Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Kuroi Hadou]

I vote Yuuno and Hayate share the position of leader of the harem.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Haven't written in a loooong while, and especially not for Nanoverse. But as things tend to go...

I don't think anyone here remembers my very old fic (and crappy stylistically) "Fate of the Reapers". For some reason it was quite popular. In either case, what is below is its spiritual retcon sequel. I have deleted the old fic, so details are murky, hence the retcon.

But what can be said is it's CC-focused, in a Terminator-ish post-apoc setting, without being grimdark, without excessive gore and with a special focus on Hayate.

If it's something worth continuing, lemme know. Note of caution: Chapter 1 is extremely jumpy. It's just to get up to speed. The rest of the chapters will focus on one character at a time.

Reapers Revolution

Spoiler for Prologue:

Five years ago, artificial beings of metal calling themselves the Reapers appeared on Mid-Childa. Unknown to everyone, they soon invaded important locations all around the globe and began abductions of people. The Reapers used them for bio-organic materials, for the sole purpose of evolving themselves into pure cyborgs, capable of human thought. The Reapers, themselves a construct by an ancient civilization that had been eradicated many thousand years ago, sought to continue their prophecy that would give them guidance in their path to divinity.

But they didn’t only kidnap ordinary people, for their goals were much more complicated. Mages was also a viable abduction subject, one of which was an Ace. She was abducted and brainwashed, her limbs and internal organs replaced with metal. She was to be one of the Reaper’s new leaders and prophets within their ranks, a sign of what was to come. She was a prototype for their future.

But the Reapers met heavy resistance from the combined efforts of an organized military, the TSAB and small pockets of militia. They eventually began to be pushed back, forcing them to go into hiding. But not before they had succeeded with some of their objectives, unknown to the humans.

The Reaper hivemind that controlled the Reaper A.I Network, also called Overlord, had created a cunning plan for their retreat. A feint of tremendous proportions. And the successful recovery of Fate T. Harlaown had been one of them.

With their prophet’s return, the Reapers had been gathering strength for five years, after their false defeat. They had remained hidden, dormant within Mid-Childa’s crust. And now, that patience, after so many years, has been rewarded. Their prophecy has begun. The battlefield stands ready. Requiem Day has arrived.

*

One mile South-East of Cranagan
Requiem Day

A dog of an unknown breed scuttled past an old tree. Its nose was buried deep in the grass that covered the ground, its nose sniffing with intensity. It was on the hunt for prey that its Master could kill.

The Master himself wasn’t far behind, an old rifle slung on his shoulder. Though the mass weaponry ban was still in effect, he had managed to avoid the authorities. His hunt, too, was illegal. But as an old man, he didn’t have much else left in life. He would continue to hunt until they caught him. He didn’t care either or.

His dog suddenly gave off a bark and set forth. He hurried after it, trying to keep up. A prey had been detected and the old man could feel his adrenaline rush. He unslung his rifle and kept it at his hip, ready to fire at a moment’s notice, while his dog kept barking and soon disappeared among the trees. He could soon only hear it and followed the noise. Sooner or later, he’d find his dog. He always did.

He ran and emerged from the forest into a small glade. He slowed down his stride as his dog’s barking had vanished.

“Comet! Comet, come back here!” he yelled, his voice echoing among the trees. A bark was given in response and the man regained hope as the dog gladly scampered out from the forest in front of him. He went down on his knees and patted it as it came close to his legs.

“That’s a good boy. Did you lose the scent?”

The dog barked once and wagged its tail. The man laughed and stood up. “Ah well, not your fault,” he murmured.

He was about to attach the leash to Comet when the dog suddenly growled at nothing in particular. Its tail stopped wagging and the dog turned around, staring at thin air. The old man looked around, but saw nothing.

“What is it, Comet?”

The dog barked again and began to back away, its fur standing on its back. The old man felt the ground starting to shake. Something rumbled beneath them.

“What in the world... Earthquake?”

The old man sat down so he wouldn’t fall over. He could see the trees at the edge of the glade swaying back and forth, leaves and branches falling from them. Then he noticed that the ground in front of him was bulging upwards. He started to crawl away from it, towards the forest.

The heaving ground became more violent and cracks began to appear. A rupture-like noise passed through the earth. Dirt spat away and grass lost its footing. The rumble intensified until a hole eventually appeared. Dirt and stone fell into it, as if the ground had collapsed into itself. Then something black shot out and grasped the grass beside the hole. The sun’s rays reflected off it and gave it a shiny surface. It took a few seconds for the man to realize he was looking at an over-sized metallic claw.

Soon another claw joined the other and something heaved itself into the sunlight. Pistons and hinges groaned inside the metallic limbs as it climbed out and stood at its height. The old man was still sitting on the grass, his mouth agape.

The robot stood over nine feet tall and looked down upon the man. It was all painted black, apart from some silver parts within its limbs. Its face was flat, and the only thing that decorated the flat surface was two orbs glowing red. It emitted a strange digital noise and kneeled down in front of the man, the two orbs staring at him. It didn’t do anything else and the man stared back at it, unable to move his body from both fear and curiosity.

The robot’s right claw abruptly shot out and attached itself to the man’s face. Two pointy appendages went to the man’s forehead and another went for his jaw. He didn’t manage to utter a scream before the claw’s palm opened a small hole within itself and a thin needle burrowed its way into his brain.

As the old man’s body started its death twitches, Comet was still barking at its Master’s side. One glance from the robot and another digital burst of noise sent the dog running, its tail between its legs.

It dropped the man and let the body fall to the ground, a small hole right above the bridge of his nose showing a small prickle of blood. The robot stood up and surveyed its surroundings. It gave off another, much louder, noise and started to walk towards the glade’s edge. Behind it, the ground crumbled and more holes opened up. From them, more of its kind climbed out into the sunshine.

Spoiler for Chapter 1: The Current Situation:

Location unknown
+370 Days after Requiem Day

Two men and a woman gathered around the barely operating radio inside their small bunker. The damped noise of bombs and small weapons fire from the ground above continually made its way down to them. Dust fell from the ceiling as the bombs hit the ground. Now and again even a scream would manage to reach them. It was cold, as late autumn had begun to approach, but they huddled together, listening in on the message being received through a bad quality transmission.

“For a year we have survived. For a year we have gathered our strength. Setback after setback we have recovered and fought back Overlord. And now we are close. Close to the final, decisive battle. As I speak to you now, our plans are being set into motion. I have no doubt that we will succeed and end this war. But I must ask something of you. Something important.

“I ask of you to retain hope. Cling to what hope you got left in your heart, because without hope, we do not stand a chance. Hope is one of the few valuable things that we can still claim that Overlord has not taken away from us. It is a sign that we still have the strength to opposite it. It is what makes us human.

“So, for all of us, cling to your hope and spread it to others. If you do, you are a true member of the Guardians. Fight, and we shall defeat Overlord and its minions, together.

“This is Hayate Yagami, Supreme Commander of the Guardians.”

The transmission ended and was replaced by static. The two men and the woman looked at each other, nodding decivisely. With their energy seemingly renewed, they picked up the assault rifles that leaned against the wall behind them and opened the door that led to a staircase. One of the men went first and opened the thick lid at the top, peeking outside.

Above ground, a Reaper-Tank rolled past him. The massive tank crushed anything that met its treads and the vibrations it gave off made the ground shake. The firepower it packed was enough to suppress several squads of mages and regular soldiers. Its armor was so thick it took several armor-piercing beams or heavy ordinances to destroy, but, luckily, Reaper-Tanks were few and far between. It just so happened that the bunker they were staying in was very close to the frontline, where the Reaper-Tanks were most often patrolling.

The man closed the lid and nodded at the two others that stood and waited. They checked their rifles and combat attire, getting ready to abandon their bunker that had been their home for four days. Their initial goal was to head south, towards the Guardians HQ, and join up with whatever forces they would manage to come across. As it was now, they were way too close to the Citadel.

As one of the men climbed the ladder and gave the order to move out, a bunker buster missile fired from a Gargoyle, an aerial Reaper, hit the top of their bunker. For the hundreds of bombs that had fallen for so many days, each and everyone had missed the bunker itself. Yet, this time, it did hit. Whether it was because they had begun to move around and the Reapers had detected them, or if it was blind luck, they didn’t have time to ponder.

The bunker buster penetrated the ground and top armor of the bunker in a split second. Once it reached the bottom floor it exploded, sending a huge fireball through the narrow passageways, igniting any explosives that still remained inside. The three soldiers screamed and were burned to a crisp before they even managed to step out onto the battlefield. The only sign of their fate was the massive fireball that reached into the sky, ignored by the allied tropps less than a mile away, as it was just another bomb that fell on that day.

*

Five miles North of Cranagan, Guardians HQ
+371 Days after Requiem Day

“Commander.”

The girl couldn’t have been more than seventeen. It was awfully young for an aerial mage, but then again, they were rare these days. The Guardians had to make do with what they had at their disposal to fight the Reapers. The casualties for each passing day were worrying, but in a couple of days, if things went according to plan, Hayate wouldn’t need to worry about it anymore.

“Yes, Private. Please, take a seat.”

The girl was noticeably nervous as she fidgeted with her hands and looked around before sitting down. New recruits especially seemed to be nervous when faced with the Supreme Commander. Hayate sighed at the notion, but not so the girl would notice. She didn’t need to think she had annoyed her in some way. Frankly, Hayate was tired of it, though she couldn’t do anything about it. Rumors had their own way of evolving over time and the things she had done during her time as Supreme Commander was no different.

“Private Hastings, was it?” Hayate asked, glancing up from the paper in her hand.

The girl nodded. Hayate waited for a moment before continuing.

“Why did you sign up, Private?”

“To fight the Reapers, Commander.”

Hayate’s eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. “Is that your only reasonl?”

The girl started anxiously and shook her head, realizing the meaning behind Hayate’s tone. “No! Of course... I want to help the Guardians rebuild and to protect... Well, protect those that can’t fight...”

“Good. It’s fine to be willing to fight, but without motivation and reasons it goes only so far. Tell me, do you seek vengeance too?”

The girl stopped her fidgeting and locked eyes with Hayate. She was clearly weighing her response. After a while, she said: “Yes. I lost my mother... on Requiem Day. That’s my main reason for fighting.” She shook her head weakly. “My real reason.”

Hayate didn’t say anything and merely nodded. A panel appeared on her desk and she pressed a couple of buttons. “I’m assigning you to Hawk Squad, Section 4. Report to Sergeant Irahim. He’ll tell you what to do next.”

The girl brightened up and a smile broke out on her face. “Yes, Commander!”

Hayate saluted and smiled back. “Dismissed.”

The girl stood up, returned the salute and walked out of the room. As she closed the door behind her, a mage stepped out from the shadows in a corner of the room.

“Nanoha. Welcome back. I didn’t notice you.”

As the light from outside the windows hit Nanoha’s face, a huge scar stretched across her right eye, reaching from her forehead across the right edge of her mouth, became visible. It moved disturbingly as she talked, slightly affecting her speech.

“Thanks, Hayate. I didn’t want to interrupt.” She looked at the door and gave it a nod. “Another aerial mage? How many do we have now?”

“Too few.”

“I was afraid it would be something like that...”

Hayate shrugged and changed her tone. “Nanoha, how is Operation Light’s Dawn coming along?”

“About that...” Nanoha said and sat down in front of the desk. “There’s been some worrying developments. Reapers has begun to zero in on the main battery. It’s only a matter of time before they find it. Overlord seems to have become more active in the area, too.”

“That’s exactly what I didn’t want to hear.” Hayate sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “Can we increase the defense around the area?”

“We can. But we will lose important ground between the main battery and the HQ. Supplies will be a problem, but I suppose it can be done.” Nanoha pondered for a moment. “There is the Northern Coalition...”

Hayate waved her hand. “Yes, I know, but I don’t trust them. Even though their reverse-engineered Reapers has proven efficient for offensives into enemy territory, I wouldn’t put our future in their hands. Just imagine what would happen if Overlord figured out a way to revert them back!”

“You might have to, you know.”

“I know. I know...”

Hayate got up from her chair and crossed her arms. She looked out through the window at the desolated landscape. In the horizon, flashes of light could barely be made out in the setting sun. “Nanoha, the main battery cannot fall. The Guardians HQ is vital to our coordination and communication, but the main battery is the highest priority. We cannot let it fall.” She turned around and looked Nanoha straingt in the eye. “Operation Light’s Dawn must succeed, by any means necessary.”

I understand,” Nanoha said and got up from her chair. Just as she was about to walk out she stopped. “Hayate.”

“Yes?”

“Any word about Fate?”

Hayate clenched her hand reflexively. “None.”

Nanoha didn’t utter another word and left the office.

*

“Teana, are you heading out soon?”

Subaru stood in the doorway to Teana’s small room. She had her usual anxious-looking face as any other time Teana was preparing for a Black Ops insertion. But this time, she was more nervous than usual.

“In five minutes,” Teana replied. She checked her equipment again and made sure everything was in excellent condition. After that, she started to put on her battle attire. The black bodysuit with grey markings was very slick, but somewhat tight. She always had trouble getting in her cybernetic left hand.

“You are going in quite deep today, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Into Cranagan.”

“Yes...”

Subaru bit her lip and shook her head. “It’s so horrible even from this distance...”

“I know. I just try not to think about it.”

“Be careful, ne?”

“I’m always careful.” Teana gave Subaru a confident smile and zipped up her suit. “That’s it. I’m going. See you later, Subaru.”

“Yeah... See you later.”

Teana brushed past her and left. Subaru stayed where she was, a hand clutching her arm. She glanced over at the table where a framed picture stood. It had been taken six years ago, before Requiem Day, before the existence of the Reapers became known. In the picture, Subaru was smiling and had her arms wrapped around Teana’s and Erio’s necks, bringing them together. Both of them looking annoyed and embarrassed. Caro stood in the background, anxious and worried as usual, yet the slight smile betrayed her outward emotions.

