I vote for A because anything that takes this further down the line towards Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya is pretty much guaranteed to be entertaining.
Oh, is that your guess for the title contest/thing?
If it is, I can only say your half right or a quarter maybe?
Geez, Yuuno is a popular guy around here ain't he?
No one got the reference in the title? Whoever figures it out first gets to choose which Servant/Class Card shows up next.
Spoiler for Ether Liners Day 1-3:
The rest of school passed by quickly as if it was on fast forward. It didn't take me too long to decide to visit Yuuno right after class. He is new here after all. It would be a bit sad if you didn't get any visitors while you were injured. Besides, I'm sure Vita's fine and I might get some info from Yuuno since he was a mage and was fighting that damn servant Caster.
Wait.
A mage fighting a servant and just happens to transfer the same day Vita mentions there are some Bureau mages in town? Damn, I really am an idiot. It should have been obvious.
I packed up all my school supplies and placed them neatly into my schoolbag then headed for the Nurse's Office. Hopefully the nurse wasn't there and went home early like some of the rumors say. If she's there and is anything like the rumors surrounding her... I shivered. As I stood in front of the door, I opened it just a crack and peered inside. The coast was clear.
I swung the door all the way and walked in happily. One less thing I have to worry about. "Scrya-kun, are you feeling any better?" I asked as I walked over to the only bed in the room.
Yuuno paled when he heard the door open but visibly relaxed when he saw it was me. "Oh, yes I'm fine really. I don't know what happened, the nurse told me I had an unfortunate meeting with a 'woman with fists like steel' or something. I personally think she's far more terrifying then the one that hit me," Yuuno said with a smile. He seemed cheerful, and I couldn't see any visible signs that he was injured.
Healing magic perhaps? "Ah, that's good to hear Scrya-kun." I looked around again to make sure we were the only ones in the room. It didn't hurt to be too careful. "I know you just recovered from a nasty attack but it'd probably be best if we get this out of the way first."
"?" Yuuno looked at me puzzled. "Hayate, what are you..."
"Scrya-kun, you're a mage."
He paled again. This time he had a very good reason. The Bureau didn't take too kindly to those whose identities were found out by normal folk. "Hayate... is this some sort of prank?"
My face remained an emotionless mask, Uncle Graham did teach me a few things. "No, this isn't a joke. I know you're a mage, I saw you fight that servant." If you can call getting completely annihilated by someone a fight. "Don't worry about it though, I'm a mage too. I may not be a licensed mage but I do know a thing or two about magic."
Yuuno relaxed a bit, but he still remained on guard. "That explains why I wasn't informed of another mage in this city." Maybe Vita was right about the Bureau being stingy with information.
I wonder how he'll react when he realizes I'm not the only mage that lives in this city. "So I guess you were sent here to collect the Class Cards right?" I asked.
"Wait a minute, you said servant earlier and now you know about the Class Cards? That's supposed to be top secret information and your not even a licensed mage! How come you know all this?"
It's too early to tell him about Fate and Alicia, although I guess he already knows that one of them knows what's going on. "Did Testarossa-san tell you?"
He's smarter then I thought. If I'm not careful he might find some of the other secrets of Uminari City. "You figured it out already! It's not going to be fun if you solve it before I give you any hints, Scrya-kun. My turn. Servants are the spirits of legendary heroes, how does the Bureau expect you fight people like that?"
"I'm sorry Hayate, but I can't tell you something like that. But I'm a lot stronger then I look you know," Yuuno smiled confidently.
"He's lying, he's not. I do all the work." Yuuno's smile disappeared instantly. His eyes almost fell out of his head. A small red jewel floated into the air in front of my face, two bright pink wings on its side. "Despite my help, he still is quite pitiful."
I laughed. And laughed. And laughed. "It's not funny, Hayate!" Yuuno protested as he blushed furiously. I couldn't help myself. I laughed even harder.
"Hahaha, please stop Scrya-kun! I can't breathe!"
The jewel let out something that sounded suspiciously like a sigh. "See, master? Even she cannot help but laugh at you. I believe I will terminate our contract here and find myself a more suitable master. Good day, ferret mage." The jewel proceeded to fly out the window.
"Ferret mage?"
"Wait! Raising Heart! You can't just leave like that!" Yuuno shouted but to no avail. He sighed. "Great, Chrono is never going to let me forget this."
"Scrya-kun, what did she mean by 'ferret mage'?"
He groaned. "Don't. Ask."
Bing!
That was my cell phone. I quickly retrieved it from my schoolbag. It was a text message from Vita.
