Rondo in the Endless Sky
Chapter 5: First Flight
Arzenal's hangar was abuzz with activity as the various Para-mails belonging to Garm Squadron were being readied. The engineering team worked with absolute efficiency, so used to all of this that it was as methodical as anything else they did. Running among the people moving about to load weapons onto the machines and get supplies readied was Zhao Mei, the young leader of the team.
"Connect all power! Arquebus, Glaive, start engines! Hauser hurry up and mount weapons! Wyvern… wait, what do you mean we're not taking him out?!" Zhao Mei put a hand to her headset as the alert came through. "Jill grounded Alain? For what?... alright fine! At least leave Wyvern on standby in case the situation changes!"
The young Armorer head sighed as she looked across all the Para-mail she cared so much for. She prided herself on the care and maintenance of each one, making sure they were in proper shape to bring their pilots home. It helped when one of them at least had a super smart AI that could give even finer maintenance clues than even a savant like her could find. But she had to wonder… what was Jill thinking with keeping Alain grounded? The order didn't make a lick of sense for her at all.
With their Para-mails being rolled out to be ready for launch, the girls of Garm Squadron were waiting at the main floor of the launch bay for the clearance to mount and prepare for launch. The PA sounded with the announcement for the incursion. Each member moved off to mount their machines as they were rolled into place on the launch platforms.
"You rookies are in the back. Standard issue Glaives without much more than a basic loadout." Salia spoke to the rookie trio as the squad progressively thinned, pointing off to where she was directing them. "Coco, your's is the first, Miranda the middle, and Ange the furthest one."
"Yes ma'am!" While Coco and Miranda saluted as normal, Ange just gave a huff.
Ange trailed a bit as she followed the other two, her eyes scanning past the large frames of the waiting Para-mails as their riders climbed up on the frames before dropping out of view and into the cockpits waiting for them. She wondered why such crude looking machines existed. They lacked any of the sleekness and elegance she knew the vehicles designed in the Mana nations to have. Though, she figured, affording brutes like the Norma those kinds of things wasn't needed.
She stopped when she got to the one designated for her. In it's Flight Mode the Glaive really did look like some old model of airplane from the days before mankind had been gifted Mana. The flat grey machine didn't have any of the flair the rest of the squadron's machines did. No defining marks like modified armor, signifying color schemes, or notable decals. Its only armaments were a basic assault rifle and sword. Hardly much of anything to write home about.
Ange sighed as she climbed up the revealed steps on the side of the body. When she was on top of the machine, she could clearly make out where its head tucked back in this form as it jutted out ever so slightly. She was almost used to the side entrance used by the simulators, but in this case the hatch opened from below her near the point where the head likely locked to when in it's Destroyer Mode.
Ange dropped in, and as the machine booted up once she attached the plug linked to her suit, which she had to question why it was in place to be like some tail, the radio chatter came in clearer through her headset as the monitors in front of her activated.
"Garm Squadron, respond as appropriate upon first contact." The voice of one of the command operators. Ange didn't pay her much mind as she attached her belts. At least these ones were a bit comfier while still leaving her tightly secured.
"Garm Squadron, acknowledged." Zola's reply also followed with her appearing on the right communications monitor. Ange spared it a glance, but her eyes fell forward quickly. The dark sky was spreading out right in front of her. "Listen up little girls, it's your first battle. You're providing support from the rear. Pick off any who get past us or stragglers that get into your range. Let us Aces handle the big ones and the main group, understood? Don't break from formation and stay calm while responding as necessary. Do as you were taught, and you won't die."
"Yes ma'am!"
Ange was still silent, only focused on the sky in front of her. Maybe this could be a chance, a chance to get out of this hell before it got worse for her. As the front machines all took off in sequence on after another once the all clear was given, this thought stuck with Ange. Once she and the other two were in the air, behind the more experienced pilots in formation, Ange's hands gripped tighter to the controls. The real thing was heavier than she'd expected when pulling it up. The simulator may have been able to mimic the feeling, but it wasn't precise.
"How do you like a real Para-mail? Heavier than the sims make it out to be huh?" Zola spoke as if she was reading Ange's mind. "Be glad these cockpits are nice and sealed, tonight's a chilly one."
