The Halberd was armed with weapons as custom as its frame, carrying a modified assault rifle and sword. The rifle buzzed as Naomi's targeting locked on to the Schooners, keeping to the tight formation Garm had taken up. Artillery to the back, vanguards to the front. Routine but effective. Schooners began going down left and right as they flew around the Para-mails, but an eye was kept on the Galleon as it hung back and circled. As it did, it came to a stop, and its jaws opened as a large circle of energy appeared before it.
"Break!" Salia shouted.
The Para-mail shot off in different directions as lightning arced from the circle across the sky. It was a usual strategy the huge class used to break up formations while the Schooners tried to close in. Nobody was ever sure of how intelligent DRAGONs actually were, but they did seem able to learn and adapt to the same level of the Norma.
"Keep on the swarm while making sure the Galleon doesn't get your blind side!" Salia ordered. "Once they're down, switch to pattern five to take it down!"
"They're surprisingly effective." Leon commented. The drone camera that followed Garm out may have had to keep a distance, but it gave a good enough view. And the chattering of the operators also provided plenty of data. "I would comment on them being young, but I suppose for Arzenal, Norma their age would be quite experienced in combat. Don't they begin piloting as young as twelve here?"
"They do." Emma confirmed. "Admittedly, I find it… a bit regrettable. They may be Norma, but even then, they are only children. The first time I saw any die, I admit it was quite an unsettling experience. I know it may be misplaced sympathy, but…"
"I would not say it's misplaced." Leon cut in. Jill took another long drag off her smoke. "The Norma have no place in the World of Mana. That is simply a fact. Their life on Arzenal and other facilities are all they can be afforded in order to be of use to this world. But even I can agree children are only children. There is indeed regret to the idea of forcing these girls into situations where they die young. But that is the expectation for the duty they serve in protecting this world."
"Major…" Emma murmured. Jill rolled her eyes again. 'How hard is he going to lay this on? She's starting to get that annoying look some of the girls flash Alain.' She thought. "A-Ahem. Let's focus, shall we?"
"Indeed." Leon glanced over to Jill, and he gave her a subtle smirk as she sighed again.
"Only a few more, keep at it! Trigger, what's the situation with the Sloops?" As the Schooner swarm thinned out, between a few more shots of lightning from the Galleon, Salia found the time to look to where her radar showed Wyvern's IFF.
"One down! This last one's squirrely!" Alain replied, a hint of annoyance in his tone.
"Trigger dealing with a DRAGON that can give him the slip? That's new!" Rosalie said, yelping as a Schooner got a bit too close before she cut it down. "Watch it, you damn lizard! These guns are new!"
"Pixy, how are you holding up?" Ersha asked.
"Doing fine, Swan, no worries!" Naomi replied. 'Yeah, just fine… I've got this. It's fine.'
"The Galleon's coming in!" Chris shouted.
The Para-mail scrambled away as the titanic DRAGON barreled into the fight. Its belly was peppered by gunfire as it passed, but its size meant even the high caliber guns did little more than annoy it. 'These ones always did take a lot to put down.' Naomi thought. Her hands tensed up as those memories rose up again. She shook her head to try and focus. But as they kept peppering the Galleon with gunfire to wear it down, avoiding lightning and swipes from its clawed wingarms, Naomi found she couldn't stop the shaking in her arms.
"Calm down… just calm down… it's fine…" She muttered to herself. But the longer the fight dragged out, the more her mind kept flashing back. The more she saw the images of her Para-mail being rattled, torn apart with the maw of the Galleon responsible looming over her. And the more she felt the fear from back then begin to flare in her chest. "Calm down… calm down, calm down…"
"Pixy! You're slowing down. Is something wrong?!" Salia shouted. The shouting snapped Naomi out of her stupor, just in time to see the Galleon turning its attention to her, right as it was charging another energy circle. And with how bright it was, it was about ready to let loose. "Get out of there now, or you're going to be hit!"
