It's a nice story, and I found the characters quite memorable . One of the villains reminds me of the Illusive Man
I expect that the next chapter would be explosive? Especially from a particularly loose captain?
Spoiler for Comment::
You still haven't fixed the incomplete sentence pointed out by Moczo before
Quote:
Rehabilitation rates for people like that were in the clear majority now…but even so, there
Also,
Quote:
After switching to a more capable body designed by he himself, GD had proven a competent, skillful mage – or, as his file put it, a 'unique specialist'.
Can GD actually use magic, and how? And does he still have AMF weaponry?
PS: It's been awhile since I last read this, so forgive me if it turns out I'm asking the obvious or already answered in-story...
Oh, and I haven't orphaned Unit Epsilon back from the earlier chapters when Celica and company went to Earth. We ought to hear from them at the beginning of Chapter 8.
...
The way you say that both worries and intrigues me.
I wanted to make more use of them in false light, but being Earthlings, they don't have an easy way to move from world to world like the Bureau types do. But they aren't being orphaned; they've got one last hurrah in false light, then they'll become a major part of what comes after the story.
A story about the TSAB inducting the planet as an administrated world.
(You know it had to happen after NSIS found out they were using magic in some widespread way!)
"So, you're going to leaving in the next few days?" Suzuka asked as she, Arisa, Nanoha and Fate sat in Suzuka's room, all of them in pajamas as they sat around, relaxing. After hearing the real reason, the two girls wouldn't let their friends go off to alien boot camp without spending at least one night relaxing with them.
"Yeah..." Nanoha nodded and sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. It was still so short compared to what it had been before getting burned off partially. "Mom and dad are on Lindy-san's side, but you can't tell the school the truth." The girls nodded at her. "So, yeah, we're going to Mid-Childa to learn more magic and get some fine-tuning of our devices."
"Why is Miyuki coming with?" Arisa asked, getting a soft blush from Fate. "What?"
"She thinks that my skill with a sword will decrease if she isn't there helping me out. Plus she has a magic sword and wants to try it out where people won't freak out from seeing it." Fate couldn't see the appeal, herself, being able to use magic had been something she could do ever since she came into the world, she really didn't get why Miyuki would be so excited about having a magic sword herself.
"Yeah, well, good luck..." Arisa nodded, before leering at the two. "So... Going away with Yuuno-kuuuun?" She sing-songed, causing the two girls to look at her oddly, their faces slowly turning red. "Going to be with him, all alooooone?"
"Kya!" Suzuka's face was red as she put her hands on her cheeks. "That's sooooo romantic!" She found a pillow in her face, courtesy of Nanoha.
"It's not like that!" Nanoha was blushing as she shook her head. "We're just going to learn some new magic, that's all."
"Suuuuure... Alone, with Yuuno, for six months?" Arisa really had no idea what people did when alone like that, but the books she had been reading gave her some... Interesting ideas. Plus it wasn't often she got to tease her friends.
One really couldn't blame the girls for acting the way they were. They were starting to get older and boys were starting to catch their interest.
It didn't help that Yuuno was pretty cute, strong, brave and a nice guy.
Fate was trying to look anywhere but at the other girls as she poked her fingers together, her face red with embarrassment. Being alone with Yuuno... wasn't a bad thought, but the little blonde had no idea just why it made her feel funny.
(---)
A few days later...
"Ah, welcome..." Nanoha, Fate, and Yuuno all felt a little out of place among the various older people that were standing around paying attention. It wasn't as if the other people were much older than they were, but it felt weird, considering that most of them were in their teens and the three of them hadn't quite yet made it to puberty. Thankfully none of the older people had made a big deal about them being there at all.
If they thought about the fact that Chrono likely went through this training around their age, then it wouldn't be as surprising, but as it was, they felt out of place.
"As many of you know, you will be training with some of our best instructors soon. Many of you are here to learn the skills you need for the fields you are going into. Some of you are here to refine your skills. But all of you are skilled and powerful. You have the weekend off, but we require that you stay here, get to know others that you'll be training with, explore the grounds for those who want to see where you'll be training. Be back on Monday at 0600, dismissed."
As people started to shuffle around, Yuuno looked at Nanoha and Fate. "So, um, what are we going to do?"
"I wanna go check out the training grounds." It was still early in the day, after all, she didn't see any reason to not go check them out.
Fate shrugged and looked at Yuuno. "You want to go look around as well?"
"Sure." He nodded, before blinking. "Oh, right, I need to meet with Mary today, she was going to discuss some things with me."
"I'll come with you, I need to ask her about that new mode she installed into Bardiche." They waved goodbye to Nanoha and started walking towards the offices.
As she watched them leave, Nanoha turned and wondered how Miyuki was doing, and if she convinced the main office to let her stick around. Shrugging, she walked off, wanting to see the training grounds.
(---)
"You're saying I can stay?" Miyuki wasn't sure she heard the Colonel right.
He nodded, smiling at the girl. "It's not often we allow those without any magical talent to stay and train, but Admiral Lindy put a good word in for you, and, as you said, you can't train with a magic sword on Non-Administered World #97 without taking precautions." He pulled up a computer screen and nodded. "It shouldn't be hard to get you some trainers to work with it."
"I already know how to use a sword, this just has a different handle and feel to it..." Miyuki shut up at the look he gave her. "Sorry."
"Even if you know how to use a sword, like you said, this feels different to you. Don't worry, I've got a few people who are interested in helping you out."
"If it's alright, the real reason I came wasn't just to practice with this thing..." Miyuki held the hilt of the Sword of Light up to him. "It's also to help out my little sister, Fate. She sometimes uses a sword to fight and, well... She's not that good with it." She didn't want to talk badly about her family, but it was pretty obvious that Fate didn't really get how to use her Zambar form very well.
"We'll see, we try to make it a habit of not over-working our trainees." He chuckled. "But, anyway, welcome and enjoy the day, we'll get you a room shortly."
Miyuki nodded and stood up. "Thank you."
The colonel shook his head as he watched her leave. "Well, I hope the instructors are ready for kids that Harlaown recommended..." Idly, he wondered if it would be anything like when Lindy had gone through the training herself.
Those were some wild and fun times after all.
(---)
"Come on, everyone." An older woman looked on at her recruits and shook her head. She had them running laps around the training field. "The sooner you get done, the sooner you get to go eat lunch." It wasn't harsh, it was just motivation.
She turned to look at the slowest person and blinked as she saw a girl in pants, a white shirt and short red hair sitting in a nearby tree giggling softly. "Hmm... You there," she walked over to the tree as the cadet took off running, "what's your name?"
"Ah..." The girl blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "My name's Nanoha Takamachi, and I'm going to be training here on Monday."
"Ah yes..." The woman nodded to her. "I heard about you... The one Lindy found. I just hope you're not like she was." The girl blinked in confusion as the older woman laughed. "Don't worry about it. My name is Mizetto Crowbel." She smiled at Nanoha. "You're here for some refining training, correct?"
Nanoha nodded and blinked as Midget pulled out a staff and pointed it at her. "How about a quick match then?"
Nanoha shrugged. "Sure. Raising Heart, set up."
"Standbye ready."
Mizetto just smiled at the young girl. "Shall we have some fun then?"
Nanoha nodded and grinned, this could be fun.
(---)
"This place is beautiful." Miyuki muttered as she looked around, before smiling as she saw two familiar blonds heading her way. "Yuuno! Fate!"
"Miyuki." Fate smiled at the older girl. "How did it go?"
"Pretty good." Miyuki nodded, smiling. "I'll be able to stick around and..." Whatever else she would have said was cut off as a rather large pink explosion happened in the distance. "...I think Nanoha got into a fight."
"Oh no..." Yuuno and Fate both groaned, knowing just how bad Nanoha could get with her magic. It was even worse since Lina often times encouraged them to make larger explosions when they trained.
(---)
Mizetto coughed as dust flew into the air. "That was impressive." She said as she floated backwards. Such power so quickly, most people who had large amounts of power, and there weren't that many, had trouble collecting it so fast.
Nanoha smiled up at her. "Thank you."
"Divine Buster."
Mizetto raised an eyebrow, that was a strong attack, still... Closing her eyes, she concentrated her magic to the tip of her staff and swung up, smashing into the end of the ball of energy and, with some effort, causing it to arc over her body and smash into some trees, destroying them instantly. "Oh dear, seems that you don't hold back." She held up a hand and squeezed. "I guess I can't either than."
Nanoha tried to move, but found her arms, legs and even body all bound up. "Nnngh! Raising Heart! Excellion Mode! Drive!"
"Ignition."
The boost in power was what Nanoha needed as the bonds shattered while a large white beam came right at her. Throwing up her barrier, she blocked it but gasped as she took a shot to her back.
"There is a time and place for blocking, Nanoha." Mizetto said as she watched the girl tumble slightly before pointing her staff up at the old woman. "There are times it's far better to dodge than to block, and parrying is better than dodging, as it puts you in a better position to counter at times." Mizetto found herself bound up by the young girl, who was pointing her staff at her. "Oh my... I shouldn't talk to much against you."
Nanoha smiled at her. "Raising Heart... Divine Flame Buster!" A gout of pure white flame rushed right at the old woman and Nanoha hoped that she wouldn't get burned too badly. She held back most of the power that she normally used for that spell.
Nanoha gaped as the woman disappeared from where she was. The gaping didn't last very long before she was forced to physically block an attack from the older woman as she appeared right in front of her, behind Nanoha's attack. "Nnnah!"
Mizetto shook her head. Using Movement Magic from that position had been risky, she was just lucky that she didn't tear an arm or leg off attempting to do it. Still, it seemed like this girl was a bit wild with her magic and not very good at close-range at all. And Mizetto knew that she couldn't win at long range, not against that level of power. 'I wonder if she's really AAA rank or if she's higher than that.' She thought before following the girl down.
Nanoha shook her head as she got her bearings and yelped slightly as the older woman appeared in front of her, slamming her staff against Raising Heart. The older woman smiled for a moment before Nanoha gasped as the older woman drove a knee into her body, forcing the younger girl back. "Nnagh..."
"For someone so strong, you have several flaws to your style." Mizetto commented as she bound up Nanoha again. "Mid and long range are good for you, but your close-range isn't that good." Not that there was anything wrong with that, there were plenty of people that couldn't fight at close range. "If fighting someone who challenges you to close range, your best bet is to either retreat to a bit of a distance, or use quicker spells to push them away."
"Raising Heart... Assault mode!"
"Activation."
Mizetto blinked as the staff broke apart, before wrapping itself around Nanoha's body, the gem coming to a rest on her chest and several "wings" on her back pointed downwards. A visor slipped over her face as a large cannon appeared on her left arm and something, she wasn't sure, appeared on her right arm. "That's an interesting choice."
"Supreme.. Buster!" Nanoha wouldn't use her Chaos mode, but she wanted to prove that she was good, she didn't want to look pathetic, not after all the training that her mother put her through. It just wouldn't be right!
Mizetto flew straight up and stared as the beam twisted and followed her into the air. "Nice." She nodded, knowing that if this went on she was going to lose easily. Especially since the girl was pushing at least high S rank in power right now. As she moved around the beam, she stared as it twisted in the sky and rushed right at her. At the rate this was going, someone was going to end up hurt. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of something metal heading right for her. Turning her head, she saw that the girl had a whip coming from her right arm and was swinging right at her.
