Magical Lyrical G-Squad
Chapter 2: Homecoming
Xx~~*~~xX
"Entering the outer atmosphere now," Alto's voice relayed through the communication channel, from her position in the pilot seat of the shuttle.
In the cockpit of her golem, Terra, Arisa double-checked her readings, holding on to the control sticks as the turbulence grew rougher. She glanced out a side window, the reddish glow of atmospheric friction catching her attention against the white of the transport. She couldn't help but think of America's shuttle whenever she saw the new shuttle the golem squad was using as their main transport; except the wings extended from the top of the craft, instead of the bottom. Even the size was roughly similar, although more advanced Mid-Childa technology meant it could easily exit and enter the atmosphere and go anywhere on a planet without refueling.
Currently, her golem was attached to the underside of the left wing, against the body, as the shuttle also doubled as a transport for the magical mecha themselves. Arf's golem was under the right wing, while Vice's was in fighter mode attached to the top, and Otto's was folded up in it's protective cocoon underneath. The arrangement enabled the golems to save their magical battery power entirely for combat, although with any luck, it wouldn't be needed on this particular trip.
"Roger, all systems still green," Arisa reported through her head piece, glad that she was strapped in for this. "Though I still don't see why we couldn't just teleport down."
"We've been over this several times, Arisa-chan," Suzuka chided from her position as passenger inside the shuttle. As the head technician for the team, she had insisted on coming along in case any repairs or adjustments were needed for the golems. "We have to avoid as much magic display as possible, and the magic circles involved in teleportation would definitely cause some on Earth to question things."
"This also allows Earth to track us, which was part of the deal," Admiral Lindy Harlaown added, also in the shuttle. "The Bureau makes it a point to try and respect local planetary customs and rules with the official first contact,and we have to make a good impression."
"Just relax and enjoy the ride," Vice agreed, his voice the picture of calm in a turbulent ride. "This is all part of the fun!"
"And we should be coming out of the turbulence in a moment," Alto announced, and true to her word, the shaking finally subsided. "Extending wingtips for atmospheric flight. ETA for the UN in New York is approximately 15 minutes."
The line went silent again, and Arisa casually muted it from her side and sighed, watching the wing above her stretch out to twice its previous length.
"Is there a problem, Arisa Bannings?" Terra inquired. The AI had been getting more and more cognizant of Arisa's moods, the more they spent time together. "I sense you are troubled. Is the mission not to your satisfaction?"
"No, I just wished we could have visited the base in Japan first," she replied, talking about the diplomatic headquarters the Bureau had set up on Earth. "I wanted to see my parents first, but I suppose that will have to wait." It was her parents that had purchased the land and built the embassy compound there for the Bureau personnel to stay, although the pair were often off on various trips for their company. "I haven't been back to Earth since I left with Suzuka to Mid-Childa a couple of years ago."
"I am sure they miss you, too, and are similarly displeased at a delayed reunion," Terra tried to comfort, which Arisa found oddly disconcerting and simultaneously uplifting. "I am sure they will be paying attention to Admiral Harlaown's speech at the United Nations Assembly and might possibly see you there."
"Thanks, but it's still not-"
Chrono's urgent voice over the communications channel cut her off. "We're detecting multiple incoming objects to your location!"
"Acknowledged," Alto replied, and Arisa could imagine the other woman frantically hitting switches as she banked the shuttle roughly. "Too small to be piloted, looks like missiles, about twenty of them. They'll reach us in four minutes. Did you get a read on the launching point?"
"Not exactly," Chrono confessed. "Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, looks like. Do you want us to intervene?"
"Not yet, Admiral, I want to keep the
Ventek's capabilities a secret for now," Lindy countered, naming the Bureau ship in orbit. Arisa heard a smile in that voice. "But thanks. I think we can take this moment to demonstrate our position, however. Captain Bannings, if you will."
"Right," she called back immediately, switching into a command mode. "Vice, detach and intercept. Otto you stayed hooked up, but prepare for point defense. Terra, release docking clamps and engage the magnetic seals. Alto, can you slow us down some?" She concentrated on climbing over on top of the shuttle in order to get a better field of fire.
"They'll catch up to us faster, but reducing speed now," the shuttle pilot responded.