Subaru swore and left the room. She, as had the others, had been smiling back then. There was nothing to smile about now.

*

Eight miles North-East of Guardians HQ, Alpha Base
+371 Days after Requiem Day

Alpha Base was closest to the frontlines, acting as the first of three defensive lines before the Guardians HQ. After Alpha came Bravo and Charlie, each of them lacking the firepower and personnel that Alpha had, but they made up for it in long-range weaponry, which they used to support Alpha Base whenever the Reapers made a frontal assault.

And assault they did. Several times a day. Alpha Base was the most frequently attacked base on the entire Northern-Eastern front. Located at the top of a hill surveying a chokepoint, they couldn’t ask for a better location, but it also meant it was of vital importance for the Reapers to claim it. If they did, Bravo and Charlie would fall fast. It was imperative that Alpha Base survived.

That was one of the reasons why Signum was the Field Commander for Alpha Base, reporting directly to Hayate. Ever since the rest of the upper echelons within the TSAB died on Requiem Day, Signum had risen in the ranks. No one had complained, of course. In the current situation, complaints wouldn’t lead to anything, but it was much more sketchy when it came to the future. However, she personally didn’t care about it. Her focus was to take care of the men and women operating in Alpha Base, to make sure they survived and that they pushed back Reaper assaults. She didn’t have time to think about the future.

“Ma’am.” The Lieutenant saluted to her. They stood on an observation platform overlooking the chokepoint, observing the wreckage of tens of Reapers that had fallen in the previous battle. “We have reports of Gargoyles heading our way. I told the anti-air squads to get ready.”

“Good,” Signum said and nodded approvingly. “How about Air Force reinforcement?”

“They are on their way. ETA: Six minutes.”

“Excellent. You are dismissed, Lieutenant.”

He nodded and climbed down the ladder. Signum remained, her arms folded across her chest. A panel suddenly appeared beside her with a ‘Voice-only’ label covering the screen.

“Vita, did you hear?”

“I did. I’m on my way.”

The panel disappeared and Signum took a deep breath. She unfolded her arms and took Levantine out of his sheath. The once silver-coloured sword was now black, upgraded with Reaper technology, and it covered itself with burning flames as its system came online.

“Levantine, Dark Knight Mode,” Signum said and held the sword above her head. The flames licked her hair, but not a single straw of hair was scorched.

“Jawohl!”

Dark angel wings sprouted from Signum’s back and she began to levitate. The next passing second she was gone, disappearing into the dark clouds above.

*

180.000 miles from Mid-Childa, Warship Theresa
+371 Days after Requiem Day

If there was one place that the Guardians still held considerable power, it was in space. The warship Theresa, flagship of the Guardians Inter-Dimensional Fleet, had held its orbit around Mid-Childa ever since Requiem Day. Thanks to a heavily defended spaceport down on the planet, the fleet could be provided with supplies on a monthly schedule.

Apart from Theresa, three other warships orbited the planet: the Initiator, Cranagan’s Glory and Magical Spear. Each of them had fought the Reaper space armada, and had even managed to hold them off. The Reapers’ technology when it came to space travel and space battle seemed weak in contrast to the power they packed on the ground, but no one had figured out why. It almost looked like a design oversight, but since they were all A.Is, or rather, was controlled by Overlord, it wasn’t a likely cause. Still, it meant that the Guardians had the upper hand when it came to orbital support.

Sadly, the fleet had failed to defend the bases on Mid-Childa’s moons. Maintenance docks and refueling stations had been destroyed in the initial Reaper attack six years ago, before the Guardians even existed. Back then it had been the TSAB that had fallen to the surprise attack launched by the Reapers. But the Guardians still saw it as their own failure. The TSAB had been, after all, their mother organization.

As things were now, the fleet was split up into three battle groups: Thunder, Cyclone and Tornado. The Theresa, together with her two sister ships, was part of Cyclone, tasked with providing orbital bombardments to foes on the ground. The other two battle groups were tasked with reconnaissance and defense. They were somewhere inside the solar system, but not even the Theresa could pin-point them exactly. It was for the best. That way, the Reapers couldn’t intercept their signals and take them out one by one.

For now, the Theresa remained in orbit, waiting for further orders. The fleet’s Admiral, Chrono Harlaown, was under the command of the Guardians Supreme Commander when it came to orbital support, but he had the ultimate authority when it came to engaging the Reapers in space. It was a deal that had worked very well ever since the Guardians were founded, and no one had questioned it.

On-board the ship itself, Chrono sat in his Captain’s chair, observing the working crew and information scrolling across several panels beside him. From behind him a door slid open and his second-in-command strode through. He gave Chrono a salute, who returned it.

“What does the message say, Jensen?” Chrono asked.

“Sir. The message we intercepted from Cranagan’s Glory was heavily encrypted. It still hasn’t been fully decrypted... But we got some worrying information from it.”

“Give it to me.”

Jensen handed over the datapad, saluted and went back to his station. Chrono scrolled through the message he held in his hand. As he read it, he began to straighten up in his chair. Worrying information had been an understatement. What he held in his hand was far worse.

He rapidly dialled Hayate as he continued to read. He had to warn her, immediately. Things had begun to spin into motion far more quickly than he would have liked...

I find the Terminator ideas interesting here, especially since we already have some characters who are partially cyborg/not human (Subaru and family, and Wolkenritters, etc) that could lead into interesting "prejudice against non-humans" issues--at least, some was hinted at already with Hayate's distrust of the reverse-engineered Reapers.

And where is Fate now, I wonder...having her be against, or maybe against, the other Aces could only lead to some interesting drama .

[Megaolix]

Originally Posted by Yasanagi

Spoiler for Extra MD before I go back to regular grind:

“Is this really the time to sit down for afternoon tea and cake? Not that I mind but… there’s probably a mountain of paperwork that has my name on it,” confessed Hayate as she entered the Senior Officer’s lounge and made her way towards where the other two men were waiting for her at the table.

“Same here but if Verossa’s the one who brought the treats, that means he probably made some serious progress on his work even if it’s only been a few days.” Chrono took a sip of his tea before muttering under his breath. “How does he do it?”

“Trade secret,” replied Verossa with a little wink. “In any case, considering what I’m about to report, you may want to sit down for this one.”

Hayate blinked as she seated herself. “It’s that bad?”

“Well, let me explain first and then you can draw your own conclusions,” said the green haired investigator while reaching for a slice of cake. “For starters, I examined the footage from the prison of the ship that was just outside the external perimeter which appeared just a few minutes before the prison rampage began. After the video got a bit of cleanup, I was able to positively identify the vessel.”

With a snap of the fingers, a holographic screen appeared to display schematics of the ship in question. In that moment, Chrono leaned forward to examine the craftsmanship. “That’s… a ship that originated from the Zynga Cluster?”

Verossa smiled. “Good to see that you did your homework.”

“You actually managed to get information from the galactic underworld?” She knew that the investigator had connections but this was unbelievable. The Cluster was well known for being efficiently run by several organized crime families and difficult to track down even though they had a presence on several different non-administrated worlds in terms of investments and businesses. And if the recent reports were correct, they’ve taken an interest in Lost Logia which catapulted them to a higher degree of priority in terms of assigning investigation resources.

“It’s a long story and I’m not at liberty to divulge my methods.”

At that moment, Hayate and Chrono shared the same thought. ‘Thought Investigation.’

“But in any case, the schematics show that a wide variety of engines can be fitted on this type of civilian vessel. Taking the worst case scenario for us, if the most advanced engine on today’s current market were used on this type of ship, its maximum dimensional travel speed can probably give an LS Class warship a run for her money. And because it would have better mileage, they wouldn’t need to refuel as often.” He paused to pick off one of the strawberries from his cake and devour it. “Defence systems are light and last but not least, the hull’s made out of standard metals.”

Chrono quickly picked up on Verossa’s last statement. “And with the Materials being presumed to have high magical power levels, they’ll stick out on our long range sensors because they’ll naturally channel a lot of magical energy which the hull won’t be able to conceal.”

“But that brings to mind another problem. When magic of great magnitude gathers in one area, this endangers the space time fabric and can distort sensor readings.” The green haired investigator noticed Hayate’s troubled face as she started putting things together. “And I presume something like that has happened?”

“In the past 48 hours alone, there have been four dimensional distortions reported. It’s forced some of our forces assigned to border patrol routes to make a detour and repair the damage to the space time fabric.” She brought up her own holographic display to show the changes in patrol routes. “Here are the latest stellar maps which take into account the route changes and the distortions themselves.”

Admiral Harlaown leaned forward to take a closer look. “Direct routes to Mid are still covered. The ships that made the detours were covering uninhabited worlds, with the exception of Carnaaji, within our territory.” He couldn’t quite put his finger on this piece of the puzzle. “Are they going to try and settle on an uninhabited world and attack from that long a range?”

Verossa offered his input. “Or maybe take time to gather resources on those worlds? Although I can’t see that happening since the survey reports didn’t mention any noteworthy resources. And there’s essentially no strategic value for those worlds.”

“So we’re pretty much going around in circles,” grumbled the other man as he finished off his tea. “And speaking of Carnaaji… Hayate, I thought you were going to handle things with Megane and Lutecia in regards to this case. What happened?”

“I completed my end and got the sentence lifted for Lutecia but to be honest; I didn’t want to be the one to force them to leave the home they built for themselves. I wanted to let them decide what they will do. Erio and Caro said in their last message that they planned to visit her so they could talk her into lending a hand with the case,” replied the young woman.

“You didn’t stop them?” asked Verossa.

“I figured it would be best if they all talked it out amongst themselves. Get it all out in the open. Then once they understand each other, they can confirm whether Lutecia would be able to perform to the best of her ability for a world that didn’t give her a lot of happy memories.”

Chrono sighed quietly. “I can’t say that’s the most practical approach but it’s not exactly an illegal course of action. In any case, I’ll go see if there’s a spare squadron of troops that can be stationed on Carnaaji to give them some extra protection in case some unwanted visitors do drop in and starts up trouble.”

Hayate gave a small smile upon hearing that. “Thank you, Admiral.”

**********

“As this spell is based on Serra’s legacy, the spell name must be called out in the native tongue of the forgotten plane, Ulgrotha. While very powerful, it’s a considerable drain on the spell caster’s energy.”

“I see.” Yuuno had to admit that he hadn’t been expecting this development. What started out as a lesson on binds and shields had turned into a discussion lasting several hours on similar spells from forgotten magic systems as old as or older than the Ancient Belka system. “I’m surprised that you have knowledge of these spells. How did you come across this?”

“I am… uncertain as to how I obtained the knowledge. I cannot recall a time during our travels when we ever had an opportunity to-”A beeping on the console interrupted Seikou’s explanation and caused the young man to turn back to the control.

“We’ve reached the end point of this dimensional jump. Let’s prepare to land on that planet ahead and then I can confirm our current bearings.”

“Acknowledged,” said the Nanoha replica.

To be honest, I hope it's the last pit stop before they reach Mid. I for one am tired to wait longer and longer for the Seikou/Nanoha confrontation.

[Yasanagi]

After the arc on this current world concludes, things will start moving forward to Mid.

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

[...]that could lead into interesting "prejudice against non-humans" issues--at least, some was hinted at already with Hayate's distrust of the reverse-engineered Reapers.

Ack, you just gave me a subplot bunny. God dammit. Now I need to evolve that.

[SilentOutlaw]

Originally Posted by Kuroi Hadou

I vote Yuuno and Hayate share the position of leader of the harem.

Well, now I have a feeling when we get there, the vote will be terribly one sided.

[Kuroi Hadou]

Originally Posted by SilentOutlaw

Well, now I have a feeling when we get there, the vote will be terribly one sided.

At least I'm honest.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Ack, you just gave me a subplot bunny. God dammit. Now I need to evolve that.

Go, bunnies! *feeds plotbunnies carrots*

Originally Posted by SilentOutlaw

Well, now I have a feeling when we get there, the vote will be terribly one sided.

It was called Hayate's Lesbian Army for a reason .

[Tiresias]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Haven't written in a loooong while, and especially not for Nanoverse. But as things tend to go...

I don't think anyone here remembers my very old fic (and crappy stylistically) "Fate of the Reapers". For some reason it was quite popular. In either case, what is below is its spiritual retcon sequel. I have deleted the old fic, so details are murky, hence the retcon.

But what can be said is it's CC-focused, in a Terminator-ish post-apoc setting, without being grimdark, without excessive gore and with a special focus on Hayate.

If it's something worth continuing, lemme know. Note of caution: Chapter 1 is extremely jumpy. It's just to get up to speed. The rest of the chapters will focus on one character at a time.

Reapers Revolution

Spoiler for Prologue:

Five years ago, artificial beings of metal calling themselves the Reapers appeared on Mid-Childa. Unknown to everyone, they soon invaded important locations all around the globe and began abductions of people. The Reapers used them for bio-organic materials, for the sole purpose of evolving themselves into pure cyborgs, capable of human thought. The Reapers, themselves a construct by an ancient civilization that had been eradicated many thousand years ago, sought to continue their prophecy that would give them guidance in their path to divinity.

But they didn’t only kidnap ordinary people, for their goals were much more complicated. Mages was also a viable abduction subject, one of which was an Ace. She was abducted and brainwashed, her limbs and internal organs replaced with metal. She was to be one of the Reaper’s new leaders and prophets within their ranks, a sign of what was to come. She was a prototype for their future.

But the Reapers met heavy resistance from the combined efforts of an organized military, the TSAB and small pockets of militia. They eventually began to be pushed back, forcing them to go into hiding. But not before they had succeeded with some of their objectives, unknown to the humans.

