Disclaimer: No copyright is mine, thus no copyrighted character is.
Art of Love; Art of Death
By Pale Wolf
Chapter Two
Intermission - Preparations for Round Two
---N====================>V---
08:46 Tuesday, June 13, 2017 CE
Tokyo, Japan, Earth - Non-Administrated World #97
It was raining. Had been pretty much constantly since noon yesterday.
Kanata was actually pretty surprised she hadn't seemed to develop a cold or any symptoms of... anything... yet. She hadn't found any shelter, really... and to be honest, hadn't been looking that hard.
She hadn't slept yet, either, and was again surprised that she had not yet suffered ill effects.
Thirst was of course an issue, but... the rain helped a little with that.
She was really hungry, though. The unfortunate part was that while the two that weren't affecting her were, to some extent, fixable, the food bit... Kanata didn't have any money on-hand, nor did she have much clue where to find food that did not require money.
And robbery, or raiding dumpsters for food, or even further... Kanata may become desperate enough to go that low, but she certainly did not intend to.
At least she had clothing... sort of. Getting clothing from the trash was a completely different matter from eating from the trash, and given that the only other pieces of free clothing she knew of were on corpses - specifically, her corpse - it was a matter of either that, or getting arrested for indecent exposure. As it was she positively reeked, and her clothes were an utter mismatched mess - the only thing that was semi-clean was the bandage she'd wrapped around the messy 'growth' on her neck.
Not that she was ashamed of Reconquista - he'd been very helpful, in fact, not least because of his apparent three-hundred-sixty degree vision - but he would just... draw a lot of attention.
That 'hunting down the monster or monsters' idea was apparently not quite as easy as saying it, though. The trail of... blood? Whatever it was, it had dried up within a block. And apparently they weren't quite common enough for her to come across one through random searching...
Kanata sighed, leaning against the wall of a side alley - she thought it was a stationery shop - and craning her neck upward. The skyline of Tokyo had changed a lot over her lifetime...
From here, she could see the most obvious new addition - called the Millennium City, built out on Tokyo Bay. Three cylindrical one-kilometer tall glass-walled skyscrapers, each essentially a large number of thick 'blocks' anchored by massive support struts (wider at the base to make it more stable and narrowing out in a slow curve), linked together near the very top by a thick, triangular platform.
It was the first of what she'd heard was a new generation of dense living spaces, intended to relieve Tokyo's (and Japan's) high-population-low-living-space crunch. Its little brothers were under construction in the bay around it, in fact, though she couldn't see them from here. Apparently, the government intended to relieve the population crunch by relocating almost everyone to arcologies like that after the Millennium City had proven itself - though Kanata had not yet been in it, in the eight years since it'd opened for habitation (it only finished last year, though).
... She'd probably have to check it out, too, for these... monster things. Though it might be a bit difficult getting in... since it was out on the bay, the only way to get to it was through public transport, and given that she looked like a hobo without the resources for even semiproper hygiene - which was fair since she was a homeless person without the resources for even semiproper hygiene, hair tangled and hopelessly dirty... - she'd probably be politely escorted away from any train stations by security.
Which was a little unfortunate, since while the food issue was still a little pressing, the fact that it was well-protected from the elements would make it a good place to be when her endurance ran out and she fainted.
While she was thinking that through, an awareness that someone was behind her filtered into her consciousness. She could smell them. She couldn't hear them, and how she could smell anything past her currently... distinctive... scent was unknown to her, but... she turned.
It was a girl, maybe a year older than her - so, seventeen - standing by the stationery shop's back door, head cocked slightly, observing Kanata without an ounce of emotion showing on her face. Dark green eyes. Long black hair falling mostly freely to her back, except for two deep red ribbons, one behind each ear, keeping it slightly controlled... the ribbons were a bit more of a 'cute' touch than Kanata would have expected from someone with that girl's absolutely humorless expression. A plain red, traditional Japanese-style bamboo-and-paper umbrella, held in her right hand, shielded her from the rain. Her clothing was almost as traditionally Japanese - black-and-white checkered kimono at the top, dark gray hakama at the bottom - with a light brown scarf wrapped around her shoulders, and tightly-laced black boots.
Kanata shook herself out of observing, and started backing away. "I'm very sorry... I'm in your way, aren't I...?"
"Wait."
There wasn't much force to the girl's tone... but it was most definitely a tone of command. Kanata stopped, flushing... she didn't really want to be seen like this...
"... You stink."
Kanata flushed. "I know." That was roughly the time Kanata's stomach decided to rumble, loudly - digesting itself since she hadn't managed to put anything in it... was she getting hungry faster than before?
The girl raised an eyebrow, and held her umbrella forward. "Get under."
Kanata blinked. "Eh...?"
"I won't say this again. Get under. Do you want food and a bath or not?"
YesyesHELLyes, her... scent... was annoying enough even to her... She couldn't honestly be sure this was a true good Samaritan and not something sinister, but... she was reasonably proficient at taking care of herself as far as self-defence went, and... really, really needed food and hygiene. And if it was a prank... well, she had already been killed, resurrected as a girl who couldn't even look at her own body without blushing, and was acquiring mismatched clothing out of dumpsters. Her pride really didn't have much more damage to take.
Which was why Kanata darted under the umbrella - keeping a little distance from the girl, she didn't want to get all the dirt on her body over her nice clothes. "... Thank you, um..."
The girl glanced down at her - while Kanata was not much shorter, her hunched posture put her a bit lower than eye level - and shrugged. "Saiko." Then she started walking towards the street - Kanata hurried a bit to keep up.
---N====================>V---
Tuesday, June 13, New Calendar Year 0076 (2017 CE)
Interdimensional Space
Time-Space Administration Bureau Main Office
"Mm... okay, Bardiche, could you replay the last twenty seconds again?"
"Yes Sir."
Fate nodded, and leaned forward in the seat to watch the screen as the image on it rewound.
"Did you see something?" Teana asked, keeping an eye on the screen herself.
"I think so. I'm just checking."
"Start?" Bardiche asked. Probably to make sure she wasn't distracted by the conversation and missed what she wanted to see.
"Go ahead."
The image on the screen - a display screen in one of the main office's many debriefing lounges - began moving again. The blue-haired Suvota threw another single, lone bolt of magic at Fate, who instantly triggered Sonic Move to come around behind her, lightning-fast. Just as Fate disappeared... there was a tiny movement of Blue's head... a nod. Even before Fate was all the way around, Blue was moving her staff around behind her back - it would block Fate's scythe-slash, but she'd seen enough.
"Okay, that's it. I figured it out."
Teana blinked. "Really? It looks like she's just really good at defence..."
Fate shook her head. "It looks like she was... testing me. The fight was easy at first, I thought I had her on the defensive... but did you see that nod?"
Teana pursed her lips, leaning back into her own chair - the main office had very, very comfortable chairs. "Well... I'm remembering one now, though I don't know if I actually saw it or am just projecting it over my memories since you told me one was there."
Fate smiled. "What I think happened is simply that... she went defensive first by choice. She made a number of small, relatively tentative attacks, but she wasn't trying to score a hit or rack up damage, she was trying to find out how I reacted to a particular attack pattern, and the way I moved and thought. So that when she and I went all-out, she knew what I would try ahead of time. Basically... she could take on everything I threw at her because she had already prepared for it two or three moves ago."