"I'm away," Vice announced, and Arisa spared a glance to watch his golem, currently in fighter mode, veer away from the shuttle. His was the fastest and most maneuverable in the air, and she was counting on his crack shooting skills to take out as many as he could. "At these speeds, I'll only have one pass, though. Coming into range now... Storm Raider, all weapons active."
"What about me?" Arf asked, eager for action. Arisa had known the dog woman when she was still Fate's familiar, and although Arf had once retired, her new incarnation as a guardian beast had reinvigorated a powerful desire to get back into the action.
"Negative, stay where you are," Arisa ordered back as concentrated on having Terra climb over the wing and take up position on top of the shuttle. "Your Fenrir golem is the least maneuverable in the atmosphere." Although it could fly (each of their golems was capable of flight), Fenrir specialized in ground combat.
Vice's sleek fighter opened up with several green beams as he approached the swarm of missiles, and Arisa registered several explosions on her monitor. Vice radioed that he had take out 12, and then he was passed them and banking back around, but Arisa knew there was no way he'd catch back up again before the missiles reached their target, despite his speed.
She focused on her HUD, activating her magical artillery salvo launchers. Outside, long rectangular boxes folded open from her golem's legs, while another pair unfolded from her shoulders. Ordinarily, this weaponry was designed to saturate an area with many small attacks and such would be useless against heavier defenses. But she knew Earth missiles were fragile enough that it didn't take much to incapacitate one. Terra did her best to acquire locks, however the relative speeds were making it difficult; she was just going to have to saturate the air and hope her and Otto could take them all. The range counted down, and then Arisa depressed the trigger.
Dozens of very thin blue beams erupted from their ports on the boxes, arcing towards swarm and saturating the air. The sky lit up with several bright blossoms as the arcing laser-like blasts found their mark. Several explosions registered on her panel, temporarily obscuring her sensors, making her wonder exactly how many she got.
"IS: Ray Storm!" Otto announced, firing her own emerald beams through her golem, the magical battery amplifying the control and power of her shots. Otto's golem lacked weaponry, being specifically designed to work with her internal system. "All targets neutralized."
Arisa allowed herself a relieved exhale. "Good job all. Vice, we'll be there soon, so just follow us in."
"I'm reading more bogies approaching our position," he relayed. "They appear to be American F-22 Raptors."
Arisa raised an eyebrow; had America itself been the attackers, and were now trying to finish them off? Why? She had her answer as a new voice sounded on the open channel.
"This is Captain Frenz of the United States Air Force," a male voice announced. "You are commanded to cease hostilities and return to your scheduled flight path."
"Hostilities?" Arisa blurted out, incredulous. "We were attacked!"
"Captain Bannings, I will handle this," Lindy admonished from the shuttle. "Captain Frenz, as you no doubt registered, we recently fended off an attack, but we will comply with a return to the flight path. Please relay our apologies to your commanding officers."
There was silence for a moment, before the voice came back. "We will escort you Stewart Air National Guard Base as planned. Please do not detour. We will ensure your safe arrival."
"Thank you, Captain," Lindy replied, then Arisa heard a click which signaled that the Admiral had switched to internal frequencies. "Well, what do you think?"
"A test of our capabilities?" Vice conjectured. “If I were in their position, I might want to subtly see what an unknown force was capable of.”
"We have demonstrations planned for later this week," Suzuka noted. "They would have seen us in action then, so I don't think so."
"Seeing how we cope with the unexpected?" Arf suggested. “And the demonstrations wouldn't show everything we can do.”
Neither answer really felt right to her, but Arisa kept her mouth closed for the moment.
Lindy spoke up again. "Well, we'll keep our eyes and ears open, and see if the Americans have any intel for us. In the meantime, I think the danger is passed for now. Let's look ahead. And Arisa, Suzuka... happy homecoming!"
That forced a chuckle out of the short-haired blonde. Happy homecoming, indeed.
x~~*~~x
"It didn't work," Yukoshi commented, watching the news channel covering the "alien arrival." He glanced warily sideways at his relaxed guest, treating his office as if she owned it. He had to admit, though, that she might as well have.
Amaretsu shrugged, the loose straps of her white dress somehow managing to remain on her shoulders as she swirled the sake in it's small dish. "I admit, I didn't quite expect it to, but we didn't lose much in trying. And we gained valuable intel on those golems."