The Reaper hivemind that controlled the Reaper A.I Network, also called Overlord, had created a cunning plan for their retreat. A feint of tremendous proportions. And the successful recovery of Fate T. Harlaown had been one of them.

With their prophet’s return, the Reapers had been gathering strength for five years, after their false defeat. They had remained hidden, dormant within Mid-Childa’s crust. And now, that patience, after so many years, has been rewarded. Their prophecy has begun. The battlefield stands ready. Requiem Day has arrived.

*

One mile South-East of Cranagan
Requiem Day

A dog of an unknown breed scuttled past an old tree. Its nose was buried deep in the grass that covered the ground, its nose sniffing with intensity. It was on the hunt for prey that its Master could kill.

The Master himself wasn’t far behind, an old rifle slung on his shoulder. Though the mass weaponry ban was still in effect, he had managed to avoid the authorities. His hunt, too, was illegal. But as an old man, he didn’t have much else left in life. He would continue to hunt until they caught him. He didn’t care either or.

His dog suddenly gave off a bark and set forth. He hurried after it, trying to keep up. A prey had been detected and the old man could feel his adrenaline rush. He unslung his rifle and kept it at his hip, ready to fire at a moment’s notice, while his dog kept barking and soon disappeared among the trees. He could soon only hear it and followed the noise. Sooner or later, he’d find his dog. He always did.

He ran and emerged from the forest into a small glade. He slowed down his stride as his dog’s barking had vanished.

“Comet! Comet, come back here!” he yelled, his voice echoing among the trees. A bark was given in response and the man regained hope as the dog gladly scampered out from the forest in front of him. He went down on his knees and patted it as it came close to his legs.

“That’s a good boy. Did you lose the scent?”

The dog barked once and wagged its tail. The man laughed and stood up. “Ah well, not your fault,” he murmured.

He was about to attach the leash to Comet when the dog suddenly growled at nothing in particular. Its tail stopped wagging and the dog turned around, staring at thin air. The old man looked around, but saw nothing.

“What is it, Comet?”

The dog barked again and began to back away, its fur standing on its back. The old man felt the ground starting to shake. Something rumbled beneath them.

“What in the world... Earthquake?”

The old man sat down so he wouldn’t fall over. He could see the trees at the edge of the glade swaying back and forth, leaves and branches falling from them. Then he noticed that the ground in front of him was bulging upwards. He started to crawl away from it, towards the forest.

The heaving ground became more violent and cracks began to appear. A rupture-like noise passed through the earth. Dirt spat away and grass lost its footing. The rumble intensified until a hole eventually appeared. Dirt and stone fell into it, as if the ground had collapsed into itself. Then something black shot out and grasped the grass beside the hole. The sun’s rays reflected off it and gave it a shiny surface. It took a few seconds for the man to realize he was looking at an over-sized metallic claw.

Soon another claw joined the other and something heaved itself into the sunlight. Pistons and hinges groaned inside the metallic limbs as it climbed out and stood at its height. The old man was still sitting on the grass, his mouth agape.

The robot stood over nine feet tall and looked down upon the man. It was all painted black, apart from some silver parts within its limbs. Its face was flat, and the only thing that decorated the flat surface was two orbs glowing red. It emitted a strange digital noise and kneeled down in front of the man, the two orbs staring at him. It didn’t do anything else and the man stared back at it, unable to move his body from both fear and curiosity.

The robot’s right claw abruptly shot out and attached itself to the man’s face. Two pointy appendages went to the man’s forehead and another went for his jaw. He didn’t manage to utter a scream before the claw’s palm opened a small hole within itself and a thin needle burrowed its way into his brain.

As the old man’s body started its death twitches, Comet was still barking at its Master’s side. One glance from the robot and another digital burst of noise sent the dog running, its tail between its legs.

It dropped the man and let the body fall to the ground, a small hole right above the bridge of his nose showing a small prickle of blood. The robot stood up and surveyed its surroundings. It gave off another, much louder, noise and started to walk towards the glade’s edge. Behind it, the ground crumbled and more holes opened up. From them, more of its kind climbed out into the sunshine.

Spoiler for Chapter 1: The Current Situation:

Location unknown
+370 Days after Requiem Day

Two men and a woman gathered around the barely operating radio inside their small bunker. The damped noise of bombs and small weapons fire from the ground above continually made its way down to them. Dust fell from the ceiling as the bombs hit the ground. Now and again even a scream would manage to reach them. It was cold, as late autumn had begun to approach, but they huddled together, listening in on the message being received through a bad quality transmission.

“For a year we have survived. For a year we have gathered our strength. Setback after setback we have recovered and fought back Overlord. And now we are close. Close to the final, decisive battle. As I speak to you now, our plans are being set into motion. I have no doubt that we will succeed and end this war. But I must ask something of you. Something important.

“I ask of you to retain hope. Cling to what hope you got left in your heart, because without hope, we do not stand a chance. Hope is one of the few valuable things that we can still claim that Overlord has not taken away from us. It is a sign that we still have the strength to opposite it. It is what makes us human.

“So, for all of us, cling to your hope and spread it to others. If you do, you are a true member of the Guardians. Fight, and we shall defeat Overlord and its minions, together.

“This is Hayate Yagami, Supreme Commander of the Guardians.”

The transmission ended and was replaced by static. The two men and the woman looked at each other, nodding decivisely. With their energy seemingly renewed, they picked up the assault rifles that leaned against the wall behind them and opened the door that led to a staircase. One of the men went first and opened the thick lid at the top, peeking outside.

Above ground, a Reaper-Tank rolled past him. The massive tank crushed anything that met its treads and the vibrations it gave off made the ground shake. The firepower it packed was enough to suppress several squads of mages and regular soldiers. Its armor was so thick it took several armor-piercing beams or heavy ordinances to destroy, but, luckily, Reaper-Tanks were few and far between. It just so happened that the bunker they were staying in was very close to the frontline, where the Reaper-Tanks were most often patrolling.

The man closed the lid and nodded at the two others that stood and waited. They checked their rifles and combat attire, getting ready to abandon their bunker that had been their home for four days. Their initial goal was to head south, towards the Guardians HQ, and join up with whatever forces they would manage to come across. As it was now, they were way too close to the Citadel.

As one of the men climbed the ladder and gave the order to move out, a bunker buster missile fired from a Gargoyle, an aerial Reaper, hit the top of their bunker. For the hundreds of bombs that had fallen for so many days, each and everyone had missed the bunker itself. Yet, this time, it did hit. Whether it was because they had begun to move around and the Reapers had detected them, or if it was blind luck, they didn’t have time to ponder.

The bunker buster penetrated the ground and top armor of the bunker in a split second. Once it reached the bottom floor it exploded, sending a huge fireball through the narrow passageways, igniting any explosives that still remained inside. The three soldiers screamed and were burned to a crisp before they even managed to step out onto the battlefield. The only sign of their fate was the massive fireball that reached into the sky, ignored by the allied tropps less than a mile away, as it was just another bomb that fell on that day.

*

Five miles North of Cranagan, Guardians HQ
+371 Days after Requiem Day

“Commander.”

The girl couldn’t have been more than seventeen. It was awfully young for an aerial mage, but then again, they were rare these days. The Guardians had to make do with what they had at their disposal to fight the Reapers. The casualties for each passing day were worrying, but in a couple of days, if things went according to plan, Hayate wouldn’t need to worry about it anymore.

“Yes, Private. Please, take a seat.”

The girl was noticeably nervous as she fidgeted with her hands and looked around before sitting down. New recruits especially seemed to be nervous when faced with the Supreme Commander. Hayate sighed at the notion, but not so the girl would notice. She didn’t need to think she had annoyed her in some way. Frankly, Hayate was tired of it, though she couldn’t do anything about it. Rumors had their own way of evolving over time and the things she had done during her time as Supreme Commander was no different.

“Private Hastings, was it?” Hayate asked, glancing up from the paper in her hand.

The girl nodded. Hayate waited for a moment before continuing.

“Why did you sign up, Private?”

“To fight the Reapers, Commander.”

Hayate’s eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. “Is that your only reasonl?”

The girl started anxiously and shook her head, realizing the meaning behind Hayate’s tone. “No! Of course... I want to help the Guardians rebuild and to protect... Well, protect those that can’t fight...”

“Good. It’s fine to be willing to fight, but without motivation and reasons it goes only so far. Tell me, do you seek vengeance too?”

The girl stopped her fidgeting and locked eyes with Hayate. She was clearly weighing her response. After a while, she said: “Yes. I lost my mother... on Requiem Day. That’s my main reason for fighting.” She shook her head weakly. “My real reason.”

Hayate didn’t say anything and merely nodded. A panel appeared on her desk and she pressed a couple of buttons. “I’m assigning you to Hawk Squad, Section 4. Report to Sergeant Irahim. He’ll tell you what to do next.”

The girl brightened up and a smile broke out on her face. “Yes, Commander!”

Hayate saluted and smiled back. “Dismissed.”

The girl stood up, returned the salute and walked out of the room. As she closed the door behind her, a mage stepped out from the shadows in a corner of the room.

“Nanoha. Welcome back. I didn’t notice you.”

As the light from outside the windows hit Nanoha’s face, a huge scar stretched across her right eye, reaching from her forehead across the right edge of her mouth, became visible. It moved disturbingly as she talked, slightly affecting her speech.

“Thanks, Hayate. I didn’t want to interrupt.” She looked at the door and gave it a nod. “Another aerial mage? How many do we have now?”

“Too few.”

“I was afraid it would be something like that...”

Hayate shrugged and changed her tone. “Nanoha, how is Operation Light’s Dawn coming along?”

“About that...” Nanoha said and sat down in front of the desk. “There’s been some worrying developments. Reapers has begun to zero in on the main battery. It’s only a matter of time before they find it. Overlord seems to have become more active in the area, too.”

“That’s exactly what I didn’t want to hear.” Hayate sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “Can we increase the defense around the area?”

“We can. But we will lose important ground between the main battery and the HQ. Supplies will be a problem, but I suppose it can be done.” Nanoha pondered for a moment. “There is the Northern Coalition...”

Hayate waved her hand. “Yes, I know, but I don’t trust them. Even though their reverse-engineered Reapers has proven efficient for offensives into enemy territory, I wouldn’t put our future in their hands. Just imagine what would happen if Overlord figured out a way to revert them back!”

“You might have to, you know.”

“I know. I know...”

Hayate got up from her chair and crossed her arms. She looked out through the window at the desolated landscape. In the horizon, flashes of light could barely be made out in the setting sun. “Nanoha, the main battery cannot fall. The Guardians HQ is vital to our coordination and communication, but the main battery is the highest priority. We cannot let it fall.” She turned around and looked Nanoha straingt in the eye. “Operation Light’s Dawn must succeed, by any means necessary.”

I understand,” Nanoha said and got up from her chair. Just as she was about to walk out she stopped. “Hayate.”

“Yes?”

“Any word about Fate?”

Hayate clenched her hand reflexively. “None.”

Nanoha didn’t utter another word and left the office.

*

“Teana, are you heading out soon?”

Subaru stood in the doorway to Teana’s small room. She had her usual anxious-looking face as any other time Teana was preparing for a Black Ops insertion. But this time, she was more nervous than usual.

“In five minutes,” Teana replied. She checked her equipment again and made sure everything was in excellent condition. After that, she started to put on her battle attire. The black bodysuit with grey markings was very slick, but somewhat tight. She always had trouble getting in her cybernetic left hand.

“You are going in quite deep today, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Into Cranagan.”

“Yes...”

Subaru bit her lip and shook her head. “It’s so horrible even from this distance...”

“I know. I just try not to think about it.”

“Be careful, ne?”

“I’m always careful.” Teana gave Subaru a confident smile and zipped up her suit. “That’s it. I’m going. See you later, Subaru.”

“Yeah... See you later.”

Teana brushed past her and left. Subaru stayed where she was, a hand clutching her arm. She glanced over at the table where a framed picture stood. It had been taken six years ago, before Requiem Day, before the existence of the Reapers became known. In the picture, Subaru was smiling and had her arms wrapped around Teana’s and Erio’s necks, bringing them together. Both of them looking annoyed and embarrassed. Caro stood in the background, anxious and worried as usual, yet the slight smile betrayed her outward emotions.

Subaru swore and left the room. She, as had the others, had been smiling back then. There was nothing to smile about now.

*

Eight miles North-East of Guardians HQ, Alpha Base
+371 Days after Requiem Day

Alpha Base was closest to the frontlines, acting as the first of three defensive lines before the Guardians HQ. After Alpha came Bravo and Charlie, each of them lacking the firepower and personnel that Alpha had, but they made up for it in long-range weaponry, which they used to support Alpha Base whenever the Reapers made a frontal assault.

And assault they did. Several times a day. Alpha Base was the most frequently attacked base on the entire Northern-Eastern front. Located at the top of a hill surveying a chokepoint, they couldn’t ask for a better location, but it also meant it was of vital importance for the Reapers to claim it. If they did, Bravo and Charlie would fall fast. It was imperative that Alpha Base survived.

That was one of the reasons why Signum was the Field Commander for Alpha Base, reporting directly to Hayate. Ever since the rest of the upper echelons within the TSAB died on Requiem Day, Signum had risen in the ranks. No one had complained, of course. In the current situation, complaints wouldn’t lead to anything, but it was much more sketchy when it came to the future. However, she personally didn’t care about it. Her focus was to take care of the men and women operating in Alpha Base, to make sure they survived and that they pushed back Reaper assaults. She didn’t have time to think about the future.

“Ma’am.” The Lieutenant saluted to her. They stood on an observation platform overlooking the chokepoint, observing the wreckage of tens of Reapers that had fallen in the previous battle. “We have reports of Gargoyles heading our way. I told the anti-air squads to get ready.”

“Good,” Signum said and nodded approvingly. “How about Air Force reinforcement?”

“They are on their way. ETA: Six minutes.”