"Hold on a second, I just noticed. Alai-Trigger didn't launch with us." Rosalie spoke, and Zola chuckled in reply to her.
"Commander decided he was going to sit this one out." Zola chuckled again as some disappointed sighs came from across the line up. Well, aside from Hilda, who's image on the comm screen just looked smug. "Don't go looking so sad girls. He's watching, so feel free to show off. I know I will."
"I'm outside." Ange didn't have her comm on so her remark went unheard. But that was where her mind was. She was outside. Away from Arzenal. Sure she had no clue where she was, but she was away. If she could just find a chance, then maybe she could get away from this… because like she was going to lower herself to actually fighting with these Norma. "Yeah… like I would allow myself that kind of shame."
As the Bridge Bunnies rattled off mission data and pilot stats Alain leaned back in the chair he'd taken. He'd started rolling that coin between his fingers as he watched the drone feed of Garm as they were on the approach.
"Gravitational fluctuations detected." Pamela said. "Get ready Garm, the singular is near opening.
"Roger that Control." Zola responded. "Garm Squadron, formation Delta-6." One by one all of the Para-mail took formation in a vaguely arrowhead pattern… all except for one notable Glaive.
"She's gonna run." Alain's voice was almost a growl as he said it. His eyes narrowed as a leg started to bounce. "Jill, I should be out there."
"Calm down." JiIl ordered. "If she does, she does. Like I said earlier, her Para-mail won't get far. The battery will die long before she gets anywhere. Either she'll be forced to land on an island or crash on a reef. Whatever the result, we'll retrieved her." The apathy Jill had in her remarks left Alain shocked. Granted his worry was more about Coco and Miranda. From how they'd come to look at Ange, Coco especially, there was no telling what they would do if Ange did something. Quietly, Alain shifted his arm to pull out his terminal, clicking it on as he hid his mouth behind his other hand.
"Wyvern, how far out are they?"
"A quick calculation places Garm Squadron approximately 80 kilometers South Southwest of Arzenal." Close enough.
"Don't do anything right now. If Ange gets away during the furball, call Tusk for a retrieval."
"Understood."
Alain glanced over to make sure he hadn't been noticed as he placed the terminal back to his belt. He let out a small sigh of relief, all of the attention was still on the drone feed as the others waited for the singular to open up.
"Unit Ange!" Zola's sudden broadcast drew attention to the feed. "Get into an element now!" Ange held her flight path for just a moment as Zola barked at her. It was long enough Alain dared hope she'd follow orders and form up. But, that hope was dashed in an instant as Ange's Glaive veered away from the main group at max speed.
"Unit Ange is breaking away!" Olivier said. "Unit Salia is in pursuit of her."
"Told you so." Alain let out a flat breath. He looked to Jill, the woman giving him a quick glare, and he wisely avoided saying anything else. Right or not, pushing his luck hadn't been why Alain survived for this long. But he was thinking he'd try if anyone but Ange died out there because of this.
Salia let out a growl as Ange veered away. She turned herself to follow after the girl's Glaive. As the distance closed, Salia tweaked her targeting, her Arquebus's rifle shifting to be aimed at the fleeing Glaive's cockpit.
"Ange stop! The singular could open any instant. Get back into formation now!" Salia's order only got a quiet mutter. Ange wasn't intent on listening, clearly.
"My name is Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi." The deserter argued, not even bothering to turn on her camera. "I am returning to where I belong in the Empire of Misurugi."
"I warned you." Salia pulled up closer to the Glaive, her systems buzzing as she locked onto the unit. Her finger hovered over the trigger, ready to pull it if she needed to. "If you continue to disobey orders, I will shoot you down."
"Ms. Ange!" From 6 o'clock Coco's Glaive came flying over getting between them, obscuring Salia's shot. Salia's console opened a window, showing the young cadet with an ecstatic face. "Ms. Ange, take me with you!"
"Coco get out of the way!" Salia barked.
"Coco what are you doing?!" Miranda shouted, her own Glaive veering off after ger wingmate.
"This is such a mess! If Alain was here he'd…" The realization hit Salia like a slap to the face. If Alain was here, he'd have kept them in line easily. So why did Jill ground him? What was she planning with this?
