CHAPTER 23

FACING REALITY

It was midday and the sky was still grey with overcast. Rain drummed on the large glass windows of the command centre which did little to ease the splitting headache today had been. With an escaped DRAGON on the loose, all training and routine schedules were cancelled.

"Commander may I come in?" Salia knocked. While everyone else was still in mourning over the death of their beloved Captain, Jill had ordered her to appear for a private meeting.

"Enter," she answered. The door opened and Salia came up to the desk, too nervous to say anything. "What exactly happened out there?" Jill demanded.

"Yes, Ma'am…" Salia gulped. "Ange split away from the squad in an attempt to escape. As per your orders, I and Unit Cal attempted to pursue her when Unit Coco also broke formation in pursuit of Ange." Salia paused and swallowed the lump in her throat as she remembered the last moments of the rookie pilot. "At that moment the singular opened directly above us. Unit Coco was struck down in one attack. Captain Zola sent Miranda in pursuit of Ange while the remaining squad entered into combat with the enemy. However, she was attacked by a group of Schooners. Luckily, Unit Cal manged to narrowly save her life." The final part of her report made Salia sick to her stomach. "Ange panicked and grabbed onto the captain's unit, and both were knocked out of the sky."

"Yes." Jill said quietly. "That is exactly what I had concluded from the transmission and camera footage."

"Ma'am?" Salia said taken aback. "Then why did you ask me…?"

"Salia what do you think your responsibilities were as Vice-captain?" Jill glared in a way that made Salia's eyes widen in alarm. Salia struggled to search for a reasonable answer but could only muster a weak excuse.

"If…I began shooting immediately…"

"Not good enough Salia! First, I have that idiot shooting his mouth off and then you make idiotic decisions in combat. If you two continue acting in ways that could jeopardize or sabotage Libertus I won't hesitate to let go of a few loose strings." As much as Salia hated to admit it, Jill was right.

"Yes Ma'am," she saluted. "Next time I'll shoot."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Jill dismissed. "From now on, you're the Captain of the First Squad Salia. I'm expecting a lot from you. Now, I have something I need to attend to. But stay alert. That DRAGON could reveal itself at any time."

"Yes Commander, I won't let you down." Once Salia departed, Jill rewound the footage from the first squads on board cameras until she found what she was looking for. As recorded by Siegfried, the footage crackled with interference and suddenly jumped across the sky to where Miranda had been knocked off. It seemed that moving at a pace approaching the speed of light was too much for the flight computer to accurately capture. 'I can't believe he did it.' Jill grinned to herself. 'He unlocked the Valkyrie system.' Still listening to the audio, Jill heard Zola ordering Ange to let her go and then nothing but silence.

"Dammit Zola…to think that I'd lose you before Libertus." Jill sighed in disappointment as she took Ange's royal ring from her pocket. 'At least the ring and the girl still remain. Still, I can't help but worry as to how this will turn out? Having the two of them stuck together isn't turning out as I hoped. But Villkiss needs a pilot, and the pilot needs her knight.'


(Earlier that day)

Pulling out the X-rays, Maggie frowned as she examined her patient's condition. Some lacerations, some hairline fractures, and some internal bruising but nothing life threatening. Ange was incredibly lucky. After grabbing Zola, she had spun them around in her mad panic and wound up putting her Captain between her and the Brig's attack, with Zola taking the full force of the hit. Though in the days and weeks to follow, Maggie was certain Ange was going to wish SHE had been the one to die instead. The rest of first squad were still gathered around the misshapen body bag containing Zola's remains and the looks they gave the injured girl strapped to the adjacent cot would have burned through even a Galleon's scales. On the floor next to the bed, Scarlett lay with her fists clenched on the blanket and her face buried in the mattress. She didn't even look up when Commander Jill arrived, the latter of whom gestured for Maggie to get her out. With a frustrated sigh, Maggie stood up and gently laid her hands on the younger woman's shoulders.

"Come on Scarlett." She urged as gently as she could.

"No."

"You can't stay here Scarlett. Come on now."

"No!" Scarlett half screamed half sobbed. Her hands trembling as she gripped the bedsheets tighter. Jill clenched her jaw and prepared to speak when Cal suddenly stepped forward and laid one hand on her shoulder and his other on her hand.

"Scarlett come on." He told her. Gently, he pulled her to her feet and walked her out the door. "I'll make sure she gets to her room."

"Just don't take too long," Jill ordered. "You need to hear this as well. Maggie, wake her up." Opening her drawer, Maggie withdrew the stimulant she kept handy and prepped an injection.


"Lady Angelise…" A soft and familiar voice called out like an echo. "Lady Angelise, Lady Angelise!" Opening her eyes Ange's vision turned her head to see a young girl by her bedside. She wore a maid uniform and had collar length black hair with gentle brown eyes.

"Momoka…" Ange gasped. Rising up out of bed, Ange rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she looked around to find herself back in her royal bedchambers.

"Are you alright? You seemed to be having a nightmare." Momoka worryingly asked. Ever since Ange was a little girl, Momoka Oginome had been her loyal head maid though to Ange she was more than that. A good friend, confidant, practically a sister

"It was…just a dream…" Ange whispered before she signed in relief. "Yes. I had an awful dream. I dreamt I was taken away to an awful place where the Norma are kept."