Mizetto closed her eyes, she hated to do this but... "Reflect." She whispered as she threw up a barrier to block the attack.
Nanoha grinned, that was what she was waiting for. "Alright, let's..." She trailed off as the beam glanced off the barrer and went straight for her. "Eeek!"
"Protection Enhanced."
Nanoha crossed her arms and closed her eyes as her barrier came up and she grunted from the effort of having to block her own attack. She cracked an eye open as the attack was finally abating. "Nnngh..."
"I think we should stop." Mizetto said as she floated over to the girl. "Otherwise one of us is going to get seriously hurt." She patted the confused girl on her shoulder. "You're very good, skilled with your magic and it doesn't take long to use your spells, but it seems like that's all you can do, throw big spells around. I think I see why Lindy wants you to go through this training now."
Nanoha just blinked owlishly as the older woman just smiled at her. "So... I did good?"
"Very good." She nodded at Nanoha and looked around, grimacing slightly. "Though, from now on, you shouldn't use that armor of yours in training."
"Nyahahahaha..." Nanoha giggled nervously.
Spoiler for Comments:
Went with Mizetto instead of Midget, so... Yeah...
__________________
My fics Due to certain things, I am not here, find me over on TFF.
Well, you can always just skip ahead in the timeline. They've already been "doing it" in false light!
Easy way out. Besides, somehow, it just screws with my inner sense of continuity to write a sequence past the current main story in Shadowverse where everything is okay. It's like, I can't imagine a point beyond where I am right now in the 'verse because I'm still in the middle of trying to get Lutecia there first.
Easy way out. Besides, somehow, it just screws with my inner sense of continuity to write a sequence past the current main story in Shadowverse where everything is okay. It's like, I can't imagine a point beyond where I am right now in the 'verse because I'm still in the middle of trying to get Lutecia there first.
I am well aware of this, which is one of the biggest reasons why I haven't written Lutecia and Vivio do anything so much as hug (though I suppose I can have them kiss "on screen" since you've also done so many times).
This is your deal. Write the fluffy stuff. And after teasing your fanbase enough, let the two of them reach home base.
I'll just keep writing Lutecia and Vivio beating the crap out of befriending people!
It had been a rather uneventful trip for Material-S and Material-D as they flew towards the next manufacturing plant on the list. There wasn’t exactly a chart that detailed which goods were produced at each plant, even with a planetary scan taken by their ship so they had to take the time flying from region to region based on the rough map they were provided.
Material-L and Sette were covering the plants scattered across the Northern regions so that left the Southern regions for the Lord of Darkness and the Starlight Destroyer. So far, the factories they briefly checked in on did not produce anything of value as they produced mostly animal feed and agricultural products. There was only one more facility to investigate before they could head back to the ship.
Seikou had noted that Yami was being more quiet than usual. By now, the Nanoha replica’s ears should have been full from disgruntled grumblings from her companion but ever since she had that nap to recover from the nasty headache earlier, the Hayate replica had been lost in thought and focused on something else rather than the here and now. Normally, Material-S wouldn’t have minded but it was getting more difficult to keep bottling up those anxious feelings that came from her conversation with Yuuno at that dinner.
So just as the two of them landed close to one of the plant’s entrances, she finally decided to break the silence and get it off her chest. “I finally told him the truth.”
“Hm.”
“I am not sure how well he took it. We haven’t spoken since that particular conversation.”
“Hm.”
“It’s understandable that he would need time to think upon this. However, I am… worried on how much his opinion of me has changed due to my revelation.”
“Hm.”
There was a moment of silence as the Starlight Destroyer noted the lack of response from her companion other than a grunt. “Yami? Are you listening?”
“Hm.”
Yes, it was obvious that she wasn’t paying attention. Otherwise the Hayate replica would have spouted out her usual catchphrase. Without wasting a moment, Seikou reached over to grab her companion’s nose, causing Yami to cry out. “Kah…! Stop it!”
“Ah, so there is life within you, Lord of Darkness,” said Material-S in her usual flat tone after releasing her friend.
“Ugh… what is it that you want?” growled Material-D.
“You have been rather quiet for the past day or so. As if your mind was on something else.”
“That’s the curse of a brilliant mind. To always be thinking of events in motion…” Yami noticed the unchanging stare from the Nanoha replica which was a certain indication that she wasn’t buying it. After some thought, she decided that it wouldn’t certainly do any harm to ask her servant about the subject. “Do you ever get the feeling that we’re missing someone?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The day before yesterday, I had a dream. No… I believe it was a vision of the past that somehow involved all of us… and a fourth one.”
“I cannot say that I have any such recollection of a fourth person who travelled with us,” said Seikou.
“No! She never had the chance to come with us!” hissed Yami. “She never managed to escape the world which tried to tie our souls down with gravity!”
Her tone and facial expressions all suggested that she was being deranged but this was going to be one of those times when Material-D wouldn’t let go of whatever it was that she saw. Might as well let her get it out of her system. “So tell me about her. What is her name? What is she like?”
“I only have flashes of memory. Nothing concrete.”
“Then it seems like that there is nothing you can do,” said Seikou as she opened the plant entrance door.
“I won’t accept that,” growled the Lord of Darkness. “If there is one thing I know for a certain fact, it is that she has served me as my loyal servant in the past. And I intend to find her so that she can take her rightful place at my side when I build my kingdom.”
“And what if she is no-” The Starlight Destroyer paused when her nose picked up a familiar scent. The scent of blood. Even though there were no bodies in sight, Seikou’s instincts told her that every single living person that had been working in here was dead.
It didn’t go unnoticed by her companion who merely opened up her fan to wave the odour away from her. “Oh my… looks like we have quite the mess over here, don’t we?”
The two of them first strolled throughout the plant in order to find out what it produced. It turned out that this particular facility manufactured various device parts. As it fell within something of potential value, they managed to navigate their way to the storage bay where finished goods were kept however what greeted them was an empty chamber, with only a few scattered cartridge shells. ‘So someone else is scouring for supplies too? They probably decided to eliminate any potential witnesses while they conducted their raid.’ Seikou looked over to the Hayate replica. “How many were you able to get?”
“I have six cartridge shells and it seems these were made for a CVK792-R cartridge system. That means I can only supply one fresh load to Material-L unless we can find anything else within the vicinity.” Yami paused for a moment. “You’re out of cartridges, correct?”
“Correct.”
“It’s unlikely that there are any CVK792-A cartridges lying around. That means you’re going to be stuck at a disadvantage until we can replenish your supply.” The grey haired woman growled under her breath. “Maybe we can still catch up to those raiders. The amount of time that has passed since the slaughter has only been one or two hours at most.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re long gone by now.” Just as those words left her mouth, the wall in front of them shuddered as something hit it from behind. As soon as the two pinpointed the proper exit, they bolted through to find the source of the noise.
It turned out to be a motorcycle that had been carrying a large carriage full of stolen device parts. And standing over the mess was a redheaded woman with tattoos over parts of her bared midriff arms and legs. Her wardrobe was rather limited with a torn brown vest, a top that covered only her breasts, army green shorts, black gloves and a pair of boots. She also had a pair of goggles that were strapped tightly to the top of her head. But what stood out the most was the blue wings tattoo on her right wrist.
The blue eyes of Material-S easily caught sight of that tattoo. “That mark…”
“She’s just like those other ones?” muttered Yami to herself.
“ARGH! Wasn’t this piece of crap carriage supposed to support over 2,500 pounds of cargo?” The redhead then noticed the other two women who were standing there. “This stinks! All I wanted to do was lug this stuff home, dip into a hot bath and then pig out over pizza! But nooooo… Vey-nii doesn’t even have dipping sauce!”
“You there…” Material-D never got a chance to finish as she was cut off rather abruptly.
“Sorry, but after having this streak of bad luck, this Arnage’s more in the mood to kill rather than talk!” She held out her hands and summoned a pair of mid-sized swords. “EC Divider Code 718!”
The two Materials didn’t waste any time themselves. “Yersinia Kreuz, bestow upon me my staff and armour!”
“Luciferion, start up!”
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yasanagi
Spoiler for Episode sixty something of Material Days:
At first glance, Veyron of Huckebein looks like the type of character who would be brash, destructive and loud. While this is true on most occasions, he does have the capability to be stealthy when the situation required it. After all, his Divider’s long range capabilities were not very good. That meant he had to learn how to be able to close the gap efficiently to make the best use of his weapon.
He moved in quietly, descending one floor at a time while masking his presence. By his calculations, he figured he could be within striking distance to take them both out before they could react as soon as he reached the next assembly floor beneath him.
“You know, it’s pretty quiet around here.”
“What do you expect when everyone else around us is deceased?” replied a second female voice in a neutral tone that had just a hint of irritation.
“That’s no good. In times like these, we need some good background music. Like ‘Only a Plank Between One and Perdition’!” She started humming a tune under her breath. “And I don’t want the boss to take the first turn…”
Veyron’s senses went on alert as he saw her right arm flare and form yellow magical circles around the upper half just above her elbow. ‘She’s a mage?’
“… so I’m gonna get the drop on him!” The blue haired woman immediately turned in his direction and pointed her right finger, which was now charged with an attack spell, right at his position. “Light Pillar!”
In a split second, a Mid-Childan Magic Circle formed right in front of the finger before a powerful yellow beam flew towards Veyron, who jumped forward quickly to avoid the attack. Even though he had the healing factor and magic negation abilities that came from being infected with Eclipse, there was something… off enough about that mage to cause him to come to the split second decision to avoid the spell rather than blocking it.
‘Shit… that was close.’ The biker flipped in mid air before landing on his feet in front of the two women while the beam continued to incinerate everything in its path as it flew upwards. ‘Heh… just my luck to encounter a pair of wandering mages.’
“Hey, what was that?” complained the blue haired woman. “That was supposed to be a one hit KO for 9,999 points of damage! You know that was a sure kill, Sette-chan!”
“That is doubtful, Material-L. His magical point values seem to suggest that an A-ranked spell would barely do any harm to him,” replied the pink haired woman in that monotone of hers.
“Eh? But I thought that was…” She paused for a moment before giggling. “Ahahaha… my bad! It’s only a proper instant kill when I’m all transformed and stuff!”
“Are you for real?” muttered Veyron under his breath until the one who called herself Material-L cleared her throat.
“Ahem… so we meet again, you Squall Wannabe!”
This caught the biker off guard. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“And I see that you upgraded your game sprite as well! But that’s not enough to fool my eyes! By the way, where’s that woman partner of yours? You know the one who looked like she jumped out of a Castlevania game?”
‘… so she crossed paths with Curren and Karen, huh?’ Veyron remembered them well even though those two hardly visited the base and would leave status updates perhaps once a year at best.
Curren, his ‘twin’ as Arnage put it even though they just really looked alike and had no real relationship to each other, was on the hunt for the ultimate ‘jackpot’ which apparently would be the key to unlocking the mystery behind the Silver Bible and the Eclipse infection. His partner, Karen, wanted to see for herself the potential power behind the Zero Driver and the truth that lay within the Tome.
They were highly focused on their prize and tried to prevent others from picking up clues that could lead them to solving the puzzle before they did. But because of their one track mind, they were somewhat sloppy when it came to cleaning up witnesses. So Veyron wasn’t too surprised seeing a survivor although he wondered just how many more are out there thanks to their negligence.