Hayate, those Bureau mages are trouble. Be careful. And I might be home late tonight.
~Vita
Home late? She only comes home late if she's gotten herself into trouble. Yuuno looks like he needs my help but...
A)Find Raising Heart with Yuuno
B)Find Vita
C)Search for more Class Cards instead
It's short, again, but the next update will come faster.
A. If Vita's getting involved with Bureau mages, it would help to stay on the good side of one of them.
Oh, is that your guess for the title contest/thing?
If it is, I can only say your half right or a quarter maybe?
No, that was my reaction to Raising Heart being a little red jewel with wings who rejects her user and goes off to find her own. (Will Material-S be standing in for Kuro? )
Spoiler for Extra MD before I go back to regular grind:
“Is this really the time to sit down for afternoon tea and cake? Not that I mind but… there’s probably a mountain of paperwork that has my name on it,” confessed Hayate as she entered the Senior Officer’s lounge and made her way towards where the other two men were waiting for her at the table.
“Same here but if Verossa’s the one who brought the treats, that means he probably made some serious progress on his work even if it’s only been a few days.” Chrono took a sip of his tea before muttering under his breath. “How does he do it?”
“Trade secret,” replied Verossa with a little wink. “In any case, considering what I’m about to report, you may want to sit down for this one.”
Hayate blinked as she seated herself. “It’s that bad?”
“Well, let me explain first and then you can draw your own conclusions,” said the green haired investigator while reaching for a slice of cake. “For starters, I examined the footage from the prison of the ship that was just outside the external perimeter which appeared just a few minutes before the prison rampage began. After the video got a bit of cleanup, I was able to positively identify the vessel.”
With a snap of the fingers, a holographic screen appeared to display schematics of the ship in question. In that moment, Chrono leaned forward to examine the craftsmanship. “That’s… a ship that originated from the Zynga Cluster?”
Verossa smiled. “Good to see that you did your homework.”
“You actually managed to get information from the galactic underworld?” She knew that the investigator had connections but this was unbelievable. The Cluster was well known for being efficiently run by several organized crime families and difficult to track down even though they had a presence on several different non-administrated worlds in terms of investments and businesses. And if the recent reports were correct, they’ve taken an interest in Lost Logia which catapulted them to a higher degree of priority in terms of assigning investigation resources.
“It’s a long story and I’m not at liberty to divulge my methods.”
At that moment, Hayate and Chrono shared the same thought. ‘Thought Investigation.’
“But in any case, the schematics show that a wide variety of engines can be fitted on this type of civilian vessel. Taking the worst case scenario for us, if the most advanced engine on today’s current market were used on this type of ship, its maximum dimensional travel speed can probably give an LS Class warship a run for her money. And because it would have better mileage, they wouldn’t need to refuel as often.” He paused to pick off one of the strawberries from his cake and devour it. “Defence systems are light and last but not least, the hull’s made out of standard metals.”
Chrono quickly picked up on Verossa’s last statement. “And with the Materials being presumed to have high magical power levels, they’ll stick out on our long range sensors because they’ll naturally channel a lot of magical energy which the hull won’t be able to conceal.”
“But that brings to mind another problem. When magic of great magnitude gathers in one area, this endangers the space time fabric and can distort sensor readings.” The green haired investigator noticed Hayate’s troubled face as she started putting things together. “And I presume something like that has happened?”
“In the past 48 hours alone, there have been four dimensional distortions reported. It’s forced some of our forces assigned to border patrol routes to make a detour and repair the damage to the space time fabric.” She brought up her own holographic display to show the changes in patrol routes. “Here are the latest stellar maps which take into account the route changes and the distortions themselves.”
Admiral Harlaown leaned forward to take a closer look. “Direct routes to Mid are still covered. The ships that made the detours were covering uninhabited worlds, with the exception of Carnaaji, within our territory.” He couldn’t quite put his finger on this piece of the puzzle. “Are they going to try and settle on an uninhabited world and attack from that long a range?”
Verossa offered his input. “Or maybe take time to gather resources on those worlds? Although I can’t see that happening since the survey reports didn’t mention any noteworthy resources. And there’s essentially no strategic value for those worlds.”
“So we’re pretty much going around in circles,” grumbled the other man as he finished off his tea. “And speaking of Carnaaji… Hayate, I thought you were going to handle things with Megane and Lutecia in regards to this case. What happened?”
“I completed my end and got the sentence lifted for Lutecia but to be honest; I didn’t want to be the one to force them to leave the home they built for themselves. I wanted to let them decide what they will do. Erio and Caro said in their last message that they planned to visit her so they could talk her into lending a hand with the case,” replied the young woman.