"Oh my." Momoka gasped. "That does sound distressing." Shaking her head, Ange slid her slender legs over the edge of the bed.

"You don't know the half of it," she laughed. "I even dreamt a Male Norma existed and that I was a Norma too."

"Dear me! What are you saying?" That voice! Ange looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of Coco in Momoka's clothes which were now soaked in blood. "Please take me with you to the magical lands." Blood spilled from Coco's mouth as the young girl gave her a sweet smile.

"M…Momoka…Coco…I'm so sorry…" Ange whispered before a rush of blood washed over her like a wave. As the crimson flood vanished, Ange opened her eyes to see herself back in the wrecked cockpit of the Glaive she was flying. And in her lap was a green prosthetic eye.

"We may lose an eye or an arm, or a friend or a loved one…" The familiar, gurgling voice of her Captain bid Ange to look up where through the gap in her shredded canopy, Zola smiled down at her. Blood poured from her empty eye socket and her purple flight suit was so soaked it had turned dark crimson. "Our blood only burns for battle. That's how we Norma live."

Finally, Ange began to scream…

…Ange's eyes wearily opened, and she found herself staring at a white tile ceiling. 'Where…where am I?' she wondered. She weakly tried to move only to find that her arms and legs were restrained. A chill raced along her body and Ange looked down to see she was naked save for the bandages wrapped around her, leather straps securing her to a bare cot.

"Awake are we, Princess?" Ange shifted her gaze and looked up to see the Commander and Inspector Emma gazing down at her with disdain. Over by her desk, Dr Maggie sat at her desk while the sound of sniffling drew her attention to the foot of the bed where the rest of First Squad had gathered around a misshapen body bag that had been placed on an adjacent bed. Apart from the others, Miranda stood with her back to the group sobbing quietly as Vivian tried to comfort her.

"Four Para-mail wrecked," Jill stated. "Two riders dead. And there's nothing of Coco's body to recover for a proper burial. On top of that the enemy escaped, all thanks to your desertion. What do you have to say for yourself, Princess?" Ange didn't answer.

"Just say something goddamn you!" Rosalie snapped.

"Try not to touch her," Maggie smirked. "She is badly wounded after all."

"I simply wanted to return to my homeland." Ange muttered. "I've done nothing wrong. I just wanted to return home."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Someone growled. From outside the door, the Male Norma stepped into the med bay and Ange was only vaguely aware that his normally warm sky-blue eyes were burning with rage and fury they looked like 2 balls of blue flames. "Because of you Coco and the Captain are dead!"

"You killed them! You Murderer!" Chris screamed as Rosalie held onto her for support.

"Murder…" Ange murmured, turning her head away. "Norma aren't human. Only humans can be murdered." A shock of collected gasps went through the entire med bay. Even Jill and Maggie gave Ange angry glares at her remark.

"How can you say that!?" Miranda screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I wish you were dead! It should have been you not Coco!" Ersha put her arm around Miranda trying to calm her down as the image of Coco's death flashed through Cal's mind as the rage and anger finally overflowed.

"What is wrong with you!" He bellowed so loud that Emma and a few of the first squad flinched. "Don't you feel the least bit sorry for what you did?! Answer me!"

"I've…done nothing wrong," Ange repeated. Cal grit his teeth and wanted nothing than to strangle Ange but someone beat him to it. In a blur of red, Hilda shoved past Salia, raising up her leg and dropping her heel right into Ange's exposed shoulder, eliciting a scream of pain from the injured girl.

"Drop dead!" Salia snapped.

"Go to hell!" Rosalie cursed.

"You pathetic little bitch!" Hilda growled before wrapping her hands around Ange's neck before Ersha and Cal managed to yank her back. "What the hell are you doing?" she shrieked as she struggled to break free.

"She's not worth it!" Cal yelled.

"All of you stand down!" Jill snapped, catching everyone's attention. "The DRAGON is still out there and our priority is to regroup and locate the enemy. As of now, Salia is your new Captain. Hilda, you're promoted to Vice-Captain. Now return to your post and stay alert, dismissed." The squad saluted and filed out save for Cal. "I said you were dismissed," Jill repeated.

"I just need to say something first," Cal said. Moving next to Ange's bed, Cal roughly grasped a hold of her long blonde hair and pulled it so tightly that her pink eyes opened wide from the pain.

"You listen to me, and you listen good," he warned as his gaze met hers. "I only stopped Hilda because we've had enough death for one day. But if you EVER put anyone else, I care about in danger again or get them killed…I'll kill you myself." Releasing her, Cal followed after the others but took one final glance at the body bag. Her final words before they were sent out still rang in his ear. "It's been a while since I was happy to be alive"

'Zola, I'm so sorry. I failed you.'


Walking down the hallways there was an uneasy feeling in the air, so Vivian decided to break the tension. "And the answer is, Coco died first."

"Just be quiet!" Salia scolded her.

"I wonder what's going to happen to us now," Ersha wondered as she looked backwards to see Cal walking up behind them. "Cal?" she asked as he tried to walk past them only for Hilda to cut him off.

"Hold up." She spoke. "What you said to Coco? The humans tried to kill you when you were just a baby? What was that about?"

"It's the truth." Cal answered.

"Holy…" Rosalie gasped.

"But why?" Chris asked.

