+++1000 hours
++Territory of the Unified Front of China
++Bayan County, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province
++90 kilometres northeast of the Songhua river
Twelve F-15 Kagerous, of the Imperial Royal Guard, streaked across the sky in a tight arrowhead formation. Their gray silhouettes stood out against the deep blue expanse above, sleek and imposing as they soared over Bayan County. From this altitude, the world below stretched out like a living map, a vast land scarred by both nature and war.
Takeru sat in his cockpit, the hum of his TSF's systems a familiar and steady presence. His retinal display projected the changing landscape before him, feeding him real-time data as they cruised over the Dongfeng Reservoir. Below, the shimmering body of water reflected the sky like a fractured mirror, its surface rippling in the light breeze. The surrounding land, once lush with farmlands, now bore signs of hasty abandonment.
The reservoir, a vital water source for the region, was bordered by winding dirt roads, some barely visible beneath overgrown vegetation. Empty houses, their roofs caved in by time and neglect, dotted the area. Further out, what had once been sprawling farmlands were now lifeless expanses of dried soil and forgotten harvests. A few patches of green remained, struggling rice paddies left unattended, their future uncertain.
On his retinal display, a new communication window blinked open. Jun Sakai's face appeared.
"Area's clear," Sakai reported.
Takeru gave a short nod. "Maintain formation."
His sensors continued sweeping the terrain, feeding him a steady stream of data. His Kagerou, modified with enhanced sensory and communication equipment, was the nerve center of Horn Company's operations. One by one, his men checked in. Some, like Takeda and Okabe, maintained their professional tone, but others voiced their impatience.
"Still no BETA," Yamamoto grumbled. "Feels like we're just babysitting air."
Takeru ignored the remark, opening a new communication window that displayed the rest of Horn Company's members. Takeda led B-Flight, with Okabe acting as his second. Their screens flickered slightly as the channel stabilized.
"Our job isn't just to scout for BETA," Takeru reminded them. "We're also running performance tests on the F-15 Kagerous. We need to see if they're 'suitable' for frontline operations."
A few scoffs came through the comms, but no one openly objected.
Takeru himself had doubts. He knew what the future held, he knew how the TSFs would fare in actual combat. Despite that, data was necessary. If something could change, even slightly, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
His retinal display shifted as he zoomed in on the terrain below. The land rolled out beneath them like a forgotten battlefield, and his sensors picked up scattered signs of human presence. Civilians. His HUD flickered, displaying movement near the outskirts of Xingfei Village.
Takeru expanded the window, bringing up satellite imagery of the area. Most of the civilians had been evacuated, but stragglers remained. The signatures suggested elderly villagers, likely reluctant to leave their land behind.
He exhaled slightly. They always hesitate.
"Splitting the company," he announced. "I'll take Matsuda, Yamamoto, Suzuki, and Inoue. B-Flight, you're with Takeda and Okabe. You'll cover Longqing Village. Keep your comms open."
A chorus of acknowledgments followed.
A-Flight descended toward Xingfei Village, their TSFs adjusting to a lower cruising attitude. Takeru readied his TSF's external speaker. The real-time interpreter helped, but he could speak their language on his own. Preparing the evacuation script provided by the Unified Front of China, he cleared his throat.
He hovered just above the village outskirts, switching on his external speakers. The mechanized voice of the translator rang out, echoing across the empty fields.
"Attention, citizens of Xingfei Village. The BETA advance is a direct threat to this region. As loyal citizens, you must evacuate immediately. The safety of your families and loved ones is our priority."
Below, a handful of figures emerged from their homes, elderly men and women wrapped in thick layers, their faces weathered with age and hardship. They listened but did not move.
Takeru knew this resistance well. Some people would rather die on their land than flee. It wasn't logic, it was pride, grief, and an unwillingness to abandon the last remnants of a life they had built.
His comms flickered. Sakai's voice cut in.
"Got dots on radar, approaching from the west. Could be BETA."
Takeru's eyes narrowed. He toggled his scanners, adjusting the display window. The approaching signals were faint, their signatures inconsistent. Not BETA.
"Just wildlife," he said, dismissing the concern. "Keep your focus."
His external speakers blared the evacuation warning again. This time, a few villagers hesitantly stepped forward. A frail old man, leaning on a wooden cane, pointed toward a cluster of figures in the distance—others who had refused to leave.