“You didn’t stop them?” asked Verossa.
“I figured it would be best if they all talked it out amongst themselves. Get it all out in the open. Then once they understand each other, they can confirm whether Lutecia would be able to perform to the best of her ability for a world that didn’t give her a lot of happy memories.”
Chrono sighed quietly. “I can’t say that’s the most practical approach but it’s not exactly an illegal course of action. In any case, I’ll go see if there’s a spare squadron of troops that can be stationed on Carnaaji to give them some extra protection in case some unwanted visitors do drop in and starts up trouble.”
Hayate gave a small smile upon hearing that. “Thank you, Admiral.”
**********
“As this spell is based on Serra’s legacy, the spell name must be called out in the native tongue of the forgotten plane, Ulgrotha. While very powerful, it’s a considerable drain on the spell caster’s energy.”
“I see.” Yuuno had to admit that he hadn’t been expecting this development. What started out as a lesson on binds and shields had turned into a discussion lasting several hours on similar spells from forgotten magic systems as old as or older than the Ancient Belka system. “I’m surprised that you have knowledge of these spells. How did you come across this?”
“I am… uncertain as to how I obtained the knowledge. I cannot recall a time during our travels when we ever had an opportunity to-”A beeping on the console interrupted Seikou’s explanation and caused the young man to turn back to the control.
“We’ve reached the end point of this dimensional jump. Let’s prepare to land on that planet ahead and then I can confirm our current bearings.”
“Acknowledged,” said the Nanoha replica.
__________________
Thanks to 00-Raiser for hooking me up with the sig!
Spoiler for Extra MD before I go back to regular grind:
“Is this really the time to sit down for afternoon tea and cake? Not that I mind but… there’s probably a mountain of paperwork that has my name on it,” confessed Hayate as she entered the Senior Officer’s lounge and made her way towards where the other two men were waiting for her at the table.
“Same here but if Verossa’s the one who brought the treats, that means he probably made some serious progress on his work even if it’s only been a few days.” Chrono took a sip of his tea before muttering under his breath. “How does he do it?”
“Trade secret,” replied Verossa with a little wink. “In any case, considering what I’m about to report, you may want to sit down for this one.”
Hayate blinked as she seated herself. “It’s that bad?”
“Well, let me explain first and then you can draw your own conclusions,” said the green haired investigator while reaching for a slice of cake. “For starters, I examined the footage from the prison of the ship that was just outside the external perimeter which appeared just a few minutes before the prison rampage began. After the video got a bit of cleanup, I was able to positively identify the vessel.”
With a snap of the fingers, a holographic screen appeared to display schematics of the ship in question. In that moment, Chrono leaned forward to examine the craftsmanship. “That’s… a ship that originated from the Zynga Cluster?”
Verossa smiled. “Good to see that you did your homework.”
“You actually managed to get information from the galactic underworld?” She knew that the investigator had connections but this was unbelievable. The Cluster was well known for being efficiently run by several organized crime families and difficult to track down even though they had a presence on several different non-administrated worlds in terms of investments and businesses. And if the recent reports were correct, they’ve taken an interest in Lost Logia which catapulted them to a higher degree of priority in terms of assigning investigation resources.
“It’s a long story and I’m not at liberty to divulge my methods.”
At that moment, Hayate and Chrono shared the same thought. ‘Thought Investigation.’
“But in any case, the schematics show that a wide variety of engines can be fitted on this type of civilian vessel. Taking the worst case scenario for us, if the most advanced engine on today’s current market were used on this type of ship, its maximum dimensional travel speed can probably give an LS Class warship a run for her money. And because it would have better mileage, they wouldn’t need to refuel as often.” He paused to pick off one of the strawberries from his cake and devour it. “Defence systems are light and last but not least, the hull’s made out of standard metals.”
Chrono quickly picked up on Verossa’s last statement. “And with the Materials being presumed to have high magical power levels, they’ll stick out on our long range sensors because they’ll naturally channel a lot of magical energy which the hull won’t be able to conceal.”
“But that brings to mind another problem. When magic of great magnitude gathers in one area, this endangers the space time fabric and can distort sensor readings.” The green haired investigator noticed Hayate’s troubled face as she started putting things together. “And I presume something like that has happened?”
“In the past 48 hours alone, there have been four dimensional distortions reported. It’s forced some of our forces assigned to border patrol routes to make a detour and repair the damage to the space time fabric.” She brought up her own holographic display to show the changes in patrol routes. “Here are the latest stellar maps which take into account the route changes and the distortions themselves.”