"And you didn't think to tell us that?!" Hilda cried in frustration.

"Does it really matter? I only brought it up to make Coco turn back."

"That's not the point. Don't you think we all deserved to know that?" Hilda argued.

"Just drop it okay" Cal snapped as he walked past her

"Hey, we aren't done here!" Hilda yelled.

"Big Bro wait…" Vivian called.

"Will you all get off my back!" Cal yelled as he vanished around the corner.

"But Big Bro…" Vivian said sadly.

"Let him go Vivian he needs some time to clear his head." Ersha told her as she looked to Miranda. "Why don't we go get something to eat," she suggested. "You need to keep your strength up."

"Okay." Miranda croaked, her throat sore and raw from crying all night long. Miranda walked off with Ersha and Salia couldn't help but feel for the girl as they knew how it felt to lose a friend at such a young age. Not so long ago, Salia had a friend named Ann who was like a sister to her as well. The two had grown tomato plants in Ersha's garden plot and her loss had left Salia despondent for weeks until Naomi reached out to her. Now Naomi was dead too along with the Captain and Salia now found herself in command of the entire squad.

"You're awfully quiet." Hilda said, snapping Salia back to reality. "Did you know anything about this?"

"Of course I didn't." Salia lied. "However, it doesn't surprise me from how the humans usually treat us." Hilda shot her a suspicious look but simply let it go.

"Whatever." Hilda scoffed, walking off with Rosalie and Chris following after her. 'Dammit what am I going to do?' Salia wondered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose and felt a headache coming on. 'With Zola gone I'm captain now.' Could she even do this? No. She couldn't afford to think that way. She had promised herself and Alektra that she would train and work harder. Not just for Libertus but for Cal and Villkiss. 'I can do this. If I can prove that I can be a better Captain, then I'll finally be able to pilot Villkiss and fly alongside Siegfried with Cal as my knight.'


Walking as if guided by invisible strings, Scarlett stumbled down the hall in her grief-stricken trance until she found herself back in her quarters. She barely registered Cal telling her he was leaving as he tucked her into bed before everything went black...

Crack!

It was like the sound of a lightning strike followed by a scream of pain. Opening her eyes, her arms numb from being suspended by the overhead chains, Scarlett could see two figures in the darkened torture room. The first was tall and muscular. The other small and slender, half naked and bent over a table with her hands cuffed to it.

CRACK!

"Leave her alone you evil bitch!" Scarlett yelled. Her vision cleared, and she was able to make out her lover Zola being lashed with a nine tailed whip, her entire back covered in lacerations.

CRACK!

"This is what comes of your disrespect you little pieces of filth." Jadis snarled.

"She had nothing to do with this!" Scarlett protested. "It was me! I stole your wine from your quarters! Zola had nothing to do with it!" Those yellow witch like eyes stared at her in mockery as Inspector Jadis coldly smirked.

"I know. Why do you think I'm punishing both of you? Regardless of who stole what, no filthy Norma has the right to touch, you both drank of it. And this is the price you pay." Someone coughed which slowly changed to a dry chuckle.

"Of course, an ugly skank like you would keep wine all to yourself." Zola spat, not caring what was coming next.

"Zola shut up!" Scarlett begged as Jadis looked down at Zola, her callous eyes glowing with murderous intent.

"Is that the reason you stay here with us Norma, the lowest of the low because you're nothing but a drunk ugly whore that no man would want to touch?"

Crack! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Jadis whip struck Zola over and over, Zola screaming as the skin on her back was stripped away. Blood splattered around the room until finally, Jadis exhausted herself. The sadistic Inspector was drenched in sweat and Zola looked half dead.

"Zola please talk to me, speak to me!?" Scarlett cried. Tossing aside the whip, Jadis roughly grabbed Zola's chin and forced it up.

"You are nothing." Jadis whispered. "Your whole existence and life are not worth a thing in this world. You are meaningless."

"Leave her alone!"

"I could kill you right here, right now and I won't be punished for it in the least," Jadis taunted. "Why else do you think your Commander allows me to do this to you?"

"STOP IT!" Scarlett screamed. Jadis simply grinned evilly back at her.

"Because no one cares about your existence. You're nothing but a filthy Norma that deserves to die." Tears trickled from Zola's eyes and Scarlett could only watch as that sadistic bitch tore down her best friend and lover's spirit and dignity. Releasing Zola from her grip, Jadis picked up the whip and turned her attention to Scarlett, the blood-soaked tassels caressing her chin mockingly.

"Don't think you're off the hook." Jadis threatened. "And if you can't get that piece of trash, you call a girlfriend back up for combat then next time, I won't stop until she's dead…."

Scarlett's eyes shot open as she lurched out of bed. "ZOLA!" She shouted. As she looked around and saw she was back in her quarters, Scarlett forced her ragged breath to steady. Not knowing how much time had passed Scarlett rubbed her puffy stinging eyes and saw it was now midday. 'God how long have I slept?' She wondered. A storm had blown in, and the entire sky was overcast. 'Just a dream,' she thought with a sense of relief, only for it to fade as she remembered Zola was now dead. Scarlett pulled her legs up to her chest as she once more began to sob uncontrollably. 'Zola why, why did you have to leave me like this?' There was a knock at her door and Scarlett swallowed the lump in her throat as she went to the door and saw her entire squad outside in the hallway.