"That seems to agree with her records," Shari chirped, as a communication window from her (ensconced in the Infinite Library) popped into view. "She's a defensively-oriented cossack, cautious and analytical."
Fate blinked. "You identified her? This quickly?"
Shari chuckled. "I'd like to claim it was my genius, but really... it's because she's famous. The pictures match up with Colonel Svetlaya, Suvota Compact Air Service."
"... I guess if I had to lose, she's a pretty good choice."
Teana winced. "I've only heard the basics on the Suvota, and I've heard of her..."
Shari nodded. "The longest-lived Suvota... ever. Five hundred years old and she still looks that young."
Fate sighed, leaning back. "Five... hundred years. Of constant combat experience and training. It's... kind of hard to imagine. I improved this much over eleven years, and Teana went from C to AA in just one year... Even an utter slacker would be SSS after that long if they put even a smidgen of effort in."
"Hard to tell," Shari commented. "The Suvota don't have a mage ranking system, and they're notoriously tight with information - they're perfectly happy to release information on people Svetlaya shot down, but her power statistics and bag of tricks are completely classified."
Teana leaned forward, looking at the information display. "Well... her mana numbers can't be too high. The readings Fate got were really low, and if she were even capable of overstraining her endurance, she'd have completely burned out after five hundred years - especially since she fought in the Velkan Wars."
Fate winced, and reached over to the table for her cup of coffee. "I've seen the numbers on that... the average combat lifespan of a cossack deployed against Velkan knights was... something like two minutes. And that's with extreme overachievers like Svetlaya skewing the balance upward. If she could have been pushed to the point of self-damage, she would have during that... so I think you're right. Of course... her bag of tricks is huge. Once she started going all-out, she pulled out a completely new technique every two seconds..."
Teana looked up at Shari. "How the heck did she outrun Fate, anyway?"
Shari held up her hands helplessly. "I've got nothing. There're no records of TSAB or Velkans facing off against that, which means Fate's either the first person to force Svetlaya to pull it out, or just the first one to survive it. Bardiche's logs seem to indicate a zone spell over the area she moved through, but I have no idea what that means."
"Hm? Let me see that," came a male voice from the Infinite Library end of the conversation.
Fate blinked. "Yuuno, you were in today?"
Another screen popped up - Yuuno wasn't actually looking out from it to Fate, though, he was looking down, probably at Shari's data display. "Yeah... I didn't want to interrupt, I thought we could chat once you were on break."
Fate shifted to address Yuuno. "How has Nanoha been?"
Yuuno blinked, looking to the screen and grinning. "She's been great, and so has Vivio. Her strain issues haven't cropped up again, either - she's been so healthy, even I can't keep up with her."
Fate smiled. "I heard about the picture incident."
Yuuno paused, mouth open for a moment as he worded his next statement. "Not my fault. Completely not my fault."
Teana covered a snicker, but otherwise tried to stay out of the conversation. She didn't really know Yuuno, after all.
Yuuno shifted attention slightly to her. "Heard about it, hm?"
Teana blinked, and nodded. "Vivio's last mail mentioned it."
Yuuno raised an eyebrow. "In slightly less than glowing terms?"
Teana just nodded. "She was..." Teana coughed into her hand.
Fate giggled. "Is this going to be a lasting piece of lore with Vivio?"
"Probably not, I expect we'll embarrass her enough next week that she completely forgets about it... Oh, right!" He glanced down at a display again. "That speed thing - I think I get how she did it."
Fate, Teana, and Shari all blinked.
"Remember the time-delay exclusion zone I used to set up, back when we first met, to keep our fights from spreading to the civilians?"
Fate nodded. "Of course, I... wait a minute. Are you saying she-?"
"It looks like it. It's an extremely difficult spell on its own, though... bringing it up in that short an amount of time, and shaping it like that - a sphere or dome is a lot easier, she seems to have twisted it into a sinuous line to exactly match the path she took to get to you - is... well... incredible. I might be able to bring one up fast enough, but there's no way I could shape and reshape it like that with anything like that speed."
Fate tsked. "And you're the best exclusion zone and defensive mage there is..."
"Second-best, apparently, when it comes to that spell at least."
Teana whistled. "I guess five hundred years of practice time is good for something."
Fate just nodded, taking a sip of coffee. It was quiet for a moment, before she blinked. "Ah, by the way, Teana, good job on your own match - from the logs, your own opponent was spectacularly powerful for a Suvota, and her technique was excellent. AA+ at least, maybe even AAA. You might be ready for your next exam soon."
Teana blinked, and shook her head. "I don't think so, it was still a very hard fight. And I only stood a chance because she made tactical mistakes and I had a better Device - that last exchange, when she sent a bombardment spell to force back my Phantom Blazer... she was fighting completely raw, without any power enhancements at all, and matched me when I used two cartridges. It only went through because I set off my last two..."
Fate shook her head. "You're right, partially. Right now she is better, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're not AAA-ready. And even if it does, you're approaching it very quickly if you keep up your practice."
Teana pursed her lips, and nodded. "I guess I'd better do that then." She stood. "Unless you need me for any more of the analysis?"
"No, go ahead, I don't think there's much more, and we've been watching these logs for about twenty-five hours already. I'll just run through them a few more times and then shut down."
---N====================>V---
09:34 Tuesday, June 13, 2017 CE
Tokyo, Japan, Earth - Non-Administrated World #97
Sentoshi Mori, Millennium City
... Kanata had to admit to being a little confused. She'd just been thinking about the Millennium City's three towers... and then Saiko appeared and took her there. Was that just one of those strange coincidences...?
Oddly, nobody had complained about her smell on the way up - and she was pretty sure she'd reeked. They just noticed her bedraggled appearance... and a few security officers seemed to approach her, but stopped when they saw Saiko. Kanata had been wondering why they were familiar with her - and trusted her enough to let her take a vagrant in - but understood now. It seemed Saiko lived or worked at one of the Millennium City's main Shinto shrines.
So right now she was pretty much in the middle of the very uppermost block of the southern tower - the shrine was stationed in the middle of the 'parkland' that dominated the center of each block.
More specifically, she was in the bath of the residence attached to the shrine, taking just a moment to relax in the water after having washed herself (and that itself was a time-consuming, extremely embarrassing experience)... oddly, she hadn't fallen asleep the moment she relaxed, despite not having slept for two days straight.
Kanata shook her head, and stood up, dripping water for a little while before stepping out of the bath. She was already being given quite the favour, so she really shouldn't stretch it out.
Taking a towel and tentatively rubbing her body down, valiantly attempting to ignore the... pleasantly soft... parts, she glanced up into the mirror... may as well see what she looked like now.
The first thing that caught her attention was the eyes. And that was mostly because they were extremely bright - a little too bright, not quite glowing, but not far from that either. Colour wasn't much less attention-grabbing, since they were a brilliant amber... and as she leaned in to see the pupils, she noticed that they were vertically slitted. The second thing that caught her attention was Reconquista, where it... sort of grew out of her neck. A cluster of three... sort-of-jewels (by appearance, at least, though she knew they weren't crystalline, but more like cartilage) of the same almost-glowing-amber of her eyes, her skin puckered around them somewhat like a scar.