Admiral Harlaown leaned forward to take a closer look. “Direct routes to Mid are still covered. The ships that made the detours were covering uninhabited worlds, with the exception of Carnaaji, within our territory.” He couldn’t quite put his finger on this piece of the puzzle. “Are they going to try and settle on an uninhabited world and attack from that long a range?”
Verossa offered his input. “Or maybe take time to gather resources on those worlds? Although I can’t see that happening since the survey reports didn’t mention any noteworthy resources. And there’s essentially no strategic value for those worlds.”
“So we’re pretty much going around in circles,” grumbled the other man as he finished off his tea. “And speaking of Carnaaji… Hayate, I thought you were going to handle things with Megane and Lutecia in regards to this case. What happened?”
“I completed my end and got the sentence lifted for Lutecia but to be honest; I didn’t want to be the one to force them to leave the home they built for themselves. I wanted to let them decide what they will do. Erio and Caro said in their last message that they planned to visit her so they could talk her into lending a hand with the case,” replied the young woman.
“You didn’t stop them?” asked Verossa.
“I figured it would be best if they all talked it out amongst themselves. Get it all out in the open. Then once they understand each other, they can confirm whether Lutecia would be able to perform to the best of her ability for a world that didn’t give her a lot of happy memories.”
Chrono sighed quietly. “I can’t say that’s the most practical approach but it’s not exactly an illegal course of action. In any case, I’ll go see if there’s a spare squadron of troops that can be stationed on Carnaaji to give them some extra protection in case some unwanted visitors do drop in and starts up trouble.”
Hayate gave a small smile upon hearing that. “Thank you, Admiral.”
**********
“As this spell is based on Serra’s legacy, the spell name must be called out in the native tongue of the forgotten plane, Ulgrotha. While very powerful, it’s a considerable drain on the spell caster’s energy.”
“I see.” Yuuno had to admit that he hadn’t been expecting this development. What started out as a lesson on binds and shields had turned into a discussion lasting several hours on similar spells from forgotten magic systems as old as or older than the Ancient Belka system. “I’m surprised that you have knowledge of these spells. How did you come across this?”
“I am… uncertain as to how I obtained the knowledge. I cannot recall a time during our travels when we ever had an opportunity to-”A beeping on the console interrupted Seikou’s explanation and caused the young man to turn back to the control.
“We’ve reached the end point of this dimensional jump. Let’s prepare to land on that planet ahead and then I can confirm our current bearings.”
“Acknowledged,” said the Nanoha replica.
It's still rather amusing that Hayate and co think the Materials have some cunning, dastardly plan to explain their actions when they're really just wandering around blindly.
It's still rather amusing that Hayate and co think the Materials have some cunning, dastardly plan to explain their actions when they're really just wandering around blindly.
I think that's the point. Everyone is panicking on when the Materials will make their move except that the Materials are making it up as they go along.
Posted I Never Knew You Could Take it Literally to ff-dot-net. Probably still with some typos, as I was amazed how many there were in the draft when I went to proofread.
Posted I Never Knew You Could Take it Literally to ff-dot-net. Probably still with some typos, as I was amazed how many there were in the draft when I went to proofread.
Now, to track down the review I left the first time around.
Haven't written in a loooong while, and especially not for Nanoverse. But as things tend to go...
I don't think anyone here remembers my very old fic (and crappy stylistically) "Fate of the Reapers". For some reason it was quite popular. In either case, what is below is its spiritual retcon sequel. I have deleted the old fic, so details are murky, hence the retcon.
But what can be said is it's CC-focused, in a Terminator-ish post-apoc setting, without being grimdark, without excessive gore and with a special focus on Hayate.
If it's something worth continuing, lemme know. Note of caution: Chapter 1 is extremely jumpy. It's just to get up to speed. The rest of the chapters will focus on one character at a time.
Reapers Revolution
Spoiler for Prologue:
Five years ago, artificial beings of metal calling themselves the Reapers appeared on Mid-Childa. Unknown to everyone, they soon invaded important locations all around the globe and began abductions of people. The Reapers used them for bio-organic materials, for the sole purpose of evolving themselves into pure cyborgs, capable of human thought. The Reapers, themselves a construct by an ancient civilization that had been eradicated many thousand years ago, sought to continue their prophecy that would give them guidance in their path to divinity.
But they didn’t only kidnap ordinary people, for their goals were much more complicated. Mages was also a viable abduction subject, one of which was an Ace. She was abducted and brainwashed, her limbs and internal organs replaced with metal. She was to be one of the Reaper’s new leaders and prophets within their ranks, a sign of what was to come. She was a prototype for their future.