Okay, she was seriously getting on his nerves. Why hadn’t he blasted her already? “Don’t call me that!”
She merely grinned like a maniac. “If you’re not Squall, then what are you? Maybe… you’re a lion?”
“Shut up! How would you like it if I called you something silly like Levi the Slasher?” The biker paused for a moment before pressing his free palm into his face. He was sure that the longer he stuck around that Material-L, the more his IQ would drop.
“Levi the Slasher? Levi… the Slasher… dunno if I like that name. I’ll have to give this some thought.” The blue haired woman started to turn away, much to Veyron’s annoyance.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” She starts a fight and calls him weird names and all of a sudden, she’s turning her back on him?
“Ah, right… boss fight and all. Actually, in this case, this would probably be a sub-boss fight. Dunno if that Plank song would still be suitable for a downgraded battle.”
For some reason, Veyron felt insulted by that. “You little bit-”
“You play with him first, Sette-chan! If you need help, just scream ‘EEK! EEK!’ like a little girl!” shouted the blue haired woman as she headed off to think about that new name.
There was a pause before the Huckebein broke the silence. “Cripes, how can you stand her?”
Sette said nothing as her eye patch started glowing, a sign of the Azure Grimoire’s activation.
“… geez, it’s like talking to a wall here.”
It looks like we're building up to one hell of a fight scene here, I guess that it's finally time to see what the Azure Grimoire can do huh?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanya01
So, to make it up for not posting yesterday, how about a longer post than usual?
"So, you're going to leaving in the next few days?" Suzuka asked as she, Arisa, Nanoha and Fate sat in Suzuka's room, all of them in pajamas as they sat around, relaxing. After hearing the real reason, the two girls wouldn't let their friends go off to alien boot camp without spending at least one night relaxing with them.
"Yeah..." Nanoha nodded and sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. It was still so short compared to what it had been before getting burned off partially. "Mom and dad are on Lindy-san's side, but you can't tell the school the truth." The girls nodded at her. "So, yeah, we're going to Mid-Childa to learn more magic and get some fine-tuning of our devices."
"Why is Miyuki coming with?" Arisa asked, getting a soft blush from Fate. "What?"
"She thinks that my skill with a sword will decrease if she isn't there helping me out. Plus she has a magic sword and wants to try it out where people won't freak out from seeing it." Fate couldn't see the appeal, herself, being able to use magic had been something she could do ever since she came into the world, she really didn't get why Miyuki would be so excited about having a magic sword herself.
"Yeah, well, good luck..." Arisa nodded, before leering at the two. "So... Going away with Yuuno-kuuuun?" She sing-songed, causing the two girls to look at her oddly, their faces slowly turning red. "Going to be with him, all alooooone?"
"Kya!" Suzuka's face was red as she put her hands on her cheeks. "That's sooooo romantic!" She found a pillow in her face, courtesy of Nanoha.
"It's not like that!" Nanoha was blushing as she shook her head. "We're just going to learn some new magic, that's all."
"Suuuuure... Alone, with Yuuno, for six months?" Arisa really had no idea what people did when alone like that, but the books she had been reading gave her some... Interesting ideas. Plus it wasn't often she got to tease her friends.
One really couldn't blame the girls for acting the way they were. They were starting to get older and boys were starting to catch their interest.
It didn't help that Yuuno was pretty cute, strong, brave and a nice guy.
Fate was trying to look anywhere but at the other girls as she poked her fingers together, her face red with embarrassment. Being alone with Yuuno... wasn't a bad thought, but the little blonde had no idea just why it made her feel funny.
(---)
A few days later...
"Ah, welcome..." Nanoha, Fate, and Yuuno all felt a little out of place among the various older people that were standing around paying attention. It wasn't as if the other people were much older than they were, but it felt weird, considering that most of them were in their teens and the three of them hadn't quite yet made it to puberty. Thankfully none of the older people had made a big deal about them being there at all.
If they thought about the fact that Chrono likely went through this training around their age, then it wouldn't be as surprising, but as it was, they felt out of place.
"As many of you know, you will be training with some of our best instructors soon. Many of you are here to learn the skills you need for the fields you are going into. Some of you are here to refine your skills. But all of you are skilled and powerful. You have the weekend off, but we require that you stay here, get to know others that you'll be training with, explore the grounds for those who want to see where you'll be training. Be back on Monday at 0600, dismissed."
As people started to shuffle around, Yuuno looked at Nanoha and Fate. "So, um, what are we going to do?"
"I wanna go check out the training grounds." It was still early in the day, after all, she didn't see any reason to not go check them out.
Fate shrugged and looked at Yuuno. "You want to go look around as well?"
"Sure." He nodded, before blinking. "Oh, right, I need to meet with Mary today, she was going to discuss some things with me."
"I'll come with you, I need to ask her about that new mode she installed into Bardiche." They waved goodbye to Nanoha and started walking towards the offices.
As she watched them leave, Nanoha turned and wondered how Miyuki was doing, and if she convinced the main office to let her stick around. Shrugging, she walked off, wanting to see the training grounds.
(---)
"You're saying I can stay?" Miyuki wasn't sure she heard the Colonel right.
He nodded, smiling at the girl. "It's not often we allow those without any magical talent to stay and train, but Admiral Lindy put a good word in for you, and, as you said, you can't train with a magic sword on Non-Administered World #97 without taking precautions." He pulled up a computer screen and nodded. "It shouldn't be hard to get you some trainers to work with it."
"I already know how to use a sword, this just has a different handle and feel to it..." Miyuki shut up at the look he gave her. "Sorry."
"Even if you know how to use a sword, like you said, this feels different to you. Don't worry, I've got a few people who are interested in helping you out."
"If it's alright, the real reason I came wasn't just to practice with this thing..." Miyuki held the hilt of the Sword of Light up to him. "It's also to help out my little sister, Fate. She sometimes uses a sword to fight and, well... She's not that good with it." She didn't want to talk badly about her family, but it was pretty obvious that Fate didn't really get how to use her Zambar form very well.
"We'll see, we try to make it a habit of not over-working our trainees." He chuckled. "But, anyway, welcome and enjoy the day, we'll get you a room shortly."
Miyuki nodded and stood up. "Thank you."
The colonel shook his head as he watched her leave. "Well, I hope the instructors are ready for kids that Harlaown recommended..." Idly, he wondered if it would be anything like when Lindy had gone through the training herself.
Those were some wild and fun times after all.
(---)
"Come on, everyone." An older woman looked on at her recruits and shook her head. She had them running laps around the training field. "The sooner you get done, the sooner you get to go eat lunch." It wasn't harsh, it was just motivation.
She turned to look at the slowest person and blinked as she saw a girl in pants, a white shirt and short red hair sitting in a nearby tree giggling softly. "Hmm... You there," she walked over to the tree as the cadet took off running, "what's your name?"
"Ah..." The girl blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "My name's Nanoha Takamachi, and I'm going to be training here on Monday."
"Ah yes..." The woman nodded to her. "I heard about you... The one Lindy found. I just hope you're not like she was." The girl blinked in confusion as the older woman laughed. "Don't worry about it. My name is Mizetto Crowbel." She smiled at Nanoha. "You're here for some refining training, correct?"
Nanoha nodded and blinked as Midget pulled out a staff and pointed it at her. "How about a quick match then?"
Nanoha shrugged. "Sure. Raising Heart, set up."
"Standbye ready."
Mizetto just smiled at the young girl. "Shall we have some fun then?"
Nanoha nodded and grinned, this could be fun.
(---)
"This place is beautiful." Miyuki muttered as she looked around, before smiling as she saw two familiar blonds heading her way. "Yuuno! Fate!"
"Miyuki." Fate smiled at the older girl. "How did it go?"
"Pretty good." Miyuki nodded, smiling. "I'll be able to stick around and..." Whatever else she would have said was cut off as a rather large pink explosion happened in the distance. "...I think Nanoha got into a fight."
"Oh no..." Yuuno and Fate both groaned, knowing just how bad Nanoha could get with her magic. It was even worse since Lina often times encouraged them to make larger explosions when they trained.
(---)
Mizetto coughed as dust flew into the air. "That was impressive." She said as she floated backwards. Such power so quickly, most people who had large amounts of power, and there weren't that many, had trouble collecting it so fast.
Nanoha smiled up at her. "Thank you."
"Divine Buster."
Mizetto raised an eyebrow, that was a strong attack, still... Closing her eyes, she concentrated her magic to the tip of her staff and swung up, smashing into the end of the ball of energy and, with some effort, causing it to arc over her body and smash into some trees, destroying them instantly. "Oh dear, seems that you don't hold back." She held up a hand and squeezed. "I guess I can't either than."
Nanoha tried to move, but found her arms, legs and even body all bound up. "Nnngh! Raising Heart! Excellion Mode! Drive!"
"Ignition."
The boost in power was what Nanoha needed as the bonds shattered while a large white beam came right at her. Throwing up her barrier, she blocked it but gasped as she took a shot to her back.
"There is a time and place for blocking, Nanoha." Mizetto said as she watched the girl tumble slightly before pointing her staff up at the old woman. "There are times it's far better to dodge than to block, and parrying is better than dodging, as it puts you in a better position to counter at times." Mizetto found herself bound up by the young girl, who was pointing her staff at her. "Oh my... I shouldn't talk to much against you."
Nanoha smiled at her. "Raising Heart... Divine Flame Buster!" A gout of pure white flame rushed right at the old woman and Nanoha hoped that she wouldn't get burned too badly. She held back most of the power that she normally used for that spell.
Nanoha gaped as the woman disappeared from where she was. The gaping didn't last very long before she was forced to physically block an attack from the older woman as she appeared right in front of her, behind Nanoha's attack. "Nnnah!"
Mizetto shook her head. Using Movement Magic from that position had been risky, she was just lucky that she didn't tear an arm or leg off attempting to do it. Still, it seemed like this girl was a bit wild with her magic and not very good at close-range at all. And Mizetto knew that she couldn't win at long range, not against that level of power. 'I wonder if she's really AAA rank or if she's higher than that.' She thought before following the girl down.
Nanoha shook her head as she got her bearings and yelped slightly as the older woman appeared in front of her, slamming her staff against Raising Heart. The older woman smiled for a moment before Nanoha gasped as the older woman drove a knee into her body, forcing the younger girl back. "Nnagh..."
"For someone so strong, you have several flaws to your style." Mizetto commented as she bound up Nanoha again. "Mid and long range are good for you, but your close-range isn't that good." Not that there was anything wrong with that, there were plenty of people that couldn't fight at close range. "If fighting someone who challenges you to close range, your best bet is to either retreat to a bit of a distance, or use quicker spells to push them away."
"Raising Heart... Assault mode!"
"Activation."
Mizetto blinked as the staff broke apart, before wrapping itself around Nanoha's body, the gem coming to a rest on her chest and several "wings" on her back pointed downwards. A visor slipped over her face as a large cannon appeared on her left arm and something, she wasn't sure, appeared on her right arm. "That's an interesting choice."
"Supreme.. Buster!" Nanoha wouldn't use her Chaos mode, but she wanted to prove that she was good, she didn't want to look pathetic, not after all the training that her mother put her through. It just wouldn't be right!
Mizetto flew straight up and stared as the beam twisted and followed her into the air. "Nice." She nodded, knowing that if this went on she was going to lose easily. Especially since the girl was pushing at least high S rank in power right now. As she moved around the beam, she stared as it twisted in the sky and rushed right at her. At the rate this was going, someone was going to end up hurt. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of something metal heading right for her. Turning her head, she saw that the girl had a whip coming from her right arm and was swinging right at her.