"Not much," Yukoshi cautiously offered, still studying her out of the corner of his eye, looking to glean any idea as to her powers and intent. "I still don't see why we don't make a contract with this outer space bureau. They are offering many technologies and protection in response to joining, and there aren't many downsides."
"That is not an option," she stated flatly, her eyes holding the hint of a glare. "I told you that it is our mission to see to it that these bureau people leave Earth totally alone. That means no one making contracts."
Yukoshi didn't comment on that. Even though he led the largest yakuza crime family in Japan, or perhaps because of it, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't quite sure who exactly this Amaretsu was and what power she commanded, but his predecessor had risen his hand against her and had paid the price. Yukoshi was only sixty percent sure the body was somewhere at the bottom of the Sea of Japan.
He had been second in command of the Golden Dragons, but he had occasionally seen her hanging around his predecessor, the old man who had run the Golden Dragons for nearly 50 years. However, at those times, she had merely stood in the background, as if tiredly observing as the old man had given orders to Yukoshi. Several days ago, he had come in to find the old man gone, and her standing there.
“Congratulations, Yukoshi, you are the new leader of the Golden Dragons,” she had told him with a sly smile on her face. She casually sauntered over to the window, letting the moonlight bathe her in luminescence as she turned and gazed at him with eyes that seemed to pierce his soul. “I do hope you don't disappoint me. I'd have to make another appointment so soon.”
And then she had disappeared, faded away like wisps of smoke. She had connections, of that he was sure; not only with the crime families like the Triad across the sea, but also with various governments. When she said something would happen, it did. Her power was immense, but she seemed to only ever exercise it from the shadows. Was she really the Goddess of the Sun? Or was it merely an assumed name, meant to convey her assumed status? Whatever it was, her very presence charged the air and left him with no doubt that she did have power.
"I'll just have to be more subtle about evicting them," she reasoned aloud, but more to herself than to the man sharing the office with her. "They'll eventually return to their embassy in Japan, so I'll focus on them here where I have more power. The Asian territories are my domain."
He raised his eye at that, noting that her power and reach did have limits. But what were the exact nature of those limits? It implied there was a reason she didn't have power elsewhere, which meant someone, or a group, held power over her. Yukoshi filed it away for later contemplation. It would require much thought, as a single misstep would awaken the tiger in this woman. There would definitely be no second chances.
She finally turned towards him, gracing him with a smile that sent chills down his spine. "Now, my dear Yukoshi, there are some things I want you to do for me...."
x~~*~~x
"I still don't like this," Arisa spouted gruffly, crossing her arms over her chest as the long, black limousine they were riding in traveled along the streets of New York city, various crowds cheering or booing them. The revelation of extraterrestrials was having the result she expected on the population.
They had left Vice, Suzuka, and the others back at the air base with the shuttle and golems, taking this complimentary diplomatic limousine to the UN where the admiral and leader of the Bureau diplomatic mission would give her speech to the world, and the gathered governments. Hopefully, it would alleviate some of the worry about their arrival and presence. In the meantime, a simple spell pre-loaded into Terra, her AI now in dog-tag form around Arisa's neck, had made sure any spying devices were neutralized.
"The mission or the travel arrangements?" Lindy asked diplomatically with an amused smile.
"The latter," she replied, scanning the crowds for signs of trouble. But she might as well have been trying to find a needle in a haystack. "I know you wanted to travel light in order for Earth to trust you more, but as your head of security, it's my job to worry about these things. I just feel we're a bit too vulnerable like this. We should have at least brought one golem."
While she was head of security and immediate commander of the four golems, General Adams in the
Ventek was still overall commander of combat forces. However, mostly that meant a couple squads of enforcers with gun devices, vehicles, and military support personnel. It was a small command post that Arisa might have thought was a demotion for the General, but he seemed amicable about the assignment.
"You sound so much like my son," Lindy mused, earning a roll of the eyes from the blonde-haired woman. "Always a stickler for rules and procedure. Although Amy has managed to soften him up some, for which I'm grateful." The smile faded slightly. "But this is how things have to be handled. Earth isn't my first mission where I revealed the reality of the universe to the natives. We can only build a good, solid relationship with trust, and having a golem flying over us would give the impression we're conquerors."
