And here we are, with yet another chapter released! This chapter features characters introduced during one of my collaborations with Huinesoron, and it won’t be the only intersection between my works and his. But no more spoilers, you’ll know soon enough!
As usual, thanks to Doctorlit for betaing this chapter.
Mission Record 18 – The Panther, the Car and the Dandelion
Prince Frederick of Bedwig glanced out of his room’s window. The first snow of the year had fallen, which meant he was finally getting a slight change in view. After all, he had not been allowed to leave that room since the summer.
Since he was arrested and brought there by Belkan nationalists after being accused of “defiling Belka’s proud warrior history.”
Don’t lose hope. They’re taking more time than I expected, alright, but trust me: PPC Agents are a force to be reckoned with. Someone will be coming.
The voice in his head wasn’t his, but that of his fellow imprisoned companion. Prince Frederick turned around towards the other occupant of the room.
A giant, sentient, telepathic dandelion.
“How can you be this sure, Mr. Dandy? It has been two months since you were brought here already.”
The dandelion set down the cup he was holding with his tendrils. I have picked up some chatter from this place’s security detail. If I am correct, this ‘Mongoose’ their pilots seem to be afraid of might actually be a former employee of my organization. If Agents Knight and Li can get hold of him, we won’t be staying here for long.”
“The Mongoose?” While not to the extent the dandelion did, Prince Frederick had overheard some stories about the NATO coalition’s mercenary ace. “The bane of the Belkan Air Force is one of your agents?”
Not exactly mine, he was in SpecOps. But I had the privilege of meeting him during the Blackout emergency, and I read the report on the Blank Sprite Incident in which he performed admirably. It will be a bit of a long story, but if you’re willing to hear, I will tell you.”
Prince Frederick sat down on his bed. “We have a lot of time and not much to keep ourselves busy. Please, go on.”
***
Gino sat down in front of Johnson. “I’m sorry for accessing your computer unauthorized and ordering your men around, but-”
“Nonsense, Mr. Scribetto,” Johnson said. “If it wasn’t for your intuition, I would be burying most if not all of my pilots right now. The end completely justified the means.”
Gino nodded. He shouldn’t have been surprised – he wrote Johnson that way.
“I couldn’t really leave my characters to fend for themselves, could I? In a way, you’re my children.”
Johnson laughed. “That’s a way to put it. Anyways, I have something I need to ask you.”
Gino gulped. Was it something about his daughter?
“You came from the other side of the fourth wall, so you clearly know many things that we don’t. Especially about that Ikaruga guy who came up with that travesty of an assault plan.”
Oh, that’s what he wants to know.
“I do.” Gino nodded. “So… I think you know the Razgriz’ history?”
“The gist of it. They used to be Wardog Squadron, an Osean squadron involved in the war between the countries of Osea and Yuktobania. The war was orchestrated by Belka as revenge for a prior war, and the Belkans tried to assassinate Wardog Squadron and later set them up as spies since they were a bit too good and they could’ve ended the war too soon.
“The surviving Wardog escaped, and joined up with other forces that had discovered what really was going on to form the Ghosts of Razgriz. They rescued the Osean and Yuktobanian presidents from the collaborationists, and sortied against the Belkans under direct orders of the Osean president in order to stop the war. Am I correct?”
“It’s a really simplified synopsis, but that’s it, yeah. Now, as you might’ve noticed, despite coming from a wholly different world there’s another Wardog squadron really similar to them. The IJA’s 17th Tactical Surface Fighter Squadron. While not all of their story had been released before the Unravel, I could read enough to see that despite the completely different setting their name and story has been clearly inspired by the original Wardog Squadron.”
Johnson nodded. “That really explains why some of them seemed to be parallels of each other.”