Mizetto closed her eyes, she hated to do this but... "Reflect." She whispered as she threw up a barrier to block the attack.
Nanoha grinned, that was what she was waiting for. "Alright, let's..." She trailed off as the beam glanced off the barrer and went straight for her. "Eeek!"
"Protection Enhanced."
Nanoha crossed her arms and closed her eyes as her barrier came up and she grunted from the effort of having to block her own attack. She cracked an eye open as the attack was finally abating. "Nnngh..."
"I think we should stop." Mizetto said as she floated over to the girl. "Otherwise one of us is going to get seriously hurt." She patted the confused girl on her shoulder. "You're very good, skilled with your magic and it doesn't take long to use your spells, but it seems like that's all you can do, throw big spells around. I think I see why Lindy wants you to go through this training now."
Nanoha just blinked owlishly as the older woman just smiled at her. "So... I did good?"
"Very good." She nodded at Nanoha and looked around, grimacing slightly. "Though, from now on, you shouldn't use that armor of yours in training."
"Nyahahahaha..." Nanoha giggled nervously.
Spoiler for Comments:
Went with Mizetto instead of Midget, so... Yeah...
I wonder what would have happened if Lina had gone through this kind of training when she was younger.
Mizetto is definatly right though, the assault mode armour is not the kind of thing you use in a friendly training session, imagine the faces of some of the other recruits after seeing a performance like that.
She has probably already made a reputation for herself five minutes after arriving.
__________________
"The eyes are the windows that let us gaze upon the soul"
"When desperate there are two choices: Lock shields for the last stand or draw your sword for the final charge"
"There are no winners or losers, there are only the living and the dead."
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
In which emotion once more causes me to produce a piece that will probably make no sense to anyone, even me. I found out today that my third grade teacher--a woman who personally tutored me throughout middle school and stayed involved in my life even after I left her class--lost her son. He was feeling sick. We got the call a couple hours ago.
Spoiler for Interaction:
Watching Lutecia read was always entertaining for Megane. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why she found it so much fun to observe; there was simply something about the way her girl stretched out on the couch, a pair of glasses perched on her nose as she read quietly through a book with utmost concentration and importance, as if nothing mattered to her at that moment except for the words on the page.
Part of the entertainment, admittedly, was probably getting the chance every now and again, when she felt the urge, to break her daughter’s focused, silent concentration. Lutecia’s reaction was always priceless; breaking her concentration when she was reading was the equivalent of jumping out from the shadows at her dressed like a ghost.
Megane liked entertaining theories as to why breaking Lutecia’s concentration spooked her so badly; her current thought was simply that the young summoner was the type when, given a task, would focus on it completely and thoroughly, narrowing her world down to whatever it was she was doing. In that mindset, any small shock or scare would be enough to make her jump through the roof.
Unfortunately, today wasn’t a good day for trying anything funny. Yes, Lutecia was reading, but it was a bright, sunny day outside, and the sunlight filled the apartment through the windows. It was too bright for her to really try hiding in any shadows, unless she felt like sneaking all the way from one place to another.
Which she didn’t.
And besides, right now Lutecia just looked so at ease. Completely snuggled against the couch as she read, seeming almost ready to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. It was small, but for some reason, Megane didn’t feel like playing around with her daughter when she was like that.
Smirking to herself and wondering when she had grown so old, Megane stepped out of the kitchen, sipping from her cup of tea. Passing by the couch on the way to her room, she absently brushed her hand through Lutecia’s hair; a soft, light, quick gesture, from mother to daughter.
The only acknowledgement Lutecia gave of the touch was a quick flickering of her eyes; red glancing up to follow her mother’s figure, then settling once more on her book, turning the page.
Glancing back, Megane saw the small smile on her daughter’s lips, and pleased with herself, settled in her chair at her desk and set to work.
Giving her girl the occasional spook was nice for a laugh, but getting her to smile was something that lasted long after the laughter ended.
Sweet ending .
That kind of concentration would be nice for whoever she was concentrating so hard on ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by synaesthetic
CHAPTER 7 BITCHES
YEAAAAAAHHHHH
Okay so yeah, this doesn't actually explain everything that made people go ? in chapter 6. It just got too big and there's too many things going on!
So yeah. Read. Enjoy. Etc.
false light
a false light casts a darker Shadow...
Victor Stormhawk sighed heavily, rubbing his bleary eyes as hundreds of lines of locational data scrolled across the projected display. He wasn't alone, however; both Lutecia and Vivio sat at identical consoles, scanning over the massive amounts of sensor log data collected by the various probes scattered throughout dimensional space.
The Bureau made a habit of seeding areas of interest with long-range probes, small Device-like satellites that took various readings. Most of the data was of no use to the companions—temperature data, readings on the planets and stars various status. The sensor probes were also configured to detect unusual magical signatures. The individual Linker Cores of mages would not likely be detectable amidst all the background information, but the fish they were attempting to catch was the big one.
Abraham Stele's Linker Core was rated at SS-rank capacities, and the Bureau's ranking system was a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. An SS-ranked mage was an order of magnitude more easy to detect via sensor probes than an S-rank.
Still, it would not be easy at all. So much data to sift through, and time was not on their side. The more time passed, the greater the danger to Celica. Victor grunted softly and returned his attention to the data scrolling across the screen.
“This is getting us nowhere,” Lutecia growled in frustration. “Either the sensitivity isn't calibrated correctly, or Stele has discovered a way to mask his Linker Core's signature. He isn't showing up on any of the worlds on Yuuno's list.”
“It has to be in here somewhere,” Victor said mildly. “Unless you have a better idea?”
“Not really,” Lutecia said gloomily, turning back to her screen. Vivio leaned over from her terminal and tapped Victor on the shoulder.
“I actually... think I might have a better idea. Faster, anyway.”
Both Shadows turned to the young woman, staring at her quizzically. Vivio blushed slightly, but set her shoulders resolutely and forged ahead.
“There is one person I can think of who knows more about Lost Logia than anyone in the Bureau, even Yuuno...” Vivio trailed off meaningfully, making a small motion with her fingers. “But I don't know.”
“Who are you talking about?” Victor wanted to know, staring hard at Vivio. The blond girl opened her mouth to reply, but Lutecia was faster.
“Jail Scaglietti,” the summoner said thoughtfully. “Of course he would know more.” Victor stared at the two women blankly for a long moment, a stunned expression written across his face.
“Jail Scaglietti, the criminal who created the combat cyborgs, artificial mages, nearly destabilized the entire Midchildan system, unearthed the ancient Belkan dreadnought Saint's Cradle and started the basis for Project F? You mean that Jail Scaglietti?”
“Yeah, Storm. That Scaglietti,” Lutecia said matter-of-factly.
“You're both crazy,” Victor said incredulously. “We're doing this very, very off-the-record. Do you really think that the Bureau's highest-security orbital prison is just going to let us drop in on the most hated criminal in recent history?”
“The Admiral—”
“Doesn't really have the authority to allow such a thing,” Victor cut in. “In attaining his current position, he lost much of his influence in the regular forces. His heroic exploits have not aged well, either.”
“This is our best shot, Storm,” Lutecia insisted. “Nobody alive knows more about Lost Logia than he does. We may not be able to just show up and have a little chat with him, but perhaps there's another way.”
“We could try talking to Fate-mama. She might be able to pull some strings for us, get us a little time to speak with Scaglietti off-the-record. It wouldn't be very long, though, and it would be risky for Fate-mama...”
“Even assuming she would go along with this insane plan,” Victor objected, “what makes you think Scaglietti will even talk? Why would he help the people who imprisoned him?”
“Big ego,” Lutecia said immediately. “Make him believe someone else is besting him, one-upping him, and he'll probably be glad to tell us. He's never been the tight-lipped type, anyway. Always going off on grand villain's expositions.”
Victor stared at the other Shadow and frowned. “I'm not one to put all my eggs in one basket here, but this seems like the best idea yet. Enforcer-Commandant Testarossa-Harlaown has the authority to do this thing without involving anyone else, so...”
“Let's go see Miss Harlaown, then,” Lutecia said softly. Both Vivio and Victor nodded, packing up and shutting the terminals down.
---
Unknown location
09.01.0088
Celica blinked her gray eyes exhaustedly, vainly attempting to moisten them. The rogue NSIS elements didn't harm her, but they sure didn't make her life very easy. She had only been allowed six hours for sleep and another hour to bathe; the rest of the day she spent poring over the Precursor Artifact.
She was hungry, but the guards wouldn't allow her a half-hour dinner break for another two hours. They obviously intended to force her to work on the problem for as much time as possible each day, banking on the hope that she'd make a breakthrough soon.
As the analyst ran several code-sniffers and began to examine what she believed to be a base fragment of the core logic, Celica wondered why she had been chosen for this task. She was very good at what she did, but she was hardly the best choice for a task of this nature. She was an expert at breaking into computer systems—not an expert on Lost Logia.
Really, Dr. Scrya would have likely been a better candidate, thought Celica idly as she waited for the operations to complete. Or they could have busted Scaglietti out of prison...
It didn't make any sense. There were any number of experts out there that knew as much or more than she did, and most of them weren't expert spies and reasonably powerful mages. Without Tizona, Celica's skills were not nearly as impressive, and she could not leverage her magical ability effectively.
So why me?
That was a question Celica could not answer, but her musings were quickly forgotten when the computer let out a soft chime, signaling that the analysis was finished. She immediately focused on the output data and allowed herself a tight smile.
She'd found a way in—the very basics of the core logic used by the Al'hazred magic system could now be translated into modern Midchildan. Now, finally, she could really get to work—the computers would be able to talk to each other, at long last.
This isn't just the computer's language, but the basics of how the Al'hazred used magic. There might be more useful information in here than I thought. Celica glanced around, wary of the technicians assigned to make sure she didn't throw a spanner in the works. She didn't think any of them were as knowledgeable or as subtle as she, and she doubted that they would notice what she planned to do.
Already Celica had managed to translate the Al'hazred system to Midchildan. With some effort, she knew, it might be possible to actually use Al'hazred magic. What she did not know was how effective it would be without the aid of a Device. The Precursors' understanding of magic and how it worked went far beyond that of Midchildan mages. The core logic was different; the results were similar, but the ancients took a different route to obtain them.
It was possible that using what was stored within, she might discover a way to circumvent the AMF that kept her more a prisoner than the guards. Stele was not a technical person; Celica did not think the Belkan warrior would anticipate something like this.
Calm down and think, Celica told herself. If this is even possible, you're only going to get one shot at this.
Sighing loudly in false exasperation, Celica returned to the computers, making sure the technicians and the guards could hear her outward expressions of frustration. She wanted to make sure that her keepers thought she had reached an impasse.
---
Two hours later:
“Here you are, miss. You have thirty minutes before you are required to return to your duties,” the female guard, the same one from before, said politely. Celica gratefully accepted the small tray and moved away from her work, quickly eating the tasteless military rations without complaint.
This tastes remarkably bland, but at least it's nutritious, she thought, shoveling another large bite of unidentifiable synthetic protein gruel into her mouth. It was like eating oatmeal without honey or sugar.