"Captain." Vice-Captain Betty said as gently as she could. "We've been commanded to do recon scouting to find the DRAGON."

"You girls go on without me." Scarlett dismissed. "I'm no good to you like this."

"But Captain." Sadie interjected. "We can't fly out without you."

"You can. I'll take the heat if the Commander has a problem." Scarlett told them with a bitter scowl. 'If only Commander Jill let me fly out that night. Maybe I could have found her in time.' Scarlett shut her door and the second squad exchanged worried looks.

"Poor Captain."

"It must be hard losing a friend…girlfriend for that many years."

"I can't believe Captain Zola's gone," Betty sighed. "She was too skilled and strong to go out like that."

"This is all the princess's fault." Sadie seethed. "She's the reason our Captain's in this state and she deserves everything that's coming to her." She vowed as the other squad members nodded in agreement.


After some gentle goading from Ersha, Miranda somehow managed to eat and keep it down despite her stomach still clenching. Afterwards, habit had led her to the showers where she stared blankly at the wall as the hot water rinsed over her. Her body felt so numb and empty, she couldn't even feel the heat of the water even when she blasted it to its highest temperature that was now turning patches of her skin pink and red. 'Coco why?' She wept as she curled into a fatal position on the tile floor. 'Why did you have to leave me over a dream of something that doesn't even exist? We're Norma. Why did you think there was a better life for us?' The shower door opened, and Miranda looked up to see Hilda, Rosalie and Chris enter.

"Hey Miranda." Chris said softly kneeling down to the young girl's level. The silver haired girl winced slightly as some of the hot water splashed on her and she immediately turned it down.

"How are you holding up?" Rosalie asked tentatively.

"I'm fine." Miranda whispered, though her tone told the three older girls that she was anything but fine.

"Come on, it's not doing you any good staying alone." Chris said putting a hand on Miranda's shoulder.

"Just leave me alone," Miranda told them.

"That's enough with the crying." Hilda suddenly cut in, making Miranda look up to her. "You're not the only one grieving. So you better toughen up or you'll be the next one in the ground."

"Hey Hilda!" Rosalie cried. "Cut the kid some slack will you!"

"You wanted to be a Mail-rider, right?" Hilda continued. "Well this is what happens sometimes. Every time we go out there, it could be our last and sooner or later, we all wind up dead. Now get your ass in gear. That DRAGON is still out there, and you can't let what happened tear you down. Or do you want it to get away with what it did?" Miranda felt a sick feeling in her stomach, but she knew Hilda was right. This was all she could do. She was a Norma. Nothing more nothing less. Choking back her tears, Miranda wiped her eyes as she nodded.

"I…I'll try." She promised. Hilda offered her hand and helped her to her feet.

"You'd better." Hilda told her. "Your part of the First Squad of death now so live up to it." Despite not being as soft hearted as Ersha, Hilda honestly liked the younger pilot. She had a lot of potential and Hilda wanted to make sure Miranda wouldn't have to lower herself to the same level she had in order to survive. Like it or not she was Vice Captain now and it was her duty to look out for her squad mates. 'If that little royal brat gets anyone else killed, I'll teach her a lesson she won't forget.' She vowed.


With the entire base on alert due to an escaped DRAGON, Jasmine had to close the mall until the threat was dealt with. That didn't mean she could take a day off though. Jill had requested an order of tombstones on short notice, and Jasmine was able to get them both etched in less than an hour. 'Poor little Coco, she was taken from us too soon.' She thought as she petted Vulcan. 'I can't believe Zola's gone, it's a heavy loss for us all. Losing such a great pilot and captain. She would have been a valuable addition for Libertus.' Feeling her dog perk up, Jasmine looked up to see Cal walking towards them.

"Hey Jasmine? Jill sent me to pick them up. Are they ready?" Jasmine looked up at Cal and nodded.

"Just got them in hon. Are you okay? I know you were fond of her."

"I was." Cal answered and he rubbed Vulcan's neck. "Me and Zola were never more than bed mates, but yeah…I was fond of her. And Coco, she was like a little sister that I felt I needed to protect. Especially after what happened to Naomi."

"This wasn't how I expected a simple Category 2 attack to turn out so bad. It's a shame to lose two squad mates in that manner."

"It's all Ange's fault." Cal snarled through gritted teeth. "She caused all of this. All because she couldn't accept that she's a Norma like the rest of us."

"I know it's a bad situation Cal." Jasmine admitted. "But we have bigger things to worry about." Cal saw that Jasmine didn't look to happy and knew what it was about. "Why did you reveal to Coco and everyone else about the humans wanting to kill you? We told you not to…"

"What else could I do!?" Cal snapped. "If I didn't do something Coco would have run off and then what!?" Jasmine sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"That's not the point Cal. The inspector heard everything and will be most likely be digging up information."

"I'm not stupid Jasmine." Cal replied. "I wasn't going to tell anyone about why I was born or the real reasons the humans created me. I just thought it would make Coco see the truth without revealing anything that could land us in trouble with the humans and have them uncover Libertus all together."

"I guess you have a point hon." Jasmine admitted. "But you need to be careful not to get on Jill's bad side. She's got enough on her mind as it is. We all have responsibilities with Libertus and you have a job to do. To give Ange the support she needs."