She laid a hand on the 'jewels' while she took in the rest. Fortunately, the rest looked... well, human. And... from the opinion of someone who had been male two days ago, attractive... which she would rather not think about in any way, shape, or form. Soft, pale whiteish skin... her eyes glossed over the gentle curves and substantial breasts, not quite emotionally ready to be checking herself out. Straight black hair, pretty long, reaching down to around her hips.
And it also seemed to not want to dry. Kanata continued rubbing it down, and it was still damp... How exactly do real women handle all of this stuff?
... Finally, she gave up, grabbed an extra towel, and tried to wrap her hair with it so it at least wouldn't drip over everything while she asked. It... took a bit of effort, and the end result was still sloppy and looked like it would come apart at any moment, but she eventually had to say 'good enough'. Now, 'her' clothes...
Were gone. Kanata sighed. While she agreed that they were a complete cobbled-together mess that had literally been salvaged from trash cans, they were also currently the sum total of her life's possessions - she had nothing else to wear, whatsoever.
Her cross, however, was still there, and she picked it up, carefully fastening it at her neck, letting the plain gold cross dangle into the hollow of her... breasts. Her... patron... had apparently moved it to her new body... which was good, because she really wouldn't have been comfortable taking it off his own corpse. She'd probably take that as a good sign, except she didn't really believe vampires, demons, etcetera burst into flame if they touched the cross - she hadn't really believed in monsters either, but that one in particular struck her as too silly to overcome.
She looked up. Hm. Seemed like someone else had arrived at the shrine. Female adult, in the living room with Saiko... and how precisely had she known that?
Kanata shook her head, sighed, and wrapped a towel around herself. She was reasonably good with knots, so it should stay on without assistance... which was fortunate, as she needed her other hands for A: keeping the towel on her mass of hair, and B: covering up Reconquista, since the bandage she'd used for that was missing as well. She'd have to ask Saiko where her clothes were... probably in the wash, assuming she hadn't thrown them out as the offense to good taste and hygiene that they were.
She opened the bathroom door, and tentatively stepped out, moving through the wood-floored halls until she could peek around the corner into the living room. "Excuse me..."
Saiko and the other woman - apparently engaged in conversation - looked up.
The other woman was... quite small, actually, Kanata was smallish for a girl and that woman was even shorter and slimmer despite being older. She looked about twenty, with longish red hair tied up in a twist, and light brown eyes. She was also dressed in traditional shrine wear - red hakama, white kimono, and the rest - so Kanata supposed she was one of the shrine workers.
The woman smiled. "Well, it's our guest, isn't it? Good morning."
Kanata flushed, stepping into the doorway and bowing deeply, eyes low. "Thank you very much for your hospitality... I am sorry I lack any appropriate gifts." She came back up.
The woman waved a hand casually. "Don't worry about it. What's a shrine for if not helping a few people who need it?"
Saiko, seemingly content to standing quietly in the background, just raised an eyebrow.
The woman just pointed at her, despite having had no way of seeing it. "And you can cut the snark. Have a seat, kiddo." She pointed at the room's couch - apparently, the shrine-keeper liked mixing traditional and western furnishings.
"If that is what you ask..." Kanata stepped a little further into the room, and carefully sat down.
Saiko lowered her body into a kneeling position on the floor across from her, coughing into a hand and making a short gesture towards Kanata's legs.
... Which were spread. Cheeks red, Kanata snapped her legs together.
The other woman, for her part, perched on a chair across from the couch, leaning forward. "All right... I'm not going to ask any questions. This is just me talking to myself, okay? Confirm, deny, or butt in wherever you like, but you can stay quiet the whole way through if you want. None of what we offer you is going to be conditional on you speaking up."
Kanata frowned a little, and nodded. "All right... please go ahead..."
"Now, my name is Kaede. From what Saiko-chan," Saiko twitched at that, "has told me, it seems you've been living on the streets. I can think of three reasons why."
Kanata raised a hand. "Um... Kaede-sama, I do not believe your guess is going to be accurate... My situation is rather complex..."
Kaede chuckled. "Let me give it a whirl just the same." She held up a finger. "Now, the first possibility is that you're a runaway. Maybe an untenable situation at home, maybe adolescent angst, maybe... almost anything."
Kanata pursed her lips, and... moved to shake her head, but didn't quite finish the movement. She... as he... had minimized the amount of time spent at home, after all... It wasn't why she wasn't there now... but saying there was no problem was too close to a lie.
"If you are, we won't send you back. As far as I'm concerned, you would either be in a situation where your return is a problem or potentially unsafe... or you would not yet be ready to return. Either way, you would not benefit from it. The second possibility is the opposite - that you've been kicked out. This is one of the ones I'm worried about, especially since you haven't stopped covering your neck this whole time - it's making me think that you're hiding a scar... and one you're sensitive about."
Kanata blinked, and shook her head. "No, no, it's not a scar, it's... well..."
"No need to show me. The last possibility is... well, that you don't have a home to go to. Orphan, or..."
"No... that's not it. Not... quite..."
Saiko glanced at Kanata. "Could be all three."
Kaede shrugged. "Really... it all adds up to the same thing - you either can not or do not wish to go home, right?"
Kanata just nodded. 'His' mother wouldn't recognize her, in the slightest. And she... wasn't the type to take in a strange freaky-looking girl. None of his teachers would recognize her either... And he hadn't had any real 'friends' - certainly not the type who would try to arrange a home for a wierd girl claiming to be him (or, for that matter, anyone he'd gotten to know well enough to prove her identity to).
"And you clearly lack other options, or you'd be using them, rather than the street. So... let's give you another option."
"... Eh?"
Saiko rolled her eyes. "Kaede is being indirect. She's offering to let you live here."
"Sure, spoil my dramatic buildup why dontcha... But yeah. We've got room for plenty at the shrine, and we have enough budget to feed another hundred mouths. Interested?"
Kanata just stared. "But... um... I'm sorry, but I am not a follower of Shinto..."
Kaede waved it off. "Even if you don't have a place for the kami, the kami have one for you."
Kanate shook her head, pointing to the cross around her neck (with her right hand, not the left which still covered Reconquista). "No, no, I mean I'm Christian, not-"
"And? Where do our religions even disagree? Your god doesn't say that there aren't any other gods - just that you won't accept any as more important than him, right?"
Kanata blinked. "Um... I guess?"
Kaede nodded. "And hey, that's perfectly fine. I've got my own favorites. Anyway, worship isn't even something you need to do - I'm offering living space, no strings, no questions asked."
Kanata blinked. "But... why? I really do not have anything to offer... And I cannot promise anything..."
Kaede shrugged. "To be honest, everything I need or want I either already have or am en-route to getting. That's when I share the surplus with whoever needs it - and... you seem to need it. Nothing more than that."
Saiko gave her a sidelong glance.
Kanata took a deep breath. "... Can I think about it a bit?" She needed to slow down, at least a little...
Kaede nodded. "Sure, feel free to stick around until you've decided."
"Ah, and, um..."
Saiko glanced up. "Clothing in that room." She pointed.
Kanata flushed, and stood up, then bowed and strode quickly to the indicated room, studiously ignoring Kaede's snickers.