"I just don't like walking into things blind and unprotected," Arisa replied bluntly. "You don't know Earth as well as I do. I sometimes wonder if they are ready for this. All it takes is one nutball... and sometimes it's a global conspiracy group that has a load of missiles."
"I'm not exactly vulnerable, Arisa," Lindy reminded her, holding up a finger.
Arisa put her hands together and made flapping motions with her fingers. "Yeah, but the moment you put up a shield or barrier, you sprout wings. That's going to be a wee bit hard to shrug off. You're supposed to be human; a
non-magical human. Aliens will be hard enough for my planet. Magical aliens will blow their minds."
"I'm glad I have you, then!" the jovial admiral replied, then glanced out the window. "And well, we shouldn't be totally blind, as I have a couple of operatives looking into things. Look, we're here!"
Arisa blinked. "Operatives? What operatives?" She let out a near-grumbling frustrated sigh as the car stopped and the door opened to cheering crowds, and Lindy stepped out, waving.
Arisa sighed and did her bodyguard thing, walking just behind and to the right of the seemingly-naive admiral as she walked to the red carpet into the building.
x~~*~~x
"...over a hundred years, the Time-Space Administration Bureau has helped foster peace and cooperation among a hundred different worlds," Lindy was saying from the podium where she was addressing the UN, while Arisa watched from a special VIP booth nearby. "We're not an army, but a space police organization. We don't interfere in worlds that don't want us to; indeed, we only go where we are wanted, and then only to help."
"Not an army?" the Russian delegate questioned in disbelief. '"Then what do you call that ship up there? What do you call those walking tanks you brought with you?"
Though he spoke thick Russian, Arisa was wearing a standard Earth headset where a human translator translated the words after a short delay. It was provided by the U.N. Staff, but Arisa didn't tell them that Russian was one of the languages she spoke and understood. And she also didn't tell them that a magical program woven into devices, allowed instant understanding of all of Earth's languages. It didn't matter if it was Russian or Farsi that was spoken; each member of the Bureau team would hear it in whatever language was easiest for them.
Lindy let a small smile show. "The
Ventek is merely our transportation, and any weapons we bring with us are for self-defense only, although we are open to assisting with humanitarian efforts if requested. Also, we are willing to share some of our advanced technology and medical techniques with countries that would welcome our presence."
"At what cost?" the American representative inquired. "We're entitled to your benevolence, only if we give up the right to self-governance?"
"Not quite, but full details can be worked out in negotiation," Lindy replied.
"Really?" Arisa almost blurt out, but then quieted her voice back down. “Are you really going to look a gift horse in the mouth?”
“That's Senator Armstrong,” came Suzuka's voice in her earpiece. She was still back at the base, helping to safeguard their shuttle and golems. “Remember, I told you that America would feel threatened by all of this.”
“I know, I know,” Arisa replying, shrugging it off. She continued to scan the crowd via the other monitors, looking for the operatives that Lindy had mentioned previously. But without knowing who they were, she realized there would be little chance she'd notice them. It bothered her, but she trusted Lindy.
"We have a few different arrangements with different planets, the most common being un-administered world status, which is what we currently consider Earth," the diplomatic admiral continued from the podium "It simply means we take a hands-off approach, unless directly requested. Anything more than that is up to you. We are just approaching you now, because we feel Earth has advanced enough to know what lies out there. We've seen your work on various spaceflight technologies, and know that you will soon take your place among the stars, like so many other worlds. We'd rather that be a peaceful event, with you knowing what awaits you, so your people can make the best choice for themselves."
"And if we decide it is in our best interests for you to leave and never come back?" the British delegate questioned.
Lindy was unfazed. "Freedom is your right, as we recognize with all sentient life. If all of Earth wishes us to go, then we shall. But for now, the Japanese government has been kind enough to lend us space for an embassy, and it is our hope that, regardless of the direction of our relationship, we can keep it open to maintain the lines of communication, just as the rest of your countries do for each other.”
She paused as various murmurs filled the U.N. auditorium from various representatives conferring with each other. It was also to give time for the translators to catch up.
“When will negotiations begin?” the Chinese delegate asked, which provoked a bigger furor that forced the Attorney General of the UN to try and restore order.