But the Reapers met heavy resistance from the combined efforts of an organized military, the TSAB and small pockets of militia. They eventually began to be pushed back, forcing them to go into hiding. But not before they had succeeded with some of their objectives, unknown to the humans.
The Reaper hivemind that controlled the Reaper A.I Network, also called Overlord, had created a cunning plan for their retreat. A feint of tremendous proportions. And the successful recovery of Fate T. Harlaown had been one of them.
With their prophet’s return, the Reapers had been gathering strength for five years, after their false defeat. They had remained hidden, dormant within Mid-Childa’s crust. And now, that patience, after so many years, has been rewarded. Their prophecy has begun. The battlefield stands ready. Requiem Day has arrived.
*
One mile South-East of Cranagan
Requiem Day
A dog of an unknown breed scuttled past an old tree. Its nose was buried deep in the grass that covered the ground, its nose sniffing with intensity. It was on the hunt for prey that its Master could kill.
The Master himself wasn’t far behind, an old rifle slung on his shoulder. Though the mass weaponry ban was still in effect, he had managed to avoid the authorities. His hunt, too, was illegal. But as an old man, he didn’t have much else left in life. He would continue to hunt until they caught him. He didn’t care either or.
His dog suddenly gave off a bark and set forth. He hurried after it, trying to keep up. A prey had been detected and the old man could feel his adrenaline rush. He unslung his rifle and kept it at his hip, ready to fire at a moment’s notice, while his dog kept barking and soon disappeared among the trees. He could soon only hear it and followed the noise. Sooner or later, he’d find his dog. He always did.
He ran and emerged from the forest into a small glade. He slowed down his stride as his dog’s barking had vanished.
“Comet! Comet, come back here!” he yelled, his voice echoing among the trees. A bark was given in response and the man regained hope as the dog gladly scampered out from the forest in front of him. He went down on his knees and patted it as it came close to his legs.
“That’s a good boy. Did you lose the scent?”
The dog barked once and wagged its tail. The man laughed and stood up. “Ah well, not your fault,” he murmured.
He was about to attach the leash to Comet when the dog suddenly growled at nothing in particular. Its tail stopped wagging and the dog turned around, staring at thin air. The old man looked around, but saw nothing.
“What is it, Comet?”
The dog barked again and began to back away, its fur standing on its back. The old man felt the ground starting to shake. Something rumbled beneath them.
“What in the world... Earthquake?”
The old man sat down so he wouldn’t fall over. He could see the trees at the edge of the glade swaying back and forth, leaves and branches falling from them. Then he noticed that the ground in front of him was bulging upwards. He started to crawl away from it, towards the forest.
The heaving ground became more violent and cracks began to appear. A rupture-like noise passed through the earth. Dirt spat away and grass lost its footing. The rumble intensified until a hole eventually appeared. Dirt and stone fell into it, as if the ground had collapsed into itself. Then something black shot out and grasped the grass beside the hole. The sun’s rays reflected off it and gave it a shiny surface. It took a few seconds for the man to realize he was looking at an over-sized metallic claw.
Soon another claw joined the other and something heaved itself into the sunlight. Pistons and hinges groaned inside the metallic limbs as it climbed out and stood at its height. The old man was still sitting on the grass, his mouth agape.
The robot stood over nine feet tall and looked down upon the man. It was all painted black, apart from some silver parts within its limbs. Its face was flat, and the only thing that decorated the flat surface was two orbs glowing red. It emitted a strange digital noise and kneeled down in front of the man, the two orbs staring at him. It didn’t do anything else and the man stared back at it, unable to move his body from both fear and curiosity.
The robot’s right claw abruptly shot out and attached itself to the man’s face. Two pointy appendages went to the man’s forehead and another went for his jaw. He didn’t manage to utter a scream before the claw’s palm opened a small hole within itself and a thin needle burrowed its way into his brain.
As the old man’s body started its death twitches, Comet was still barking at its Master’s side. One glance from the robot and another digital burst of noise sent the dog running, its tail between its legs.
It dropped the man and let the body fall to the ground, a small hole right above the bridge of his nose showing a small prickle of blood. The robot stood up and surveyed its surroundings. It gave off another, much louder, noise and started to walk towards the glade’s edge. Behind it, the ground crumbled and more holes opened up. From them, more of its kind climbed out into the sunshine.