When Celica took her meal break, the technicians took theirs as well. They were gone, having left the computer center to a makeshift dining hall somewhere nearby. The guards remained, however, taking their meals near the doorway leading out, trying their best to avoid the elevated heat levels. Until the processing core was reactivated, the life support systems were only minimally functional. The computer center itself should have been kept much cooler than this, to ensure that the delicate devices did not overheat.
It doesn't make much difference if they're all basically inactive and we have to power them up individually just to take a look inside, Celica thought as she scraped the last bits of her food from the tray. She sat the container down and leaned back against the silvery metal wall, closing her eyes as if she were taking a quick nap.
The guards were eating something that smelled much more appetizing than her gruel, and they appeared to be quite relaxed, secure in the fact that, bereft of a Device and within the field of a very powerful AMF, their charge had been effectively rendered harmless.
Well, this is what their inattentiveness will earn them, Celica thought grimly. If this even works.
The use of magic was something very similar to mathematics; there was a certain method, a formula or equation used to route the chaotic, formless power channeled through the Linker Core into a form that could be manipulated at will. The Anti-Magilink Field was essentially interference, a form of magical jamming that prevented common methods of access from functioning. As a result, Celica could barely detect the presence of her own Linker Core... at least, if she used the commonly-known and understood Modern Midchildan method.
The Al'hazred method had been lost to the mists of time after the fall of their civilization. Pieces of it survived over the centuries, seen within Ancient Belkan and Modern Belkan, but the original core logic of the Precursors was something that Celica alone now knew.
Celica fell deeply within her own mind, cutting out external input, ignoring the armed guards and their low-voiced conversation. She ignored the heat of the computer center, ignored the soft hum of her workstations. She blocked all external influences out as she worked to restructure the connection between herself and her Linker Core.
Her lips split into a wide grin. It would work. It was possible.
It wouldn't be an easy process and it would take some time, but it was possible. She opened her eyes and sighed heavily as the guards stood at attention, staring at her, their rifles held at the ready.
The technicians will be back any minute now, she thought glumly. I best make myself look busy.
With any luck, I won't get a wink of sleep tonight.
---
Enforcer-Commandant's Office
Time-Space Administration Bureau Main Office
09.01.0088
Lutecia forced a polite smile at the woman behind the desk, trying hard not to let her impatience show. But the receptionist had become an obstruction, one that, in her current state, Lutecia wished nothing more than to instruct Garyuu to remove.
“Calm down, Alphine,” Victor said, a note of warning in his voice. Lutecia sighed heavily and stepped back as the receptionist answered another call, ignoring the summoner's ire.
“Vivio, can't you do something?” Victor queried. Vivio nodded slightly.
“I can call her, but if she's in a meeting, it won't do us any good. The receptionist might be lying because we came in unannounced, though.”
“Call her and find out,” Lutecia growled. “I can feel my blood pressure rising.”
“All right,” Vivio replied, sending a mental command to her Device. The Intelligent Device, taking the form of a ring while in its suspended state, responded immediately and made the call.
A holographic display materialized in the air mere seconds after Vivio established the communications link. The porcelain-smooth face of Enforcer-Commandant Fate Testarossa-Harlaown appeared on the screen, her features turned up in a smile upon seeing Vivio, but her eyes remained sharp.
“I take it from your expression that you aren't just calling to say hello. Who's there with you? Are you in my office right now?”
“Colonel Harlaown,” Victor began, cutting in before Vivio could reply, “we must speak with you privately on a matter of grave importance. A particularly thorny incident involving a Lost Logia and a missing Bureau member.”
“Who am I speaking with?” Fate wanted to know.
“Warrant Officer Victor Stormhawk, TSAB Naval Forces,” the blond man replied smartly, saluting without hesitation. It was an unfamiliar motion; the Shadows all held positions within the regular Navy, but rarely did they have to use the ranks in their day-to-day duties.
“And Lutecia is with you as well,” Fate noted in a neutral tone. She knew of the younger Alphine's connection with NSIS and her job as a Shadow. The supreme commander of the Enforcers was smart enough to deduce that this Warrant Officer Stormhawk was also a Shadow.
“Fate-mama, we need your help,” Vivio said earnestly. “Can you meet with us in private?”
“I'll clear my schedule. Give me a moment.”
The projected communications pane vanished, leaving the three young mages in silence. The receptionist glanced up from her work, shrugging.
Lutecia broke the silence first. “Well, this is going better than I had hoped.”
“Save that until you've told her your crackpot plan,” Victor remarked acidly. “This is never going to work.”
“Don't be so pessimistic, Storm,” Lutecia said softly. “I know you're agitated right now—you know I'd be crawling up the walls if it had been someone else instead of Celica. But we'll get her back, I'm sure of it.”
Victor let out a deep breath and allowed his gaze to fall briefly on Vivio's shapely form. Of course, if it had been Vivio who was being held prisoner instead of Celica, Lutecia would not be the only one tearing the entire Bureau down around its own ears.
It stung Victor profoundly. Celica had very few friends. She was invisible outside of NSIS, and as a senior analyst, she was far more boss than friend to most of the other intel weenies. Within the Shadows, only the admiral, Lutecia and Victor truly cared for her.
Vivio Takamachi was a beloved figure within the Bureau, the daughter of two of the most famous aerial mages to ever serve under the aegis of the TSAB. If it were she who had been kidnapped, the Bureau would be moving heaven, hell and the earth with its bare hands to retrieve her.
But it was only Celica Iris-Lynnfield who had been kidnapped, and only two Shadows and a research assistant cared enough to risk their lives for her.
“This is pissing me off,” Victor muttered.
---
“Bardiche, seal the door and erect a phase barrier,” Fate requested softly. The Intelligent Device, still locked within its suspended form, complied and flashed with golden light.
“Yes, sir.”
A Midchildan magic circle blazed into existence underneath Fate's feet, fiercely glowing with gold light. The air became distorted, losing color and washing out slightly before rippling and returning to normal.
“There, now nobody can listen in on our conversation without an extensive amount of effort,” Fate said gently. “Please, sit down.”
The two Shadows and Vivio complied, taking their seats on the comfortable divan stretched across one side of Fate's office. The colonel herself took a seat opposite them, on the other couch, and cupped her hands around a mug of tea. Taking a long, slow sip, she looked at her young visitors expectantly.
Victor took a deep breath. “Madame Enforcer-Commandant, we need to speak with Jail Scaglietti.”
Fate maintained an iron grip on her emotions, but the request struck her like a blow. Her mouth dropped open slightly in surprise.
“That is an extraordinary request, one I cannot grant lightly.”
“These are extraordinary times,” Victor went on. “Madame Commandant, I—”
“Please, call me Fate. I can't stand my full title.”
“Very well, Fate,” Victor said, unperturbed, “I'll get right to the point. You already know that Lutecia Alphine is an agent with the Naval Special Intelligence Service, and I'm sure you've already surmised that I am also a Shadow, as well.”
“Correct. Please continue.”
“As the supreme commander of the Enforcers, you also know that an NSIS agent, Celica Iris-Lynnfield, has been accused of murder and is currently at large.”
“I know of this,” Fate confirmed. “We have issued a wide-area arrest warrant for Iris-Lynnfield on suspicion of murdering three Security Division officers, as well as charges of espionage and treason.”
“Espionage and treason, too?” Victor echoed incredulously. He glanced at Lutecia warily. The woman, who had been letting Victor do most of the talking, could be silent no longer.
“That's complete bullshit,” Lutecia spat coldly. “The Administration is hanging Celica out to dry—and NSIS, too, by association. They have no idea what actually happened.”
“Please, start from the beginning,” asked Fate, an irritated tone creeping in her voice. “Things aren't as they seem, are they?”
“No, they aren't,” Victor agreed. “From what we have discovered, NSIS has been compromised to an enormous degree. Even Admiral Harlaown has no idea how widespread the problem is, but here's the deal: Celica stumbled upon something she shouldn't have during the course of her normal duties. Rogue elements within NSIS attempted to murder her in order to keep their dirty little secret hidden, but Celica proved to be stronger.
“She escaped, taking the incriminating data with her. According to Alphine here, Celica has been running around the entire TSAB system and beyond, trying desperately to find enough evidence to clear her name and hang the traitorous bastards by their balls.”
“Celica found the evidence necessary,” Lutecia said, picking up where Victor left off. “But the rogue faction within NSIS would not stop there. They sent a powerful mage to take her and the evidence into custody.”
“Where is Iris-Lynnfield now?” Fate wanted to know.
“That's what we don't know. She was taken prisoner by a high-ranking member of the rogue faction, but they could be holding her anywhere.”
“Why do you need to speak with Scaglietti?” Fate asked bluntly.
“We have reason to believe that the rogue faction has made its base of operations on a world containing remnants of the Al'hazred civilization,” Victor explained, watching with interest as the word Al'hazred sent a shadow flickering across Fate's expression. “Nobody alive knows more about the Al'hazred and Lost Logia than he.”
“You think Scaglietti might have an idea where this rogue faction has gone to ground?”
“That's correct,” Victor replied steadily. Fate did not immediately respond; the blond woman instead took several long, slow sips from her rapidly-cooling tea. Both Victor and Lutecia could almost see the gears and cogs turning within Fate's mind as she contemplated the incredible request. They remained silent, waiting for the senior officer to make her decision.
Vivio wasn't one to wait, however, and her relationship with Fate was far more informal than that of Lutecia and Victor.
“Fate-mama, please. Cia's friend is in danger, the longer it takes to find her, the more likely she is to be killed. And if they make her activate the Lost Logia...” Vivio trailed off meaningfully, knowing full well the ominous implication would bring memories flooding back to the veteran Enforcer.
“All right, you've convinced me,” Fate said at length. “I'll arrange everything—under one condition.”
“And that would be?” Victor inquired.
“I will be sending one of my own people with you,” Fate elaborated. “I would greatly like to accompany you myself, but my duties do not allow me the luxury of gallivanting across the multiverse like when I was younger.”
“That is acceptable to us,” Victor said guardedly, wondering just who Colonel Harlaown had in mind. He glanced at Lutecia, who shrugged, not bothering to comment.
“Thank you, Fate-mama!” Vivio gushed, tackling the older woman with a close hug. Fate smiled and blushed faintly, returning her adoptive daughter's grateful embrace. The senior Enforcer managed to disentangle herself long enough to open a channel to her receptionist.
“Diane, please instruct Captain Lanster to report to my office for immediate reassignment.”
---
Harlaown residence
Cranagan, Midchilda
09.01.0088
Chrono swirled the Belkan wine around in a fluted glass idly, contemplating the thick, blood-red liquid for a long moment before taking a small swallow. The drink was bitter and strong, befitting of a warrior culture, he thought.
He sat in his study, across from his mother, Lindy Harlaown, the Bureau's representative to the IAFW Administrative Council. The woman, still in the prime of middle age, looked almost as young as she did when she was the captain of the Bureau cruise patrol warship Asura.
There are a few more wrinkles around the mouth, a few lines under her eyes from the stress of her political appointment, Chrono thought. But there was little time to waste with pointless things.
“I wish I could just be a grandmother for the next few days, but the Council hearing into NSIS branch of the Naval Forces begins tomorrow. I need to know, Chrono: are you close to some sort of resolution?”