"R-Right!" But then she froze as the glaring eyes of the Galleon seemed to be looking right at her. Her attempt to pull away stalled, and the booming roar from the Galleon felt like it went right through the cockpit and into her body. Suddenly, Naomi felt like she was back in that day. "No… no… no no no! I don't… I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"
"NAOMI!"
Naomi didn't know where the scream came from as she let go of her controls and covered her ears. Her eyes shut tightly as the energy circle flashed. But, where she was expecting to feel her Para-mail be rocked, to feel the shock of the attack slam her, it didn't come. Instead, things seemed still, almost too still.
"What?" Naomi, still shaking, looked around. The vision from her screens was blurred by smoke, though as it cleared out, she quickly saw a gleaming orb of pale green before her. The Wyvern was within it, in a defensive stance in front of the Halberd. "Alain?!"
"Are you okay?" Alain asked. "Like we said, if it's too much for you right now, hang back. It's fine if you can't do this, Naomi, but… I'm not losing you again. The first time, I couldn't stand it. And I'm done losing things I care about. I can't do things alone… none of us can. So, feel free to lean on us for a bit, alright?"
"Alain…" She was used to seeing him be cocky during a sortie as anyone. But now the tone of his voice was so gentle and warm, as if there was nothing to be afraid of. "I…"
The shield around the Wyvern lowered, and Naomi watched as it shot off towards the Galleon. Her eyes stayed on Wyvern as it danced around the opponent, the beast roaring as bolts and blades of energy cut into its hardened scales. 'It feels like… like I'm being left behind somehow.' She thought. 'But I don't… I don't want to fall behind them.'
Naomi looked at her still shaking hands, her fingers tightening around the controls as she tried to steady herself. 'Come on, you have to actually move! I knew this could happen… I knew it would be different when I was flying again. But dammit, I don't want to be a burden on them!' It wasn't that she disliked the support. She appreciated how her friends wanted to look out for her. They knew what she'd been through and weren't going to force her, but she didn't want to just sit by and watch while they flew on.
"I want to fly with them again…" She said aloud. "I want to fight with them! I want to live. I want to live! So come on! Quit freezing up and prove it!"
"Naomi, look out!" Rosalie shouted. Naomi looked up just in time to see the Galleon bearing down on her, and she grit her teeth against the rising fear. 'Come on, I'm the Pixy of Garm! I won't let some stupid DRAGON push me around!' Gunning her throttle, Halberd shot forward as the DRAGON snapped its jaws and missed her. Naomi raised her gun, and the muzzle flared as she fired a volley at it, only for the Galleon to shield itself with a barrier. 'Come on!' She kept the volley up as she charged, a yell rising out of her throat as the gap between her and the Galleon closed. And when the barrier finally broke under the relentless hammering, Naomi shot past as her sword erupted from its hardpoint and slashed across the beast's neck.
"Naomi, you okay?" Alain asked as the Wyvern drifted over. As the adrenaline faded, Naomi looked up to see the Galleon flailing in pain mid-air, blood still pouring from the gash in its neck. Her breathing was heavy, but at the same time, something felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. "It's not dead yet y'know?"
"Yeah." Naomi nodded. "Alain… it really is terrifying to think about dying, isn't it? But… it's not bad for us to be afraid, right?"
"Well… maybe being afraid is proof we're alive and that we haven't given up."
"Heh. You and Salia are a lot more alike than you think."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. So, I'm still kind of shaking. Want to finish it with me?"
"You really have to ask?"
The Galleon roared as if to remind them it was indeed still alive and kicking. The team dispersed again as it started firing lightning in every direction at once in a desperate bid to hit them. And as Alain charged down through the onslaught, Naomi followed after him. Their machines spiraled around each other as their movements began to match, beam rifle and machine gun firing in turn as their descent continued. Between the injury Naomi had inflicted and the resulting blood loss, the Galleon was unable to shield itself, and its body began to get chewed up under the combined assault. Finally, Wyvern and Halberd closed the distance and slammed a palm into the DRAGON's belly, freeze launchers firing the bullets in as deep as they would go.