“Excellent. You are dismissed, Lieutenant.”

He nodded and climbed down the ladder. Signum remained, her arms folded across her chest. A panel suddenly appeared beside her with a ‘Voice-only’ label covering the screen.

“Vita, did you hear?”

“I did. I’m on my way.”

The panel disappeared and Signum took a deep breath. She unfolded her arms and took Levantine out of his sheath. The once silver-coloured sword was now black, upgraded with Reaper technology, and it covered itself with burning flames as its system came online.

“Levantine, Dark Knight Mode,” Signum said and held the sword above her head. The flames licked her hair, but not a single straw of hair was scorched.

“Jawohl!”

Dark angel wings sprouted from Signum’s back and she began to levitate. The next passing second she was gone, disappearing into the dark clouds above.

*

180.000 miles from Mid-Childa, Warship Theresa
+371 Days after Requiem Day

If there was one place that the Guardians still held considerable power, it was in space. The warship Theresa, flagship of the Guardians Inter-Dimensional Fleet, had held its orbit around Mid-Childa ever since Requiem Day. Thanks to a heavily defended spaceport down on the planet, the fleet could be provided with supplies on a monthly schedule.

Apart from Theresa, three other warships orbited the planet: the Initiator, Cranagan’s Glory and Magical Spear. Each of them had fought the Reaper space armada, and had even managed to hold them off. The Reapers’ technology when it came to space travel and space battle seemed weak in contrast to the power they packed on the ground, but no one had figured out why. It almost looked like a design oversight, but since they were all A.Is, or rather, was controlled by Overlord, it wasn’t a likely cause. Still, it meant that the Guardians had the upper hand when it came to orbital support.

Sadly, the fleet had failed to defend the bases on Mid-Childa’s moons. Maintenance docks and refueling stations had been destroyed in the initial Reaper attack six years ago, before the Guardians even existed. Back then it had been the TSAB that had fallen to the surprise attack launched by the Reapers. But the Guardians still saw it as their own failure. The TSAB had been, after all, their mother organization.

As things were now, the fleet was split up into three battle groups: Thunder, Cyclone and Tornado. The Theresa, together with her two sister ships, was part of Cyclone, tasked with providing orbital bombardments to foes on the ground. The other two battle groups were tasked with reconnaissance and defense. They were somewhere inside the solar system, but not even the Theresa could pin-point them exactly. It was for the best. That way, the Reapers couldn’t intercept their signals and take them out one by one.

For now, the Theresa remained in orbit, waiting for further orders. The fleet’s Admiral, Chrono Harlaown, was under the command of the Guardians Supreme Commander when it came to orbital support, but he had the ultimate authority when it came to engaging the Reapers in space. It was a deal that had worked very well ever since the Guardians were founded, and no one had questioned it.

On-board the ship itself, Chrono sat in his Captain’s chair, observing the working crew and information scrolling across several panels beside him. From behind him a door slid open and his second-in-command strode through. He gave Chrono a salute, who returned it.

“What does the message say, Jensen?” Chrono asked.

“Sir. The message we intercepted from Cranagan’s Glory was heavily encrypted. It still hasn’t been fully decrypted... But we got some worrying information from it.”

“Give it to me.”

Jensen handed over the datapad, saluted and went back to his station. Chrono scrolled through the message he held in his hand. As he read it, he began to straighten up in his chair. Worrying information had been an understatement. What he held in his hand was far worse.

He rapidly dialled Hayate as he continued to read. He had to warn her, immediately. Things had begun to spin into motion far more quickly than he would have liked...

Spoiler for Hey, I think I remember this one!:

This is where Fate got assimilated and became some kind of borg queen for the reapers, isn't it?

Originally Posted by SilentOutlaw

Well, now I have a feeling when we get there, the vote will be terribly one sided.

Chrono's?

...what? Isn't that the reason he hasn't showed up yet? Busy maintaining his ever-growing harem?

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by Tiresias

Spoiler for Hey, I think I remember this one!:

This is where Fate got assimilated and became some kind of borg queen for the reapers, isn't it?

Yes, yes it is~~

[XenahortCharybdis]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Yes, yes it is~~

Now that's a familiar read. It doesn't have the old dry feel of the original, though. Plaudits for that - but now that we've come to some sorta post-apocalypse conflict, I can't help but feel that I'm not really in a post-apocalyptic conflict: the mood making could improve somewhat beyond giving us an order of battle (the whole deal with Subaru and Teana is a fair attempt. I'd personally have preferred to see it longer though).

Otherwise, the whole situation occasionally feels like a cross between Transformers 2 and Terminator. But nevermind, I put that down to your ever spare style, and to the fact that this is what, Chapter 1?

Now let's see if my schedule will let me continue glassing this fic. And hopefully your schedule holds up enough for it to get somewhere.

P.S: Beware the subplot bunny: unless you're prepared to go places with the theme...

[Shigan]

Hello folks!

Horribly late to join the Nanoha train, I am. But what do you know? The write strikes anyway, hard and pitilessly and turned me into a writing drone.

Fate-centric x Nanoha with the rest of the cast in dashes here and there, taking everyone's favorite enforcer through the small and big moments of life, love and everything in between. Pretty long piece, which turned out rather well. Hope you enjoy!

p.s Fighting Fate is an awesome write ^^.

When I Think About Flying

Spoiler for Excerpts: Where Yagami Hayate begins devolving Investigator Harlaown by knocking back drinks. In. spades.:

"You know," Hayate begun in a voice Fate knew meant trouble. "That guy over there's got the hots for you."

Fate looked past her best friend's lopsided grin, following her thumb and a piece of potato chip she was holding.

"And so does that lady, right over there." Hayate went on, making Fate looked again.

"Oh please," Fate snorted, sipping her drink. They were sitting by the oak bar in the officers' club, knocking back a few drinks. Hayate rarely saw Fate during work and would be damned if she wasn't going to hog her friend for a bit. Being the only SSS-mage recorded in recent history, Yagami Hayate was one of the few who dared to stand up to the Takamachi Wrath. Fate shook her head at the brunette's sly expression. "I know the type. All they see are the stripes on your shoulders."

"Could be, or it's your legs in that skirt. Damnit Fate, you guys really do get all the looky stuff." Hayate said, casting Fate's new uniform a dirty look.

"It's the same uniform you've been ogling for years. All they did was adding two new stripes. Same difference, ma'am."

"Bragging about your promotion, Harlaown?"

"Not at all. I'm just saying my uniform has always looked better than yours." Fate said and smiled into her glass, then nearly choking on her drink when Hayate shoved her playfully.

[MaxwellDemon]

Originally Posted by Shigan

Hello folks!

Horribly late to join the Nanoha train, I am. But what do you know? The write strikes anyway, hard and pitilessly and turned me into a writing drone.

Fate-centric x Nanoha with the rest of the cast in dashes here and there, taking everyone's favorite enforcer through the small and big moments of life, love and everything in between. Pretty long piece, which turned out rather well. Hope you enjoy!

p.s Fighting Fate is an awesome write ^^.

When I Think About Flying

Spoiler for Excerpts: Where Yagami Hayate begins devolving Investigator Harlaown by knocking back drinks. In. spades.:

"You know," Hayate begun in a voice Fate knew meant trouble. "That guy over there's got the hots for you."

Fate looked past her best friend's lopsided grin, following her thumb and a piece of potato chip she was holding.

"And so does that lady, right over there." Hayate went on, making Fate looked again.

"Oh please," Fate snorted, sipping her drink. They were sitting by the oak bar in the officers' club, knocking back a few drinks. Hayate rarely saw Fate during work and would be damned if she wasn't going to hog her friend for a bit. Being the only SSS-mage recorded in recent history, Yagami Hayate was one of the few who dared to stand up to the Takamachi Wrath. Fate shook her head at the brunette's sly expression. "I know the type. All they see are the stripes on your shoulders."

"Could be, or it's your legs in that skirt. Damnit Fate, you guys really do get all the looky stuff." Hayate said, casting Fate's new uniform a dirty look.

"It's the same uniform you've been ogling for years. All they did was adding two new stripes. Same difference, ma'am."

"Bragging about your promotion, Harlaown?"

"Not at all. I'm just saying my uniform has always looked better than yours." Fate said and smiled into her glass, then nearly choking on her drink when Hayate shoved her playfully.

I usually spend my time lurking on AnimeSuki recently. Very tentatively lurking on this very particular fanfiction thread though, ever since Satashi posted stories here.

Anyway, I wanted to spend my time to applaud this particular piece. I loved how you portrayed Fate and how you expanded on certain various important aspects of her life.

And of course, I sniggered a few times at work. Hayate's antics is awesome.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Shigan

Hello folks!

Horribly late to join the Nanoha train, I am. But what do you know? The write strikes anyway, hard and pitilessly and turned me into a writing drone.

Fate-centric x Nanoha with the rest of the cast in dashes here and there, taking everyone's favorite enforcer through the small and big moments of life, love and everything in between. Pretty long piece, which turned out rather well. Hope you enjoy!

p.s Fighting Fate is an awesome write ^^.

When I Think About Flying

Spoiler for Excerpts: Where Yagami Hayate begins devolving Investigator Harlaown by knocking back drinks. In. spades.:

"You know," Hayate begun in a voice Fate knew meant trouble. "That guy over there's got the hots for you."

Fate looked past her best friend's lopsided grin, following her thumb and a piece of potato chip she was holding.

"And so does that lady, right over there." Hayate went on, making Fate looked again.

"Oh please," Fate snorted, sipping her drink. They were sitting by the oak bar in the officers' club, knocking back a few drinks. Hayate rarely saw Fate during work and would be damned if she wasn't going to hog her friend for a bit. Being the only SSS-mage recorded in recent history, Yagami Hayate was one of the few who dared to stand up to the Takamachi Wrath. Fate shook her head at the brunette's sly expression. "I know the type. All they see are the stripes on your shoulders."

"Could be, or it's your legs in that skirt. Damnit Fate, you guys really do get all the looky stuff." Hayate said, casting Fate's new uniform a dirty look.

"It's the same uniform you've been ogling for years. All they did was adding two new stripes. Same difference, ma'am."

"Bragging about your promotion, Harlaown?"

"Not at all. I'm just saying my uniform has always looked better than yours." Fate said and smiled into her glass, then nearly choking on her drink when Hayate shoved her playfully.

The small mention of Vivio and Lutecia made me squeal like you would not believe.

Beyond that, though, this story left me with warm fuzzies. I'm not usually a big fan of NanoFate family stories, for some reason or another, but this one hit me in the right place and left me with a happy smile.

*adds to favorites*

Also, if you expand on Shamal and Signum's backstory, I will love you forever and ever.

[NorthernFallout]

Well that got longer than intended.

Reapers Revolution

Spoiler for Chapter 2: Operation Capital Void:

Cranagan
+371 Days after Requiem Day

The helicopter flew just above the highway leading into Cranagan’s city core. The drop-off point was at the outskirts of the core, at a mall that had escaped some of the destruction on Requiem Day. The helicopter wouldn’t be able to fly any further due to the radiation that started to rise around the area, and because of the risk of debris falling from the skyscrapers. Coming in from high above was an option, but Reaper anti-air defenses would have a better shot at them. From the mall, there would be a journey on foot for about an hour before reaching the next objective: the Ground Forces HQ.

Teana couldn’t say she was looking forward to it. As a solo Black Ops agent, she was outnumbered and outgunned when she’d eventually encounter Reapers on patrol. It wasn’t a question of if, as the activity around the old headquarters had risen in the last couple of days. She knew it was because of Operation Light’s Dawn. Overlord had a hunch of what was going on, and it wasn’t about to let the operation run its course.

To send someone solo into the post-apocalyptic, radioactive landscape in the first place seemed suicidal, but in truth, Teana was the best one suited considering the circumstances. Her bodysuit effectively shut out most of the radiation and at the same time provided an ample amount of armour against Reaper weapons. She could also move without regard to anyone else, only focusing on herself. She also knew she was one of the few agents with the most experience. Yet, she wasn’t completely sure of what she was getting herself into. While the intel was pretty solid, there were still some unknown factors.

She had been in Cranagan after Requiem Day a couple of times. She knew her way around the destroyed streets, but that had mostly been in broad daylight, in organized groups. Now, she was all alone as night started to conquer day. The more she thought about it, the more she decided it was, after all, suicidal. But maybe she wanted it that way. Something inside her had told her to volunteer. Maybe-

“Ten seconds to drop-off point. Get ready, Lanster.”

The intercom brought her out of the thoughts. She shook her head and made final checks on Cross Mirage, which was attached to her back, and the suit as the helicopter banked and started to slow down. She could feel, but mostly just hear, how the rotors changed their speed.

“I can’t see shit,” the voice said again. “We are behind schedule. You’ll have to jump.”

“Great,” Teana muttered. “Just great.”

It wasn’t that a jump would hurt her. It wouldn’t even inconvenience her, but jumping into darkness always made her feel queasy. Having no idea how high she was, not knowing when her legs would hit the ground. It was a good thing her suit would absorb most of the impact.

The large cargo door at the back started to open. She anticipated a strong wind to blow her off her feet, but it never came. Instead, only a slight breeze touched her cheek and she walked towards the dark hole. She smiled in relief when she discovered that the night hadn’t arrived fully, and that she could still see the ground. It was only a couple of meters, an easy task.

“Thanks for the ride, Foe Hammer. Smooth as usual.”

“No problem, Lanster. Just call when you want an extraction. Foe Hammer Air Taxi is always at your service.”

Teana chuckled and pressed a button on her suit’s neck. Her helmet slid up in plated parts and covered her head entirely. Then she jumped out of the helicopter, landing heavily on the concrete, which cracked from the impact. As Foe Hammer turned the chopper around and started back to base, Teana waved after her and then turned to face the skyscrapers of Cranagan. A majority of the windows were smashed and in some places their skeleton was visible. Some of the buildings were bent at dangerous angles, while others had been cut in half. Infinite smoke bellowed from some of the floors, even after such a long time.