"It's not worth it." he blurted out.

"Cal…" Jasmine tried to say.

"Don't Jasmine! I promised Gramps that I would do as he said in that letter and look what happened! Two people I care about are dead! It would have been better if she had just died!"

"Cal don't say things like that!"

"I'm not wrong Jasmine. How can someone like Ange possibly be the key to Libertus? Zola and Coco were worth a thousand of her. I promised that I'd fight for every Norma's freedom, and I've already failed Zola and Coco. Why should I fight for someone who doesn't even care about the rest of us?" Jasmine cupped his chin in both hands so she could lock her gaze with his.

"Cal listen to me. I know it's a horrible thing, but you've got to stay strong. You've got a big responsibility being the pilot of Siegfried. Not just for Libertus but for everyone who's died. I know it's not what you want to hear but I promise you'll understand when the time is right." She put a hand on his cheek. "I believe you are the right pilot for Siegfried. After all, you defeated a 'first of' all by yourself. Plus you saved Miranda's life so that's got to count for something." Cal sighed but nodded.

"Alright," he finally said. "But I mean it when I say I won't stand by and allow her to get anyone else killed."

"Well, I'm with you that the princess needs a reality check. And I think Jill has something in mind. Now, why don't you carry these up. I'll meet you and the Commander there and we'll give Zola and Coco the respect and goodbye they deserve." Cal nodded as he lifted the handle of the wooden cart and dragged it towards one freight elevator in particular that would take him near Arzenal's graveyard.


Losing herself in bliss, Ange sank lower into the hot scented water that helped maintain her delicate silky-smooth skin. "Princess, oh princess." she heard someone call. Ange opened her eyes to see a nude Momoka standing over her. "May I wash your back Princess?"

"Of course," Ange sighed. Following her bath, Momoka took Ange to her bedchambers and sat her in a chair before her bedroom mirror. "Come light of Mana." She ordered as a green light formed around a blow dryer and two hairbrushes, floating them over Ange's head so Momoka could style it.

"Momoka I can do that myself." Ange protested as the maid chuckled.

"Do you remember what your father told us dear princess." She reminded her

"He said that nobility should never have to use their Mana for trivial tasks."

"Precisely, so leave everything to me, your dedicated head maid." Momoka said. Ange smiled and relaxed until an icy voice stabbed her ear.

"When do you plan on waking up?"

"Momoka!" Ange gasped opening her eyes and finding herself back in the med bay of this hellish island. She tried to move and spasmed as she felt a stabbing pain throughout her entire body.

"Was it a nice dream?" Jill asked, her gaze sending a shiver down Ange's spine when she remembered something.

"My petitions!" She said suddenly. "I almost forgot about them. Have my messages gotten any responses?"

"You mean these?" Jill asked as she held up a fistful of envelopes before tossing them onto Ange's immobilized torso, each one emblazoned with a red stamp that read REJECTED. "Not a single one was accepted. They all said the same thing, that they never heard of you or the Misurugi empire."

"What…no it can't be." Ange gasped refusing to believe what she was told.

"Inspector Bronson's words," Jill said as she lit a cigarette. "According to her the Misurugi Empire has been completely wiped out. It happened after your little secret was exposed. I guess your people were so infuriated and betrayed they started a revolution." Ange's eyes bulged in shock as she felt her whole world collapse around her.

"No, I refuse to believe that!" Ange denied. "My homeland, it has to still be there. What of my mother, my father, my brother and my little Sister Sylvia?" Jill simply shrugged her shoulders as the two heard a dog barking outside.

"Looks like they're ready." Jill noted and began to unbuckle the straps that held and to the bed. "Let's go they're waiting for us."


It was still raining when they arrived so Jasmine waited alongside Vulcan inside to the entrance to the passageway carved through the mountainside. "Who knew we'd lose 2 pilots from a Category 2." Jasmine frowned as the Commander finally arrived.

"Sorry for the rush order Jasmine." Jill apologised. "Just wait a little longer until Ange arrives."

"That's alright," Jasmine sighed. "We should lay their souls to rest at least. By the way where's the princess?"

"She'll be here in a minute. And the tombstones?"

"I had Cal bring them up. I thought he'd want to be here. Since he wasn't there for Naomi's funeral, I felt he deserved to be here for this." Though Jill disapproved she agreed with the sentiment. With the enemy still out there, they couldn't even arrange for a proper funeral.

"It's probably for the best." Jill shrugged. "After his little stunt last night, he really needs to get his act together."

"I'm worried Jill." Jasmine said. "I saw that look in his eyes. It's the same Gaz once had regarding his hatred of his own people. And even in you." Jill shot her an annoyed look.

"Get to the point." She said impatiently.

"He's going down a dark path. We both know how much he wants to help but after this I'm terrified by how far he might go when Libertus begins. That anger and rage isn't him. He's got enough burden on his shoulders as it is."

"Not my problem," Jill coldly stated. "He's the pilot of Siegfried now so he'd better learn to bear it because it's only going to get heavier if and when Villkiss is up and running again. Don't let your personal relationship with Cal cloud your judgment on what needs to be done. If rage and hate is what he needs to get his ass in gear, then I won't hesitate to use it."

"But Jill, you know Gaz would have not wanted that…" Jasmine argued.