As the Galleon finally fell, there was an awed silence among the rest of Garm Squadron. Salia, mainly, was staring intently at the machines as the comms started buzzing in excitement.
"She's still so in sync with him… even after so long." The young Captain felt a pang of jealousy that she felt slightly dirty for feeling. She was so fixated on Villkiss, so stuck on improving, of being what she felt like was a pilot worth flying alongside Alain. And then she remembered something…
"If it's hard to keep up, then I just have to push. I'll make a machine of my own that'll let me match him, watch me!"
Naomi's entire impetus behind crafting the Halberd was entirely based on that. Wanting to match Alain and the Wyvern. 'But… I'm not the same kind of person she is… something like Villkiss… it's what I need. Not just so I can match him… but so I can live up to what Alektra expects of me.'
As the engagement was declared over and Garm Squadron ordered to return, Jill leaned back. 'Well, color me surprised. I figured Naomi would've hung back once she froze up that way. The girl was always strong-willed. Though it's gonna take a lot more than this for her to just get over it.' She lit up a new cigarette, then turned to Leon.
"So, what do you think, Major? Lucky you, seeing the best squadron in action rather than one where things could've gone south."
"Commander!" Emma snapped.
"It's fine, Bronson," Leon said, waving the Inspector down. "I will say that, yes, I'm impressed. Seeing Para-mail in action is a fresh experience, so I can say it's welcome to see it done by those who know how to handle them. These Norma know how to do their duty well. I will give them that. I'll be resuming my inspection of the facilities. If you could, have Alain meet with me again. I'd like to hear a bit about how the Norma operate directly from a pilot."
"You want to speak with him again?" Emma asked.
"Better him than some other Norma." Leon stated. "It also merely looks better. I've seen some of the… let's say bothersome looks some Norma have. I'd rather be safe and speak to one who I know won't get smart."
"I completely understand!" Emma's quick affirmation was almost humorous. "Just tell me when and I'll send him over to the villa when you're ready, sir."
"Good. Then let's go."
As Leon and Emma left, Jill leaned back and sighed. Now she was starting to worry about Leon, especially after last night's meeting. 'If there's so much as a chance of him discovering what else we have around here, he may decide to shove his nose into Libertus more. The one thing I can't let him find is Aurora, but… posting guards near its elevator will just be suspicious. I need to think about this carefully.'
Once the squadron had returned, Alain quickly found Naomi as they were climbing out of their machines. Already, the others were clustered around her and pattering her on the back for her performance.
"Man, the way you charged in!" Rosalie said. "Talk about some guts!"
"I'm sure that took a lot from you." Ersha said, a hand on Naomi's shoulder. "Are you sure you're fine?"
"Honestly, I can't say it's like I'm one-hundred percent." Naomi had a hand around one wrist which was still shaking. "But I'm not going to be left behind all because I'm afraid. It's gonna take time, but watch me, everyone, I'll get right on back to the Pixy you all know!"
"Heck yeah!" Vivian cheered. "We should get a special thing for dinner tonight!"
"How about I pay?" Chris suggested. "I've got plenty in the bank, so I don't mind."
"First let's get our pay and get cleaned up." Salia said, looking to Naomi. "But really, that was impressive. You're doing good, Naomi. So, welcome back to Garm Squadron for real, Pixy."
"Glad to be back." Naomi and Salia clapped their hands together. When she saw Alain waiting, Naomi stayed while the others left. But, she caught Salia glancing back. And she wasn't quite sure of it, but there seemed to be a glint in her eyes. "Hey there! I know you said to hang back, but… well, you heard what I said."
"Not like I can blame you." Alain chuckled. "But like I said back there, don't be afraid to rely on me and the others a bit. At least take advantage of my kindness here and there, alright?"
"Yeah." As it came to her, Naomi started shaking again. The fear welled up again. And as soon as he saw it, Alain pulled Naomi into a hug as she began to cry. "It… it was really terrifying! Remembering what happened… being faced with that again. But still, even if it is… I don't want to fall behind anyone. I won't… so don't go and get too far ahead either!"