She stood there for a few seconds, taking it in. A wide range of emotions streamed through her head. Anger, sadness, loss. She started walking while thinking of those who had died on Requiem Day, but was quick to remind herself of those she could save, the ones that were putting their trust in her. “Here we go again,” she muttered.

*

The burnt out car wrecks flooded the streets. Teana jumped on their hoods as she moved forwards, trying to keep up her speed. Nightfall was coming closer, further letting her blend in with her environment. She was a shadow moving forth, undetected by the naked eye, though she was still aware that the Reapers used infra-red at night. She therefore made certain to take less obvious routes. From time to time, she could hear a Reaper moving about in the distance, but it was very faint. Her intel was so far correct: the route they were patrolling wouldn’t intercept with her own.

She had to halt at an apartment complex and she took cover just before the corner. A shadow she couldn’t quite make out moved about in the moonlight. Her night-vision didn’t help either as it didn’t return a signature for some reason. It wasn’t as big as a Reaper, but she could still hear the familiar noise it made when it moved. She decided to wait and see what it would do. She couldn’t afford to be discovered this early and the outcome of a one-on-one was uncertain as she didn’t know if it had backup or not.

It didn’t take long for it to move on, but it did it so quietly Teana missed when it actually left. For a moment she pondered if she had almost crossed path with a covert ops Reaper, a very rare type that the Guardians had little data on. What it would do there, though, she had no idea.

Eager to move on, she emerged from cover and kept running. The moonlight reflected off the skyscrapers and washed her with a faint blue light. Her own shadow seemed to get a life of its own. The only sound she could now hear was of her own boots crushing small debris that lay scattered on the streets, and the constant beeping from her Geiger counter indicating an abnormal amount of radiation. Compared to the drop-off point, the radiation inside the city core was several times higher, far above the safe levels for an unprotected human. Teana’s only worry, however, was ripping her suit open, which probably wouldn’t happen thanks to the extremely resilient material it was made of.

At the next intersection her safe route ended and it became a matter of stealth. From there, it wasn’t far to the Ground Forces HQ, or the Overwatch, as it was now called, but the Reaper patrols would increase in numbers the closer she got. She had to be more cautious now compared to before.

Even from the intersection she could see the faint red light from the Suppressor Device at the top of the Overwatch building. She wished she was there for sabotage, not intelligence gathering. To see the device go up in smoke would leave her feel relieved, but she wasn’t about to go against orders. There wouldn’t be time for it anyway. Perhaps there would be an opportunity to hand in a request later...

She continued straight, towards where the first patrol was supposed to be. As she got closer, she still couldn’t hear the familiar noise of moving machinery, but she knew better. For all she knew they could be setting an ambush, which was very likely considering how the area looked. It was basically just ruins, providing ample cover for anyone deciding to jump her.

One of the more outstanding feature of the block was a skyscraper that had fallen across the street, crushing the smaller buildings around it. Teana stopped in front of the massive wall of broken glass and tried to navigate through it. She was careful not to hit the sharp edges as she moved, all the while keeping an eye in all directions in case the ambush was sprung. The light inside was barely enough for her to see, and the night-vision didn’t help as the already weak light reflected off the thousands of shards lying around. They cracked as she stepped on them. The noise seemed deafening in the silence around her, but nothing jumped out to take her down.

She managed to navigate through the fallen skyscraper without any Reapers appearing, which wasn’t a good sign. The intel had pointed to a patrol being there, and the fact that it wasn’t meant it was somewhere else. Teana consulted her datapad attached to her wrist and did a wide area scan. It would pick up energy signatures, but drained a lot of energy from her suit. She could only use it twice per mission before she had to reserve energy to the suit itself, but the situation was asking for it.

Fourteen signatures appeared as small red dots cluttering a datagrid. Neither of them were close to her, but the numbers weren’t right. There were supposed to be a lot more than fourteen.

Did they notice I’m here? Are they setting another ambush somewhere? Have they powered down, waiting for me around the corner? she thought, nervously looking this way and that.

Something was obviously off, but she didn’t have another choice than to continue her mission. If things went south, she could request an immediate emergency evac. But that would be very embarrassing for someone of her caliber, and so she pushed on, closing in on the underground maintenance tunnel she would use to infiltrate the Overwatch.

*

After evading a couple of patrols without incident, it didn’t take her long to find it. Hidden behind a pile of rubble next to an apartment complex, she found a sign. The edges were curved and scorched, but she could still make out the text stating ‘Station 89: Authorized Personnel Only’. She grabbed the door’s handle with both hands and pulled. The resistance was great, but not enough to withstand her augmented strength. The door groaned, a literal scream into the night, before its hinges gave up and it came flying off. Teana was inside before the door hit the ground as it would surely attract attention. She didn’t want to take any chances with possible Seekers roaming the area.

She climbed down the ladder and her boots met water. The tunnel was partly flooded, but not to the extent that it hindered her movements. She moved on and released Cross Mirage from her back. It loosened without much resistance and she put it against her right shoulder.

“Cross Mirage, flashlight.”

“Yes.”

The tip of Cross Mirage flared up and a small circle of light bounced on the circular walls ahead of her. She checked her Geiger counter and noticed the radiation levels were very low below ground. She pressed the button on her neck again and her protective helmet folded back, the night-vision going along with it. She had to blink a couple of times for her vision to go back to normal.

When she could clearly see ahead of her, at least where the light was illuminating the dark tunnel, she pressed onward. The first part was straight, but it would later turn left and then right, without any t-sections. In the corner of her eye she could see the datapad on her wrist illuminating a grid for the tunnel network. She was very close to the Overwatch.

She followed the tunnel until she encountered a ladder. Checking the datapad again, she realized she was just under the Overwatch. She hefted Cross Mirage to her back again and grabbed a hold of the ladder, but made sure nothing was following her. She listened intently for any noise, but the tunnel was silent. Satisfied with that, she climbed towards the lid at the top.

When she reached it she carefully pushed it open, checking if the coast was clear. After confirming it was, she sent the lid flying, jumping out after it. The first odd thing she noticed was weird noises reverberating through the building. She couldn’t describe it, but it sent waves of discomfort through her body. Apart from that, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the cellar.

She grabbed Cross Mirage again and held it against her shoulder. The stairs leading to the first floor was just next to her and she climbed it. She tried the handle to see if it was locked, which it wasn’t. As silently as she could she pushed the handle downwards and aimed Cross Mirage around as the door opened.

The lobby was empty and dark. To her surprise, there weren’t any windows. All of them had been replaced by thick metal plates, most likely to keep people out, but it didn’t explain the lack of Reapers. Some of them should have been placed there as guards, even they would understand the importance of that, but there was nothing there.

Teana looked to her right and discovered the emergency staircase. She could use that to reach the top floor as taking the elevator was not only risky, but would also alert everything in the building. Since the room was clear she moved towards it and grabbed the handle. Immediately a cold shiver ran along her back as the unpleasant noise faded into nothingness and she froze in the spot. All around she could hear machines going online, their familiar start-up burst of digital noise turning her stomach to ice.

Then the noise stopped. The room was silent again and she glanced at her datapad without moving from her position. She felt watched, but couldn’t determine where from. She stood perfectly still and carefully led her hand to the pad, pressing a button. The wide area scan began again. She had to have confirmation of her suspicions.

The results popped up. The fourteen Reapers on patrol was still there, not even close to her position. But she couldn’t see her own green dot. It was completely covered in red. At the first sight of it, her training kicked in and a tranquil calm took over in her body. She took a deep breath.

“Cross Mirage!”

“Roger!”

In the same second as she kicked open the door, Cross Mirage configured its firing mechanism into full-auto. As the door fell, Teana spun around and fired into the lobby. The magical rounds lit up the room and the Reapers came into full view, their red orbs staring at her. There were roughly ten of them, as far as she was able to count, and her shots bounced off their energy shields uselessly. They fired back at her, but she was behind the wall before they could get a proper lock.

Sentinel Reapers. Shit. That wasn’t in the fucking intel! she thought in anger and ran up the stairs. She grabbed a grenade from her belt and let it bounce down to the lobby. She didn’t see it go off, but the sudden explosion and rapt response of digital chatter told her it had caused some sort of damage.

The building seemed to have entered full alert. When she risked a glance down, she could see several Reapers pursuing her, firing as they went. Their fire went wide, bouncing off the support rails. Teana ignored them, kept her speed up and took several steps at a time, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

She had to halt when a door suddenly opened just above the next flight of stairs. Another Sentinel Reaper emerged and took aim. Teana ducked, narrowly avoiding the burst of energy, and jumped on the side of the railing, then against the wall. It provided her with enough momentum to reach the Reaper and she wrenched the rifle out of its hands. Thankfully, though Sentinel Reapers had a lot of defense, their close combat configuration was worst of all the types, bar the Scout Reaper.

Teana went in close and drew her blade that was attached to her ankle. She pressed her thumb against the upper top of its handle and a blue light pulsed, indicating its energy absorption was active. She struck once at the Reaper, draining its shield in an instant. With the force-field gone she could get a good grip of its shoulder and she swung around it. The Reaper got more and more confused, and merely flailed its arms trying to get her off. It didn’t occur to it that throwing itself backwards onto the floor would have trapped her.

She wrapped her legs around its waist, clamped the knife with both hands and stabbed it down into the Reaper’s neck. Sparks flew from the disconnected cables and its body became limp. Teana jumped off and the Reaper collapsed, its red orbs slowly dimming into black holes as its energy source died out.

“That was close,” Teana grunted and clutched her left arm. A lucky shot from the Reaper had managed to cut through her suit and had briefly touched her skin, burning her flesh. It didn’t bleed, but it was hurting nonetheless. “Cross Mirage, Shotgun Mode.”

“Yes.”

Cross Mirage’s barrel shrunk and its main body got slightly bigger as it configured itself. Teana continued to head upwards and dropped another grenade behind her. This time the explosion caused a part of the staircase to collapse, burying some of the Reapers below. When she glanced back she could see the remaining ones jump over their fallen brethren and continue their hunt.

So persistent!

Despite her suit supporting her body, she could feel her muscles starting to give up. Her adrenaline started to drop and exhaustion threatened to slow her down. She couldn’t afford any of it and in the next stride pulled a compact syringe from her belt. She popped the cap off, stopped and stabbed herself in the thigh. While clenching her teeth from the sharp pain, she injected the drug.

It took a few seconds for it to take effect. As she started climbing the stairs again, she could feel a spike of heat in her body. Her adrenaline started to flow at an increasing speed. Her vision became slightly blurry, but her muscles returned, allowing her to push harder. She started to hyperventilate and her heart went into overdrive. If it wasn’t for some of her internal augmentations, it would have exploded from the stress.

At the next floor she checked her datapad again. The mainframe she was looking for was just above her. Eager to reach her objective and get out before the Reapers caught up, she gathered strength and ran up the last staircase. She reached the door, clutched the handle and slung it open.

The adrenalin burst brought on by the drug had an awkward side-effect that no one could really explain, and which Teana hadn’t experienced before, so she was surprised when her vision suddenly cleared, but hear hearing became damped. As she entered the room, her movements became sluggish. She managed a few meters before the ceiling above her crashed in on her, almost crushing her, but it was as if it was moving in slow-motion. She spun around and from inside the dust and debris that slowly fell to the floor, she saw something black move.

Thoughts racing through her skull, she reflexively rose her cybernetic hand in an attempt to ward off the incoming blow, but she was too slow. The blow caught her straight in the chest and she could feel a few ribs break as she was thrown across the room, landing face-first into the wall. Before she lost consciousness, spitting blood that flooded from her broken nose into her mouth, she could see the Brawler Reaper close in on her, followed by the hunting party.

*

She woke up with a jolt and the pain immediately made itself known. She groaned and spat. She could feel teeth fragments in her mouth and the rest of her face was pure pain. She didn’t want to imagine how she looked. She tried to stand up, but the pain in her ribs forced her to get down on her knees with clenched teeth. It took her a few seconds to realize what had happened. It wasn't until then that she looked around, searching for the Reapers.

All she saw was wreckage. Some of them had been sliced in two, a clean cut through their middle, while others seemed to have had their limbs ripped from their sockets. The Brawler that had ambushed her lay in pieces in front of her, it's dark holes that used to be its eyes staring back. She didn't understand anything. She should have been dead.

Slowly she managed to get up on her feet and limp forwards to her objective, the console panel. She used it to support herself as she searched her pockets with a shaking hand. When she found the data storage device, which, to her amazement, had survived the encounter, she plugged it in. The console gave off a happy chime and the system started working.

She slid down on the floor and leaned back, exhausted. She tried to make sense of the wreckage around her. It didn't seem likely a guardian angel had randomly swooped down with a vengeance, but someone or something had protected her.

"Cross Mirage," Teana gurgled, struggling to speak the words. The blood was clogging her throat. "What happened?"

Cross Mirage, lying beside her, took a while to reply. When it did, its digital voice was slightly distorted. "I do not know. My systems suffered a critical error as you were ambushed. I have no recording of what happened afterwards. I did not manage to restart until you woke up."

"Figures."

She checked her datapad. It was dark, completely drained of energy, which meant her suit was useless in many ways, but it could still be used to some degree as damage and radiation protection. If she could even manage to get out of the building in the first place.

Her radio suddenly sputtered to life, which was very odd. From the start of her mission, radio silence was imperative. If Command decided to break it, something serious was going on. It was a stroke of luck that it operated with its own, separate, power source.

"Lanster! Are you still alive? Please respond!" Teana recognized it as her direct superior, Colonel Heart. She had never heard him so worried before. The man never showed emotion.

“This is Lanster. Yeah, I’m alive. Barely.”