"Well Gaz isn't here anymore, is he?" Jill reminded her. "And Cal's already started to unlock the Valkyrie system so for now, my only concern is turning his anger away from the princess and onto the humans."

"He what!?" Jasmine gasped. Vulcan sensed her shock and whined. "My god you're serious aren't you." Finally, the shuffling footsteps echoed from down the passage, and they turned to see Ange limping towards them.

"Why do you want me here?" She asked before the grind of wheels on concrete signalled Cal's arrival, his eyes narrowing as he saw who was waiting for him.

"What's she doing here?" Cal scowled.

"She needs to be here." Jill explained. "You're going to be carrying them Ange." The princess flinched at that. "Survivors are responsible for burying their dead comrades. With their own money."

"Commander…" Cal tried to say before Jill shot him a warning look.

"Consider this part of her punishment," Jill told him.

"Bearing the burdens of their lives helps you remember them." Jasmine told them. "Don't worry hon, if you can't pay then I'll just put it on your tab." Ange felt like she was going to be sick. Was this really how things worked around here? Everything was just wrong yet…no they were Norma. So why did it feel so wrong? Wearily, Ange grabbed the handle of the cart and began to pull before she stumbled. It was heavier than she thought.

"Hey!" Cal barked. "You so much as scratch those graves and I'll break your neck!" The threat made Ange's blood run cold and she scrambled back to her feet as quickly as her injured body could. Jill simply shook her head. If things carried on like this, then Libertus was as good as lost.


Ange struggled to pull the cart but the combination of the weight of the headstones, the muddy ground, and her injuries made every step a struggle. She slipped more than once, and it wasn't long before her rain-soaked uniform was covered in mud. Finally, she arrived at the Zola's freshly filled in grave and the adjacent lot that had been set aside for Coco. Ange worried that the Commander would force her to lift the heavy stone slabs herself but thankfully, Cal took over for her, his shoulder roughly shoving her aside as he passed without so much as an apology.

"Zola Axberg and Coco Reeve, they both had great strong names." Jasmine spoke as the group looked over the graves. "When our girls are killed, they get their original names back, their real names that their parents gave them. You know, Zola's womanizing was her only flaw. She was smart and a good leader. She always looked out for her girls and cared for all of her comrades. It's hard to believe she's left us." Beside her, Cal swallowed the lump in his neck as he held back tears.

"Even so, what am I supposed to do now?" Ange mumbled.

"By god you're such an ignorant brat." Cal spat.

"I'm sorry I just…I don't understand any of this." She tried to tell him as he scoffed and turned away.

"Just keep killing the DRAGONS. Nothing more and nothing less." Jill said simply. Though Jasmine had offered her an umbrella, the Commander had refused it and her uniform was now soaked to the point that her black bra showed through her tunic.

"What are those awful monsters?" Ange questioned. Cal simply facepalmed in frustration.

"Haven't you been paying attention in class or anything you've done for the past week?!" he growled. "Just do as you're told."

"But why…why am I forced to fight them? Where do those things even come from?"

"We don't know." Cal said. "We don't know where they come from or what their motives are. We fight them because we have no other choice."

"We live to kill the DRAGONS Ange." Jill explained. "The Norma can only exist in this world as DRAGON slaying weapons."

"Besides you're the Princess you should be honoured to protect their world." Jasmine smirked.

"Their world?" Ange asked.

"Why do you think the world of Mana gets to live in peace?" Jasmine continued. "Because us Norma keep the DRAGONS away."

"What!?" That couldn't be. How could the peace of humanity be dependent on the Norma?

"Do you get it now!?" Cal snapped. "It's all because of our sacrifice! And what do we get out of it? We get thrown away or worse!"

"The humans take their peace for granted." Jill said. "Drunk on their prosperity, they have no idea that the Norma are dying to keep it that way. Now it's your turn."

"But that has nothing to do with me." Ange argued. "I told you I'm not a Norma. I'm nothing like you."

"If so, then try this." Jill pulled a pen from her pocket and placed it into Ange's hand." It's the Inspector's. She can use it with Mana. If you're not a Norma, then you should be able to do the same, right?"

"Come light of Mana." Ange raised her hand over her palm, but nothing happened. "Mana! Light of Mana come to me!" Her face twisted into despair but no matter how hard she tried or begged nothing happened.

"Now do you believe you're a Norma?" Cal asked. Ange slumped to the grounds as her hands trembled.

"Why? But I can use it, for some reason it simply refuses to work/ I swear there is no reason for me to be imprisoned in this hellish place. It's not fair!" Ange cried, tears spilling from her eyes. "It's not fair!"

"But your people are the ones who made the rules." Jill revealed. "Who do you think put you here? Not me or the Norma. Because your family, the seven nations, your people are the ones who decided the world should be this way." Ange gasped in shock as she remembered what she said to the mother pleading for her daughter, the same baby she had seen in Cal's arms when she arrived.

'Humankind has evolved to use the light of Mana. But Norma reject it because they are violent and dangerous. They must be purged from this world immediately.'

"You're right Princess." Jasmine said as she kneeled down to pet her dog. "It's not fair. Coco just turned 12 for God's sake."

"12!" Ange repeated. "She was the same age as…" Her sister flashed before her eyes. "No! No, that thing was nothing like Sylvia. She wasn't human!"