“As far as I know, my agents are getting closer,” Chrono said grimly. “I allowed Lutecia Alphine to bring in Agent Victor Stormhawk, and it seems that my top Field Division agent is also bringing in help of her own from other places. I was informed earlier that Vivio Takamachi now accompanies the two of them, and that they spent some time in Enforcer-Commandant Harlaown's office. Shortly thereafter, they were seen at the main office in the company of Captain Teana Lanster.”
“A strong force,” Lindy agreed, showing no sign of concern for Vivio's safety, Chrono noted. Lindy knew well that Vivio had inherited her genetic ancestor's Belkan Rare Skill, but more than that, Vivio was an adult, able to make her own decisions. Her grandmother wasn't about to invalidate the young woman's choices.
“Fate told me they came to her, asking for permission to interrogate Jail Scaglietti, and Lutecia recently sent me an operational update, complete with all the information they have gathered so far.”
Chrono tapped a string of commands into a virtual console and several displays materialized before Lindy, allowing the woman to examine the data contained in Lutecia's report. The woman was silent for a long time as she digested the information.
“I hope they succeed,” Lindy said coolly, closing the displays with a dismissive gesture. “This information is damning, but it's entirely circumstantial and speculative. Without overwhelming concrete evidence—and someone to blame, I might add—the Council will do everything in their power to dissolve NSIS.”
“Even if they succeed,” Chrono muttered darkly, “the Council may still yet decide that the potential for corruption is too great and dissolve the Shadows anyway.”
“That is possible, yes, but even if that happens, at least Iris-Lynnfield will not be made a scapegoat.”
“Point,” Chrono conceded, leaning back in his seat and taking another sip of his wine. “You should go get some rest, Mother. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
“I will, dear,” Lindy said with a slight smile. “I don't get many chances to visit with my only son, so I want to make the best of this. With the kids and Amy already asleep, this might be the only chance I get to spend time with you alone for a long while.”
Chrono chuckled, raising his glass and taking another sip. “More wine, then?”
“Absolutely,” Lindy said, grinning and holding out her empty glass.
---
TSAB Maximum Security Orbital Prison
Aquilae 3, Beta Aquilae
09.01.0088
Lutecia glanced at Victor sidelong as Teana Lanster spoke in rapid-fire speech to the prison warden's obstinate receptionist. The poor woman looked stricken as the red-haired woman towered over her, glowering with impatience.
“My orders come from the Enforcer-Commandant herself,” Teana growled, waving her arms impatiently. “I don't care if the warden is on his deathbed; get him in here. I know it's late at night, but this mission is more important than the warden's beauty sleep!”
“Y-yes, ma'am,” the frightened secretary said, her face pale. Teana nodded curtly and continued to glare harshly at the woman for a few moments before a door opened and the disheveled prison warden walked in, irritation at being awoken written across his face.
“What do you want, Enforcer? It's the middle of the sleep period; couldn't it have waited until morning?”
Teana frowned slightly and said, “My name is Captain Teana Lanster; I have been ordered by Colonel Testarossa-Harlaown to perform a crucial mission for the Naval Forces.” The red-haired woman sent her Device, Cross Mirage, a mental command. A holographic display materialized before the warden, detailing the mission orders and the official magical sigil of Colonel Fate T. Harlaown, Enforcer-Commandant of the TSAB.
The warden's reaction was predictable. His eyes widened and his jaw became slack, staring at the order incredulously. His instructions were brief but to the point.
“Very well, Captain,” the warden said after a long moment. “I will take you to Scaglietti, but please, can I get dressed first?”
Teana was magnanimous in her victory, and nodded slightly. Lutecia, Vivio and Victor watched in awe as the imposing form of the prison warden—slightly less so in a plain white t-shirt and boxer shorts—strode back into his quarters to clean himself up.
“Scaglietti is in the highest security cell block,” Teana explained, “and security measures being what they are, only one person can be allowed to converse with the prisoner at once. They will be sealed inside a special interrogation room and placed under a heavy AMF/jamming field that even interferes with combat cyborg systems.”
Victor raised an eyebrow. “I assumed Colonel Harlaown sent you for that exact purpose?”
“I was ordered to accompany you and assist you in your mission,” explained the Enforcer smoothly. “Your entire mission. The Enforcer-Commandant has spoken at length with your superior. It's been decided; whatever's going on here is a major threat to the peace, and the incident has now come up on General Yagami's desk.”
“I knew that would happen as soon as it leaked,” Lutecia said sourly. This isn't good, Lutecia sent to Victor. If this situation gets any more public, even if the Administration doesn't give NSIS the thumbs-down, all of us are going to be too famous to do our jobs.
I'm well aware of that, Victor replied, but there's little else we can do other than move forward. Celica will be the one harmed the most by this, you know.
Lutecia didn't bother responding to that.
Teana frowned, sensing that thoughtspeech was bouncing back and forth between the two Shadows, but having no way to decrypt it and listen in, she merely shrugged. “Let's worry about the other stuff later. Who will be volunteering to perform the interrogation?”
“I'll take care of this,” Lutecia said grimly. “I know the man better than anyone else here; if anyone can get the data we need out of his head, it'll be me.”
“Very well,” Teana said seriously. “Agent Stormhawk, Vivio, you two can wait in the lounge. I'll get someone to bring you something to eat; make yourselves comfortable.”
“Thanks,” Victor muttered, somewhat annoyed that he would not be able to listen in on the interrogation through the one-way glass. According to the security protocol, prisoners of the highest lockdown status could only be interrogated by one person, accompanied by an entire squad of guards.
The warden emerged from his quarters, dressed snappily in his dark blue Naval Forces uniform. He whispered something Lutecia couldn't quite catch to his receptionist, who nodded immediately and started entering commands into her console.
“We will head to the maximum-security cell block,” the warden said without preamble. “Only one of you can come.”
“I'll be the one going,” Lutecia said. The warden nodded and beckoned for her to follow, while Teana led Victor and Vivio toward the prison's administrative lounge, where they would be required to wait until the interrogation was over.
Lutecia followed the warden down the austere corridors of the orbital prison. As a correctional facility, the station had very little in the way of creature comforts outside the administration area and the guard barracks. Security was the overriding concern—Lutecia could spot multiple full-resolution video cameras and multifunction sensor nodes at regular intervals. Breaking out of such a facility would be exceedingly difficult.
The AMF did not extend to the corridors, but Lutecia knew there were likely several emergency field generators hidden away within the station, to be activated in the event of an escape.
The warden stopped beside a thick blast door and waited patiently while the scanner examined his Linker Core signature, identifying him and allowing access. The heavy door slid open soundlessly, leading into a small interrogation room bisected by a heavy sheet of impact-resistant glass.
On the other side of the glass sat a very glum Jail Scaglietti, looking none the worse for wear and almost exactly like he did twelve years ago. Surrounding his chair were four heavily-armed Naval Forces marines, outfitted with heavy Barrier Jackets and carrying linear rifles. The marines kept their Devices holstered, for they would do little good under the effects of such a strong AMF.
Lutecia could feel the effects of the field herself, even though it was centered on the opposite side of the room. Her connection to her own Linker Core felt strange, as if she were viewing it through frosted glass.
“You have one hour and then the prisoner must be returned to his cell,” the warden said, taking his seat near the door. “I will not interfere, but I must oversee, per regulations.”
Lutecia ignored the man and stood before the glass barrier, staring at the shackled man with an apathetic gaze.
“Doctor,” she said neutrally.
“Ah, Lutecia,” said Jail Scaglietti, the man smiling slightly as he looked up. “What brings you to my neck of the woods? Come to visit your old friend the Doctor?”
Lutecia didn't answer immediately. His eyes seemed to lack the fire they once held. Lutecia wasn't surprised—twelve years in this hell would dampen the spirits of even the most indomitable folk.
“You know I'm not here for small talk,” Lutecia said grimly. “This is the first time I've seen you in twelve years. I've come to tell you something.”
“Ah, but you never wrote, you never called. I've missed you, my dear Lutecia! It's so wonderful to see you again,” the arcanist went on, his face smiling, but there was a hard edge to that smile that Lutecia didn't like one bit.
“Al'hazred ruins, Doctor,” Lutecia said coolly. “Someone else has been following in your footsteps. We're trying to find them and stop them.”
“Why would I want to help you do that?” Jail said, laughing loudly. “If there are researchers and arcanists out there continuing my work, I wish them luck! I believe we're done here, my dear Lutecia.”
“They aren't continuing your research, Doctor,” Lutecia replied, a note of sorrow injected into her voice. “They've taken it to a whole new level, above and beyond anything that you ever imagined!”
Jail frowned, his mind frantically sorting through his vast knowledge. Lutecia smiled inwardly—the good Doctor's incarceration hadn't done much to improve his sanity. He had always been egotistical and prone to lengthy bouts of exposition, delighting in proving his intellectual superiority over everyone else.
Lutecia was counting on that very thing. If she could rile him up enough, get him to believe that the rogue faction would eclipse his brilliance with research based off of his own work, he would sing like a bird.
“They'll be the ones who claim the credit, Doctor,” Lutecia went on, pressing her advantage without mercy. “I've seen the experimental data myself, and it works. Flawlessly, I might add. All they have to do is perfect the method and even the great accomplishment of Project F will pale in comparison!”
“What have they done?” Jail demanded sharply.
“They've discovered how to artificially increase the capacity of a person's Linker Core, without any physical or genetic modification,” Lutecia said simply, relying on the information Celica had saved within Tizona's memory. “Artificial mages and combat cyborgs cannot compare to this, Doctor. There are no side-effects. No expensive and time-consuming maintenance. The experimental bodies are not fragile in any way.”
“But—”
“Not only is this possible, Doctor,” Lutecia interrupted, “but there is even evidence that they managed to activate dormant Linker Cores with this technology. People completely without magic, suddenly becoming powerful mages!”
“Impossible!” Scaglietti howled. “There is no way that can be done with the current understanding of arcane theory, unless... unless... no, there's no way. They couldn't have found it!”
“Couldn't have found what, Doctor?”
“Al'hazred technology. A secret facility for augmenting and creating mages, used to quickly build a powerful military force in times of crisis,” Scaglietti muttered, almost to himself. His eyes widened madly and he held his head in his hands.
The Doctor burst out laughing.
“So, someone else found it! And they found a working processor core! Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! That was to be my finale! My greatest work, if only I could have found or repaired the processor core!
“NO! I will not let them have it,” Scaglietti wheezed, his breath coming out in gasps. He started to jerk ineffectually against his shackles and chains, his body flopping about in the restrictive chair, desperately trying to escape, as if he meant to stop them himself.
“I'll help you, Doctor,” Lutecia said soothingly. “Tell me where it is, and I'll stop them for you. I won't let them take all the glory. I used to help you, long ago, Doctor, do you remember?”
Scaglietti's body suddenly ceased its useless thrashing and he locked a suspicious gaze on Lutecia, his vision blurring from the crazed exertions.
“I remember... you will do this favor for me, sweet Lutecia?”
“I promise I'll stop them,” Lutecia said firmly, and she meant it. She had always had mixed feelings for the Doctor, even when she worked for him... when she traveled with Zest and Agito. The other two had unabashedly hated Scaglietti, but Lutecia didn't hold such strong negative emotions for the man.
Even now, after so many years, after all that had happened, Lutecia could not truly bring herself to blame the man as much as others did. He had never been completely sane and the TSAB High Council took advantage of him. They had paid for their audacity with their lives, but Lutecia, and many others within NSIS, knew that the true criminals had been given the easy way out.