Spoiler for Chapter 1: The Current Situation:
Location unknown
+370 Days after Requiem Day
Two men and a woman gathered around the barely operating radio inside their small bunker. The damped noise of bombs and small weapons fire from the ground above continually made its way down to them. Dust fell from the ceiling as the bombs hit the ground. Now and again even a scream would manage to reach them. It was cold, as late autumn had begun to approach, but they huddled together, listening in on the message being received through a bad quality transmission.
“For a year we have survived. For a year we have gathered our strength. Setback after setback we have recovered and fought back Overlord. And now we are close. Close to the final, decisive battle. As I speak to you now, our plans are being set into motion. I have no doubt that we will succeed and end this war. But I must ask something of you. Something important.
“I ask of you to retain hope. Cling to what hope you got left in your heart, because without hope, we do not stand a chance. Hope is one of the few valuable things that we can still claim that Overlord has not taken away from us. It is a sign that we still have the strength to opposite it. It is what makes us human.
“So, for all of us, cling to your hope and spread it to others. If you do, you are a true member of the Guardians. Fight, and we shall defeat Overlord and its minions, together.
“This is Hayate Yagami, Supreme Commander of the Guardians.”
The transmission ended and was replaced by static. The two men and the woman looked at each other, nodding decivisely. With their energy seemingly renewed, they picked up the assault rifles that leaned against the wall behind them and opened the door that led to a staircase. One of the men went first and opened the thick lid at the top, peeking outside.
Above ground, a Reaper-Tank rolled past him. The massive tank crushed anything that met its treads and the vibrations it gave off made the ground shake. The firepower it packed was enough to suppress several squads of mages and regular soldiers. Its armor was so thick it took several armor-piercing beams or heavy ordinances to destroy, but, luckily, Reaper-Tanks were few and far between. It just so happened that the bunker they were staying in was very close to the frontline, where the Reaper-Tanks were most often patrolling.
The man closed the lid and nodded at the two others that stood and waited. They checked their rifles and combat attire, getting ready to abandon their bunker that had been their home for four days. Their initial goal was to head south, towards the Guardians HQ, and join up with whatever forces they would manage to come across. As it was now, they were way too close to the Citadel.
As one of the men climbed the ladder and gave the order to move out, a bunker buster missile fired from a Gargoyle, an aerial Reaper, hit the top of their bunker. For the hundreds of bombs that had fallen for so many days, each and everyone had missed the bunker itself. Yet, this time, it did hit. Whether it was because they had begun to move around and the Reapers had detected them, or if it was blind luck, they didn’t have time to ponder.
The bunker buster penetrated the ground and top armor of the bunker in a split second. Once it reached the bottom floor it exploded, sending a huge fireball through the narrow passageways, igniting any explosives that still remained inside. The three soldiers screamed and were burned to a crisp before they even managed to step out onto the battlefield. The only sign of their fate was the massive fireball that reached into the sky, ignored by the allied tropps less than a mile away, as it was just another bomb that fell on that day.
*
Five miles North of Cranagan, Guardians HQ
+371 Days after Requiem Day
“Commander.”
The girl couldn’t have been more than seventeen. It was awfully young for an aerial mage, but then again, they were rare these days. The Guardians had to make do with what they had at their disposal to fight the Reapers. The casualties for each passing day were worrying, but in a couple of days, if things went according to plan, Hayate wouldn’t need to worry about it anymore.
“Yes, Private. Please, take a seat.”
The girl was noticeably nervous as she fidgeted with her hands and looked around before sitting down. New recruits especially seemed to be nervous when faced with the Supreme Commander. Hayate sighed at the notion, but not so the girl would notice. She didn’t need to think she had annoyed her in some way. Frankly, Hayate was tired of it, though she couldn’t do anything about it. Rumors had their own way of evolving over time and the things she had done during her time as Supreme Commander was no different.
“Private Hastings, was it?” Hayate asked, glancing up from the paper in her hand.
The girl nodded. Hayate waited for a moment before continuing.
“Why did you sign up, Private?”
“To fight the Reapers, Commander.”
Hayate’s eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. “Is that your only reasonl?”
The girl started anxiously and shook her head, realizing the meaning behind Hayate’s tone. “No! Of course... I want to help the Guardians rebuild and to protect... Well, protect those that can’t fight...”
“Good. It’s fine to be willing to fight, but without motivation and reasons it goes only so far. Tell me, do you seek vengeance too?”
The girl stopped her fidgeting and locked eyes with Hayate. She was clearly weighing her response. After a while, she said: “Yes. I lost my mother... on Requiem Day. That’s my main reason for fighting.” She shook her head weakly. “My real reason.”