---N====================>V---
Tuesday, June 13, New Calendar Year 0076 (2017 CE)
Interdimensional Space
Time-Space Administration Bureau Main Office
"... You're kidding, right?" the audio response began. "We don't know the details of what they were doing, and even if we did, we would not tell you. And please understand, this isn't hostility - you send your ships, do your business, and we will neither ask nor tell, same as always. In our position, we can't afford to take sides - any one of you could smush us with a passing effort, and quite frankly, until somebody deploys a significant enough amount of force to keep anybody we piss off from squishing us - which is, by the by, not an invitation to - we're staying neutral in any and all conflicts. You're free to come and check, though."
Admiral Lindy Hallaoun flicked a finger, shutting off the message - there was more, mostly pleasantries, but that was the gist of what she wanted to get across. "As usual, the American response was the most... colourful... of the various Earth nations." Which was largely why she'd decided to play theirs instead of the more polite ones - entertainment value. "But they all essentially state the same thing - one Suvota ship, SX-016 Briareos, has made frequent visits to Earth. Consistently taking a short orbit over the eastern Asia region - long enough to drop or pick up passengers - then floating more randomly for a short time, before returning. Beyond that, all refuse to tell us, and don't seem to know much to start with."
The TSA board - in this case consisting of the Bureau Chief of Staff Admiral Mizetto Kurouberu, General of the Armed Forces Ralgo Kiil, the chief representative to the Suvota Compact Alana Cook, Lindy herself, and Fate T. Hallaoun as the Enforcer who'd stumbled onto this case - mulled this over for a little while.
Ralgo Kiil stroked his long beard. "That does sound like a possibility. What about the Theocracy?"
Lindy held up her hands. "I have no honest clue. I spoke with one of their officials, but he completely stonewalled me. Either they really are the missing link, or they're just refusing information out of spite."
The 'missing link' she spoke of was a simple fact - the Suvota, while refusing TSA membership, did refrain from using mass-based weaponry. Not to comply with or fit in with the TSA, but because... they just weren't that good with it. Their technological expertise lay more in directed-energy weaponry and their utterly-spectacular mana reactors, so their engineering of mass-based weaponry had stagnated.
Yet, upon analysis, one thing was plain - this new Suvota weapon was a missile. Mass-based drive, mass-based warhead... the entire thing was well beyond their present engineering capabilities, in that field.
Mizetto cocked her head, her iron-grey ponytail dropping to the side. "What are the chances of it being Orusia?"
Which meant that the Suvota had acquired it from a foreign power - either bought outright, or received technical assistance on.
Mass-based engineering in administrated space had degraded in the years since such weapons were banned - most of the engineers who had any proficiency in the matter were either dead of old age, or under arrest (Jail Scaglietti). There were only two worlds, and one nation, that had the expertise to make a missile that went that fast, and detonated that strongly. Earth, of course.
The Argene Theocracy - the second-largest by territory and single largest by population nation to continually repudiate TSAB membership of any form. (That repudiation took the form of first a polite refusal, and then running off by firepower any TSA attempts to administrate the worlds within their territory, like the Suvota). The Argene were best-considered the absolute masters of chemistry and mass-based technology - one of the reasons they refused TSA membership was their distaste for throwing out their existing technological advancement. And the fact that the Argene, though human, had an Earth-like spread of magical potential, essentially negligible in most with a few extraordinarily-powerful outliers - magic-based society was simply too unreliable for their demographics.
Lindy shook her head. "Unfortunately, there are clues pointing to them as well. The Suvota consistently send food shipments to Orusia as foreign aid, and it would be essentially trivial to arrange meetings, or sneak a few engineers onto the transport. None of the factions down there admit to it, but..." She shrugged.
The last possibility was Orusia - a single world that had repeatedly rebuffed TSA offers of assistance, and had been embroiled in what was a very nearly constant civil war for decades - almost since the beginning of the new calendar. That was, in fact, why they rebuffed TSA assistance - the TSA would force a halt to their civil war and decide on a settlement, and none of them wanted the result arbitrarily decided by outsiders. That and their own preference for mass-based technology, specifically magically-enhanced mass-based technology that would essentially become illegal should they sign up under the TSA, which was what had landed them on this list.
Mizetto rubbed her eyes. "So nothing can be narrowed down yet?"
"It's possible they got parts from all three, too," Alana spoke up. "That would make locating a source more difficult, and prevent another nation from having access to it - remember, the Suvota don't trust the Argene any more than they do us. Less, in fact, since the Argene aren't on a long-term peace footing like we are."
Ralgo nodded. "So... we will have to investigate all three."
Fate chose this point to spoke up. "Excuse me... may I request the Earth theatre?"
Mizetto glanced at her. "May I ask why, Dearie?"
Fate cleared her throat - elaborating on a thought wasn't really one of her strong points, Lindy knew. "I am the only current Enforcer who has spent a significant amount of time on Earth - even my aides have been there. Anyone else would have to spend a lot of their time getting familiar with what is common knowledge to me, and is likely to miss things that I would catch. And... I want to follow this case." Meaning she wanted to improve and face down the woman who had defeated her, knowing Fate... Lindy did not quite understand her sense of fun.
Mizetto glanced at Ralgo. "What do you think?"
The wizened man nodded. "She raises a good point. The only other Enforcer-trained officer on our rolls with any real experience with that planet is her brother, and he has passed on to different duties. And Special Investigator Yagami is still on an assignment of her own. Cultural familiarity counts for a great deal in investigations and espionage, and this is both."
Mizetto nodded. "Then, it seems you will head up the Earth Investigation Team. We will find a few other specialists for your assistance, of course."
Lindy leaned forward. "I'd suggest a helicopter pilot, as well - not all of the specialists will be flight-capable, and we won't be able to keep a ship in orbit unless we want the Suvota to spot it and know how far we are in our investigation. A helicopter will probably be important for getting around with some reasonable speed and all the equipment they will need."
The true reasoning for that request was very, very simple - she wanted Sergeant Vice Granscenic on that team. According to Hayate, he was aware of Carim's prophecy, and the fact that it was still in effect. While this particular case had not yet set off any of the prophecy's flags, it definitely had the potential to be one of the more severe incidents in the past few years, and it certainly didn't hurt to have him around just in case something resembling the prophecy popped up and Fate needed to know it was still on - and he didn't have any other useful assignments it would be taking him from. The line of reasoning she'd aired to the committee was also quite true - they'd need a helicopter. That and he was, in addition to his piloting qualification, a AA+ mage - Lindy figured her daughter could use all the firepower she could get.
Mizetto nodded. "That's perfectly sensible... Ralgo, I suggest we add Captain Takamachi to the team." ... Apparently, Mizetto thought the same.
Lindy rubbed her temples. Her head was aching, suddenly... She'd need to get some rest after this meeting.
Ralgo raised an eyebrow. "Well... I'd need to check to be sure, but I believe she's available right now. Why that suggestion?"
Mizetto smiled... odd. It was the same smile as usual, but Lindy didn't get the warm feeling she usually emanated. "Whatever this Suvota project is, Colonel Svetlaya seems to be associated with it in a security sense. If they do find out and choose to silence the investigation team... we already know that Enforcer Hallaoun isn't quite up to the Colonel's level yet, and that could end quite badly for all involved. However, Takamachi is very good, and partners well with Hallaoun - the two of them together may be able to take her on."
Fate just shook her head. "Excuse me, but... Nanoha still hasn't recovered fully from the JS Incident. If she overexerts herself again..."