Takeru opened a new comm-window, connecting to their Command Post in Harbin.
"Horn 1 to Command Post," he reported. "Found several civilians refusing to evacuate. Marking their locations."
The response came quickly. "Roger that, Horn 1. Dispatching ground units for extraction."
Takeru nodded, then pulled his TSF back, careful not to disturb the village with his thrusters. His unit ascended, flying nap-of-the-earth toward their rendezvous with B-Flight.
B-Flight had already scouted Longqing Village by the time A-Flight arrived. Takeda and Okabe's TSFs stood in standby mode, their assault cannons lowered but ready.
"No BETA," Takeda reported. "Just ruins and old roads."
Takeru opened a shared window, syncing their sensor data through the datalink. The map updated in real-time, marking clear zones and potential hazards.
"Sending to Command Post now," Takeru confirmed.
A brief silence followed before Command Post responded in a toneless tone.
"Data received. Orders updated: resupply at Yushu, then proceed to new markers."
Takeru processed the new coordinates, marking them on his HUD before forwarding them to the rest of the company through the wide-area datalink.
"We're heading to Yushu first," he ordered. "Then we move on to the markers."
A chorus of acknowledgments followed. The TSFs adjusted their formations, turning toward their next waypoint.
+++1300 hours
++Territory of the Unified Front of China
++Lanxi County, Suihua, Heilongjiang Province
++53 kilometres west of Yushu Village, in possible BETA-controlled space
The cruise to Yushu was uneventful. Horn Company flew in disciplined formation, the hum of their F-15 Kagerous' jump boosters filling the silence. Below them, the landscape stretched out like a scarred battlefield, a mix of desolate plains, ruined villages, and patches of burnt earth where fires had long since died.
Takeru's retinal display fed him a constant stream of data—altitude readings, propellant levels, ammunition counts. His HUD flickered as they neared the supply outpost, a small, fortified structure nestled against the remains of a once-thriving town.
Upon landing, the company swiftly refueled their jump units, the UFC technicians moving with cold efficiency. There was no chatter, no wasted words - just the practiced routine of soldiers who knew their next battle was always just over the horizon.
Takeru led Horn Company back into the air, their TSFs slicing through the sky as they made their way toward the new markers.
As they crossed over the landscape, the first real signs of battle became apparent. His retinal display zoomed in on what remained of farms, villages, and roads, now nothing more than scorched earth. Burnt fields, twisted wreckage, and the decomposing carcasses of BETA littered the terrain.
Takeru didn't need to turn his head to know that behind them, just miles away, war still raged. The battlefields stretched endlessly into the horizon, where plumes of smoke curled into the sky like silent warnings.
A notification appeared in his HUD. Readout of past engagement history.
Four days ago. A major BETA incursion. Enemy forces repelled at heavy cost. No reinforcements available.
Takeru's grip on the control sticks tightened.
They were being sent into an area that had already been chewed up and spat out by the war. The only question was whether the enemy had truly been pushed back or if something worse was waiting for them.
A communication window opened on his retinal display. Jun Sakai's face appeared, his usual smirk replaced with a frown.
"Captain, what the hell are we doing here?" Sakai asked, his voice edged with suspicion.
Takeru didn't answer. His eyes remained locked on his sensor readouts, watching for anything unusual.
Opening a channel to Command Post, he transmitted their status. "Horn 1 to Command Post. No enemy contact. Area is clear. What's the mission parameters?"
The reply came almost immediately.
"Horn 1, be advised. Intelligence suggests a possible Company-sized BETA force in the area."
Takeru's eyes narrowed.
"Why has this area taken care of?" he asked, his tone flat.
The response was predictable, yet frustrating.
"All available units are currently engaged in sorties elsewhere. You are the only available force."
A tense silence followed.
Takeru closed the channel and switched to the squad-wide datalink comms.
"A-Flight, take west perimeter. B-Flight, take east. We'll lock down this village and sweep for enemy movement."
The twelve TSFs split into their assigned sectors, their movements smooth and controlled.
Then, Takeru's acoustic sensors detected movement.
"Contact."
Sakai's face appeared in the comm-window, his usual bravado replaced with genuine concern.
"Readout just jumped," Sakai reported. "First, it was sixty creatures. Then three hundred. Now we're looking at a full battalion-sized force—one thousand BETA incoming."