"You may have said some harsh things but… I want to see the Magic Country!" How could Coco let her childish whims get to her like this? Salia grumbled as she put a hand to her head. What was she supposed to do now that this was happening? "I want to see the place that was able to make you look so happy!"
"The Singular is opening!" Pamela's voice from the Command line made Salia look up. The girl's eyes went wide. The sky had become tinted red, beginning to pulse and swell like a bubble, sparking with red lightning.
"It's opening right on top of us?!" Salia looked back to the Glaive's still ahead of her. "You two move now, get out of the way before it opens!"
But her order came just a bit too late. As the sky split open with a resonate boom, a blue streak shot down from it and shot right through Coco's cockpit. The last image of the girl Salia and Ange was Coco's shocked face before the image went pure white. And then nothing but static as her Glaive exploded in a ball of flames.
"Coco…" Miranda gasped. "COCO!" From the hole in the sky, a swarm of reptilian creatures descended right for them. Most of them were pink and about half the size of a Para-mail, but heading them was a large purple beast who's mass dwarfed their machines. Ange stared up at the things with wide eyes. A combination of just having seen the last moments of a little girl, and now being forced to confront what the Norma was forced to fight, felt like her mind had shattered.
"Just… what is that?" Ange shuddered as she spoke. She didn't want to think she was awake. Because it felt like a nightmare.
"We've lost Coco's signal!"
"Contact with DRAGON's established! Numbers through. One Galleon-type, and 22 Schooners!"
Alain felt like his blood was running cold. The drone feed had captured it. He'd seen the bolt from the Galleon split through Coco's machine. The image of it going up in flames was sticking in his mind as the radio chatter kept up but felt dull in his head. He had the horrible image in his mind of the unsuspecting girl One of his hands curled into a fist, as tight as it could go. If he wasn't wearing his gloves odds were, he'd have pierced his palm with his nails.
"Pamela, tell Mei to get Wyvern ready! I'm going out there!" Alain was shooting for the door before he knew it. But as he got close, he was stopped dead and slammed to the wall. A metal arm was pressed to his throat. "Jill, don't stop me! Do you want anyone else to die out there today!? One is beyond enough!"
"Your orders are not to participate. Stay put, Captain." Jill increased the pressure as Alain struggled to get free. He felt his lungs burn as his air was cut off, and his vision was already getting spotty. Jill was far stronger than her limber build suggested.
"Don't give me that!" Talking wasn't helping Alain as his breathing got harder. "Are you… really willing to let… them die for no reason?!"
The air in the room got tense. The operators kept their eyes on the readings as combat continued. Emma too looked uneased as Jill remained silent. All of them were thinking it though. Alain wasn't exactly wrong, nor was his line of thinking a bad call. Of anything sending him out to keep the situation from potentially getting worse would be the better course of action. The question was if he could make it in time even with Wyvern's known top speeds.
"The results are what they are. You've been here long enough to know that., so follow your damn orders! Zola is more than enough to handle Ange." Something about the way Jill said the phrase sent off a red flag. What was she aiming for? Did she want an incident to happen? What was she planning that could be worth an entire squad?!
"Commander, Unit Miranda's armor has been breached by the Schooners!" Hikaru's voice broke the air and eyes turned back to the drone feed. The horrible image of Miranda's Glaive filled it, Schooners swarming the flailing machine and ripping it apart with talons and fangs… and the horrified, pained screaming of the pilot lasting for a few seconds before finally being cut off.
"Miranda! Ngh… dammit Jill let me go!" Alain's struggling stopped quickly. Jill rammed her good fist into his gut hard, an unpleasant thunk sounding. Alain's vision went hazy within moments, and he slumped forward. Jill moved her metal arm and pulled her fist back, Alain collapsing to the deck.
Jill could feel the shock in the room as she shook her good hand. Everyone'e eyes were on her as she turned. The Bridge girls were quick to turn back to their stations, but Emma was still giving her a disapproving glare.
"Commander, was that necessary?" Emma may have thought the same of Norma as any other Mana human, but even she saw that action as going a bit too far. "I will admit that Captain Alain was disrespectful, but I agree with his assessment. We should…"
"Even if he gunned the Wyvern at full throttle in it's Pursuit Mode, the battle would already be over by the time he made it." Jill countered. "And aren't you the one always saying I'm too lenient with him?" Emma turned back to her own screen quietly. She wasn't stupid, but she was easy enough to manipulate thanks to her pride and stubbornness. "Olivier call up medical and have them collect Alain. Also, have them pull a few extra beds out of intensive care."
