If anyone had told Fie that she would actually be excited for a school lesson she would have scoffed and assumed they were an idiot. But as she found herself seated among the three combined classes she couldn't deny the truth of the matter. Right now she was very eager to get this class underway.
This class was their introduction to Panzer Soldats.
Maybe it was a little immature of her, but the idea of piloting a giant robot in battle was a pretty fun one. Tanks, airships, and artillery – while all obviously useful – lacked the tactical flexibility that jaegers relied upon. Massive humanoid robots didn't seem to share those same flaws as they combined mobility with firepower to make for an awe-inspiring presence on any battlefield.
During the civil war she had borne witness to their capabilities first hand as she came across battle after battle. In the hands of a skilled pilot they were a dominant force, capable of brushing aside the Imperial Army's tanks with ease. They were the newest weapon and war and must have cost hefty sum of mira to produce. To think that she of all people would soon be piloting one...
A little voice in the back of her head reminded her that Xeno and Leo had been employed during the war to pilot them. What that meant for her she didn't quite know, but something about it felt right. It was as if following in their footsteps, which lent some credibility to her current path in life.
But before the fun piloting could begin first she and everyone had to sit through a long presentation from Towa and Michael about safety protocols and how the afternoon drills would work. It was all tedious words for the girl who would rather learn by doing, but she understood it was a necessary evil. Boss and the others had sat her down for many such lectures when teaching her about things like explosives and firearms, even if those had been far less formal.
Just as she was beginning to despair that Towa's lectures would never cease, they finally did. With renewed vigor she and the other students made their way out of the building and to the hangar. Now it was finally time to begin the fun part!
...As it turned out, it was not. Instead she had to stand through some more lectures, but this time from Tita of all people. The student/engineer/cook had apparently been put in charge of explaining the actual controls and startup procedures to the gathered throng. At least this knowledge was actually sorta useful, even if she would really rather get to the fun part.
Her new club mate was clearly knowledgeable about the topic on hand, but her nerves seemed to be getting the better of her as she stood at the center of attention. During her struggles Tita's eyes roamed across the assembled school and when they reached hers Fie couldn't help but give a reassuring nod to her club mate. For some reason that seemed to perk Tita up as she continued the lecture with a little more confidence.
Weird.
Even as she listened with one ear the silver-haired girl found herself looking around at the parked soldats. From what she knew, these were all upgraded models from the ones unveiled in the war, but for the most part they functioned the same. Three of the basic all-rounder Drakkhen models and one of the big heavy ones that Tita called a Hector. Some of the others seemed disappointed that they wouldn't be piloting that one, but Fie found herself not caring at all. Big and slow just made for an easy target. She had heard rumors of a fast model soldat, but it didn't seem like the school had any of them. Shame.
Finally, after what felt like years, they were freed from the lectures and allowed to mount up, but not before one final surprise was unveiled to them - Customized weapons to fit each and every student. That the school had somehow found the time and technical know-how to create soldat sized gunblades just for her was staggering, especially as she had never let any of the staff touch her prized possessions since arriving.
It was a slow process, as Randy and Rean took the Hector and one of the Drakkhens to oversee things and pretty much all of Class VII and VIII were chomping at the bit to get started, but eventually her turn came. Using her great agility she sped up the machine and was in the cockpit practically before Kurt had fully dismounted, earning her an unhappy glare for her efforts. Once settled into her seat she had to fight the urge to grin in excitement.
She was lucky she succeeded, as a few seconds later the communications system activated and the ever-present face of her teacher appeared. As much as his nature annoyed her most times, right now she was grateful for his easy to understand instructions. It was so much easier following his prompts while sitting in his seat than it was for the easily bored girl to recall the words given during the class sessions.
One step forward, then two. A steady trot ensued. Eventually she was confident enough to break into a run. Soon she was making the quick pivots and leaps her combat style relied upon. Her gunblades were balanced correctly and swinging and shooting them felt correct. All in all, everything she wanted to do the panzer soldat did.
Except it was uncomfortable for her. She relied on her speed. Not just the speed to cover large distances quickly, but everything she did needed to be fast. Her reflexes, her movements, her decisions. So having to manually control those instinctive reflexes just felt off. She was sure that with experience that gap would diminish, but there was one thing she was fairly certain of.