The air inside Takeru's cockpit chilled.
But his voice remained calm. "B-Flight, break off and link up with A-Flight. Form Wing Formation, my TSF at the tip."
Horn Company moved instantly, their Kagerous shifting into a tight arrowhead, weapons primed.
Sakai exhaled, his voice tight with adrenaline. "They sure are testing us."
Takeru's voice remained cold, steady. "We can handle this."
There was no support.
No warships. No armored ground units this time.
Just twelve pilots and their test machines against a battalion of BETA.
Someone muttered over the comms, "This is our real baptism of fire."
Takeru allowed himself a small smile. It was.
"Prepare 120mm assault cannons."
Their TSFs adjusted, targeting reticules flashing red as real-time markers appeared on their HUDs.
"Hold fire…"
The BETA broke over the ridgeline, surging forward in a grotesque tidal wave of Tank-Classes and Grapplers.
"NOW!"
The thunder of twelve cannons erupted in unison, the heavy 120mm shells tearing into the BETA ranks.
A dozen creatures exploded instantly, their carapaces shattering, their gore painting the barren ground.
Another volley followed, cutting through the advancing swarm.
The roar of their assault cannons drowned out their fear.
A Grappler-Class lunged, its razor claws raised—only to be obliterated mid-movement, its body torn apart by Takeru's well-placed burst of fire.
The enemy hesitated, but only for a moment.
Then they surged forward again.
"Draw them towards us — fire and retreat!"
Twelve TSFs synchronized perfectly, their jump units igniting as they performed a textbook reverse-boost maneuver.
Engines roared. Metal limbs twisted. The TSFs propelled backward, cannons still firing.
Such back-boost jumps were a fundamental tactic in anti-BETA TSF warfare — create distance, keep firing, don't stop moving.
Takeru switched to 36mm assault cannons, spraying the advancing horde.
Tank-Class BETA burst apart, their heads rupturing as volley after volley tore into them.
But they kept coming.
Sakai cursed, his TSF rocking from a near-miss. "We're getting flanked!"
Waves of Tank-Classes began circling their formation.
The twelve machines continued their methodical tactic, executing each maneuver with textbook precision.
But even concentrated fire couldn't stop this many BETA.
Only slow them down.
The first signs of encirclement began.
Takeru calmly assessed the situation.
"Close formation. Breakthrough on my signal!"
Survival wasn't just about killing. It was about controlling the battlefield.
The moment the first Grappler-Class breached the formation, Takeru moved.
His TSF shot forward, blades drawn, his reverse-grip Type-74 PB Blades gleaming in the sun.
The first kill was clean.
A Grappler-Class lunged — Takeru severed its limbs in a single, fluid motion.
Blood sprayed across his TSF's armor.
Another lunged. Takeru twisted, bisecting it in mid-air.
He became the eye of the storm.
Each BETA that came too close was slain instantly — no hesitation, no wasted movement.
For a moment, his unit watched in stunned silence.
Then, with renewed purpose, they followed.
The encirclement faltered.
Takeru's calm voice echoed in their comms.
"Push forward. Break through. No fear."
And Horn Company charged.
+++1630 hours
++Territory of the Unified Front of China
++Heilongjiang Province
++53 kilometres west of Yushu Village, in possible BETA-controlled space.
The roar of boosters split through the cold air as Steel Squadron soared across the desolate landscape, their Gekishins cruising in formation.
Eight TSFs, painted in the distinct gray of the Imperial Army's 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, sped across the ruined expanse. Below them, the land stretched like a battlefield frozen in time. Scorched fields, shattered roads, and abandoned settlements reduced to mere shadows of their former selves.
Captain Yashiro Kei, flight leader of Steel Squadron, kept his formation tight as they neared their designated coordinates. His HUD flickered, the mission briefing still displayed in the corner of his vision.
Secure Horn Company's last known position.
Recover survivors if possible.
His men were talking, their comms buzzing with chatter.
"Hell, why are we even here?" one of the pilots grumbled. "We all know they're already dead."
"Damn right," another scoffed. "IRG hotshots think they're untouchable, flying into battle in their untested machines. Guess they learned the hard way."
A few chuckles filled the comms, but Yashiro didn't join in. He simply sighed, adjusting his grip on his control sticks.