Once more, Suzuka piped into Arisa's earpiece. “Figures. It looks like the Republic of China is eager to sign up. They want to set up factories in China and copy the technology, just like they do with any other company. Being the first would bring prestige and power, enabling them to catch up and surpass the US.”
“Which is a big reason why the US is against this, I know, you said that already,” Arisa droned, giving up her search of the crowds and returning to the speech as Suzuka mumbled an apology over the channel.
“We would prefer to negotiate with all the countries of Earth as a whole, through this assembly,” Lindy answered tactfully, refusing to rise to the bait, making Arisa add some more grudging respect for her. “But if that isn't possible, we are prepared to begin limited individual negotiations, once we hear back from all of Earth's governments.” She paused to smile warmly, not incidentally looking directly at the camera. “But it is our hope, that this will be the beginning of a grand friendship that benefits all.”
[No doubt about it,] Arisa throught to herself, shaking her head. [She knows how to play the game.] She paused to note that the auditorium had quieted down considerably, although she also noted that Armstrong was conferring with an aide, and frowning unhappily. [Let's just hope she knows how to play it well enough to succeed.]
x~~*~~x
An hour later, that notion of “success” was put into doubt, on their trip back to the Air Force base from the UN building.
“Unknown on motorcycle heading straight for D1!”
Arisa and Lindy stared at each other with the announcement from one of the agents in the motorcade; D1 was the call-sign for the diplomatic limo they were traveling in!
Immediately, Arisa was in motion, drawing her handgun and relaying orders to increase speed, even though she knew the limo would never outrun a motorcycle. And the high-pitched whine of the motorcycle's engine, let her know that the machine approaching them was well-tuned for speed. The guard agents on the motorcycles and other vehicles guarding their limo were swerving and beginning to open fire, but the unknown assailant was deftly dodging and taking them out, one by one.
Arisa absently wondered who this guy was, while double-checking the charge on her magic stun gun, verifying it was at 100%. The weapon was relatively new, developed as a “dumb” weapon that held a small magical charge, yet fired energy bullets that could knock an individual unconscious. She switched it to fire off a wide burst; she wasn't about to take any chances as she prepared to pop the sunroof.
“Second bogey approaching, just as rapidly!” came another announcement. “Appears to be two individuals on this one.”
Before Arisa could even begin to process this new information, Lindy interrupted on the channel. “Ignore the second, they are friendlies. Concentrate on the first.”
The woman who was
supposed to be head of the Admiral's security detail, shot a look at her commander, but Lindy was merely glancing at a data pad in her hand. “Admiral, what are you-”
But there was no time to finish her sentence; she could see the enemy cyclist approaching, through the darkened, privacy-glass-tinted rear window. Relying on her sense of timing, Arisa slid open the sunroof and pointed, releasing the stored up charge in a single wide shot. Her sense of elation rose as the expanding wave of yellow energy approached it's target, covering the entire width of the road from guard rail to guard rail. But the feeling promptly faded as the motorcycle suddenly shot into the air on tongues of flame.
[A turbo boost!?] she thought incredulously while she rushed to prepare another shot. The downside of the mode she had selected, was that it took awhile for the magical capacitors to store up enough energy.
That was when the airborne cyclist fired several shots, forcing Arisa to duck down under cover the limo's bulletproof plating. She seethed and prepared to pop back up for another shot, but the limo driver yanked hard to the side to dodge the assailant coming down on them, and the gun went flying from her hand as she was jerked around in the cabin.
Thunk!
Arisa felt something hit the car door, but it took her a moment to realize it wasn't the motorcycle; it had landed nearby, and was now speeding away. No, in that split second, her mind had determined the sound was much too light, and had to have been something smaller.
[A magnetic bomb!] her mind suddenly realized. And she had no idea how powerful it was, although she guessed that it had a very short fuse; could she even get to it in time?
Before she could begin climbing onto the roof, a shadow cast itself upon her, and she glanced up to see the second motorcycle also in the air, and then one of the occupants leap off, a sword raised with both hands and a long pony tail trailing above from under the helmet. Arisa instinctively brought Terra in knife mode, but she realized a moment later that the helmeted blade-wielder wasn't aiming for her... but for the side of the limo that the previous cyclist had just departed from. In one smooth motion, she (and Arisa presumed it was a she) landed on the side of the limo, swiped quickly with her blade, then rebounded off the automobile.