The Drakkhen just could not keep up with her.
That unfortunate truth meant that while she didn't particularly struggle while going through the motions she was certain her performance had been fairly lackluster. After dismounting and watching the others have their turn she was sure she had been fairly middle of the pack. Juna was clearly more comfortable inside a soldat, while Altina actually struggled quite a bit. Kurt landed somewhere around where she did, although she thought the swordsman's style made him a little more suited for soldat combat.
Still, while she hadn't shined fully it had been a fun experience and she was eager to keep going once the two teachers announced they were beginning mock battles. Having to work with a partner sucked, but given how experienced the older men were it was probably the most obvious way to handicap them. Altina – despite her own soldat troubles – would make for a good partner. She hadn't gone out of her way to not interact with Juna much, but she was still confident they could fight together. The only one she was leery of...
"First up, Fie and Kurt!"
Dammit! She shared a glance with the swordsman. Yup. He was definitely unhappy with this arrangement. She still wasn't quite sure what his problem was with her, but hopefully it wouldn't hinder their ability to fight together. Not even the words of encouragement from Juna and Altina could make her feel good about the upcoming fight against Rean.
"You two have the basic movements down, so you should be able to handle a mock battle." Rean announced once she and Kurt were safely entombed within their respective machines and properly armed. "These are plastic practice weapons, so you should be able to go all-out within reason. Just like in a normal battle, make use of your senses and give it your all."
"Two against one... And you're not even using your Divine Knight or a tachi." Kurt wasn't wrong with his observation, but as much as she hated to admit it he was painfully underestimating their teacher. She could easily see that unlike their clunky movements his soldat moved almost as if it were an extension of his own body. Even if his machine lacked any advantage in power she knew the fight would be a tricky one.
Rean seemed to struggle to keep the corners of his lips from curling upwards, clearly finding the whole concept amusing. "Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me order a tachi for a Panzer Soldat. But just so you know, I piloted these countless times last year at the main campus. To be completely honest, I don't think I'll have much of a problem taking both of you on."
It was obvious that he was merely goading them into hasty action, but dammit if it wasn't working. As dangerous as the situation was here was a chance for her to give the annoying bastard a piece of her mind after all the times he has tormented her. Kurt was right. That wasn't his normal weapon. If she could just be patient then an opening might present itself for her to-
"...Well then, I'll take your word for that!" Unfortunately for her, Kurt too fell victim to the taunt, but unlike her he seemed compelled to immediately charge into action. Letting out a sigh of frustration the former jaeger pushed her own machine forward.
Fie could tell that she would be too late to arrive at the clash of machines as Kurt was already being driven back, his two blades no match for the older swordsman's one. Instead she pulled up short and prepped her gunblades, waiting for her opening. An opening which came quickly as Rean batted aside Kurt's feeble guard before raking his machine with a follow-up strike that would have done serious damage had it been a real weapon.
With her partner forced back she was free to unload with her projectiles. The first few landed home, but her opponent was quick to react, shielding himself from any significant damage with his sword. The teacher hastily closed the gap between them and her earlier critique of her slowness made itself known as she was only able to partly evade the telegraphed overhand swing he unleashed, wincing as his blade scraped along her Drakkhen's shoulder.
That was when Kurt rejoined the fray. He could have taken the time to circle around and attack in a pincer, but she had a feeling he was less interested in working with her as he was in simply fighting their opponent. All things considered, she was probably fine with that approach. Easier to keep it simple when working alongside someone you had no experience with.
...Or at least she thought she was until one of his swings nearly clipped her after their opponent deftly swayed out of the way.
Fine. If he was so obsessed with fighting their teacher as to endanger her she would oblige. Once again she fell back and turned her guns against Rean, but this time she didn't wait for a safe opening. Whenever she had a decent line of fire she freely pulled the trigger, even if she ran the risk of hitting her ally. They were merely practice rounds so a little friendly fire wouldn't matter much.
She saw an opportunity to put an end to the fight when Rean and Kurt found their machines locked in a clash of blades. Perfect. Whoever designed these soldat weapons did a great job as these gunblades had the same variable power setting for the rounds as her own. Taking aim she allowed her weapons to charge to their maximum capacity before unleashing a powerful shot towards her instructor – Even though the weapon was powered down for practice purposes a clean hit like this could still do some real damage.