She could already tell they'd need the things.
Jill sat down in her chair a bit harder than she maybe should have as the girls responded and got busy. She couldn't pass the chance up. She knew how much Alain hated being sidelined, how much he hated seeing people die when he knew he could likely do something about it. But there was a meaning behind this.
"I need Ange hardened, soon. if I'm to make her the blade for Libertus, than I need her to be molded into what I need. Alain, you're too idealistic. Those ideals, thinking you can save everyone if you just want it hard enough… they'll get you killed." Jill looked at the ring taken from Ange again. That, to her, was right. Ideals would just get yourself hurt, and at worst, the people around you hurt as well. She'd get that lesson through eventually, is what she thought.
The last thing Alain remembered as he woke up was the feeling of Jill's haymaker hitting his gut. As he stirred awake, he winced at the flare of pain coming from his gut. As he came too, an unpleasant soreness and a bit of nausea hit him. "Guess I should count myself lucky it wasn't her prosthetic." he thought, feeling the resulting bruise. "Where am I anyway?"
"And look who woke up." A woman's voice said. "A bit sooner than I hoped… and no blood. That's disappointing." Alain groaned as much out of pain as he did dismay. His vision cleared as he pried his eyes open, finding himself in Arzenal's infirmary. And sitting across from him in the examiner's chair was the cause of his distress. Auburn hair and an all too usual scent of lingering booze, Maggy, Arzenal's chief medical officer watched with an amused look. Beneath her lab coat was a too tight short skirt and red blouse that bared an ample amount of cleavage, an attire Emma had admonished her over on more than one occasion. Not that it made a difference. Maggy was known for a "unique" bedside manner when it came to her patients, that and her talent for getting under a person's skin. Especially in regards to her blood-sniffing fetish that to this day creeped Alain out.
"You alright kid?" Alain looked to his right, relieved to hear he wasn't alone with Maggy. Jasmine was seated at the other side of the bed, Vulcan next to her with his head laying on the cot and giving a whine.
"What happened?" Alain said, pulling himself out of the bed. The mood was different than usual. Maggy usually had too much fun playing the tease with him whenever he found himself in the infirmary.
"Jill knocked you clean out!" Maggy answered.
"I know that!" Alain winced as his stomach flared again. "Where're the others? Are they alright? Just… ow… tell me what happened!"
"The Brig escaped." Jasmine finally answered. "Coco and Miranda are KIA with their units unrecoverable. The others made it back safely, but Ange and Zola are still MIA. From what I understand, Ange panicked in the middle of it, and her unit grabbed onto Zola's. I talked with Hilda, who saw the whole thing, and she said they got sucker punched by the Brig when Zola was trying to get Ange off her. Zola's Arquebus took the brunt of it around the cockpit, so the odds are she's KIA too. We can't be sure about Ange until the retrieval team gets back."
The medbay became quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Alain's body began to shake as his jaw clenched in a snarl. His jaw was clenched tight enough Maggy worried he'd break a tooth or two. Not a fun kind of procedure to go through.
"DAMMIT!" Alain whirled around, his fist slamming into the wall repeatedly. "DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!"
"Alain, calm down!" Jasmine urged.
"Where's Jill!" Alain demanded.
"Jill has her…"
"Screw her reasons and her!" he shouted. "Give me one good reason why I…"
SMACK
The slam of Jasmine's palm across his face snapped Alain back to his senses. His breathing returned to normal, but he was still shaking a bit as he grabbed a wrist and clenched his hand. While her personality was more of a doting aunt, Jasmine knew how to handle Arzenal's younger sorts when they got too uppity.
"Alain, cool it and think for a few moments." Jasmine barked, Alain letting out a grumble. "Just how much do you actually know about Ange?"
"Jasmine, don't you think…" Maggy started.
"I can handle whatever punishment Jill hands out." The older woman countered. "And anyway, Alain deserved it."
"What is there to know?" Alain grumbled. "She's a spoiled royal brat who can't accept the reality of… wait… royal?"