Ralgo ran a hand through his beard once more. "That may actually be a benefit." He smiled. "Oh, don't look at me like that, allow me to explain. You see... the Suvota will also consider it dangerous to start a fight - with Takamachi there as well, they would not be able to keep it quiet. If the message got out, it could trigger an all-out war - most of the TSAB's client states would consider assaulting a team investigating their weapons development a completely valid cause for hostilities. So chances of them launching an attack, even with her just there as deterrent, are very low. In the worst case, that they do, your team will stand a chance. In every other case, Takamachi recieves what is essentially a leave of absence - she'll rest significantly more on a completely non-exerting mission like that than in training combat mages, and recover faster. Especially since you are there to keep some measure of reins on her habit of overexerting herself."
Fate blinked.
"Never looked at it that way, hm? Call it the benefits of age."
---N====================>V---
09:44 Tuesday, June 13, 2017 CE
Tokyo, Japan, Earth - Non-Administrated World #97
Sentoshi Mori, Millennium City
When the girl had been in the changing room (actually Saiko's bedroom) for a little while, Saiko glanced at Kaede.
'...You lie easily.' The telepathic message was as toneless as her normal speech... seriously, so boring.
'I've been told it's my specialty,' Kaede responded, hopping to her feet.
Saiko, for her part... unfolded, was the best way to describe the smooth, graceful way she rose from a kneel. Kaede would start feeling like a klutz, hanging around her and the new girl... 'Do minimize that. I was not amused that you only told me to pick up paper, somehow neglecting to mention that I was to pick up her as well.'
Kaede raised a finger. 'And yet you picked her up anyway, without knowing it was, well, her. She needed to see your genuine reaction. You don't lie easily, and going all mission-ey would've scared her off.'
'And you couldn't just pick her up? We've already covered that you're good at lying.'
Kaede grinned, linking her hands behind her back. 'Now, now, who better for that than her Knight?'
Saiko just shot her a look of purest disdain. 'Please minimize the use of those titles Sara-chan thought up. The hair ribbons are bad enough.'
'Awwww, big tough Saiko-chan just can't turn her down, can she?'
Saiko looked about to respond, but that was when the girl came out, so she opted not to speak up and distract herself.
She looked quite pretty, really, and the smooth, graceful way she moved didn't hurt in the slightest. Like the perfect traditional Japanese girl, really... which Kaede personally found hilarious. At the moment, she was dressed in one of Saiko's school uniforms - black knee-length skirt, black long-sleeved top with the sailor-style collar. The deep red bow, instead of being tied where it was technically supposed to be at her front, was knotted around her neck as a scarf. The fit was reasonable, Kaede supposed, though rather tight in the chest - it was a pity Saiko was completely uninterested in that, because it would have made great tease fodder for at least a couple of days.
The girl bowed, deeply and for several seconds, hands at her sides. "Thank you for... everything, but... I really cannot return any of what you have given me..."
Kaede raised an eyebrow. At least she was using the reasonably gender-neutral (and extremely formal and refined) 'watakushi' to refer to herself... too many boyish mannerisms would cause her a few problems, but it was pretty clear what the raw material had originally been.
Saiko waited until the girl was up, before making a short, reasonably shallow bow in return. With her hands clasped in front of her waist - the way a girl was supposed to bow.
The girl clearly got it, given her slight flush.
"Your school uniform?" Kaede just shook her head, glancing at Saiko.
"Mm? Why not?"
"Well... I suppose you skive most of the time anyway." Of course, Saiko going to school was hilarious in itself - the girl was older than anyone in this shrine. And Kaede herself was the youngest...
The girl cut that tangent off... with her stomach, specifically, growling loudly. She went almost completely red. "I'm sorry!"
Saiko shrugged, turning on her heel and walking off. "Follow me."
The girl blinked and hurried a little to catch up, Kaede following as well, and soon enough they were at the kitchen.
The girl paused for a moment at the doorway, and simply stared. "That's... um... quite a lot of food."
Kaede snickered. Understandable reaction to the spread - though given that Saiko's cooking skills were 'semi-tolerable' at best, it was all instant food... a whole lot of packages of instant food, it kind of occupied the entire table. All vegetarian meals... huh, had the girl told Saiko something, or had Saiko assumed something? "Go ahead, that's about as much as Saiko-chan eats, stop when you're full and we'll save the rest for later."
She nodded uncertainly. "All right... oh!" She reddened - the earlier blush had just faded, and now it was back, in full force. "I'm terribly sorry, I forgot to give you my name!" She bowed again. "I'm Kanata! Shirahime Kanata!"
---N====================>V---
09:56 Tuesday, June 13, 2017 CE
Clanagan, Midchilda - Administrated World #1
Takamachi Residence
"Mm... I haven't got the order in yet," Nanoha responded.
"Well... the meeting only finished a few minutes ago, it probably hasn't gotten around to you."
Nanoha nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up, Fate-chan. I should be packed soon enough, and I'll need at least a few hours to arrange care for Vivio-chan..."
On the other end of the communication screen, Fate sighed. "Sorry... I couldn't think of an argument against it."
Nanoha grinned. "It's fine. It's an important mission, even if my role is just to relax back at home. Vivio-chan will... be okay. Yuuno-kun and Arf-san can take care of her while I'm gone, and hopefully it won't be that long..."
Nanoha was still worried, despite her brave front, but... between Yuuno, Arf, all the knights and priests of the Saint Church, and the Nakajima family, Vivio was, bluntly, protected well enough that it would take the armed forces of a reasonably large planet to actually hurt her. She could at least tell the difference between a reasonable fear and a ridiculous one, even if she couldn't stop worrying either way.
Fate pursed her lips. "Make sure to relax while you're there, okay...? If things do go bad... you'll need to be as recovered as you can be."
Nanoha held up a finger. "I can't slack off training or I'll get rusty, then I'd be no good if it does turn into a fight. If you share what you've got when we meet up again, then I can at least keep it to a dull roar."
Fate sighed. "That's the best I'm going to get, isn't it? All right... I'll pass on what I know of fighting Svetlaya so you know what to train for, but I probably shouldn't say the details over a long-range frequency like this."
"... Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama are both gonna be gone...?"
Nanoha blinked, turning to the slightly-ajar door of her office to see where Vivio stood, eyes watering slightly, clutching her white rabbit doll. She'd clearly been listening to at least some of it.
"Ah... just for a little while, Vivio-chan. It's just an investigation..."
Vivio looked up at Fate's communication window. "... How long?"
Fate glanced at Nanoha - Nanoha could catch the wince, though Vivio probably couldn't. "... Unfortunately, I don't know yet. But... most likely at least a few months."
Vivio shook her head. "No."
Nanoha blinked. "Vivio-chan?"
"No," Vivio repeated. "Wanna go with mama." She ran up to Nanoha and latched onto her leg.
Nanoha looked through the vidscreen at Fate. Telepathy wasn't possible at interplanetary ranges, but... Help! She stroked Vivio's hair while she tried to think of what to say.
Fate opened her mouth... then paused, closing it for a moment of thought. Then she nodded to herself, and spoke. "Vivio-chan, Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama need to discuss something right now. Is that okay?"
Vivio looked up, and nodded solemnly. "... Yeah."
A moment of silence.