Grabbing ahold of the side of the sunroof, Arisa averted her eyes as the bomb exploded shortly after being dislodged. The limo careened sideways due to the concussive force of the blast, slamming into the opposite guard rail, sending half-exposed blonde flying out of the sunroof. She retained enough presence of mind to break her fall by tumbling through the grass and dirt, but ended up with several scrapes and cuts as her movement was promptly aborted by several bushes on the other side of the guard rail.
And suddenly everything was quiet again, save for the muted sound of burning in the distance, and the approaching sirens. Painfully, Arisa pulled herself upright and held her sprained arm as she braced her body against a tree, and then began to trek back up the short incline to check on Lindy. She shook her head, internally cursing that her hearing was damped due to the earlier blast, but knowing it would eventually return. In the meantime, she had to check on her commander.
Lindy was now outside the car, directing people to put out fires and help the injured. But Arisa was dumbstruck that there wasn't a mark on the woman; her uniform wasn't even scuffed!
The Admiral seemed to realize she was there, and turned and smiled. “Oh, there you are; are you alright? You should really learn to wear your seat belt. Anyway would you assist me in treating the wounded?”
Arisa just stared.
x~~*~~x
"We've identified the missile as a BrahMos type," Chrono announced from the holoscreen. A second holoscreen held various images and schematics of the weapon they were attacked with.
Now safely back in Japan, in the embassy building set aside for them by the Japanese government, a closed door meeting had been called to discuss the latest intelligence on the, not one, but two “incidents” that day. Arisa had to bark a short laugh at the term used to describe the twin attempts on their lives.
"I know what is is," she stated in response to Chrono, staring at it. In both her position as head of security for the diplomatic mission, and as a personal hobby, she knew much about Earth's weapons systems. "Co-developed by India and Russia. 290 kilometer range, travels at mach 2.8 to 3.0, and we were below 15 kilometers, and thus in it's range. The characteristics fit." Something else was nagging at her, however she quite place her finger on it.
"Furthermore, the
Ventek was able to record a visual confirmation, although the missiles lacked any markings," Chrono concurred. "We've furnished this evidence to the American, Russian, and Indian governments, however the latter two have denied any knowledge of launching the attack. The Americans are a bit more interested, but don't seem to be in a hurry to ruffle international feathers at this time."
"They are still in a bit of shock from the realization they aren't the number power on the planet anymore," Suzuka added, politics being her side hobby. "At least, there is the possibility that they might not be, if other countries sign on with the Bureau. They want our technology, but not our oversight. If we were shot down, they could analyze our scrap."
"But the only technology we'd offer directly would be mundane," Vice stated in a questioning tone. "Enhanced manufacturing, energy, food, and clean water generation. Things to bring their standard of living up. Defensive technology would simply be in the treaty to defend them in the event of attack."
"And spaceflight, eventually," Lindy added. "They are going to get out there, and then they will have access to other worlds, and other places to get technology. The hope is that, seeing that they aren't alone in the universe, the countries of Earth would band together more. But it may take time before that happens."
"Which will only happen if we stay, and that leaves us with the parties behind this attack," Chrono said, bringing the discussion back to the main topic.
Suddenly, it hit her, and Arisa's eyes widened. "Wait! The attack was launched from the sea! The BrahMos missile was slated to undergo modifications to allow it be launched from a submarine, but it's not supposed to have that capability yet!" She paused thoughtfully. "At least, that's what the official reports state."
"And according to our contacts in Hong Kong, no one knows how so many missiles got out undetected," Kyoya supplied. "There was some noise about an internal investigation, but it doesn't seem to be happening. The gut feeling is that any investigation won't find anything."
Arisa eyed them again, still in a bit of a shock to see Kyoya and Miyuki a part of this; she hadn't yet had a time to talk with them more privately, but it was on her to-do list. Why hadn't Lindy told her that these were the secret operatives she had hired? She was supposed to be the head of security for this little operation!
Suzuka glanced uncertainly around the table. "So we're back to square one?"
"Let me take a small team, perhaps Arf and Kyoya, and we'll infiltrate the BrahMos corporation," Arisa stated confidently. "We'll find out where the missiles came from and who fired them."