"I know, I know." Alain assured her as he patted her on the head. 'Who knows how long she's been wanting to do this?' he wondered. "Take the time you need. Even if you can't get over it completely, you've got friends here for you. So if you want to cry about it, fine by me. I've done a lot of that pretty recently. No reason to feel bad about it. But uh… maybe the hanger isn't the best place for us to go over all of this."
"Carry me."
"Eh?" Naomi looked up at him from sobbing, an obstinate look on her face. Alain sighed as his head drooped. 'I can't win against her at times like this.' "Alright. I'm feeling extra generous right now, so I'll make it easy on ya."
As Alain hoisted Naomi up into a princess carry, she leaned her head on his shoulder. There were still tears on her face, but she looked much calmer, and the shaking was almost gone.
"Hey, Naomi, something I wanna say."
"Hm?"
"The way you fly… I think it's beautiful." Naomi's face tinted red as Alain spoke, and he snickered a bit. "I missed flying like that. And I want to see more of it since I missed out."
"Careful, Alain." Naomi cooed. "Don't go saying things like that carelessly. But thanks. I missed your flying too."
"Come on, I wasn't careless."
"Aw, now you're blushing too!"
"Cut it." But even as Alain groaned while Naomi pressed a finger into his cheek, he was smiling.
Alain had been expecting another call to meet with Leon at some point. They did still have some plans after all, particularly getting him to meet Momoka. Getting it past Emma was easy enough. "He wanted to arrange to have Momoka work as his aide while he was here." Was the excuse Alain had given. And as the sole holder over Momoka's contract, it meant 'Major Snow' would have to go through Alain if he was going to respect Arzenal's rules.
Emma had been almost irate about letting a Norma into the estate considering the last time it had happened, her country's princess had been kidnapped. She at least seemed more willing here, mostly due to the different cases. Alain had to admit it was impressive how quickly Leon had earned at least part of the Inspector's trust.
"My, it's been ages since I was in a villa like this." Momoka said as they strode through the halls. "It almost reminds me of the Misurugi Palace."
"I gotta ask, what was it like for you anyway?" Alain inquired.
"A joyous time for sure. Lady Angelise was an excellent mistress." Alain noticed how Momoka moved a hand to her right arm, tracing a thumb across her cuff. "She could be quite troublesome at times though. When we were younger, she had quite the penchant for sneaking out through hidden passages."
"So Ange was a troublemaker even then huh? Now let's see… the office should be around… here." Alain stopped at a set of double doors and gave it a coded knock. Once he heard the return code, he opened the door. "Sorry about the wait."
"Don't worry about it." Leon replied. "It gave me the time to look over some files. So, I can only guess that this here is Miss Oginome. Nice to meet you."
"A pleasure, sir." Momoka gave a respectful bow to Leon as he and Alain sat down. "Sir Alain has told me the situation. That you're an agent with that CROSS organization, the ones he called to see if they couldn't help me when I first arrived here."
"Well, let's just say the request was a mess for us." Leon said. Alain looked to the side as the man shot him a narrowed look. "But Big Boss has something of a soft spot. Now then, I'm sure you know I wanted Alain to bring you here to see if you couldn't help us out."
"Of course." Momoka took an empty chair. "It's the least I can do after you helped Lady Angelise. I would be glad to help you with whatever you may need."
"Basically, for the next few days, you're going to act the part of my attendant." Leon said. "Do any duties you would normally do to help keep Bronson off my trail. I need to avoid having her getting suspicious of me until we can act on whatever info we're waiting to come in. Having a menial around will keep her eyes off me at least a bit. Especially since I can't use Mana beyond what the devices we made allow me to do."
"I see." Momoka nodded. "What else would you need me to do besides my duties as a maid?" 'I'm surprised how easily she's taking to this. Momoka's got a natural talent underneath that apron for sure.' Alain thought, before realized just what that thought sounded like. 'I could phrase some things so much better.'