Still, Lutecia felt slightly sad as the Doctor began to talk rapidly, rambling, reciting dimensional coordinates and the names of worlds. Fortunately for Lutecia, Asclepius was ready, and began to record the data as Scaglietti spoke.
Lutecia hoped it would be enough. Time was running short.
---
Unknown location
09.01.0088
Celica glanced at the screens of her workstation and then back at the technicians. They had taken a break—unlike her, they could take short breaks whenever they wished, and Celica's docile behavior had lulled them and the guards into a state of complacency.
Quickly, trying not to attract any attention, she deleted the logs from the earlier analysis she ran, making sure that the translated core logic data was incomplete. She would have preferred to erase it completely, but a partial erasure would make it exceedingly difficult for the rogue faction to use while also maintaining the illusion that she was complying with their wishes.
The necessary information was already locked within her mind—she had spent the last several hours committing it to memory. She repeatedly thanked the mnemonic exercises that were a major part of NSIS training, allowing her to memorize such complex formulae.
It would be time for the guard to return her to her quarters. Celica watched out of the corner of her eye as the male guard stood, holding his linear rifle at the ready, while the female guard slung her weapon across her shoulders and walked over to Celica's workstation.
“Miss, it's time to return you to your quarters.”
“All right,” Celica said graciously, shutting the computers down. She stood up and allowed herself to be escorted out of the computer center, the male guard's rifle aimed directly at her spine, the female guard clasping her upper arm none too tightly.
The walk was uneventful and free of conversation as usual. The female guard opened the door leading to the converted room, ushering Celica inside, who obeyed without resistance. Both guards backed away slowly, keeping their weapons trained on her, and then sealed the door.
Celica sat down on the edge of the military cot and sighed softly. The room's illumination would wink out within the next ten minutes, giving her just enough time to get undressed and climb into bed, but she had no intention of doing so. She had no idea if there were listening devices or recording devices within the room, but it had been a rush job—Celica doubted that the rogue faction would have had time to plant surveillance equipment.
Even if they did, it wouldn't matter at all. As soon as I use any magic, they're going to know something's up.
Celica closed her eyes and stilled her thoughts, focusing her mental energies inward. This would be a long, slow process, but she had a much better understanding of the underlying logic than most people. It took training, or the assistance of a Device, to understand core logic. Most mages spent months in heavy training attempting to set the core logic of their chosen style within their minds, securely linking their consciousness with their Linker Core.
Celica was different. She didn't just use magic, but she often wrote it. She had never attempted to do so before now, but it would not be impossible for her to switch from one core logic to another. When the only choices had been Belkan or Midchildan, Celica opted to remain with the style more suited for her job.
I wouldn't make a very good knight, anyway, Celica thought wryly. She bit her own lip, frowning at her inability to keep her thoughts quiet. Without absolute concentration, she wouldn't be able to do this without Tizona's help.
The hum of the climate control systems faded away as Celica took a deep breath, slowly exhaling, then inhaling with a regular, gentle rhythm. She focused on her breathing, pushing everything else out of her mind, then when the slate was clean, she began to reorganize her link.
As if her thoughts were physical objects, Celica slowly disassembled her existing connection to her Linker Core, while simultaneously rebuilding it with a different pattern and shape. It was a dangerous process—if her concentration was disrupted, she could possibly corrupt her own core logic, leaving her without any magic until the damage could be repaired.
Minutes passed, or perhaps hours—Celica had no way of knowing, so focused was she on her task. So it was with no small amount of relief that she opened her gray eyes and blinked in the darkness as she mentally felt the last piece click into place.
Celica smiled smugly. The AMF permeating her room had not been compromised, yet she could feel her Linker Core blazing as strongly as it ever had, if not more so. The Al'hazred core logic felt vastly more efficient than the Midchildan link, but Celica wasn't about to get too confident just yet.
She had just fundamentally altered the way her own magic worked. It might perform unpredictably, and without Tizona to amplify her output, it might not be powerful enough for her to escape with.
I can't just wait around for a rescue, though, Celica told herself sternly. She stood up from the cot, stretching her stiff muscles—judging from the creaks in her joints, she must've been sitting for at least three hours.
Celica closed her eyes and called forth magical energy. A blazing blue-white hexagonal magic circle sprang into being beneath her feet, bordered and chased with sinuous, curving runes.
“Nova Lancer,” Celica called out, holding an outstretched finger in the direction of the door leading from her makeshift cell. A half-dozen motes of blue-white light materialized all around her, suddenly streaking off in the direction Celica had indicated.
One after another, the small magical projectiles slammed into the door and exploded, tearing the metal barrier from its moorings. The smoking, twisted remains of the door slammed into the opposite side of the corridor, clattering loudly to the ground.
The red-haired mage opened her eyes and grinned broadly in the dim light as she gingerly stepped through the hole she had just blasted.
Yeah, this will do just fine.
Spoiler for author's notes:
author's notes:
Okay, well, I lied. I was supposed to answer all of the questions raised in Chapter 6, but this was just getting too big, so again, more will be forthcoming in Chapter 8.
The group just keeps getting larger, doesn't it? Three has become four with the addition of Teana, and I suspect that we'll see at least one more person before our heroes make their attack on the Factory to rescue Celica.
Stay tuned for more. Same Bat time, same Bat channel.
Quote:
But it was only Celica Iris-Lynnfield who had been kidnapped, and only two Shadows and a research assistant cared enough to risk their lives for her.
Ah, the best line in this chapter by far. It really goes into the idea of how most shows focus on characters who have many friends/family who would care if they got in trouble, but here you have someone who isn't much different than any run-of-the-mill techie or mook, and yet even those people have people who care about them too.
The way that Vivio and Fate interacted here was great, we see how professional and personal actions get lumped together despite the fact that both of them are trying to keep it business. Really, they can't help it, and in real life it makes sense to use those connections just out of pragmatism. And it was cute to see Vivio fly and glomp her mother right after such a tense debate!
Lutecia's mixed feelings about Jail interested me--it certainly adds a fascinating angle to how Lutecia might feel about the whole JS Incident, since I would have thought that she'd dislike Jail for using her and for using Vivio. But clearly it looks more complicated than that. And Jail is a Large Ham, as always , and you wrote that really well.
All these fan-speculations about the nature of Al-Hazard is so fun to see...hopefully the Nanoha writers don't ruin our fun by one day writing a story showing us what Al-Hazard is really like!
Jailed Jail was by far the most fun part of the chapter to write. I had to be careful not to let the interrogation go on too long because it was too fun to write his dialogue!
Sorry to disappoint, but Chapter 8 won't have much action, either... major events will be taking place. The Administrative Council will convene its emergency session, and Lindy will drop a bomb that she hopes will deflect the Council's ire away from NSIS. This major revelation will lead into what happens after false light ends...
... which will be my next big fic, about the TSAB inducting Earth as an administrated world, a less grimdark story than false light. Not sure if false light characters will be in it in any major fashion--I still haven't entirely decided how to end the current fic.
But expect Hayate to be a major character in the new fic. (new icon related, indeed!)
"So, you're going to leaving in the next few days?" Suzuka asked as she, Arisa, Nanoha and Fate sat in Suzuka's room, all of them in pajamas as they sat around, relaxing. After hearing the real reason, the two girls wouldn't let their friends go off to alien boot camp without spending at least one night relaxing with them.
"Yeah..." Nanoha nodded and sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. It was still so short compared to what it had been before getting burned off partially. "Mom and dad are on Lindy-san's side, but you can't tell the school the truth." The girls nodded at her. "So, yeah, we're going to Mid-Childa to learn more magic and get some fine-tuning of our devices."
"Why is Miyuki coming with?" Arisa asked, getting a soft blush from Fate. "What?"
"She thinks that my skill with a sword will decrease if she isn't there helping me out. Plus she has a magic sword and wants to try it out where people won't freak out from seeing it." Fate couldn't see the appeal, herself, being able to use magic had been something she could do ever since she came into the world, she really didn't get why Miyuki would be so excited about having a magic sword herself.
"Yeah, well, good luck..." Arisa nodded, before leering at the two. "So... Going away with Yuuno-kuuuun?" She sing-songed, causing the two girls to look at her oddly, their faces slowly turning red. "Going to be with him, all alooooone?"
"Kya!" Suzuka's face was red as she put her hands on her cheeks. "That's sooooo romantic!" She found a pillow in her face, courtesy of Nanoha.
"It's not like that!" Nanoha was blushing as she shook her head. "We're just going to learn some new magic, that's all."
"Suuuuure... Alone, with Yuuno, for six months?" Arisa really had no idea what people did when alone like that, but the books she had been reading gave her some... Interesting ideas. Plus it wasn't often she got to tease her friends.
One really couldn't blame the girls for acting the way they were. They were starting to get older and boys were starting to catch their interest.
It didn't help that Yuuno was pretty cute, strong, brave and a nice guy.
Fate was trying to look anywhere but at the other girls as she poked her fingers together, her face red with embarrassment. Being alone with Yuuno... wasn't a bad thought, but the little blonde had no idea just why it made her feel funny.
(---)
A few days later...
"Ah, welcome..." Nanoha, Fate, and Yuuno all felt a little out of place among the various older people that were standing around paying attention. It wasn't as if the other people were much older than they were, but it felt weird, considering that most of them were in their teens and the three of them hadn't quite yet made it to puberty. Thankfully none of the older people had made a big deal about them being there at all.
If they thought about the fact that Chrono likely went through this training around their age, then it wouldn't be as surprising, but as it was, they felt out of place.
"As many of you know, you will be training with some of our best instructors soon. Many of you are here to learn the skills you need for the fields you are going into. Some of you are here to refine your skills. But all of you are skilled and powerful. You have the weekend off, but we require that you stay here, get to know others that you'll be training with, explore the grounds for those who want to see where you'll be training. Be back on Monday at 0600, dismissed."
As people started to shuffle around, Yuuno looked at Nanoha and Fate. "So, um, what are we going to do?"
"I wanna go check out the training grounds." It was still early in the day, after all, she didn't see any reason to not go check them out.
Fate shrugged and looked at Yuuno. "You want to go look around as well?"
"Sure." He nodded, before blinking. "Oh, right, I need to meet with Mary today, she was going to discuss some things with me."
"I'll come with you, I need to ask her about that new mode she installed into Bardiche." They waved goodbye to Nanoha and started walking towards the offices.
As she watched them leave, Nanoha turned and wondered how Miyuki was doing, and if she convinced the main office to let her stick around. Shrugging, she walked off, wanting to see the training grounds.
(---)
"You're saying I can stay?" Miyuki wasn't sure she heard the Colonel right.
He nodded, smiling at the girl. "It's not often we allow those without any magical talent to stay and train, but Admiral Lindy put a good word in for you, and, as you said, you can't train with a magic sword on Non-Administered World #97 without taking precautions." He pulled up a computer screen and nodded. "It shouldn't be hard to get you some trainers to work with it."
"I already know how to use a sword, this just has a different handle and feel to it..." Miyuki shut up at the look he gave her. "Sorry."
"Even if you know how to use a sword, like you said, this feels different to you. Don't worry, I've got a few people who are interested in helping you out."
"If it's alright, the real reason I came wasn't just to practice with this thing..." Miyuki held the hilt of the Sword of Light up to him. "It's also to help out my little sister, Fate. She sometimes uses a sword to fight and, well... She's not that good with it." She didn't want to talk badly about her family, but it was pretty obvious that Fate didn't really get how to use her Zambar form very well.