All eyes turned to Lindy, who seemed to consider it, and then shook her head. "No. We're here to build trust, and any break-in will point back to us, since we were the target of the attack."
"But the countries of Earth do that to each other all the time!" Arisa protested. "And we wouldn't get caught; they wouldn't even know we were there!"
"No,
captain," Lindy repeated, putting emphasis on the title. Arisa knew that meant Lindy's decision was final, and that Arisa was close to crossing the line. "If someone is working against us, they will try again, and in doing so, expose more of themselves. If it was an isolated incident, then we don't have much to worry about. From what I read, both Russia and India will be very nervous about the use of so many of their highly-developed missile. I'll work through back diplomatic channels to see if I can glean anything."
Chrono coughed politely. “In the meantime, we are left with the second incident.”
“We received Lindy's request several months ago, and we've been paying attention to the underworld ever since,” Kyoya started to explain. “Miyuki and I had had just managed to inflitrate a building, when the assassin left on motorcycle. We persued, and the rest you know. And I'm sorry he got away.” the man appeared genuinely apologetic, but he sobered up. “Oddly, there was considerably chatter only days after the Bureau had made the decision to send a delegation to Earth, long before you guys showed up in orbit and announced yourselves.”
The implication was clear, but Vice stated it anyway. “Somehow, they knew we were coming?”
Kyoya nodded, and Arisa couldn't help but notice that Miyuki stayed quiet, seemingly deferring to her brother to handle the explanations. “We still can't say how, but we did hear that one of the groups we've been tracking for a long time, the Clover Leaf organization, had hired an assassin. The trail of bread crumbs indicated an attack during your trip back, and that led to our infiltration of a warehouse building in downtown New York. The FBI and CIA are combing it over now, but I don't they'll find anything.”
“And our route was supposed to be a secret until that day,” Arisa noted. She frowned. “I don't like this; it smells too much like someone knows what we're going to do, shortly after we make plans.”
“Arisa-chan, you're not suggesting we have a spy in our midst, are you?” Suzuka questioned with a hesitant voice.
Silence descended on the table, and the air became a bit charged as everyone glanced warily at everyone else. Arisa's gaze snapped over to Lindy; was this why she hadn't said anything about Kyoya and Miyuki? Did she already suspect they might have been compromised? Judging by how quickly a force had launched that first attack, it felt like someone on Earth knew they were coming, but no one should have... which would have pointed to either someone on the expedition, or someone in the Bureau on Mid-Childa.
Lindy shook her head and placed her hands on the table. “I trust everyone here,” she stated with a firm finality. “There are other ways information could be obtained. True, it does imply that someone on Earth has contact with someone in the Bureau, but that's part of why I hired Kyoya and Miyuki to help us. Not only are they fine bodyguards, but they know Earth's criminal underground well. If there is a conspiracy here, they'll find it.” Her lips turned upward into a wry smile. “And besides, we knew going in that not everyone would be glad to see us. On every world the Bureau has visited for the first time, there have always been some natives who felt differently.
The smile disappeared as she folded her hands together, resting her arms on the table, all signs of the admiral's normally jovial manner absent. “However, the implications still remain and are quite clear: Someone on Earth doesn't want us here, and seems to be going to great lengths to make us go away. But they won't deter us; we have a job to do, and I mean to do it.”
x~~*~~x
Author's notes:
Beginning with this chapter, I'm gonna detail a bit of information about each golem, their capabilities and what they are based on; mainly for those gundam and mecha fans out there. Starting with:
Golem: Terra
Pilot: Arisa Bannings
Based on(appearance): the stereotypical Gundam design, such as the Strike Gundam from Gundam Seed
Capabilities: Being the original prototype, Terra is an all-around model with versatility at its heart. It's standard weapon is the Magical Positron Gun, which fires single shots at medium range, as well as a "Full-charge" that dumps considerably more magic into a single beam, but that requires a shorter range to target. Lastly, the gun has an energy beam bayonet for close range. For multiple targets, the artillery arrays which unfold on it's shoulders and legs unleash dozens of thin blue beams which home onto locked targets or saturate a given area. Capable of receiving equipment modifications based on mission assignments, Terra is also the only golem that's currently equipped with a Relic, which charges the magical battery slowly over time.