“Thank the Kaiser for that. You scared us, Lanster. Your EKG flatlined. We thought we had lost you.”

“I... What?”

“You were dead, for a moment. What the hell happened?”

“I...” Teana tried to stand up and used the console as support again. The pain had abated a little bit, but she was still shaking. “I don’t know.” She catched her breath and cleared her throat. “I entered the building according to plan, but they were waiting for me. It was an ambush. I took the emergency staircase, managed to get away from them. When I reached the floor where the objective was a Brawler ambushed me. It knocked me out. When I woke up all of them were dead.”

“Dead?”

“Broken. Wiped out. Something else took them down.”

“Something, as in what?”

“I have no idea.”

The silence was heavy as Colonel Heart consulted with someone. When he returned his old, emotionless self was back to normal. It was, oddly enough, comforting. “Are you badly hurt?”

Teana squirmed as her ribs complained in response. “Some broken ribs, and a broken nose. Might have head trauma, but I’m not sure. My suit is drained, too.”

“Damn. Do you think you can get out?”

“I can manage... But to be honest, I’m not sure I can get out alive. It’s a hunch on my part, but I think Overlord knew I was coming. The Reapers will be on full alert in the city.”

“Yeah, I know. Dammit. Hold on, Lanster, we are getting you out of there.”

The Colonel disconnected and Teana sighed. She glanced at the console and noticed the transfer was complete. She unplugged the storage device and dropped it in her pocket.

“Lanster, I heard you were in a bit of a situation?”

The crackling voice on the radio that suddenly appeared brought a smile to Teana’s face. “Foe Hammer. Always good hearing your voice.”

“Don’t I know it. Look, I’m coming to pick you up, Colonel’s orders.”

Teana blinked and remember the reason why they hadn’t flown into the city in the first place. “But what about the anti-air? What about the radiation?”

“Got myself a radiation suit while you were gone, so no worries there. The anti-air, well... Some aerial mages swung by and cleared a path. Stealthy time is over. But enough about me, how about yourself? Aren’t you really in need of an emergency evac right now?”

Teana looked down on herself. She still stood half-bent over the console, her suit covered in blood and ruptures. She couldn’t deny Foe Hammer’s words. Besides, even she could admit that getting a lift would be pretty nice. “Right you are.”

“Alright, I’m just around the corner- Oh shit!”

“What is it?”

“Take a look outside the window, Lanster.”

Wondering what Foe Hammer meant, Teana inched towards the window and put her face against it. Far below on street-level, dozens of Reapers were amassing, staring up at her. She backed away before they got the bright away to fire en masse.

“I’ll head to the roof,” she said. “Pick me up from there.”

“No can do. Gargoyles dropped off some Reapers there. They are heading towards you now.”

“But how am I supposed to... No.” Teana had finally realized what Foe Hammer was hinting at and her face got slightly bleaker.

“Yes,” Foe Hammer replied. Teana could visualize the grin on her face.

“No way.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

Teana swore. She checked so that the storage device and Cross Mirage was safely secured and backed away further from the window. “Tell me when, OK?”

“Of course. Good luck.”

She rubbed her chest in agony and stretched her arms and legs. Then she checked the rest of her limbs. She confirmed there wasn’t any more damage she needed to care about and nothing that hindered her in what came next.

“Go!”

Foe Hammer’s voice put Teana into action. She started to sprint towards the window, not bothering to remove the broken parts. There wasn’t any time, not now.

She jumped when her foot reached the edge. The remaining glass broke and followed her outside. The floor disappeared and was replaced by empty air. She saw Foe Hammer coming in just above her at a steep angle. If she did anything wrong, not even Teana’s suit would survive against the helicopter’s rotor blades.

But Foe Hammer flew as she always did. With perfection. As soon as gravity started to pull Teana downwards, Foe Hammer banked to her left, allowing Teana to latch on with her cybernetic hand. If it had still been made of flesh, she would have plummeted to her death, but now she could lock her fingers and hang there without a care in the world until they reached the base.

The air drenched out Foe Hammer’s words, but Teana didn’t care. She was laughing, despite her pain, at the Reapers who arrived at the windows just to see her fly away. Away from Cranagan, once again.

Spoiler for Weapon and Suit Extras: Because the author sucks at description. Also, he loves infodumps.:

The M-96 Cross Mirage Auto-Configurable Battle Rifle (ACBR) is a further development upon the original Cross Mirage. Its original handgun-model has been removed in favor of an assault rifle model as standard. In addition, thanks to the careful calibration of powerful magic and advanced Reaper technology, the M-96 is capable of configuring itself into a shotgun and a sniper rifle, depending on the combat situation. It’s extremely durable and as such can withstand a lot of punishment. Its personality has been retained as much as possible, to make sure the past relationship between the master and the device is retained fully. It still only fires magical rounds and is painted black, in accordance with stealth policies.

Black Ops agents are rewarded with X-90 Combat Enhancement and Universal Protection Suit (CEUAS) after the completition of their training, capable of protection against weapon-, melee- and fall damage, in addition to having a strong radiation protection layer. Its material is enhanced by Reaper technology and as such is very resilient. The X-90 can be modified to suit a wearers personal liking. In its belt a multitude of weapons, such as grenades and flashbangs, can be carried, in addition to various mission-critical objects. Its helmet can be automatically put on and withdrawn with the press of a button. The helmet also features an enhanced night-vision system and consists of a set of plates, enabling the already mentioned automatic feature. The entire suit is dyed black.

The LSG-8X Device is a necessary datapad for any agent. It’s wide area scan is extremely useful in certain situations and it can download, and upload, vital information. It can also show maps, video and can partly be used as a hacking device.

An upgrade from a normal military knife, the Energy Cutter is not only capable of inflicting great damage in the right hands, but can also drain a Reaper’s shields in a single hit. However, the feature can only be used once every few minutes as the cutter need to recharge.

Author Meta Note: The suit’s helmet is akin to Dead Space’s, the rest of it is classical infiltration cyborg stuff. Cross Mirage is based on the Mass Effect weapons, molded into one. The LSG-8X is akin to a Pip-Boy OR Mass Effect’s Omni-tools, only it isn’t an orange tube of light.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by Shigan

Hello folks!

Horribly late to join the Nanoha train, I am. But what do you know? The write strikes anyway, hard and pitilessly and turned me into a writing drone.

Fate-centric x Nanoha with the rest of the cast in dashes here and there, taking everyone's favorite enforcer through the small and big moments of life, love and everything in between. Pretty long piece, which turned out rather well. Hope you enjoy!

p.s Fighting Fate is an awesome write ^^.

When I Think About Flying

Spoiler for Excerpts: Where Yagami Hayate begins devolving Investigator Harlaown by knocking back drinks. In. spades.:

"You know," Hayate begun in a voice Fate knew meant trouble. "That guy over there's got the hots for you."

Fate looked past her best friend's lopsided grin, following her thumb and a piece of potato chip she was holding.

"And so does that lady, right over there." Hayate went on, making Fate looked again.

"Oh please," Fate snorted, sipping her drink. They were sitting by the oak bar in the officers' club, knocking back a few drinks. Hayate rarely saw Fate during work and would be damned if she wasn't going to hog her friend for a bit. Being the only SSS-mage recorded in recent history, Yagami Hayate was one of the few who dared to stand up to the Takamachi Wrath. Fate shook her head at the brunette's sly expression. "I know the type. All they see are the stripes on your shoulders."

"Could be, or it's your legs in that skirt. Damnit Fate, you guys really do get all the looky stuff." Hayate said, casting Fate's new uniform a dirty look.

"It's the same uniform you've been ogling for years. All they did was adding two new stripes. Same difference, ma'am."

"Bragging about your promotion, Harlaown?"

"Not at all. I'm just saying my uniform has always looked better than yours." Fate said and smiled into her glass, then nearly choking on her drink when Hayate shoved her playfully.

Oh my god, I just squealed XD. Signum x Shamal, and Vivio x Lutecia? Sooooo cute .

*agrees with RB* I will worship you if you do more around Signum and Shamal's backstory .

It was a different kind of "NanoFate family" fic than others I've read, and it's not in anything big, just little things in many places that just made this story so awesome for me.

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Well that got longer than intended.

Reapers Revolution

Spoiler for Chapter 2: Operation Capital Void:

Cranagan
+371 Days after Requiem Day

The helicopter flew just above the highway leading into Cranagan’s city core. The drop-off point was at the outskirts of the core, at a mall that had escaped some of the destruction on Requiem Day. The helicopter wouldn’t be able to fly any further due to the radiation that started to rise around the area, and because of the risk of debris falling from the skyscrapers. Coming in from high above was an option, but Reaper anti-air defenses would have a better shot at them. From the mall, there would be a journey on foot for about an hour before reaching the next objective: the Ground Forces HQ.

Teana couldn’t say she was looking forward to it. As a solo Black Ops agent, she was outnumbered and outgunned when she’d eventually encounter Reapers on patrol. It wasn’t a question of if, as the activity around the old headquarters had risen in the last couple of days. She knew it was because of Operation Light’s Dawn. Overlord had a hunch of what was going on, and it wasn’t about to let the operation run its course.

To send someone solo into the post-apocalyptic, radioactive landscape in the first place seemed suicidal, but in truth, Teana was the best one suited considering the circumstances. Her bodysuit effectively shut out most of the radiation and at the same time provided an ample amount of armour against Reaper weapons. She could also move without regard to anyone else, only focusing on herself. She also knew she was one of the few agents with the most experience. Yet, she wasn’t completely sure of what she was getting herself into. While the intel was pretty solid, there were still some unknown factors.

She had been in Cranagan after Requiem Day a couple of times. She knew her way around the destroyed streets, but that had mostly been in broad daylight, in organized groups. Now, she was all alone as night started to conquer day. The more she thought about it, the more she decided it was, after all, suicidal. But maybe she wanted it that way. Something inside her had told her to volunteer. Maybe-

“Ten seconds to drop-off point. Get ready, Lanster.”

The intercom brought her out of the thoughts. She shook her head and made final checks on Cross Mirage, which was attached to her back, and the suit as the helicopter banked and started to slow down. She could feel, but mostly just hear, how the rotors changed their speed.

“I can’t see shit,” the voice said again. “We are behind schedule. You’ll have to jump.”

“Great,” Teana muttered. “Just great.”

It wasn’t that a jump would hurt her. It wouldn’t even inconvenience her, but jumping into darkness always made her feel queasy. Having no idea how high she was, not knowing when her legs would hit the ground. It was a good thing her suit would absorb most of the impact.

The large cargo door at the back started to open. She anticipated a strong wind to blow her off her feet, but it never came. Instead, only a slight breeze touched her cheek and she walked towards the dark hole. She smiled in relief when she discovered that the night hadn’t arrived fully, and that she could still see the ground. It was only a couple of meters, an easy task.

“Thanks for the ride, Foe Hammer. Smooth as usual.”

“No problem, Lanster. Just call when you want an extraction. Foe Hammer Air Taxi is always at your service.”

Teana chuckled and pressed a button on her suit’s neck. Her helmet slid up in plated parts and covered her head entirely. Then she jumped out of the helicopter, landing heavily on the concrete, which cracked from the impact. As Foe Hammer turned the chopper around and started back to base, Teana waved after her and then turned to face the skyscrapers of Cranagan. A majority of the windows were smashed and in some places their skeleton was visible. Some of the buildings were bent at dangerous angles, while others had been cut in half. Infinite smoke bellowed from some of the floors, even after such a long time.

She stood there for a few seconds, taking it in. A wide range of emotions streamed through her head. Anger, sadness, loss. She started walking while thinking of those who had died on Requiem Day, but was quick to remind herself of those she could save, the ones that were putting their trust in her. “Here we go again,” she muttered.

*

The burnt out car wrecks flooded the streets. Teana jumped on their hoods as she moved forwards, trying to keep up her speed. Nightfall was coming closer, further letting her blend in with her environment. She was a shadow moving forth, undetected by the naked eye, though she was still aware that the Reapers used infra-red at night. She therefore made certain to take less obvious routes. From time to time, she could hear a Reaper moving about in the distance, but it was very faint. Her intel was so far correct: the route they were patrolling wouldn’t intercept with her own.

She had to halt at an apartment complex and she took cover just before the corner. A shadow she couldn’t quite make out moved about in the moonlight. Her night-vision didn’t help either as it didn’t return a signature for some reason. It wasn’t as big as a Reaper, but she could still hear the familiar noise it made when it moved. She decided to wait and see what it would do. She couldn’t afford to be discovered this early and the outcome of a one-on-one was uncertain as she didn’t know if it had backup or not.

It didn’t take long for it to move on, but it did it so quietly Teana missed when it actually left. For a moment she pondered if she had almost crossed path with a covert ops Reaper, a very rare type that the Guardians had little data on. What it would do there, though, she had no idea.

Eager to move on, she emerged from cover and kept running. The moonlight reflected off the skyscrapers and washed her with a faint blue light. Her own shadow seemed to get a life of its own. The only sound she could now hear was of her own boots crushing small debris that lay scattered on the streets, and the constant beeping from her Geiger counter indicating an abnormal amount of radiation. Compared to the drop-off point, the radiation inside the city core was several times higher, far above the safe levels for an unprotected human. Teana’s only worry, however, was ripping her suit open, which probably wouldn’t happen thanks to the extremely resilient material it was made of.

At the next intersection her safe route ended and it became a matter of stealth. From there, it wasn’t far to the Ground Forces HQ, or the Overwatch, as it was now called, but the Reaper patrols would increase in numbers the closer she got. She had to be more cautious now compared to before.

Even from the intersection she could see the faint red light from the Suppressor Device at the top of the Overwatch building. She wished she was there for sabotage, not intelligence gathering. To see the device go up in smoke would leave her feel relieved, but she wasn’t about to go against orders. There wouldn’t be time for it anyway. Perhaps there would be an opportunity to hand in a request later...