Something which was proven true when the round seemingly scored a solid hit on Rean's Drakkhen. The explosion was enough to send Kurt stumbling backwards, not that she really cared. Instead she eyed the smoke from her attack warily, wondering if there was more to the fight or not.
Initially, the results seemed promising. Rean's machine was down on a knee, seemingly out of the fight. That feeling of exultation lasted only for a second until she noticed that his soldat didn't look nearly as battered as it should. Even as he casually rose back onto his feet she could see scorch marks on his short sword. It didn't take a genius to realize he had somehow blocked her attack with his sword at the last second.
"Well..." His voice rang loudly in the cockpit. "I think that's enough. You two are pretty skilled at fighting, but..." His smile grew a little strained. "...There are some areas for improvement, I think."
The dismissal was obvious so Fie dismounted, handing over her Drakkhen to the captain of Altina's club. She was about to make her way back to her other classmates when a fuming Kurt Vander approached. "What the hell was that?" He hissed out. "You practically shot me!"
"You almost hit me first." She countered, annoyance seeping into her voice. "And in case you didn't notice I landed the closest thing to a real hit we got."
"I was right. You are dangerous." He turned and began walking away. "...I'll never trust someone like you."
She watched his exit before letting out a sigh and following suit as she rejoined her classmates. Kurt was already there, of course, but the swordsman chose not to spare her a glance as she took up her position next to Altina. If Juna noticed the tension between the two she wisely chose not to comment on it. "That was a good fight, you two. I really thought you had him on the ropes for a minute."
"...We never stood a chance." The Vander responded with just a hint of bitterness. "Instructor Rean is quite skilled, in a soldat at least."
Being outclassed so completely did annoy her somewhat, but it wasn't the first time it had happened. Zephyr wasn't really a fan of coddling anyone, after all. "He'll kick your ass too, but defeat's the best teacher."
"That... I suppose that makes sense." Altina quietly agreed.
Thankfully that was all the discussion that ensued over their fight as the members of Class VII instead focused their attention on the two members of Class VIII as they fought against Randy. As expected they were allowed to flounder around for a few minutes before the red-haired man put an end to the fight. She wasn't sure how it compared to her own performance.
Things heated up when Ash, that blonde guy who got in her way the previous week took his turn. In his arrogance he demanded a one vs one fight against her instructor under the condition that the punk could pilot the Hector. Rean – being seemingly incapable of turning anyone down no matter how pointless the reason – was more than willing to accept the offer.
Even in the heavier machine the match still seemed completely one-sided, and it probably would have been had Ash not launched an unprovoked assault at range with his weird chained scythe-axe weapon before the command to begin had been given. As a jaeger Fie obviously understood the importance of winning at all costs, but even she knew that rules are meant to be followed during a simple training fight – You cheat to win, not to learn. Unless you are learning how to cheat, naturally.
Despite being caught completely off guard the Drakkhen was quick to react, managing to move out of way in the nick of time. Ash tried to make up for the failure of his attack by following up with a barrage of strikes while he still had the advantage of range. Sadly for him the flurry of attacks had little success now that Rean was aware of them, especially when the attacks started to get sloppy in their haste as the more experienced pilot began to bridge the gap separating them.
A short exchange of blows later and the fight was over and done with. Without the advantage his weird weapon provided the Class VIII student stood absolutely no chance. Watching Randy chew him out for it after he dismounted was pretty funny.
"Phew... He made it through somehow." Fie would have teased Juna for feeling relief that the guy the Crossbellian hated so much won, but she couldn't as she found herself thinking the same thing. She could only assume it was because the guy was supposed to be looking over them and the thought of him getting beaten by an idiot taking a cheap shot would have pissed her off.
After that spectacle the last few bouts were pretty basic in comparison. Juna and Altina did decently well together, but neither they nor the rest of Class VIII had standout performances against the veteran teachers. Still, the fact that a bunch of students with just a few minutes of piloting time could actually fight at an okay level was a testament to the power and versatility of Panzer Soldats.