"Do you get it now?" Jasmine folded her arms. "The girl's a royal Norma, just like Alektra was back then." The emphasis of the last statement made it all come together in Alain's mind.
"You're not saying that…"
"Bingo." Maggy said. "She may be able to pilot Villkiss. You've definitely seen the ring haven't you? If she can, then it means a second chance at Libertus."
"Just hold on with that! I know I was only a kid last time, but… did those three have to die because of this?!" Alain said, his hand clenching again. "Zola, Coco, Miranda… why them? How could Jill just…"
"I know you may not get it." Jasmine put a hand to Alain's shoulder as he let out a grumble. "But everything Jill does is for the sake of the Norma. I don't like it anymore than you, but if Ange is going to be our new sword, then she needs a serious reality check."
"You can't save everybody." Maggy added. "If you want to make sure those three didn't die for nothing, then do as Jill says and follow her plan. Once Libertus succeeds, girl like them won't have to die that way again." With the initial shock and anger having died down, Alain was able to think with a clearer head.
"Fine." Alain grabbed his jacket as he passed the bed, being sure to pat Vulcan on the way. "I'm going to go check on Garm. You said they're back right?"
"Should be with Jill in their briefing room. I'd be careful, it's probably gonna be a mess." Jasmine pat Alain on the shoulder as he headed for the door.
"Alain." Wyvern spoke up from the terminal as Alain left and started down the hall. "Are you really alright? From my understanding, expressing sorrow over the loss of others is essential for maintaining proper physical and mental health."
"I'll be fine. Not like it's the first time." Alain grabbed his wrist again, taking a breath to calm down and stop his shaking. He had to maintain his composure. The girls would need him to be the strong one, and it wouldn't do for the shoulder they needed to be crying with them.
Of Arzenal's various wings, the Logistics Wing was always the busiest. Situated across the from the launch bay; it was home to a variety of facilities. Classrooms for basic education, indoor training, the armory, spare Para-mail components and unassigned units, and more importantly for Alain, the briefing rooms. Each squadron was assigned to their own for the purpose of gatherings to discuss training regiments or debriefing after failed sorties. Like what was happening with Garm.
Garm's briefing room was the first along the line of Arzenal's main three units. It's door was emblazoned with their designation and the squad's hellhound emblem. Since the outer wall was solid concrete, sound didn't easily carry out of these rooms, one but Alain was able to hear Jill's voice by sticking close to the door.
"…we can't confirm the KIA status of Zola until the retrieval team returns. Once they do, the report will be finalized and we'll ready an attack plan for when we locate the Brig. Garm will wait on standby until then. And until we know for sure, Salia will be stationed as the Acting Captain, with Hilda as her Lieutenant. Dismissed."
Alain leaned up on the wall past where the door would open. It opened a second later, Jill striding out, only giving a cutting Glance in Alain's direction as she passed him.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew Ange would try to run." Alain was staring at the back of Jill's head with a stare intense enough to bore a hole through concrete. "Was it worth it?"
"I'm Jasmine told you. If Ange survived the crash then we'll have the chance we need." Jill turned in full, Alain's hands tensing on his arms. "A royal Norma with a ring… she's the perfect candidate to pilot Villkiss. You simply have to accept that some will die in the pursuit of our goal, but that once it's realized, they won't have died in vain."
"Don't give me that!" Alain's hands were tight, but he was doing everything to control his voice. It wasn't the time for him to get angry again. "They didn't have to die today, you know that. My problem Jill, isn't that I can't accept casualties being a reality of war… what I can't accept is being forced to watch and be powerless to save the ones I can. And from what I saw, you would've let the entire squad die to break Ange! Give me one good reason not to go in there and tell them that!"
"Don't go thinking I owe you an explanation. Remember when Libertus first failed, I gave you the option to stay or to run away with the other survivors. But, you didn't. Being here means you follow my orders, and carry them out as you need to." Jill then leaned on her hip a bit. "You said it yourself, didn't you? That girl needed a reality check. One way or another, she has to be forced to accept her position in the world. And if it costs a life or two, so be it." Jill's level tone, the sureness of which she spoke about it, brought Alain to bite his lip.