Nanoha smiled, looking down at Vivio. "I think she meant in private. Vivio-chan, I absolutely promise I won't leave while you let us discuss this."
Vivio pursed her lips for a moment. "... Okay." She let go of Nanoha's leg.
... Impulsively, Nanoha ducked down to hug her.
Vivio returned the hug for a few moments, before they separated, and Vivio scampered back to the door. She turned and pointed sternly at Nanoha. "Remember, promise!" Then she slipped out.
Nanoha let out a deep breath. "Well... I think I'm getting better at this."
Fate covered her mouth as she chuckled. "Shouldn't she be at school at this time anyway? It's pretty late in the morning over there, isn't it?"
Nanoha waved a hand. "Teacher workshop day, they're picking up a few extra qualifications to help them teach better. Tomorrow too. So... what did you want to discuss?"
Fate pursed her lips. "Well... I was just thinking... why not?"
Nanoha blinked. "Why not... what?"
"Vivio wants to go with us... why not?"
"... Well..."
Fate raised her hands. "Please... hear me out."
Nanoha nodded, leaning back in her chair.
"Vivio would miss a few months of classes, but you can tutor her to help her keep up, and she was already ahead. She would also be completely safe - the Suvota are even more protective of children than we are, they wouldn't dream of putting her in danger, even if they found us. And anything else that may come up... you and I can keep her protected better than anyone else. Arf can come, Yuuno can drop in on Earth instead of Midchilda... And you'll be able to relax much easier when Vivio is nearby."
Nanoha raised an eyebrow. "You know... that sounds way too good to be true. And you'll get to spend more time with Vivio-chan too..." She rubbed her chin.
Fate nodded. "Yes... and... I think Vivio also wants to see where we came from."
"Mm... well... we do know the details about her past, so I can see why she'd be curious, but... I don't know..." She had to admit the idea was tempting, but...
---N====================>V---
10:01 Tuesday, June 13, 2017 CE
Cinigrad, Estovakia, Suvota Compact
Nikanor Air Service Base
"You've been avoiding me, Planya," Svetlaya commented from the training room's doorway, arms crossed.
In the center, Planya, who had been running through a few training maneuvers, froze in mid-motion.
Svetlaya casually strolled in. "Down. We need to talk."
Planya slowly lowered from her hovering position. She still didn't look in Svetlaya's direction.
Svetlaya stopped a short distance from Planya, and smoothed out her white air service uniform. "I don't think I need to tell you that you fouled up. Pretty badly, too."
Planya turned to... sort of face her. She still wouldn't meet Svetlaya's eyes as she nodded. "... I know."
"I'm going to tell you anyway - just once. In detail."
Planya winced, looking down.
Svetlaya sighed. "You broke the wingpair. You completely negated our ability to support one another, and since you did it during the Pluto System's jamming effect, the instant you split off it was irreconcilable."
"... I'm sorry."
"Not only that, but by doing it you directly contravened standing orders. You could be court-martialed for that - though in this case, you will not. As a direct result of your choice to split up, you were shot down, and survived only at the discretion of your opponent."
Planya swallowed thickly, and did not bring her gaze up.
"Not only that, but I was put at risk as well."
Planya's head jerked up - though she still didn't meet her gaze, instead looking slightly off to the side. "That's not possible! You're-!"
"It is. The Enforcer's Overdrive granted her a truly tremendous level of speed. Had she used that before I understood her behavioural patterns, the outcome would have been in doubt. Had she used that when I was still keeping a lid on my techniques so she couldn't analyze me, I could have been defeated in the first exchange - said techniques do not do me much good if I'm surprised and hit before I use them."
Planya winced. "... Really?"
"Quite. Battle is not the sure thing you seem to think it is - our opponents have the very same potential we do, and if they set the pace, even our skills will fail to theirs. That is why you do not throw away an advantage."
Planya just nodded. "Okay..."
Svetlaya looked around the training room - empty, of course, no point getting pieces of equipment destroyed by a practicing cossack. "All right, I'm done. You seem to get it, so I suppose we'll have to thank the junior for giving you that lesson."
Planya just gritted her teeth.
"Now that you know you can lose, we can start turning you into someone who can't."
Planya blinked, and it was a moment before she could speak. "Huh?" Not well, though.
Svetlaya smiled. "It's an amusing paradox, isn't it? But those who do not believe they can lose... can. To never lose, you must never forget that you could lose. You've been running through the logs, trying to find your mistakes, but I can explain them all in one simple statement: You did not believe you would lose, so you took risks, and made maneuvers and decisions with less care than you should have. Your opponent this time was truly talented - even if you had taken the fight properly, the outcome would have been uncertain. But because you assumed your victory, there was no other way the match could have ended."
Planya closed her eyes. "... I'm sorry."
"You've learned technique with an incredible knack, and you are the most powerful, mana-wise, that the Suvota race has produced in well over a hundred years. But that is also the danger - you are too talented. It's left you unaware of your weakness."
Planya... sort of glared, but it lost much of its effect when it was directed at Svetlaya's shoulder. "I am not weak!" Given her inability to look directly at people, Svetlaya suspected that was more a rote defensive statement than something she truly believed at the moment.
"Everyone's weak. We can all break - I can break, Hallaoun, who was truly powerful, can break. You'll never unlock your potential until you are aware of your weakness. Your opponent knew she was weak, and so she struggled to overcome it, and continually covered herself. And that, in the end, is why she was too strong for you."
Planya winced. "... If you say so."
"It is also why I'm as strong as I am - because I knew that I sucked right from the beginning. Now that you know, we can really get started with your training." Svetlaya activated her barrier jacket.
---N====================>V---
Tuesday, June 13, New Calendar Year 0076 (2017 CE)
Interdimensional Space
Time-Space Administration Bureau Main Office
"Also, I heard you had your first battle as an aerial mage," Subaru Nakajima began. "So how was it?"
Teana's training, at the moment, was mostly running on instinct - and Cross Mirage was monitoring to catch any errors she made as she soared through the central headquarters flight range. So she had enough attention to spare for the communication window next to her shoulder while she practiced her flight skills.
She gnawed on her lip, thinking of how to answer. Terrifying, she could've - and probably should've - gone down in an instant, her opponent was far better than she was. Uncomfortable, her eyes had been straining and nearly staring into the sun almost all the way through. Yet... exhilirating. She hadn't been pushed that far since facing off against Nove, Wendi, and Deed near the end of the JS Incident - her mind had been pushed to the limit, racing for every second, fully, exquisitely aware... she could still remember every exchange perfectly, even without Cross Mirage's logs.
"Well... I won." Didn't mean she was one to talk about little things, though.
"Nice, Tea! So what kind of criminal was it against?"
"Subaru, you know I'm not allowed to leak case details, I've told you that before. And this one's even more sensitive."
"Awwwww."
"And your end? How's the Disaster Relief Department treating you?" Teana paused in midair for a moment, looking around. The flight range was, basically, a very large open room with spells around the walls and floor to keep any amateurs from wounding themselves - Teana appreciated it, though everyone else seemed to have their flight under control at the moment.
"Heheheheh." Subaru put her hand to the back of her head. "It's been great. They've started calling me the Silver Ace now for some reason..."
Teana snorted. "'Some reason'? Like being the best they've ever seen?"
"Well... if you say so."