It was still early in the afternoon when the mechs were brought back into the hangars and for a hopeful instant Fie believed they would have an early day. Sadly those hopes were dashed when after lunch it was announced that all students were to attend a briefing in the conference room for an upcoming operation. That... was something entirely different from anything they had done before. Curious despite herself she and the other students hurried to the room where the principal and all the instructors were waiting.
The dull military voice of Major Michael informed them that they would be headed out on a field exercise to the Sutherland province on board a private train that weekend. On the surface it sounded innocent enough as live exercise was more effective than just sitting around in a school all the time, but something about the entire thing made her suspicious. Why the need for a private armored train? And why did all the teachers look so tense?
All save for Principal Le Guin, of course. Fie suspected that that woman would look completely unbothered in the middle of Gehenna.
Still, those were worries for future Fie. Right now they were being dismissed and she had far better things to do with her time than to worry about something she had no control over.
"...With the awakening of the Vermilion Apocalypse the combined armies were put to rout. The Palatinate Knight and its jaeger pilot opted to stand their ground against the infernal machine, sacrificing his life to ensure the safety of everyone else."
"Why would he do that?" A wide-eyed Fie questioned. When Rean had told her that they would be covering major battles set during the War of the Lions she had expected yet another boring night. Instead the teacher had surprised her with an impossible story of Divine Knights. Despite herself she couldn't help but be compelled by the tale. She wasn't a history buff by any means, but she would have heard a story like this before. It had to be fake...
...Right?
Schwarzer shrugged. "Nobody knows for sure. Perhaps he simply saw an opportunity for an amazing fight? Or maybe his loyalty to Prince Lucius and Dreichels was founded on more than just mira? Such knowledge has been erased from history." He paused before looking at her sheepishly. "As a matter of fact this entire story has been forgotten from history, so don't expect to see it on any tests."
She blinked. Once. Twice. Comprehension slowly dawned on her. With that understanding came anger. "What the hell!? Why waste my time with this story if none of it matters?!"
"I never said none of it matters, but if you want to know it was to prove a point."
Her fury remained, but it was overridden by confusion. "And what point was that?"
"That you aren't as stupid as you think you are."
"Huh?"
"Sure you've done what I told you to do during these sessions, but you've always held an attitude that classroom education was not for you. That you are a terrible learner and I shouldn't even bother. Perhaps you even believe it yourself."
The teacher gave a wide grin. "...And yet as soon as I surprised you with a story about Divine Knights and jaegers you started listening intently. Even asked some good questions too."
She sputtered. "But that's-"
"And you want to know what's the most decisive proof I have?" He pointed towards a nearby clock. "...The required hour ended almost ten minutes ago."
Shocked chartreuse orbs confirmed for herself that indeed the hour was late. Had she really been so engrossed in his story as to lose track of the time? The grin on Rean's face grew.
Fie suddenly found the floor very interesting, even if it did nothing to conceal the embarrassed flush on her face.
The black-haired swordsman laughed. This was different from his usual awkward reserved laughs. This one was loud and free. It only made her embarrassment greater. "Sorry." He got out between chuckles. "Didn't mean to tease you like that. Still, I want you to remember what happened here, alright? You aren't a bad student. You can learn. You just need to be more interested in these things."
Since the required time had elapsed Fie stood up as she prepared to escape the awkward atmosphere, but she stopped before she could make her exit. Curiosity forced her feet to halt, however. "Was it true?" He tilted his head in confusion, prompting her to elaborate. "That entire story. You said it was forgotten to history, right? So how do you...?"
He hummed. "It's true. During the war I found some books that went into detail about the truth of the Divine Knights." He raised his hands, forestalling the comment she was about to make. "I know. I know. Books can lie as well as any human. But these books were very old... and very unusual. The church is very interested in them."
He paused before giving a brief shrug. "While not expressly forbidden I probably shouldn't have told the story to you."
"So why?"
"Why not? Is it so wrong that I am choosing to trust you with this?"
Trust, huh... She wanted to call him out for being too trusting, but it wasn't as if she could do anything with that story even if she wanted to betray his trust. Well, whatever. If he wanted to play the trusting fool she would gladly take advantage of it. "About today... with Kurt."