She continued straight, towards where the first patrol was supposed to be. As she got closer, she still couldn’t hear the familiar noise of moving machinery, but she knew better. For all she knew they could be setting an ambush, which was very likely considering how the area looked. It was basically just ruins, providing ample cover for anyone deciding to jump her.

One of the more outstanding feature of the block was a skyscraper that had fallen across the street, crushing the smaller buildings around it. Teana stopped in front of the massive wall of broken glass and tried to navigate through it. She was careful not to hit the sharp edges as she moved, all the while keeping an eye in all directions in case the ambush was sprung. The light inside was barely enough for her to see, and the night-vision didn’t help as the already weak light reflected off the thousands of shards lying around. They cracked as she stepped on them. The noise seemed deafening in the silence around her, but nothing jumped out to take her down.

She managed to navigate through the fallen skyscraper without any Reapers appearing, which wasn’t a good sign. The intel had pointed to a patrol being there, and the fact that it wasn’t meant it was somewhere else. Teana consulted her datapad attached to her wrist and did a wide area scan. It would pick up energy signatures, but drained a lot of energy from her suit. She could only use it twice per mission before she had to reserve energy to the suit itself, but the situation was asking for it.

Fourteen signatures appeared as small red dots cluttering a datagrid. Neither of them were close to her, but the numbers weren’t right. There were supposed to be a lot more than fourteen.

Did they notice I’m here? Are they setting another ambush somewhere? Have they powered down, waiting for me around the corner? she thought, nervously looking this way and that.

Something was obviously off, but she didn’t have another choice than to continue her mission. If things went south, she could request an immediate emergency evac. But that would be very embarrassing for someone of her caliber, and so she pushed on, closing in on the underground maintenance tunnel she would use to infiltrate the Overwatch.

*

After evading a couple of patrols without incident, it didn’t take her long to find it. Hidden behind a pile of rubble next to an apartment complex, she found a sign. The edges were curved and scorched, but she could still make out the text stating ‘Station 89: Authorized Personnel Only’. She grabbed the door’s handle with both hands and pulled. The resistance was great, but not enough to withstand her augmented strength. The door groaned, a literal scream into the night, before its hinges gave up and it came flying off. Teana was inside before the door hit the ground as it would surely attract attention. She didn’t want to take any chances with possible Seekers roaming the area.

She climbed down the ladder and her boots met water. The tunnel was partly flooded, but not to the extent that it hindered her movements. She moved on and released Cross Mirage from her back. It loosened without much resistance and she put it against her right shoulder.

“Cross Mirage, flashlight.”

“Yes.”

The tip of Cross Mirage flared up and a small circle of light bounced on the circular walls ahead of her. She checked her Geiger counter and noticed the radiation levels were very low below ground. She pressed the button on her neck again and her protective helmet folded back, the night-vision going along with it. She had to blink a couple of times for her vision to go back to normal.

When she could clearly see ahead of her, at least where the light was illuminating the dark tunnel, she pressed onward. The first part was straight, but it would later turn left and then right, without any t-sections. In the corner of her eye she could see the datapad on her wrist illuminating a grid for the tunnel network. She was very close to the Overwatch.

She followed the tunnel until she encountered a ladder. Checking the datapad again, she realized she was just under the Overwatch. She hefted Cross Mirage to her back again and grabbed a hold of the ladder, but made sure nothing was following her. She listened intently for any noise, but the tunnel was silent. Satisfied with that, she climbed towards the lid at the top.

When she reached it she carefully pushed it open, checking if the coast was clear. After confirming it was, she sent the lid flying, jumping out after it. The first odd thing she noticed was weird noises reverberating through the building. She couldn’t describe it, but it sent waves of discomfort through her body. Apart from that, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the cellar.

She grabbed Cross Mirage again and held it against her shoulder. The stairs leading to the first floor was just next to her and she climbed it. She tried the handle to see if it was locked, which it wasn’t. As silently as she could she pushed the handle downwards and aimed Cross Mirage around as the door opened.

The lobby was empty and dark. To her surprise, there weren’t any windows. All of them had been replaced by thick metal plates, most likely to keep people out, but it didn’t explain the lack of Reapers. Some of them should have been placed there as guards, even they would understand the importance of that, but there was nothing there.

Teana looked to her right and discovered the emergency staircase. She could use that to reach the top floor as taking the elevator was not only risky, but would also alert everything in the building. Since the room was clear she moved towards it and grabbed the handle. Immediately a cold shiver ran along her back as the unpleasant noise faded into nothingness and she froze in the spot. All around she could hear machines going online, their familiar start-up burst of digital noise turning her stomach to ice.

Then the noise stopped. The room was silent again and she glanced at her datapad without moving from her position. She felt watched, but couldn’t determine where from. She stood perfectly still and carefully led her hand to the pad, pressing a button. The wide area scan began again. She had to have confirmation of her suspicions.

The results popped up. The fourteen Reapers on patrol was still there, not even close to her position. But she couldn’t see her own green dot. It was completely covered in red. At the first sight of it, her training kicked in and a tranquil calm took over in her body. She took a deep breath.

“Cross Mirage!”

“Roger!”

In the same second as she kicked open the door, Cross Mirage configured its firing mechanism into full-auto. As the door fell, Teana spun around and fired into the lobby. The magical rounds lit up the room and the Reapers came into full view, their red orbs staring at her. There were roughly ten of them, as far as she was able to count, and her shots bounced off their energy shields uselessly. They fired back at her, but she was behind the wall before they could get a proper lock.

Sentinel Reapers. Shit. That wasn’t in the fucking intel! she thought in anger and ran up the stairs. She grabbed a grenade from her belt and let it bounce down to the lobby. She didn’t see it go off, but the sudden explosion and rapt response of digital chatter told her it had caused some sort of damage.

The building seemed to have entered full alert. When she risked a glance down, she could see several Reapers pursuing her, firing as they went. Their fire went wide, bouncing off the support rails. Teana ignored them, kept her speed up and took several steps at a time, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

She had to halt when a door suddenly opened just above the next flight of stairs. Another Sentinel Reaper emerged and took aim. Teana ducked, narrowly avoiding the burst of energy, and jumped on the side of the railing, then against the wall. It provided her with enough momentum to reach the Reaper and she wrenched the rifle out of its hands. Thankfully, though Sentinel Reapers had a lot of defense, their close combat configuration was worst of all the types, bar the Scout Reaper.

Teana went in close and drew her blade that was attached to her ankle. She pressed her thumb against the upper top of its handle and a blue light pulsed, indicating its energy absorption was active. She struck once at the Reaper, draining its shield in an instant. With the force-field gone she could get a good grip of its shoulder and she swung around it. The Reaper got more and more confused, and merely flailed its arms trying to get her off. It didn’t occur to it that throwing itself backwards onto the floor would have trapped her.

She wrapped her legs around its waist, clamped the knife with both hands and stabbed it down into the Reaper’s neck. Sparks flew from the disconnected cables and its body became limp. Teana jumped off and the Reaper collapsed, its red orbs slowly dimming into black holes as its energy source died out.

“That was close,” Teana grunted and clutched her left arm. A lucky shot from the Reaper had managed to cut through her suit and had briefly touched her skin, burning her flesh. It didn’t bleed, but it was hurting nonetheless. “Cross Mirage, Shotgun Mode.”

“Yes.”

Cross Mirage’s barrel shrunk and its main body got slightly bigger as it configured itself. Teana continued to head upwards and dropped another grenade behind her. This time the explosion caused a part of the staircase to collapse, burying some of the Reapers below. When she glanced back she could see the remaining ones jump over their fallen brethren and continue their hunt.

So persistent!

Despite her suit supporting her body, she could feel her muscles starting to give up. Her adrenaline started to drop and exhaustion threatened to slow her down. She couldn’t afford any of it and in the next stride pulled a compact syringe from her belt. She popped the cap off, stopped and stabbed herself in the thigh. While clenching her teeth from the sharp pain, she injected the drug.

It took a few seconds for it to take effect. As she started climbing the stairs again, she could feel a spike of heat in her body. Her adrenaline started to flow at an increasing speed. Her vision became slightly blurry, but her muscles returned, allowing her to push harder. She started to hyperventilate and her heart went into overdrive. If it wasn’t for some of her internal augmentations, it would have exploded from the stress.

At the next floor she checked her datapad again. The mainframe she was looking for was just above her. Eager to reach her objective and get out before the Reapers caught up, she gathered strength and ran up the last staircase. She reached the door, clutched the handle and slung it open.

The adrenalin burst brought on by the drug had an awkward side-effect that no one could really explain, and which Teana hadn’t experienced before, so she was surprised when her vision suddenly cleared, but hear hearing became damped. As she entered the room, her movements became sluggish. She managed a few meters before the ceiling above her crashed in on her, almost crushing her, but it was as if it was moving in slow-motion. She spun around and from inside the dust and debris that slowly fell to the floor, she saw something black move.

Thoughts racing through her skull, she reflexively rose her cybernetic hand in an attempt to ward off the incoming blow, but she was too slow. The blow caught her straight in the chest and she could feel a few ribs break as she was thrown across the room, landing face-first into the wall. Before she lost consciousness, spitting blood that flooded from her broken nose into her mouth, she could see the Brawler Reaper close in on her, followed by the hunting party.

*

She woke up with a jolt and the pain immediately made itself known. She groaned and spat. She could feel teeth fragments in her mouth and the rest of her face was pure pain. She didn’t want to imagine how she looked. She tried to stand up, but the pain in her ribs forced her to get down on her knees with clenched teeth. It took her a few seconds to realize what had happened. It wasn't until then that she looked around, searching for the Reapers.

All she saw was wreckage. Some of them had been sliced in two, a clean cut through their middle, while others seemed to have had their limbs ripped from their sockets. The Brawler that had ambushed her lay in pieces in front of her, it's dark holes that used to be its eyes staring back. She didn't understand anything. She should have been dead.

Slowly she managed to get up on her feet and limp forwards to her objective, the console panel. She used it to support herself as she searched her pockets with a shaking hand. When she found the data storage device, which, to her amazement, had survived the encounter, she plugged it in. The console gave off a happy chime and the system started working.

She slid down on the floor and leaned back, exhausted. She tried to make sense of the wreckage around her. It didn't seem likely a guardian angel had randomly swooped down with a vengeance, but someone or something had protected her.

"Cross Mirage," Teana gurgled, struggling to speak the words. The blood was clogging her throat. "What happened?"

Cross Mirage, lying beside her, took a while to reply. When it did, its digital voice was slightly distorted. "I do not know. My systems suffered a critical error as you were ambushed. I have no recording of what happened afterwards. I did not manage to restart until you woke up."

"Figures."

She checked her datapad. It was dark, completely drained of energy, which meant her suit was useless in many ways, but it could still be used to some degree as damage and radiation protection. If she could even manage to get out of the building in the first place.

Her radio suddenly sputtered to life, which was very odd. From the start of her mission, radio silence was imperative. If Command decided to break it, something serious was going on. It was a stroke of luck that it operated with its own, separate, power source.

"Lanster! Are you still alive? Please respond!" Teana recognized it as her direct superior, Colonel Heart. She had never heard him so worried before. The man never showed emotion.

“This is Lanster. Yeah, I’m alive. Barely.”

“Thank the Kaiser for that. You scared us, Lanster. Your EKG flatlined. We thought we had lost you.”

“I... What?”

“You were dead, for a moment. What the hell happened?”

“I...” Teana tried to stand up and used the console as support again. The pain had abated a little bit, but she was still shaking. “I don’t know.” She catched her breath and cleared her throat. “I entered the building according to plan, but they were waiting for me. It was an ambush. I took the emergency staircase, managed to get away from them. When I reached the floor where the objective was a Brawler ambushed me. It knocked me out. When I woke up all of them were dead.”

“Dead?”

“Broken. Wiped out. Something else took them down.”

“Something, as in what?”

“I have no idea.”

The silence was heavy as Colonel Heart consulted with someone. When he returned his old, emotionless self was back to normal. It was, oddly enough, comforting. “Are you badly hurt?”

Teana squirmed as her ribs complained in response. “Some broken ribs, and a broken nose. Might have head trauma, but I’m not sure. My suit is drained, too.”

“Damn. Do you think you can get out?”

“I can manage... But to be honest, I’m not sure I can get out alive. It’s a hunch on my part, but I think Overlord knew I was coming. The Reapers will be on full alert in the city.”

“Yeah, I know. Dammit. Hold on, Lanster, we are getting you out of there.”

The Colonel disconnected and Teana sighed. She glanced at the console and noticed the transfer was complete. She unplugged the storage device and dropped it in her pocket.

“Lanster, I heard you were in a bit of a situation?”

The crackling voice on the radio that suddenly appeared brought a smile to Teana’s face. “Foe Hammer. Always good hearing your voice.”

“Don’t I know it. Look, I’m coming to pick you up, Colonel’s orders.”

Teana blinked and remember the reason why they hadn’t flown into the city in the first place. “But what about the anti-air? What about the radiation?”

“Got myself a radiation suit while you were gone, so no worries there. The anti-air, well... Some aerial mages swung by and cleared a path. Stealthy time is over. But enough about me, how about yourself? Aren’t you really in need of an emergency evac right now?”

Teana looked down on herself. She still stood half-bent over the console, her suit covered in blood and ruptures. She couldn’t deny Foe Hammer’s words. Besides, even she could admit that getting a lift would be pretty nice. “Right you are.”

“Alright, I’m just around the corner- Oh shit!”

“What is it?”

“Take a look outside the window, Lanster.”

Wondering what Foe Hammer meant, Teana inched towards the window and put her face against it. Far below on street-level, dozens of Reapers were amassing, staring up at her. She backed away before they got the bright away to fire en masse.