Hayate didn’t say anything and merely nodded. A panel appeared on her desk and she pressed a couple of buttons. “I’m assigning you to Hawk Squad, Section 4. Report to Sergeant Irahim. He’ll tell you what to do next.”
The girl brightened up and a smile broke out on her face. “Yes, Commander!”
Hayate saluted and smiled back. “Dismissed.”
The girl stood up, returned the salute and walked out of the room. As she closed the door behind her, a mage stepped out from the shadows in a corner of the room.
“Nanoha. Welcome back. I didn’t notice you.”
As the light from outside the windows hit Nanoha’s face, a huge scar stretched across her right eye, reaching from her forehead across the right edge of her mouth, became visible. It moved disturbingly as she talked, slightly affecting her speech.
“Thanks, Hayate. I didn’t want to interrupt.” She looked at the door and gave it a nod. “Another aerial mage? How many do we have now?”
“Too few.”
“I was afraid it would be something like that...”
Hayate shrugged and changed her tone. “Nanoha, how is Operation Light’s Dawn coming along?”
“About that...” Nanoha said and sat down in front of the desk. “There’s been some worrying developments. Reapers has begun to zero in on the main battery. It’s only a matter of time before they find it. Overlord seems to have become more active in the area, too.”
“That’s exactly what I didn’t want to hear.” Hayate sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “Can we increase the defense around the area?”
“We can. But we will lose important ground between the main battery and the HQ. Supplies will be a problem, but I suppose it can be done.” Nanoha pondered for a moment. “There is the Northern Coalition...”
Hayate waved her hand. “Yes, I know, but I don’t trust them. Even though their reverse-engineered Reapers has proven efficient for offensives into enemy territory, I wouldn’t put our future in their hands. Just imagine what would happen if Overlord figured out a way to revert them back!”
“You might have to, you know.”
“I know. I know...”
Hayate got up from her chair and crossed her arms. She looked out through the window at the desolated landscape. In the horizon, flashes of light could barely be made out in the setting sun. “Nanoha, the main battery cannot fall. The Guardians HQ is vital to our coordination and communication, but the main battery is the highest priority. We cannot let it fall.” She turned around and looked Nanoha straingt in the eye. “Operation Light’s Dawn must succeed, by any means necessary.”
I understand,” Nanoha said and got up from her chair. Just as she was about to walk out she stopped. “Hayate.”
“Yes?”
“Any word about Fate?”
Hayate clenched her hand reflexively. “None.”
Nanoha didn’t utter another word and left the office.
*
“Teana, are you heading out soon?”
Subaru stood in the doorway to Teana’s small room. She had her usual anxious-looking face as any other time Teana was preparing for a Black Ops insertion. But this time, she was more nervous than usual.
“In five minutes,” Teana replied. She checked her equipment again and made sure everything was in excellent condition. After that, she started to put on her battle attire. The black bodysuit with grey markings was very slick, but somewhat tight. She always had trouble getting in her cybernetic left hand.
“You are going in quite deep today, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Into Cranagan.”
“Yes...”
Subaru bit her lip and shook her head. “It’s so horrible even from this distance...”
“I know. I just try not to think about it.”
“Be careful, ne?”
“I’m always careful.” Teana gave Subaru a confident smile and zipped up her suit. “That’s it. I’m going. See you later, Subaru.”
“Yeah... See you later.”
Teana brushed past her and left. Subaru stayed where she was, a hand clutching her arm. She glanced over at the table where a framed picture stood. It had been taken six years ago, before Requiem Day, before the existence of the Reapers became known. In the picture, Subaru was smiling and had her arms wrapped around Teana’s and Erio’s necks, bringing them together. Both of them looking annoyed and embarrassed. Caro stood in the background, anxious and worried as usual, yet the slight smile betrayed her outward emotions.
Subaru swore and left the room. She, as had the others, had been smiling back then. There was nothing to smile about now.
*
Eight miles North-East of Guardians HQ, Alpha Base
+371 Days after Requiem Day
Alpha Base was closest to the frontlines, acting as the first of three defensive lines before the Guardians HQ. After Alpha came Bravo and Charlie, each of them lacking the firepower and personnel that Alpha had, but they made up for it in long-range weaponry, which they used to support Alpha Base whenever the Reapers made a frontal assault.
And assault they did. Several times a day. Alpha Base was the most frequently attacked base on the entire Northern-Eastern front. Located at the top of a hill surveying a chokepoint, they couldn’t ask for a better location, but it also meant it was of vital importance for the Reapers to claim it. If they did, Bravo and Charlie would fall fast. It was imperative that Alpha Base survived.