"First off, take this." Leon pulled out a small case and slid it across the office's table to Momoka. She opened it and pulled out what seemed like an almost ordinary digital watch. "That's a short-range communicator our agents use. It works wirelessly with any it's paired to, and the signal is discreet enough to be impossible to catch. Whenever you're keeping an eye on Bronson, even if it looks like she's suspecting something odd, use that to report to me about it."
"Understood!" Momoka slipped the watch on and slid it under her cuff, patting it to be sure. "So does this mean I'm some kind of agent for CROSS now?"
"Hehehe, perhaps something like 'Deputy Agent' would be fitting." Leon chuckled. "Would you be willing to go that route rather than continue being a maid?"
"Not at all. I intend to continue serving Lady Angelise as her Top Maid even after this. That is my place." Leon busted out laughing at the firmness Momoka said it with. Alain shook his head and sighed. "I don't understand. What's so funny?"
"Sorry, sorry. Your enthusiasm about it is what got me." Leon said. "Anyway, thank you. I look forward to working with you for the next few days, Miss Oginome. And Alain, before you head back, there's something I want to ask you about."
"Sure. Momoka, could you..?"
"I'll wait outside and keep watch!" Momoka hurried outside, and Alain turned back to Leon.
"So, what is it now? This about the meeting last night?" he asked.
"Partially. I won't bother asking about Alektra's mindset. You're as in the dark as me about what happened to her ten years ago."
That was one of the biggest mysteries about the Disaster of Farbanti. As Villkiss's Rider, Alektra was meant to lead the charge of Libertus. And yet, something had happened to her during the preparations for the rebellion. She had been a strong-willed but kind young woman back then… and yet something had caused her to become the cynical, harsh person she was now. What it was and how it connected to the disaster was a question Leon had kept on his mind for years.
"It's obvious as hell she's trying to convince herself more than you lot that Arzenal can engage Libertus on its own." Leon said. "So the question is why she's so damn stuck on doing this herself. She's always been stubborn beyond belief, but…"
"I wish I could tell you." Alain sighed. "We need CROSS's help, and I'm just as frustrated as you that she's refusing it. Honestly, I only think she's gotten even more convinced of her ideas since Ange activated Villkiss. It's like there's something she's fixated on, but I can't pin down what."
"She was also talking about some means… what did she mean by that?"
"Aurora." Alain answered. Leon's body went rigid when he heard the name. "She was talking about the Aurora. It survived the battle at Farbanti, and she's had it shoved away in Arzenal's lowest level ever since, repairing it over time. Last I checked in, it's back to where it was ten years ago."
"You have… dammit Alektra." Leon groaned. "Having Aurora or not… Arzenal's population is too big to easily fit onto the damn thing! Did she just forget all the logistics talk she had to sit in on back then?!"
"So, what's the plan?"
"The best option is for me to wait until they get back to me with Tusk's intelligence." Leon ran his hands down his face. "Last night proved that Alektra's going to be stubborn about it no matter what I do. But if the situation changes, I could bet on her practical side winning out. If it's something dire enough, even she'd have to capitulate."
"Almost sounds like you plan to hold a threat over her head."
"Honestly, that might be our only option. But I'd rather not if I could avoid it. I can at least be glad Jasmine and Maggy agree with you. But, unless Alektra loses her spot as Commander, it's not up to them or you. For now we just have to wait and see what comes our way." Leon let out a rattling sigh as he leaned his head back. "When I get something, I'll have Oginome tell you. We can only expect the worst if it comes to action against Arzenal."
"Well, like Maggy said, Arzenal is basically an elite unit waiting to get thrown into an actual fight." Alain stood and pat himself down. "So, what'd you think of how we do things nowadays?"
"You and the Garm girls make a good team. I see why even the Inspector has some respect for you." Leon said. "So, let's just be cautious too. Never know what could happen in the next few days."
"Agreed."
The two shook hands, and as Alain left the villa, he started thinking. 'Something in the air is bothering me. I'm not sure what this feeling is, but I had the same one when Ange showed up. Like something's about to happen. And this time, it's going to be big.'