"Except you're not the one paying that price." He thought. Alain understood the risks, but wasn't the point of Libertus to give all of the Norma better lives, ones free of the fighting they were forced into? What would be the point of it if more and more of them kept dying in the pursuit of that freedom? How would that make them any better than the humans who put them there to begin with? As if reading his mind, Jill sighed and crushed her smoke.
"Feel whatever way you want about it." Jill lit a cigarette. "All I need you to do is act appropriately and fulfil your own roll in all of this. Your father piloted Wyvern as one of the Knights. You're as sworn to the success of Libertus as he was, unless his legacy and death suddenly mean nothing to you. If you still have a problem with my methods once this is all said and done, then feel free to take a bat and work me over until you're satisfied. But until then, follow my orders and see this through."
"Yes, ma'am." Alain's boiling anger cooled to a simmer, and he managed to make himself salute as Jill turned.
As much of a low blow it had been, Jill was right. Alain had inherited a will years ago. Aside from more personal reasons, Alain stuck around due to his inheritance of the Wyvern, the only thing he had to remember his father by. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, Jill was right on the other point. If Ange could pilot the Villkiss, then she was their best chance. But… he couldn't help but think if his and Tusk's parents would approve of Jill's choices.
Once Jill had vanished down the hall, Alain took a breath in. He knocked on the door to the briefing room. At the least he could be polite about it even as he stuck his head right at the window.
"Come in." Salia said.
As Alain expected, all eyes were on him as he entered. The remaining members of Garm were still seated around, all showing the mood they bore. Salia had her hands clasped before her, brow knitted in thought. Vivian next to Ersha, the latter making sure to keep her younger comrade's energy under control. Rosalie and Chris were seated next to each other, the former nervously biting a nail, the latter muttering under her breath. Hilda sat against the window overlooking the launch bay, looking ready to explode with her face almost as red as her hair, her shudders making her hair shudder and her nostrils flaring with every breath.
"Everyone alright?" Alain immediately gave himself a mental slap. Of all the stupid things he could have said.
"Alain." Salia said, standing up. "What happened? Why did Jill ground you before the mission?" Alain looked around and sighed. He knew that wouldn't like his answer.
"I can't tell you right now."
"Bullshit!" Hilda snapped. Stomping over, she grabbed Alain by his jacket's collar and yanked him towards her. "Why weren't you out there?! The rookies are both dead, and Zola could be too! You better have a good reason or I swear…"
"You don't think I didn't want to?!" He snapped back. "Jill clocked me out cold before I could get to the door! Even if I had, there wasn't a guarantee I'd have arrived in time!"
"He's right." Ersha agreed. "Wyvern is fast but it's not a miracle maker. I'm sure Alain has his reasons so please… let's not fight among each other right now."
"I agree." Salia said. "If you want to be angry at anyone, be angry at who's actually responsible."
"Tch. Fine." Hilda shoved Alain off and went back to sulking in the corner, shooting him one last glare.
"It's gonna be okay." Attention went from Alain to Chris. "Zola… she's been a pilot way longer than any of us have. She's survived before, and she's come back every time." despite her attempts to sound certain, the silver-blue haired girl couldn't stop her voice from wavering.
"Yeah, you're right." Rosalie said. "Hilda, you said the Brig hit the back right? If so, even if it was near the cockpit there should've been plenty of room for it to miss! Right, Alain?" Neither of them sounded certain, but Alain wasn't going to discourage them. Moving towards them, he set a hand on their shoulders in as best a reassuring gesture he could.
"As long as there isn't a body, I'd say there's a good chance. There's a lot of islands around that area, if she was able to get out and drift, she could've ended up at any one of them." As much as Zola annoyed him and pressed his buttons, she was still a comrade, one he owed a lot to. And at one time previously, one of his best friends. "Let's just wait for retrieval to get back before we do anything else."
"Yeah you're right." Rosalie nodded. "Come on Chris, let's go get something from the mess hall. We won't do Zola any good if we tip over from hunger." Leaning on one another, the two left the room together.
"Coco. Miranda…" Chris whispered. "I swear if that bitch killed Zola too..." Chris's moment of anger came off as so unlike her, it was like she was a different person. But, Alain felt he couldn't blame her. Rosalie and Chris idolized Zola. And Zola, as selfish as she could be, always cared for those under her.
"We'll come too." Ersha said. " It's just such a shame Coco and Miranda had to die so soon. They were such sweet girls."