SMACK!

A quick swipe of Cal's palm across Ange's face sent her sprawling across the mud. "How fucking dare you!" Cal howled, angry tears spilling from his eyes. "Is your head that far up your own ass!? Everything that happened was your fault you selfish bitch!"

"Cal that's enough!" Jasmine pleaded as Vulcan pulled his ears back in fear. Cal however was not in a state to listen to reason.

"If she wasn't human then what does that make you?" He yelled yanking her up by the collar of her jacket. "You can't use Mana neither. You deserted us in battle and got Coco AND Zola killed! So, what do you call that?!"

"This isn't right." Ange whimpered feeling her mind and heart break into a million pieces. "It's not fair."

"What do you know of fair?" Cal began to drag her to another grave a few feet away that was covered in soggy violet roses and roughly shoved her face closer to the headstone so she could see the name carved on the face.

NAOMI FASALI.

"You see that?" he snarled. "She was a pilot. She was there for me when I was in a bad place because of what the humans did to me and I…I loved her." Ange felt her heart skip a beat. 'Is this the girl in pink? The girl on the wall? The one whose name was on that bracelet of his?' "She died, saving my life, but she wasn't the first." Cal continued. "All my life it was just me and my Gramps. Living all alone on an island away from your kind because they tried to kill me." Jasmine was about to intervene, but Jill stopped her.

"Is it true…what you said last night?" Ange asked.

"Yes, and even then, your people tried to do it again. In the end, Gramps died so I could get here so the humans couldn't get me! So you wanna talk about this not being fair? I've been here for eight months now, and I've seen more death than I'm able to count. All because of the humans!"

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Ange sobbed tears now streaming down her cheeks as she finally understood the hurt and pain that someone just like her lost a parent for the same reason. Before he could say anything else, Cal felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Cal please, just calm down." Jasmine urged when the sound of footsteps splashing through the rain drew everyone's attention.

"Commander." Salia announced as she ran up to them. "Second squad has located the Brig but had to pull back in order to refuel." Jill nodded and stepped past Cal, grabbing onto Ange's jacket to yank her to her feet.

"Get up." Jill ordered. "We're leaving now. There's no time to cry. Life isn't fair and you're not a princess. You kill or be killed. There's no other choice." Ange however didn't respond, the look in her eyes empty and listless as she continued to cry. "So kill the DRAGONS for your two dead comrades just like he does for the one's he lost. And If you can't do that…then DIE!" Finally, Ange straightened herself out and managed to stand under her own power.

"Very well, then just kill me now." She told them. "I can't live like this. I'd rather be dead. This is more pain than I can bare." Cal clenched his fists at how selfish Ange's attitude was until he felt a small hand take his and Salia shook her head, telling him not to bother.

"I won't" Jill denied her. "You'll die in battle just like they did."

"But Commander her and Miranda's Para-mail were destroyed." Salia reminded her. "We don't have any working units for her or Miranda." Jill simply smiled.

"But we do. That one." Jasmine grinned knowingly though Salia let out a small gasp.

"You don't mean…"

"What are you talking about?" Cal asked seeing how stunned Salia was.

"Villkiss." Jill answered.


The doors to the lower storage hanger opened, the overhead lights flicking on to guide their path towards the very back. Alongside Jill and Ange, Cal, and Salia came along to fetch Mei so they could pull Ange's new unit out. "We're really sending it out?" Mei asked as she glanced at Ange. "And it's for her?"

"Yes." Jill replied. "Can you get it started up?"

"No problem. Give me a minute." Mei hurried ahead of the group as a further row of lights illuminated a single Para-mail in the very back of the hanger.

'What is that?' Cal wondered. The unit was covered in a tarp, but what pieces he could see was burned, rusty, and dented.

"This is your new machine." Jill told Ange. "The engine is outdated, and the energy control is a wreck. Perfect if you have a death wish. Meet Villkiss."

'So, this is Villkiss.' Cal realized. 'I thought Jill said this was the machine that Libertus depended on. It sure doesn't look it.' In the middle of his thoughts, he suddenly noticed the troubled expression on Salia's face. 'What's wrong with her?'

"I can die if I pilot this?" Ange whispered as she stumbled forward. "I can be Princess Angelise again…"

"But Jill why her?" Salia whispered.

"What?" Jill asked.

"That unit…"

"We have a penalty for insubordination. You know that Salia." Jill warned. Salia was taken aback by the subtle threat, but Jill's expression softened as she laid a hand on Salia's shoulder, giving her what looked like a reassuring gesture. "You're the Captain now. Make me proud." Jill took her leave as Cal leaned in towards Salia.

"So, this is Vilkiss, the machine Siegfried is supposed to protect as it's knight?" Cal asked. "I'm really supposed to act as the knight of this hunk of junk? It looks like it'll fall apart at any moment."

"That doesn't matter." Salia frowned as she shot a nasty look at Ange who was still looking up at Villkiss like a moth to a flame. "I'm just surprised Jill would give a unit as important as Villkiss to Ange for a suicide attempt. But at least she'll be out of our hair soon."

"I guess you're right," Cal admitted. "Well then, let's go get some payback against that big bastard. Right Captain?" Salia faltered a bit, still unused to her new title, but quickly regained her composure. 'I can do this. I'll do it not just to prove myself as Captain but for you too Cal. I won't leave you to take this burden alone. Once Ange is dead, I'll be the pilot of Villkiss.'