"We'll see, we try to make it a habit of not over-working our trainees." He chuckled. "But, anyway, welcome and enjoy the day, we'll get you a room shortly."
Miyuki nodded and stood up. "Thank you."
The colonel shook his head as he watched her leave. "Well, I hope the instructors are ready for kids that Harlaown recommended..." Idly, he wondered if it would be anything like when Lindy had gone through the training herself.
Those were some wild and fun times after all.
(---)
"Come on, everyone." An older woman looked on at her recruits and shook her head. She had them running laps around the training field. "The sooner you get done, the sooner you get to go eat lunch." It wasn't harsh, it was just motivation.
She turned to look at the slowest person and blinked as she saw a girl in pants, a white shirt and short red hair sitting in a nearby tree giggling softly. "Hmm... You there," she walked over to the tree as the cadet took off running, "what's your name?"
"Ah..." The girl blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "My name's Nanoha Takamachi, and I'm going to be training here on Monday."
"Ah yes..." The woman nodded to her. "I heard about you... The one Lindy found. I just hope you're not like she was." The girl blinked in confusion as the older woman laughed. "Don't worry about it. My name is Mizetto Crowbel." She smiled at Nanoha. "You're here for some refining training, correct?"
Nanoha nodded and blinked as Midget pulled out a staff and pointed it at her. "How about a quick match then?"
Nanoha shrugged. "Sure. Raising Heart, set up."
"Standbye ready."
Mizetto just smiled at the young girl. "Shall we have some fun then?"
Nanoha nodded and grinned, this could be fun.
(---)
"This place is beautiful." Miyuki muttered as she looked around, before smiling as she saw two familiar blonds heading her way. "Yuuno! Fate!"
"Miyuki." Fate smiled at the older girl. "How did it go?"
"Pretty good." Miyuki nodded, smiling. "I'll be able to stick around and..." Whatever else she would have said was cut off as a rather large pink explosion happened in the distance. "...I think Nanoha got into a fight."
"Oh no..." Yuuno and Fate both groaned, knowing just how bad Nanoha could get with her magic. It was even worse since Lina often times encouraged them to make larger explosions when they trained.
(---)
Mizetto coughed as dust flew into the air. "That was impressive." She said as she floated backwards. Such power so quickly, most people who had large amounts of power, and there weren't that many, had trouble collecting it so fast.
Nanoha smiled up at her. "Thank you."
"Divine Buster."
Mizetto raised an eyebrow, that was a strong attack, still... Closing her eyes, she concentrated her magic to the tip of her staff and swung up, smashing into the end of the ball of energy and, with some effort, causing it to arc over her body and smash into some trees, destroying them instantly. "Oh dear, seems that you don't hold back." She held up a hand and squeezed. "I guess I can't either than."
Nanoha tried to move, but found her arms, legs and even body all bound up. "Nnngh! Raising Heart! Excellion Mode! Drive!"
"Ignition."
The boost in power was what Nanoha needed as the bonds shattered while a large white beam came right at her. Throwing up her barrier, she blocked it but gasped as she took a shot to her back.
"There is a time and place for blocking, Nanoha." Mizetto said as she watched the girl tumble slightly before pointing her staff up at the old woman. "There are times it's far better to dodge than to block, and parrying is better than dodging, as it puts you in a better position to counter at times." Mizetto found herself bound up by the young girl, who was pointing her staff at her. "Oh my... I shouldn't talk to much against you."
Nanoha smiled at her. "Raising Heart... Divine Flame Buster!" A gout of pure white flame rushed right at the old woman and Nanoha hoped that she wouldn't get burned too badly. She held back most of the power that she normally used for that spell.
Nanoha gaped as the woman disappeared from where she was. The gaping didn't last very long before she was forced to physically block an attack from the older woman as she appeared right in front of her, behind Nanoha's attack. "Nnnah!"
Mizetto shook her head. Using Movement Magic from that position had been risky, she was just lucky that she didn't tear an arm or leg off attempting to do it. Still, it seemed like this girl was a bit wild with her magic and not very good at close-range at all. And Mizetto knew that she couldn't win at long range, not against that level of power. 'I wonder if she's really AAA rank or if she's higher than that.' She thought before following the girl down.
Nanoha shook her head as she got her bearings and yelped slightly as the older woman appeared in front of her, slamming her staff against Raising Heart. The older woman smiled for a moment before Nanoha gasped as the older woman drove a knee into her body, forcing the younger girl back. "Nnagh..."
"For someone so strong, you have several flaws to your style." Mizetto commented as she bound up Nanoha again. "Mid and long range are good for you, but your close-range isn't that good." Not that there was anything wrong with that, there were plenty of people that couldn't fight at close range. "If fighting someone who challenges you to close range, your best bet is to either retreat to a bit of a distance, or use quicker spells to push them away."
"Raising Heart... Assault mode!"
"Activation."
Mizetto blinked as the staff broke apart, before wrapping itself around Nanoha's body, the gem coming to a rest on her chest and several "wings" on her back pointed downwards. A visor slipped over her face as a large cannon appeared on her left arm and something, she wasn't sure, appeared on her right arm. "That's an interesting choice."
"Supreme.. Buster!" Nanoha wouldn't use her Chaos mode, but she wanted to prove that she was good, she didn't want to look pathetic, not after all the training that her mother put her through. It just wouldn't be right!
Mizetto flew straight up and stared as the beam twisted and followed her into the air. "Nice." She nodded, knowing that if this went on she was going to lose easily. Especially since the girl was pushing at least high S rank in power right now. As she moved around the beam, she stared as it twisted in the sky and rushed right at her. At the rate this was going, someone was going to end up hurt. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of something metal heading right for her. Turning her head, she saw that the girl had a whip coming from her right arm and was swinging right at her.
Mizetto closed her eyes, she hated to do this but... "Reflect." She whispered as she threw up a barrier to block the attack.
Nanoha grinned, that was what she was waiting for. "Alright, let's..." She trailed off as the beam glanced off the barrer and went straight for her. "Eeek!"
"Protection Enhanced."
Nanoha crossed her arms and closed her eyes as her barrier came up and she grunted from the effort of having to block her own attack. She cracked an eye open as the attack was finally abating. "Nnngh..."
"I think we should stop." Mizetto said as she floated over to the girl. "Otherwise one of us is going to get seriously hurt." She patted the confused girl on her shoulder. "You're very good, skilled with your magic and it doesn't take long to use your spells, but it seems like that's all you can do, throw big spells around. I think I see why Lindy wants you to go through this training now."
Nanoha just blinked owlishly as the older woman just smiled at her. "So... I did good?"
"Very good." She nodded at Nanoha and looked around, grimacing slightly. "Though, from now on, you shouldn't use that armor of yours in training."
"Nyahahahaha..." Nanoha giggled nervously.
Spoiler for Comments:
Went with Mizetto instead of Midget, so... Yeah...
Seems that Nanoha, Fate and Yuuno adjusted fairly well into their new life on Mid-Childa. And Fate started to realize her feelings toward Yuuno.
Uh-oh, battle for mans between the girls could be pretty destructive... I hope Earth and Mid-Childa can withstand them.
Seems that Nanoha, Fate and Yuuno adjusted fairly well into their new life on Mid-Childa. And Fate started to realize her feelings toward Yuuno.
Uh-oh, battle for mans between the girls could be pretty destructive... I hope Earth and Mid-Childa can withstand them.
Proving love thru superior firepower is what Nanoha does best.... While her magic is still in stun setting....
__________________
Darwin's nominee are best for laughs.
MGLN "Befriending" shows love thru superior firepower (Zenryokou Zenkai!)
Gundams are your worst nightmare in the battlefield.
SRW beats all foes.
JAM Project pwns all!!!
And I can't still make fanfic without restarting from the start when new ideas comes in...
Location: Pennsylvania. It's sort of like a real state.
Age: 39
Oh! Oh! Oh! I got flamed, I got flamed!
Spoiler for I'm a little proud!:
So I assume this story's done-boring invincible villans, blah blah blah, etc. I doubt even the Huckabein at full abillities could undo them now. And it will require either Deus Ex Machina or character ass-pull to change it. Sure, you could be clever and attempt treachery from either the Black Outfit or Precia, but given that you've just shown that maximum effort barely matched them, and when they went double that, they ran the good guys over, any "clever" move will simply be squashed.
A pity really, because this was the first Nanoha story in a _LONG_ time that was really living up to what I feel should be in a Nanoha fan-fic. 98% of all Nanoha writing is AU shipping fics or Luv-luv relationship fics. You had _character development_ combined with _all-out action_, which is everything MGLN is about.
Well... sort of. I guess it's not a really a flame, sadly. Just a negative review. And he's so calm about it! I wanted a little more bile, some real venom.
I just wish he'd been logged in. I could have reassured him that I have plans. Oh, such plans. And I might even get around to writing them sometime in the next couple months!
I agree with your reviewer, there's far too many fluff/femmeslash pieces written for the MGLN fandom, and not nearly enough Beam Spam/Wave Motion Gun/Curbstomp Battle befriending fics!
Edit: Chapter 7 of false light is now up on FF.net.
Location: Pennsylvania. It's sort of like a real state.
Age: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by synaesthetic
I agree with your reviewer, there's far too many fluff/femmeslash pieces written for the MGLN fandom, and not nearly enough Beam Spam/Wave Motion Gun/Curbstomp Battle befriending fics!
Edit: Chapter 7 of false light is now up on FF.net.
Well, I don't know why he's upset at me then... Infinity is basically one long love-letter to destruction/violence/brutal, relentless combat friendship. You'd think that after Twenty-six chapters he says he liked, it would take more than one off-kilter one to make him give up on me. These people have no faith!
And this reminds me that I've not read Chapter 7 yet. Time to remedy this!
So I assume this story's done-boring invincible villans, blah blah blah, etc. I doubt even the Huckabein at full abillities could undo them now. And it will require either Deus Ex Machina or character ass-pull to change it. Sure, you could be clever and attempt treachery from either the Black Outfit or Precia, but given that you've just shown that maximum effort barely matched them, and when they went double that, they ran the good guys over, any "clever" move will simply be squashed.
A pity really, because this was the first Nanoha story in a _LONG_ time that was really living up to what I feel should be in a Nanoha fan-fic. 98% of all Nanoha writing is AU shipping fics or Luv-luv relationship fics. You had _character development_ combined with _all-out action_, which is everything MGLN is about.
Well... sort of. I guess it's not a really a flame, sadly. Just a negative review. And he's so calm about it! I wanted a little more bile, some real venom.
I just wish he'd been logged in. I could have reassured him that I have plans. Oh, such plans.
Oooh, someone took Force a bit hard
Well you could write in the Author Notes that you have plans...
Quote:
And I might even get around to writing them sometime in the next couple months!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moczo
You'd think that after Twenty-six chapters he says he liked, it would take more than one off-kilter one to make him give up on me. These people have no faith!!
You just answered your own question . He's probably incensed to having to wait months to see whether the heroes would have a fighting chance or not, and how.
Man, you really should have left a big cliffhanger , I wonder how he would react to that!
2011-01-15, 01:26
Author
. One of the villains reminds me of the Illusive Man 
Besides, somehow, it just screws with my inner sense of continuity to write a sequence past the current main story in Shadowverse where everything is okay. 