"But at least now we know who was going to die first!" Vivian said, Ersha and Alain both glaring at her. Hilda followed them, giving Alain one more nasty glare as she passed.
"You okay?" Salia asked.
"Aside from probably having a cracked rib or two, I'm good." Alain said, patting his still sore stomach. He just hopped this wasn't the start of something nasty. Hilda had a mean streak, and Alain knew how long she could hold a grudge for.
"Damn that Ange." Salia muttered. "What the hell was she thinking?"
"Who knows." Alain sighed. "Oh, and since it's just us, I need to talk to you about something."
"About what?" Salia asked. Peering into the hall for a moment, Alain made sure there wasn't anyone lingering around who could hear them.
"About why Jill grounded me."
"It's okay." Salia said. "If she ordered you too then…"
"She didn't exactly order me, but I think you should be the only one to hear this." Alain said. "Salia… Jill's likely planning to give Villkiss to Ange."
"What?!" Salia gasped. The girl had a particular bid when it came to the machine. In the look for a pilot for it, she'd attempted to do so four years ago. Unfortunately, the test flight didn't end well and Salia had wound up crashing. She'd been forced to spend time recovering, and Villkiss has been left in the wrecked state it remained in too the current day. Salia had never really gotten over that failure, despite Alain's best attempts. "But why her? We can't possibly trust her to fly Villkiss!"
"I know, I know. Look, for now let's save anything for after this mess is over." Alain knew he was opening an old wound, but what else could he do? "She's a royal Norma, like Alektra was… Jill doesn't want to pass up a second chance at Libertus. Ange came here with a ring too. Honestly she may just be our only choice."
"She doesn't have to be." Salia said. "We can have other options, another chance… but we don't have to try and rely on someone who can't be controlled! Why choose her for it? I'm a more experienced pilot, I could control Villkiss far better than her!"
"Skill isn't exactly the problem with Villkiss." Alain said, Salia grumbling. "Wyvern?"
"Villkiss bears a biometric lock on its systems." Wyvern said, Alain holding up the terminal. "While anyone could theoretically pilot the machine, they would be unable to draw out it's true capabilities. My records dating back to when it was used by Alektra Maria von Lowenherz allude to as much. A Norma born of royal blood and bearing a ring of such a family are required to use Villkiss. Were Villkiss's biometric lock to be removed however, the former requirement would be unnecessary. But as it stands, the only ones who could properly use the Villkiss must come from one of the ruling families of the mainland. A Norma like Ange is necessary to the reactivation of Villkiss."
"Then what about once it is reactivated? Would there be a way to turn that lock off?" Salia demanded.
"I think if we knew a way it would've been done ages ago by the people who found Villkiss." Alain stowed the terminal, sighing again. "I don't like the idea as much as you, but what other choice do we have right now? But… wait, did Jill ever tell you about the lock?"
"No this… this is new to me." Salia looked to the side. She'd idolized Jill since she was young, and of anything she wanted to be like that person she'd idolized. But times were different now. "If Jill wouldn't tell me that… what other secrets is she keeping?"
"You and me both." Alain put a hand on Salia's shoulder, the purple haired girl blushing a bit. "For now, please don't worry too much about it alright? Things are a bit to hectic and… well, I'm sorry for opening that old wound. I just figured you deserved to know what Jill might be planning."
"No, no it's fine. I'm glad you told me. It's my fault for letting it get to me. I don't like the idea, but I'll save my complaints for Jill herself. I just… I don't want to keep getting left behind."
"Who is that meant for?" Alain tilted his head, Salia giving a chuckle as she brushed his arm off.
"It's nothing, just a thought that slipped out is all. Do you want to grab something from the mess hall? I think I'll do a bit better once I've had something to settle my stomach."
"I can agree to that. It's definitely not gonna be much better once retrieval is back."
Salia could only nod in agreement as they left. In a bit of a tentative move, Salia's hand brushed against Alain's as they walked. Giving a moment as she pulled away, Alain reached out and grabbed her hand in return. Salia flinched at the gesture but welcomed it as she leaned against Alain. At least there was somebody around she could feel like it was safe to be a bit more vulnerable with.
Because as it stood, there was going to be a coming storm of its own soon enough.