"Let's go!" Salia ordered.


The entire capital was in chaos. For the past week, ever since Princess Angelise's dirty little secret had been revealed; everything from posters, banners and clothes associated with the former Princess was burnt. From his desk chair, Dutch looked out of his office window that gave him a view of the bonfires that still burned in the streets below. It was a shame he hadn't been able to get back in time to see the baptism himself. Jadis in particular would have loved the show. Flicking open his Mana screen, Dutch smirked at the sight of the former Emperor who still hung from the gallows. Jurai Asuka Misurugi. Not so long ago, his subjects had worshiped the very ground he walked on. And now, they spat and hurled garbage at his hanging corpse.

"It's your own fault," Dutch said as he closed the screen. "All you had to do was play your part as Master Embryo told you to." He did wonder however just how aware Embryo was of the Misurugi family's little charade. It seemed odd to him that his superior would be willing to let such a thing occur when he interacted with heads of state on a regular basis.

Well either way, with the Emperor and Empress both dead and the Princess exiled to Arzenal where she belonged, that put his son Julio in charge. 'That boy is green as grass.' Dutch mused. 'He'll be easy to manipulate. And if my Master sees him as a liability then he'll have no choice but to put me in charge." It was all finally coming together. A nation of his own. 'I just have to find some way to keep that snake Blackadder out of the picture,' he thought when someone knocked at the door.

"Come in." The door opened and who should appear but Jeffry with a tray of coffee, dressed in a fine dark maroon suit with grey trim, the official plain clothes attire of the Misurugi NMB.

"I have your coffee sir." Jeffry began to pour. Ever since their mission in taking down one of the rebel cells, the young man Dutch had taken under his wing had progressed well in his training. So much that when they last visited his home, Jeffry's mother could barely contain her tears she was so proud.

"Hmmm, where did you learn to make this?" He praised.

"Mother's recipe. It was father's favourite." Jeffry said with a sad frown. Dutch nodded and took another sip when a sudden ping forced Dutch to dismiss Jeffry as he opened a screen to see it was his assistant Ms Yung-Si.

"Good afternoon Mr. Villson." She greeted. "It's good to see you back as head of the Norma Management Board."

"It's good to be back." Dutch agreed. "But on to business. Do you have something for me?"

"Yes sir. I have some footage I think you'll want to see."

"Transfer it now." Ms Yung-Si's face cut off and was replaced by six images of what looked like satellite footage of four objects in flight. Dutch swiped through the images, magnifying and clarifying them until he finally could make out a squad of Para-mail. A heavily modified black Arquebus, two dark grey Glaives, and another model he had never seen before. It was black and red, slightly smaller and slimmer than an Arquebus with two triangular booster wings and a rotary pulse cannon mounted under the cockpit. And judging by the robust builds of the pilots, they were anything but Norma.

"Looks like those Ancient freaks and the traitors are building for an offensive." He observed as he put in the call. Another screen opened and Master Embryo looked up from the book he was reading.

"Mr. Villson, I trust you have good reason to disturb me."

"Apologies Master, but I have an important update. I've received footage which looks like the rebels have got their hands on Para-mail. They've also begun building their own models."

"Hmm that is a cause for concern. Especially if they decide to strike back again." Embryo admitted.

"Which is why with your permission," Dutch continued, "I'd like to take the fight to them first with my Ragnarök." Embryo raised an eyebrow in interest.

"You are taking this seriously, aren't you? Are you sure you can still handle it?"

"Not to worry sir," Dutch assured him. "I've kept up my skills with regular training. And that machine is second nature to me. All I need is the location of their main base. And the prisoner we captured, the one called Janos, is currently being interrogated. We'll get the information out of him eventually."

"A distasteful practice," Embryo grimaced. "But a necessary one. Very well. I will take it under consideration. Come to my personal office and we'll discuss it further."

"Thank you master Embryo." Dutch saluted before Embryo cut the line. Leaning back in his chair, Dutch was overjoyed. If he could finally use the Ragnarök again he could show Master Embryo that he didn't need that scrawny little snake Blackadder. In the meantime, he had other matters to attend to. Now that he was back as head of the NMB, he was able to access the files detailing Arzenal's latest acquisitions over the past year. The first was the blood smeared mug shot of Princess Angelise, next a young baby with short brown hair and then some little runt from Marmeria. Until finally, he found what he was looking for.

It was a mugshot of a boy about 18 years of age, average height with short spikey black hair and covered in bruises. According to the file, the picture was taken the same day Dutch had led the assault on their island. "There you are you little bastard." Dutch seethed, his orange eyes flaming as he read over the name 'Cal.' Ever since that day Dutch had not forgotten the little freak's name. And then he noticed the falsified report that had been typed up regarding his capture.

"Why did they cover this up?" he wondered. A rush of memories flooded Dutch's mind regarding his time in Project Alpha and the birth of the male Norma. If Norma mating with humans produced male Norma, then what was the point? What was it that his brother Donny were really attempting to do? Something felt very wrong and only one person had the answers. 'After I see Master Embryo, I should pay Dr Trager a visit,' Dutch noted, 'and find out what's really going on.'