"Enough," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Believe what you want, but they came here to fight, same as us."
A brief silence followed before one of the senior pilots, Steel 2, chimed in. "Sir, I get that, but three battalions of BETA? That's over three thousand creatures. No way they held out against that."
Yashiro didn't disagree. The odds were beyond terrible. Even for veteran TSF pilots, those numbers spelled certain death.
"We'll find out soon enough," Yashiro said. "Eyes sharp."
The squadron continued its approach, following the distress beacon that Horn Company had activated.
They were expecting wreckage.
They were expecting losses.
What they weren't expecting… was what they actually found.
As Steel Squadron passed over a destroyed village, the first thing they saw were the bodies.
Hundreds. No, thousands.
The ground was littered with the corpses of BETA, their twisted, alien forms piled high like mountains of rotting flesh. The entire landscape was stained crimson, the soil drenched in BETA ichor.
Tank-Class corpses, ripped apart by 36mm and 120mm shells, lay in massive craters.
Grappler-Class BETA, their limbs severed, were scattered like broken puppets.
It wasn't just slaughter, it was systematic execution.
The squad-wide comms went silent as Steel Squadron processed what they were seeing.
"No fucking way…" someone muttered.
And then they saw him.
Near the center of the battlefield, a single TSF stood.
Its gray armor was drenched in blood, caked in layers of BETA viscera, its twin PB Blades dripping as it slowly lowered its weapons.
The man's machine was covered in BETA viscera, its frame painted in BETA blood, standing, unmoving, victorious.
As they drew closer, they saw the rest of Horn Company's TSFs, still in formation, weapons empty—clearly having expended every last round before switching to melee combat.
But their squad leader's unit was different.
His machine clearly had fought up close, drenched in the gore of every BETA it had slain.
And he had slain many.
At that moment, a single Grappler-Class, barely alive, lunged toward him from the rubble.
The TSF moved in an instant, his PB Blade flashing through the air.
One clean strike.
The BETA collapsed, its head severed from its body.
Then, as if not even concerned, the TSF turned toward them.
"This is Steel 1 to Horn. Respond."
Yashiro finally broke the silence, opening his comms.
A moment later, his retinal display blinked as a new communication window opened.
A face appeared, cold, calm, completely unfazed by the battle. Brown medium-length hair, icy, unwavering eyes, his expression unreadable.
Yashiro felt a slight shiver.
"This is Captain Shirogane Takeru," Captain Shirogane spoke, his voice calm, almost detached. "Horn Company is still combat operational."
Yashiro hesitated, then asked, "What's your status?"
His retinal display flickered, and suddenly, the full battle readout was shared with Steel Squadron. 6121 BETA eliminated. A Brigade-sized incursion. Wiped out.
Yashiro felt his breath catch.
Someone in his squad whispered in disbelief. "S-six thousand?"
Captain Shirogane's voice cut through their shock. "Our fuel and ammunition are low. Requesting permission to retreat to Yushu and return to Harbin."
Yashiro tore his eyes away from the battle report, forcing himself to focus. "Understood. Permission granted. Good fight Captain."
He switched to his unit-wide comms, issuing the order.
"Horn Company is retreating. Give them a clear path."
As Horn Company began their withdrawal, Steel Squadron flew overhead, still grappling with what they had just seen.
"Fucking monsters," one of the pilots muttered, voice shaking.
"They actually survived."
"Not just survived," another corrected, his voice uneasy. "They wiped them out."
One of the younger pilots swallowed audibly. "Holy shit… look at that TSF."
Their eyes fell back to Captain Shirogane Takeru's unit, his Kagerou, covered head to toe in BETA blood, standing at the center of the massacre like a reaper among corpses.
"They did this on their own," one of them murmured. "And their squadron leader…"
"Crazy bastard," Yashiro muttered, finally allowing a small grin to break across his face.
He switched to the general channel.
"Steel Squadron, Horn Company is heading back to Harbin. We escort them to Yushu, then return to base."
He stole one last glance at the TSF piloted by Captain Shirogane Takeru, still unmoving as the rest of his unit flew past him before taking off, protecting their rear.
Who the hell are you, Shirogane?
Yashiro didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
Horn Company wasn't just another fancy noble unit after all.
They were something else entirely.
And their Captain was no ordinary pilot.