The light atmosphere faded into something more serious as the swordsman pondered her unspoken question. "Hmm... I can't say I fully understand the full scope of Kurt's burden and even if I did I wouldn't share it with you." She clucked in annoyance- "...But I do have some idea of why he is so distant with you right now."
She raised a brow in hopeful interest, prompting him to continue. "I think you've underestimated just how observant he can be. Given how similar your fighting styles are I wouldn't be surprised if he had been watching you during the initiation trial. He would have seen just how skilled you were... and that you still weren't going all out until the Magic Knight."
"So, what? He's jealous of me or something?"
"Maybe a little, but I don't think that's the main problem." Rean looked around thoughtfully before his eyes settled upon a familiar picture on his desk, causing him to smile softly. "Let me tell you a story about a young man attending Thors. He had spent much of his life training himself so as to not be a disappointment to his family, his master, or himself. He thought he had been doing alright for himself, but his limitations became painfully obvious when he met a classmate. She was a better swordsman, a better noble, more graceful, and unwavering in her convictions. She was everything he wanted to be. Yes, he did feel a little jealous about it at first."
He let out a happy laugh. "That didn't last long, however, as her skill was matched by her kindness. Despite being his superior she was more than willing to help the boy out, both with his swordsmanship and with... other things. Eventually, thanks to her help and that of his other classmates he was able to grow until one day he was able to stand alongside the girl as equals. They were good friends and he was even help her when her own issues came to light." His voice lowered, but Fie could just make out his words. "...Although I bet she's gotten a lot stronger since last year."
"So, what? You telling me to be all nice and helpful and stuff?" She wanted to dismiss his not-so-subtle story as a naive little fantasy, but considering the Vander's open hostility had started right after she refused to spar with him...
He shook his head. "I'm not telling you to do anything. I can understand why you are unwilling to get close to the others, even if I don't think you are doing as good a job at that as you do." She scowled at him, but it was an empty gesture and she knew it. The last few weeks had not gone according to plan at all. "You wanted my opinion and I gave it. What you do with that is up to you."
"Right... thanks." Fie still had no intention of opening up to the others, but maybe she could at least try to understand their feelings a little better now. Time to go back to her room-
"Oh. One last thing, Fie?" She rolled her eyes. Of course he still had something to say. Turning back she saw her instructor was biting his lip slightly... Was he worried about something? "Can I count on you to keep an eye on the others during this field exercise? I trust them, of course, but I think your experience will come in handy out there."
For the second time she was struck with the feeling that this weekend was going to be anything but a normal training mission. There was definitely something going on that the faculty was keeping from them. "Uh... Sure?" It wasn't as if she had any intention of slacking off on a mission in the first place, but for some reason Rean looked relieved after hearing her answer.
This time she was successful in leaving his room. That was a good thing for her as she had a lot on her mind. Things just couldn't be simple around here, could they?
"I hereby call to order the first meeting of the Cooking Club!"
Tita glanced at her classmate in confusion. "I thought we were just going to quickly talk about the field exercise?"
Sandy giggled. "I know, but I always wanted to say that once."
It was the day before their departure and Fie's plan to immediately return to the dorms after class had been put on hold when Tita sent her a message about a quick club meetup. That the girl had her ARCUS number without Fie's knowledge wasn't really a surprise given that she was in charge of the maintenance of said equipment.
Some of the clubs had already had a few meetings by this point, but with Tita having been so hard-pressed getting the soldats ready for the weekend she and the others had decided to hold off until after their return, something which had suited Fie just fine. Until now, that was. "So what's this all about?" She asked.
"You said this was about the weekend?" The guy who spoke must have been the Freddy she had heard about. Although this was her first meeting with the Class VIII student, some instinct compelled Fie to keep a safe distance from the boy. Perhaps it was an unkempt appearance, or perhaps it was the wild look in his eyes, but everything about him screamed weird.
She wasn't blind to the irony of her thinking someone else was weird.
"Yup." Tita replied cheerfully. "Instructor Towa told us that there is a kitchen on board the train and she even put Sandy in charge of it during the exercise. I'm planning on helping out when possible, but between handling ARCUS II maintenance and assisting the professor with any needed repairs to the soldats I'm not sure how much time I'll have..."