That was one of the reasons why Signum was the Field Commander for Alpha Base, reporting directly to Hayate. Ever since the rest of the upper echelons within the TSAB died on Requiem Day, Signum had risen in the ranks. No one had complained, of course. In the current situation, complaints wouldn’t lead to anything, but it was much more sketchy when it came to the future. However, she personally didn’t care about it. Her focus was to take care of the men and women operating in Alpha Base, to make sure they survived and that they pushed back Reaper assaults. She didn’t have time to think about the future.
“Ma’am.” The Lieutenant saluted to her. They stood on an observation platform overlooking the chokepoint, observing the wreckage of tens of Reapers that had fallen in the previous battle. “We have reports of Gargoyles heading our way. I told the anti-air squads to get ready.”
“Good,” Signum said and nodded approvingly. “How about Air Force reinforcement?”
“They are on their way. ETA: Six minutes.”
“Excellent. You are dismissed, Lieutenant.”
He nodded and climbed down the ladder. Signum remained, her arms folded across her chest. A panel suddenly appeared beside her with a ‘Voice-only’ label covering the screen.
“Vita, did you hear?”
“I did. I’m on my way.”
The panel disappeared and Signum took a deep breath. She unfolded her arms and took Levantine out of his sheath. The once silver-coloured sword was now black, upgraded with Reaper technology, and it covered itself with burning flames as its system came online.
“Levantine, Dark Knight Mode,” Signum said and held the sword above her head. The flames licked her hair, but not a single straw of hair was scorched.
“Jawohl!”
Dark angel wings sprouted from Signum’s back and she began to levitate. The next passing second she was gone, disappearing into the dark clouds above.
*
180.000 miles from Mid-Childa, Warship Theresa
+371 Days after Requiem Day
If there was one place that the Guardians still held considerable power, it was in space. The warship Theresa, flagship of the Guardians Inter-Dimensional Fleet, had held its orbit around Mid-Childa ever since Requiem Day. Thanks to a heavily defended spaceport down on the planet, the fleet could be provided with supplies on a monthly schedule.
Apart from Theresa, three other warships orbited the planet: the Initiator, Cranagan’s Glory and Magical Spear. Each of them had fought the Reaper space armada, and had even managed to hold them off. The Reapers’ technology when it came to space travel and space battle seemed weak in contrast to the power they packed on the ground, but no one had figured out why. It almost looked like a design oversight, but since they were all A.Is, or rather, was controlled by Overlord, it wasn’t a likely cause. Still, it meant that the Guardians had the upper hand when it came to orbital support.
Sadly, the fleet had failed to defend the bases on Mid-Childa’s moons. Maintenance docks and refueling stations had been destroyed in the initial Reaper attack six years ago, before the Guardians even existed. Back then it had been the TSAB that had fallen to the surprise attack launched by the Reapers. But the Guardians still saw it as their own failure. The TSAB had been, after all, their mother organization.
As things were now, the fleet was split up into three battle groups: Thunder, Cyclone and Tornado. The Theresa, together with her two sister ships, was part of Cyclone, tasked with providing orbital bombardments to foes on the ground. The other two battle groups were tasked with reconnaissance and defense. They were somewhere inside the solar system, but not even the Theresa could pin-point them exactly. It was for the best. That way, the Reapers couldn’t intercept their signals and take them out one by one.
For now, the Theresa remained in orbit, waiting for further orders. The fleet’s Admiral, Chrono Harlaown, was under the command of the Guardians Supreme Commander when it came to orbital support, but he had the ultimate authority when it came to engaging the Reapers in space. It was a deal that had worked very well ever since the Guardians were founded, and no one had questioned it.
On-board the ship itself, Chrono sat in his Captain’s chair, observing the working crew and information scrolling across several panels beside him. From behind him a door slid open and his second-in-command strode through. He gave Chrono a salute, who returned it.
“What does the message say, Jensen?” Chrono asked.
“Sir. The message we intercepted from Cranagan’s Glory was heavily encrypted. It still hasn’t been fully decrypted... But we got some worrying information from it.”
“Give it to me.”
Jensen handed over the datapad, saluted and went back to his station. Chrono scrolled through the message he held in his hand. As he read it, he began to straighten up in his chair. Worrying information had been an understatement. What he held in his hand was far worse.
He rapidly dialled Hayate as he continued to read. He had to warn her, immediately. Things had begun to spin into motion far more quickly than he would have liked...
2011-04-09, 21:17
Author
(Will Material-S be standing in for Kuro? 
)