"I do, and therefore it is a fact." Teana swept upward, slightly - a mage whose flight skills were clearly better than hers zipped through underneath her, equally clearly not paying attention. If he was going to be practicing at an open facility, he really should keep an eye out that he didn't crash into anyone else...
"So... any idea what's next?" Subaru had that goofy blushing grin she tended to pick up when complimented, Teana could see that out of the corner of her eye.
"In the case? Only a little - apparently Fate's taking us out to... an undeveloped world," Teana just caught herself before passing it on. Information restrictions existed on all ongoing cases, and this mess with the Suvota was even more sensitive than most.
"Oooooh, their secret base?"
Teana snickered. "Something like that." Teana focused for a moment, flipping forward and trying to pull off Planya's quick reversal again.
Aaaaaand her flight spell snapped again. Sighing, Teana went about fixing it. At least the flight range had safeties up so if she smashed into floor or wall, she wouldn't be needing a hospital stay.
"Are you okay, Tea? What was that?"
Teana considered asking Subaru to let her concentrate... but really, she was going to be distracted almost every time she was flying - it needed to be something she could do while only paying half a mind anyway. "Just trying to get a move down. Not quite there yet."
Subaru just looked at her for a moment. "How much have you slept since the fight?"
Teana blinked. "Um... eight hours or so? Maybe nine?"
"Wasn't it two days ago?"
"Don't worry, I'm still good for now." And the flight spell came back together again, arresting her fall well before she hit anything. She wasn't going to overdo it or anything... she just wanted to get as much of what she'd learned from fighting Planya engraved into her bones before she forgot it. She'd have to stop before she got so tired she started training mistakes into reflex, but her endurance went at least a few hours past this - one of the benefits of her berserk training regimen after that hotel incident, despite all the problems that came along with it and the bad idea it had been in the first place, was that she knew the exact limits of her own body.
She knew she could be that good... but she also knew she wasn't, yet. She had a ways to go, and borrowing from someone better was a good shortcut. The next training session should probably work on the spells Nanoha had taught her...
---N====================>V---
10:30 Tuesday, June 13, 2017 CE
Tokyo, Japan, Earth - Non-Administrated World #97
Sentoshi Mori, Millennium City
Kanata stared, a little horrified, at the empty, cleaned-out ruins of what had to be over a dozen distinct meals of instant food. And she was still hungry. "But... it's only been a couple of days..." Had her appetite risen that much after having been revived? What in hell was she?
... Well. On the plus side, her taste buds seemed a lot more sensitive now. Or perhaps that was the minus side. It had been instant food.
Kaede chuckled, picking up one of the instant boxes. "Like I said, Saiko eats this much every meal. Don't worry about it, we've got room for this and plenty more in the budget."
Kanata just shifted her stare to Saiko - specifically to her trim waistline. "How?"
Saiko looked up. "Fast metabolism."
Kanata blinked, and stood up, trying to gather a few more of the boxes. "I see... um, please let me clean that up, Kaede-sama. I only need to know where the trash can is..."
Kaede grinned, looking over at Kanata and, with a flick of her wrist, sending the box she'd picked up spinning to land on top of the pile balanced in Kanata's arms. "San at most, please. I've never been 'Kaede-sama' in my life."
"Um... all right, Kaede-san..."
Saiko walked across the room and opened a door to the outside. "For obvious reasons, a normal-sized trash bin is insufficient. It's next to the door."
Kanata nodded and strode out to the door, looking around - it was a tall black bin to the right, alongside the home's back wall, with the lid apparently left open. She hefted her pile up, and dumped it in.
When she turned back to go inside and get the rest, she noticed that Saiko was already there and carrying it. "Ah, um... I can take care of that..."
Saiko just squeezed past her and tossed her boxes into the trash, before shutting the lid. "You're a resident, not a maid. Just do your part, no more is necessary." She breezed back in.
Kanata stood there for a moment, not really sure what to say to that... eventually she just stepped inside. Waiting around staring at nothing while she tried to figure out the right response was just wierd and got her scorned. "Um... thank you..." She closed the door behind her.
Kaede shook her head. "Like I said, don't worry about it."
"But still..." Kanata cleared her throat. "Um... do you know where there is a spare set of..." She gestured at Kaede's shrine clothing.
Kaede blinked. "I thought you weren't into the religion?"
Kanata shook her head. "This and that are separate matters... You're doing this much for me, I should help out where I can. God will have nothing to say against paying some respect to other paths of worship."
Kaede just raised an eyebrow. "You know... I wasn't expecting that out of you. And you really don't have to - the other two people who live here aren't religious in any way, shape, or form, and don't do any more than your basic house chores."
"Which you sometimes have to... remind... Sara-chan about," Saiko added.
"Tangential at best to the matter at hand," Kaede responded instantly - clearly, she'd been expecting the editorial comment. "My point is... you don't have to. There are absolutely no conditions we're holding you to here.
Kanata nodded. "I know. And that is why I am offering. I do not want to take advantage of your generosity..."
Kaede chuckled. "Well... that I can work with. Come on, let's go get you kitted up."
---N====================>V---
Tuesday, June 13, New Calendar Year 0076 (2017 CE)
Interdimensional Space
Time-Space Administration Bureau Main Office
Vice Granscenic looked over his shoulder, pausing in filling his duffel bag. "Yo, Colonel."
Hayate shook her head, leaning against the door to his room. "Go ahead and keep up what you were doing, I just wanted to talk a little bit."
"Nah, should be tomorrow before I leave anyway." Vice dropped the bag, and straightened up. "I'd offer you a seat and a drink, but..." He waved around his room - as a non-commissioned officer, the room he was assigned at the main office was fairly small, and distinctly lacking in wet bar.
"So... you've heard what your new assignment is?"
"I've got the details... and since you're here, I'm guessing you want me to keep an eye out and see if this case has anything to do with the prophecy?"
Hayate nodded. "My research back here hasn't turned up any good leads. If worst comes to worst, the main office is the best guess we have on the 'ship of law' that the prophecy warns about being destroyed, so I should be on-site, but I - and Admiral Hallaoun - feel that we're better off keeping an eye out as far as we can."
"To see if I can pick up any signs before things get bad enough that the main office gets destroyed, right?"
"Yeah. From what I've heard, this case doesn't look like it has much to do with the prophecy - yet. But it's big. If the Suvota have enough of those missiles, they could start a war with impunity... and if someone else has them too..." She shook her head. "This could get very, very bad - I want you to pass along the prophecy to the others the minute you see anything that looks like it's going on out there."
Vice nodded, closing his eyes. "You mind confirming I'm remembering it right?"
"Go ahead."
"Okay... 'In the land where ancient crystals and infinite desire gather and intertwine, the wings shall revive from the holy land, beneath the dead king. The dead shall dance, and the tower of law in the central lands shall burn to the ground, but, before this, the ship of law that guards the many seas will be torn apart.' ... Is that right?" He opened his eyes.
Hayate whistled. "Good memory. And yeah, that's it - or at least, it's the best translation we were able to manage."
Vice tapped his chin. "It was originally in Ancient Velkan, right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you have a copy of the original text? Lanster's good with languages, and we may need to retranslate it on site - once we know the actual context, we may realize we'd gone with the wrong translation, so..."
"Hm... I think I can manage that. I'll get it to you before you leave. Anything else you'll need?"