"Instructor Randolph already warned us that we're gonna be really busy with training the entire time." Freddy appraised the two with a heavy frown. "Damn shame, too. Was hoping to cook some of my favorite dishes for everyone, but it doesn't sound like I'll have time to collect the ingredients."
For some reason the two Class IX girls looked really happy about that. There was definitely a story there and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.
But now all eyes were on her, so she shrugged. "Dunno. Rean hasn't told us what we're doing." Knowing now that the other classes were told ahead of time actually kinda pissed her off. Once again Class VII were the odd ones out.
The surprised looks on everyone's faces made the feeling stronger. "Really? No idea at all?"
"Hmm..." While Rean hadn't said anything she was no dummy to missions like this. "Class IX is responsible for running the base, right?" Two nods were her reply. "And Class VIII is gonna be training... Special Operations..." The answer came quickly. "Recon, probably. We'll probably be doing a lot of traveling. Maybe even to the nearby towns."
"Oh!" Sandy perked up. "That's perfect! Instructor Towa said the train would be well stocked, but I'm sure it'll be missing lots of things, especially fresh produce! I'll try and run a quick inventory of stuff during the the trip over. If you do end up heading to Saint-Arkh or Parm do you think you could do a shopping trip for me?"
"Club funds?" A nod was her answer. It wasn't the most glamorous job in the world, but it wasn't out of her way or anything. And she was a part of the club now... "Kay."
Freddy too looked excited. "Think you can get me a few special ingredients too?"
Both Tita and Sandy paled considerably, which left Fie feeling a little nervous. "Uh, maybe? What are you looking for?"
"Hehehe! I've heard that Sutherland has some of the finest bee larva in Erebonia, so try and find me some. Also the plant monsters in the area are supposed to be especially tasty. I could put them to good use too!"
What. The. Hell. Was he seriously asking for monster parts? Sending a blank look towards the girls she was met by two very horrified looking reactions, confirming that she had indeed heard right. Sure Zephyr had drilled her on the nutritional value of monster bits during some of their survival exercises, but Aidios be praised that she never found herself in such dire straits as to actually partake in those lessons. To think that someone would willingly go out of their way to want to eat them...
For some reason the former jaeger felt kinda intimidated by the hopeful look the guy was sending her. "Uhh... If I have the time, maybe?" Best to just remain as noncommittal as possible, lest he do something drastic.
"Hehe... great! You guys will love it, I'm sure." The three girls watched in horror as the boy slinked out of the room to places unknown.
"I-It's a good thing I'm gonna be too busy to look for that stuff." Fie muttered aloud, both to reassure herself and the two girls who were giving her looks of betrayal.
Sandy let out a nervous laugh once Freddy was truly gone, before turning her attention to Tita. "You're cooking dinner tonight, right? Want my help?"
"Sure! I'm planning on making up a big bowl of Caesar salad for everyone. Ag- others seem to think it's pretty good."
Fie noticed the near slip. So did Sandy. The two girls shared a glance. "Ag...?"
"It's nothing! Forget about it!" Given how red-faced Tita now was there was no way she was gonna forget about it. She made a mental note to keep her ears open for anyone with a name starting with Ag.
"Hehe..." Given the look on Sandy's face it was clear she had the same idea. That was until she turned to look at her. "Did you want to come too, Fie?"
She opened her mouth, already planning her refusal, as she had no reason to help out. This wasn't an official club activity so there was no reason for her to stick around with them. They were nice people so surely they would buy any random excuse she came up with...
But she hesitated. For some reason the former jaeger felt at ease with these cheery girls. And Sandy had called her a friend for what that was worth. So even as her mind was railing at her to refuse the offer... "Sure, why not?"
"Great! I got loads of little tips to show you. And maybe we can figure out who 'Ag' is!"
"Sandy!"
Fie couldn't help but giggle at the conversation. The next couple hours were gonna be a pain, but for some reason she couldn't help but feel she made the right decision. Hopefully the upcoming field exercises would prove to be just as fun...
As I mentioned in my other story, I will be taking a brief hiatus from writing as my life is about to be consumed by Reverie. Expect the next chapter in three weeks instead of two.