“I’ll head to the roof,” she said. “Pick me up from there.”

“No can do. Gargoyles dropped off some Reapers there. They are heading towards you now.”

“But how am I supposed to... No.” Teana had finally realized what Foe Hammer was hinting at and her face got slightly bleaker.

“Yes,” Foe Hammer replied. Teana could visualize the grin on her face.

“No way.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

Teana swore. She checked so that the storage device and Cross Mirage was safely secured and backed away further from the window. “Tell me when, OK?”

“Of course. Good luck.”

She rubbed her chest in agony and stretched her arms and legs. Then she checked the rest of her limbs. She confirmed there wasn’t any more damage she needed to care about and nothing that hindered her in what came next.

“Go!”

Foe Hammer’s voice put Teana into action. She started to sprint towards the window, not bothering to remove the broken parts. There wasn’t any time, not now.

She jumped when her foot reached the edge. The remaining glass broke and followed her outside. The floor disappeared and was replaced by empty air. She saw Foe Hammer coming in just above her at a steep angle. If she did anything wrong, not even Teana’s suit would survive against the helicopter’s rotor blades.

But Foe Hammer flew as she always did. With perfection. As soon as gravity started to pull Teana downwards, Foe Hammer banked to her left, allowing Teana to latch on with her cybernetic hand. If it had still been made of flesh, she would have plummeted to her death, but now she could lock her fingers and hang there without a care in the world until they reached the base.

The air drenched out Foe Hammer’s words, but Teana didn’t care. She was laughing, despite her pain, at the Reapers who arrived at the windows just to see her fly away. Away from Cranagan, once again.

Spoiler for Weapon and Suit Extras: Because the author sucks at description. Also, he loves infodumps.:

The M-96 Cross Mirage Auto-Configurable Battle Rifle (ACBR) is a further development upon the original Cross Mirage. Its original handgun-model has been removed in favor of an assault rifle model as standard. In addition, thanks to the careful calibration of powerful magic and advanced Reaper technology, the M-96 is capable of configuring itself into a shotgun and a sniper rifle, depending on the combat situation. It’s extremely durable and as such can withstand a lot of punishment. Its personality has been retained as much as possible, to make sure the past relationship between the master and the device is retained fully. It still only fires magical rounds and is painted black, in accordance with stealth policies.

Black Ops agents are rewarded with X-90 Combat Enhancement and Universal Protection Suit (CEUAS) after the completition of their training, capable of protection against weapon-, melee- and fall damage, in addition to having a strong radiation protection layer. Its material is enhanced by Reaper technology and as such is very resilient. The X-90 can be modified to suit a wearers personal liking. In its belt a multitude of weapons, such as grenades and flashbangs, can be carried, in addition to various mission-critical objects. Its helmet can be automatically put on and withdrawn with the press of a button. The helmet also features an enhanced night-vision system and consists of a set of plates, enabling the already mentioned automatic feature. The entire suit is dyed black.

The LSG-8X Device is a necessary datapad for any agent. It’s wide area scan is extremely useful in certain situations and it can download, and upload, vital information. It can also show maps, video and can partly be used as a hacking device.

An upgrade from a normal military knife, the Energy Cutter is not only capable of inflicting great damage in the right hands, but can also drain a Reaper’s shields in a single hit. However, the feature can only be used once every few minutes as the cutter need to recharge.

Author Meta Note: The suit’s helmet is akin to Dead Space’s, the rest of it is classical infiltration cyborg stuff. Cross Mirage is based on the Mass Effect weapons, molded into one. The LSG-8X is akin to a Pip-Boy OR Mass Effect’s Omni-tools, only it isn’t an orange tube of light.

LOL, Teana's little solo mission was pretty exciting and fun to read.

Hm, I wonder who saved Teana? And initially, right after Teana blacked out then woke up disorientated, I wondered if she had been secretly cyborg-ified more during that time XD.....

I do have to say though, while I think it's interesting how you indent in your fic posts this time it was far too narrow for me to read comfortably . I'm used to skimming for a certain horizontal width, so the narrowness made me gloss over the lines as I read.

How long are you thinking this story will run?

[Tiresias]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Well that got longer than intended.

Spoiler for Weapon and Suit Extras: Because the author sucks at description. Also, he loves infodumps.:

The M-96 Cross Mirage Auto-Configurable Battle Rifle (ACBR) is a further development upon the original Cross Mirage. Its original handgun-model has been removed in favor of an assault rifle model as standard. In addition, thanks to the careful calibration of powerful magic and advanced Reaper technology, the M-96 is capable of configuring itself into a shotgun and a sniper rifle, depending on the combat situation. It’s extremely durable and as such can withstand a lot of punishment. Its personality has been retained as much as possible, to make sure the past relationship between the master and the device is retained fully. It still only fires magical rounds and is painted black, in accordance with stealth policies.

Black Ops agents are rewarded with X-90 Combat Enhancement and Universal Protection Suit (CEUAS) after the completition of their training, capable of protection against weapon-, melee- and fall damage, in addition to having a strong radiation protection layer. Its material is enhanced by Reaper technology and as such is very resilient. The X-90 can be modified to suit a wearers personal liking. In its belt a multitude of weapons, such as grenades and flashbangs, can be carried, in addition to various mission-critical objects. Its helmet can be automatically put on and withdrawn with the press of a button. The helmet also features an enhanced night-vision system and consists of a set of plates, enabling the already mentioned automatic feature. The entire suit is dyed black.

The LSG-8X Device is a necessary datapad for any agent. It’s wide area scan is extremely useful in certain situations and it can download, and upload, vital information. It can also show maps, video and can partly be used as a hacking device.

An upgrade from a normal military knife, the Energy Cutter is not only capable of inflicting great damage in the right hands, but can also drain a Reaper’s shields in a single hit. However, the feature can only be used once every few minutes as the cutter need to recharge.

Author Meta Note: The suit’s helmet is akin to Dead Space’s, the rest of it is classical infiltration cyborg stuff. Cross Mirage is based on the Mass Effect weapons, molded into one. The LSG-8X is akin to a Pip-Boy OR Mass Effect’s Omni-tools, only it isn’t an orange tube of light.

I haven't got the time to read the story yet, but the above magitech porn made me giddy . Especially Teana's Battle-rifle/shotgun/sniper weapon - that idea had haunted me for a long time but I never know what to make of it

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

LOL, Teana's little solo mission was pretty exciting and fun to read.

Hm, I wonder who saved Teana? And initially, right after Teana blacked out then woke up disorientated, I wondered if she had been secretly cyborg-ified more during that time XD.....

I do have to say though, while I think it's interesting how you indent in your fic posts this time it was far too narrow for me to read comfortably . I'm used to skimming for a certain horizontal width, so the narrowness made me gloss over the lines as I read.

How long are you thinking this story will run?

*slaps self* OK, the indention will be gone henceforth.

I'm not really sure. I'm writing on the fly, stuffing a lot of good and bad ideas I've had in the past to make it fun to write. Can't be much longer than 8 chapters or so.

Originally Posted by Tiresias

I haven't got the time to read the story yet, but the above magitech porn made me giddy . Especially Teana's Battle-rifle/shotgun/sniper weapon - that idea had haunted me for a long time but I never know what to make of it

Excellent. I think I made the right choice not to stuff it in the fic itself. I just love doing encyclopaedia-like entries with stuff that takes too much space to explain/show.

[KeithKurogane]

I'm thinking of making a Steins;Gate/Nanoha fict...
The problem is the resources of Nanoha and Steins;Gate materials (S;G is not yet finished anyway...)
can you guys give me links?

[RadiantBeam]

And here, we have a piece inspired by DezoPenguin's "I Didn't Know You Could Take It Literally". It feels a bit iffy to me, but maybe I'm being too critical of it. Might be because I'm not used to writing Lutecia post-Shadow arc.

In any event:

Spoiler for Growing Pains:

It was rare to see Lutecia Alphine in a bad mood.

As the closest thing she had to a regular partner, Victor Stormhawk could say with some degree of certainty that he had seen the woman in a bad mood. The problem was, when Lutecia was usually in a bad mood, it was a quiet thing; something that you could sense from her eyes and her voice, but otherwise it was usually a thing kept carefully locked away, under some form of control.

But the only thing he could figure was that today must have been really bad, because she was leaking.

Currently, she sat by herself in the cafeteria, leafing through the folder for tomorrow’s mission. The aura around her would have made even a veteran Shadow back away fearing his life. While not exactly a veteran, Victor had a decent sense of self-preservation. But he also had a secret weapon.

“Hey, Alphine.” Pulling up the chair next to her, he easily plopped down. “What’s up? You’ve been reading the same line now for five minutes.”

Lutecia didn’t respond. Victor had the distinct impression that she wanted to be left alone. Shrugging to himself, he set down his tray and reached into his bag, rummaging a bit before he pulled out the one thing he knew would break through the woman’s every defense. With no shame, he dangled the bottle of cherry Coke in front of the woman’s face and waited.

It was slow, but it happened; Lutecia’s eyes darted up, fixing on the bottle. Victor moved it lightly to the right, and her eyes followed; to the left, and once again a red gaze trailed it. Finally, grumbling, Lutecia snatched the beverage from the man’s hand and opened it, drinking it. “Very funny, Storm.”

The blonde chuckled, leaning back in his chair. Ever so slightly, the killing aura around the slim woman decreased. Slight, but noticeable. “I heard through the grapevine you missed your session this morning.”

The summoner winced, setting down the bottle. “Ah,” was her only response. Despite her best attempts to keep it quiet, it was no secret that Lutecia had been regularly seeing a therapist ever since her return from Mau Gram. For Victor, it was less of a surprise that she needed the counseling and more surprising to know she actually had a good track record of showing up for her appointments. Then again, he supposed the threat of sleeping on the couch was a big one with a girlfriend like Vivio Takamachi.

“Chief’s going to be all over you if you don’t make it up, you know.”

“I know, I know.” Lutecia grimaced. “I already called and arranged another meeting later today. I came in late, and I wanted to make up for missing the mission report.”

“What happened? Forgot to set your alarm clock last night?”

He didn’t expect her to go into details. Even now, nearly two years after her breakdown, Lutecia had a hard time fully sharing her problems and thoughts with the people around her. It was understandable; you could only repair so much damage in two years, even with a supportive lover, friends and family who cared, and a boss who bent over backwards to ensure you didn’t go back out into the field unhinged. She was improving, but it would be a long, long time before she could open herself up without any fear or hesitation.

So Victor was surprised when she slumped back in her chair and sighed, flipping the report shut. “I got into a fight with Vivio.”

“The kid?” He arched an eyebrow. “That’s rare.”

“Yeah, well. She has a temper when she gets mad enough.” As Lutecia had learned in full detail this morning. “It’s about the mission tomorrow.” The summoner sipped from her Coke, wanting to wet her throat. “She wasn’t happy that I couldn’t tell her where I was going.”

“Ahh.” That explained it, then. Full of sympathy, Victor patted Lutecia on the shoulder. “So it wasn’t your fault this time.”

A groan. “I can’t be blamed for the fact that our mission is sometimes kept under wraps. Whether she likes it or not, Vi is still a civilian. She could get the clearance if she wanted to, but it’s strictly on a need to know basis.” She blew out a long breath in frustration. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell her. I just couldn’t.”

“I imagine she didn’t like it either way.”

Lutecia’s responding shudder was answer enough. Still sympathetic, Victor lowered his hand. With a sigh, the summoner ran a hand through her hair. “I just don’t understand her, sometimes,” she admitted at last, her voice soft.

“Well, in her defense,” Victor commented, “you have a bit of a track record when it comes to holding back details.”

Another shudder from Lutecia. No doubt the thought had already crossed her mind, and being reminded of the fact by her on-again, off-again partner didn’t help.

“I want to tell her,” she muttered, taking another long gulp from her cherry Coke. “I really do. If I could, I would.” She rubbed her eyes.

It was, Victor mused, an interesting little contradiction; Lutecia’s anger and frustration wasn’t born from the fight itself; her feelings came from her own guilt over the fact that as much as she wanted to tell Vivio, she couldn’t do it.

“… It’s annoying,” the purple-haired woman murmured at last. “The one time I want to tell Vivio what’s going on, I’m not allowed to.”

They both ignored the fact that if one followed the rules closely, she never should have told Vivio she was a Shadow in the first place; that particular line in the book tended to be more of a suggestion than a fact for the agents, and they were allowed to make their own decision on whether or not to be honest about their job with their loved ones. For everyone who chose to keep quiet about it, another was openly honest.

Dismissing the thought, Victor scooped up Lutecia’s folder. “My advice, Alphine? Crawl. Get her flowers, a stuffed animal, something. It won’t fix the fight, but it will make things a bit easier.”

Lutecia chuckled softly. “Advice from a man who’s done it a few times?”

He smirked. “I’ve had my share of arguments.”

She lifted a brow, but as with most things related to her partner’s love life that didn’t involve Celica, she didn’t ask. “Right. Flowers.”

“Just something to warm her up for when you start apologizing.”

Snorting softly, Lutecia absently capped her bottle. “I’ll think about it.” She pushed back her chair, getting to her feet. “Unfortunately, I need to go. I need to give Hawke a better reason for nearly missing the report other than ‘I got into a fight with my girlfriend’.”

…

Victor couldn’t resist.

“Alphine, question.”

“What, Storm?”

He grinned. “Did she put you on the couch?”

The brilliant blush that flooded Lutecia’s face and the strangled sound that escaped her throat was worth the bottle of cherry Coke that smacked him right in the forehead as she made her hasty escape.

Now sprawled out on the floor, he grinned up at the underside of the table, ignoring the stares and whispers aimed his way.

“I’m going to take that as a yes.”

The title is kind of a pun, mostly on the fact that even though Lutecia is starting to get better, she still has a ways to go yet. Poor Cia, she just can't win.