Vice thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Not that I can think of. I'd love if the prophecy were at least slightly specific, but..."
Hayate laughed. "That goes for the both of us. Hopefully at least a little bit of it is non-poetic enough that we can recognize it when it's right in our faces."
"I'll call in if I see anything."
"Pass it through Admiral Lindy Hallaoun - I don't have access to enough of a high-security channel for this."
Vice nodded. "I'll remember. That said... hopefully this is just a ferrying job."
Hayate raised an eyebrow.
"... Yeah, I've never been that lucky either."
---N====================>V---
12:56 Tuesday, June 13, New Calendar Year 0076 (2017 CE)
Farbanti, Verusea, Argene Theocracy
Order of the Sea Central Administrative Chapel
Verusea had been a beautiful world, once, teeming with life, even the skyscrapers works of art. Over the centuries, smog had swept over it like a blanket, pollution doing its damage and leaving the beautiful works of art standing alone, the trees, grasslands, and flowers they had been built to complement gone.
In recent years, due to environmental policies, the holy land of the Argene Theocracy had begun to recover, but it wasn't quite there yet. It was at least safe to go outside without an oxygen mask, though. Back when Renault, Chevalier of the Coast, had been young, she couldn't do that.
Though right now she was inside, and none of the chapel's windows were open. Just because one could breathe Verusea's air now didn't mean one wanted to.
Still... hope was hope. Renault liked to hope that her homeworld would once again - maybe even in her lifetime - be the beautiful holy land she'd seen in pictures and movies.
"Dame Renault, please enter," the secretary spoke up from behind her desk.
Renault nodded sharply, and after running a hand through her pink hair, walked up to the high-arched, wooden doors. The waiting room was pretty and all, filled with vibrant colours and finely-wrought pieces of artwork, but it was still... a waiting room.
The doors opened of their own accord, and Renault stepped through. The office was much the same as the waiting room, but in more muted colours - beautiful curling pieces of metalwork and filigree, a wooden desk that looked like it dated back at least two hundred years, to when Verusea had a reasonable supply of forests...
There were two people within. Behind the desk was Prelate Willard - by reputation, a powerful man in the Holy Order of the Sea, but choosing to remain at a lower rank - a tall man dressed in plain blue robes, hair gone stark white, clean-shaven. The other sat at one of the chairs, slim with blonde hair, dressed in the black leatherlike uniform of a chevalier - a knight. As Renault walked in, she saw the front of the white jacket he wore over it, and winced at the feather emblem over his left breast.
A Chevalier from the Order of Pages... last time she'd been on a mission with a library knight, the entire thing had devolved into a long series of disquietingly large explosions that left her alone and facing down a naval destroyer that was backed up by an entire squadron's worth of rogue knights... My Lord... please don't let this end with me going on a mission with him. I will donate a quarter of my salary to the Church to not have to go through that again.
She snapped to attention, kneeling shortly before the prelate. "Renault reporting as requested."
The prelate nodded, gesturing to another of the three chairs in front of his desk. "At ease, and have a seat."
Renault moved to the seat furthest from the blond Page Knight, keeping a careful eye on him.
Willard picked up a thin metallic datasheet. "I understand you have experience with Heterodox World #45? Earth?"
Renault bowed her head, wincing further. "Yes, prelate. I was partnered with Sir Florentin of the Order of Pages." A small unit from the Order of the Coast had gone absent without leave, trying to set themselves up as pirates. That whole debacle had gone on way too long... and she severely doubted Canada would ever want her back within their borders.
Willard nodded. "Good... allow me to explain. It seems we have recently received a request for information from the TSAB. The Suvota appear to have a new weapon, and the TSAB thought we may have been responsible for it."
Renault frowned. "Us responsible for it, prelate...? That would mean it's a gun or missile?"
"Missile, apparently. And a few dummy companies we've traced back to the Suvota have been paying for small bits of design work. We haven't put them all together yet, but it appears to be lacking both engine and warhead."
"Which means," the Chevalier of Pages spoke up, "that they must have got it from someone else."
Willard nodded. "Exactly. Now... it is still possible that engine and warhead came from us, and we are accelerating our investigation now. However, if it is not us, then there are only two possibilities. Either the Suvota came up with it themselves - which seems... vanishingly unlikely, that they could have caught up so fast. Or they borrowed assistance from somewhere on Earth."
Renault frowned. "Um... what about Orusia, prelate?"
The other knight shook his head. "Orusia is emphasized mostly in guns and magic. They could maybe do the warhead, but a missile's engine is not something they're good at. To be honest, the Suvota could do better themselves unless they were stuck on using a reaction engine for some reason."
"It will be checked out, of course," Willard responded, "but your task is to investigate Earth. We know from contacting local authorities that Suvota ships have been hovering over the East Asian region."
Renault paused. "Um, prelate... by 'your task' do you mean both of ours?"
He blinked. "Of course, Dame Renault. Sir Abel is proficient in information-gathering, but not familiar with the world's culture. You are familiar with the world, and a distinguished member of the SRF, but not a trained investigator."
Renault glanced across at 'Abel' - thin, young (though not younger than her), confident... he was going to get her blown up again. She turned back to Willard. "Prelate... Earth's cultures are radically distinct, just like our own. I was mostly operating in North America, I am not familiar with the Asian continent."
Willard nodded. "Just the same, you are familiar with the world's political situation, and that alone saves precious effort and gives you an insight others may lack. Expanding your knowledge from there will be up to you."
Renault winced, looking at Abel again. He seemed amused. My Lord... am I going to get independently kicked out of every nation on that planet?
He didn't answer.
---N====================>V---
Next: Chapter Three.
The hunt is on. Everyone's looking for something... and everyone thinks they'll find it on Earth.
Most of them are right.
---N====================>V---
Author's Notes:
First order of business: Thanks go out once more to prereader squad - Sunshine Temple, DCG (also known as McClown though I'm uncertain as to why), Akuma-sama, and Belgarion213.
You may note that I've been using 'zone' and 'exclusion zone' where the old Triad subs translated it as 'barrier'. This is to reduce confusion - the Japanese word is 'kekkai', which is less 'barrier' and more 'sanctified ground', and considering Nanoha already has fairly strict definitions for 'field', 'barrier', and 'shield' spells, none of which quite fits the 'create a battlefield locking everyone who's in, in, and everyone who's out, out' spells from the original series and A's, I thought another term was more effective.
Also note, I didn't just make the Millennium City up to sound cool - it's an actual proposed project for Tokyo developers. I just figured that, hey, almost a decade in the future, maybe Progress (tm) has rolled on a bit and a few projects have hopped off the drawing boards and into real life. The Millennium City is slightly modified from the actual proposed projects, but the basis is the SkyCity 1000 proposal, with a little mixed in (mostly the location and the name) from the Millennium Tower proposal, for anyone who wants to look into them. Crystal Island is also on (and lord, doesn't that sound Sailor Moon-ey?).
To my first reviewer, AluciusDawn (thanks, btw): Three way war? Three ain't even the start of it. And yes, I have some strange fascination with genderbending - no idea why, but by now I've just accepted it as one of my deviancies.
Speaking of reviewers: They are appreciated, even if you don't have anything to say but 'looks fun'. I'm not gonna hold the fic hostage for reviews or anything stupid like that, but it is nice for an author to know that people are reading and enjoying their work