“Yuzuka Sendou is an expy of Kei Nagase, Ellen Aice of Alvin Davenport, Shizuku Miono of Hans Grimm. Their flight leader, Hibiki Tatsunami, is a bit too talkative to really be Blaze and we have no Marcus Snow so far, though. As for our relevant guy, Lord Regent Takatsugu Ikaruga, he is pretty much the equivalent of the Belkan ‘Grey Men’, scheming and pulling strings behind the scenes. He took advantage of a power vacuum to become the de facto ruler of the Muv-Luv universe’s Japan, even managing to pass off his coup d’etat as saving the country from a different coup happening at the same time.
“The Shogun, Yuuhi Koubuin… Well, actually her twin sister Meiya is filling in for her, but that’s not really important right now. Anyways, Koubuin is technically the figurehead, but her power is actually very limited. She has a few loyal supporters, and as you can guess Wardog Squadron is alongside them, but it’s Ikaruga who’s really pulling the strings. And this war is a godsend for him.”
“I can see where you’re going, Scribetto. It fits in what I thought at first – that it would be very convenient for him if the Wardogs were to fall in battle. In fact, I now think he actually wanted the operation to fail – he doesn’t want Belka to fall too quickly, he needs the Japanese government to be weakened enough for him to work his way to the top again. In fact, considering Strike Dove’s combat record, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were also targeted to make sure NATO wouldn’t get to Dinsmark too quickly.” Johnson chuckled. “I think you threw a really big spanner in his works, Scribetto.”
“What can I say? I’m an aircraft technician. The spanner is my weapon.”
“Speaking of that… I heard you’re going to go back home soon?”
Gino nodded. “For a given value of ‘home’, yes. The Phoenix is officially out of the experimental phase and has been fully commissioned, so the company doesn’t need any more data from your pre-production airframe. I’ll try to stay in contact with you guys, though.”
“I see… So, how much are they paying you?”
Gino raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”
“As you know, we’re still understaffed, and we really could use not only one more pair of hands for our aircraft, but also an advisor who has a lot of intel we’re currently missing.” Johnson smiled. “I think you fit those requirements, Mr. Scribetto.”
***
“And yeah, this means I’m actually going to stick around,” Gino said. “I’m happier this way, really. I lost track of you for a few weeks and you were all falling apart already.”
Nikki bit her lip. Her author was referring to her especially.
“What can I say?” Sergio shrugged. “We’re difficult cases, but we’re all doing our best.”
“I would never doubt that.” Gino smiled. “Chin up and stay strong, you’ve got this. I made you so.”
He glanced at his wristwatch. “Well, time for me to go. I heard you guys have gotten some leave time after that mess of an operation, but we now have a ton of aircraft to look over before you get back.”
Sergio nodded. “Everyone who was in it got a full week. The NATO forces are advancing steadily and many of the Belkan ace squadrons are already out of the picture, so I hope they can do without us for a few days. We really need the rest.”
“Can’t disagree. Have fun!”
***
“Qualifier races?” Keiko asked as she strapped herself into the Garland’s cockpit.
“Yes, the first one is going to be next month,” Osamu said. “Apparently, there’s been a lot more applicants than spaces on the grid, so there are going to be three qualification races. The first eight from each race will take part in next year’s championship.”
Keiko’s stomach knotted up. So, this is it. I’m really racing again.
“Something’s the matter, Keiko?”
“Nothing, I just hope I’m gonna be fast enough by then. I’m nowhere near Hayato’s times.”
Osamu took a step back. “Keep in mind he’s a five times champion, and the currently reigning one. It would be unfair to ask you to match his times, and as I said for now an eighth place would be enough. From what you’ve shown so far, you have more than enough speed already, but of course I expect you to keep improving.”
Osamu put his headset on, and Keiko took that as a cue to close the canopy and start the engine. Time to get to work.
***
“Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life!” Corolla shouted as she stood on the wing of a VF-25.
“So that’s why you didn’t take up the offer for a vacation?” Hajime said from below.
“A vacation?” Corolla couldn’t believe her ears. “With all these new toys around to fiddle with? This is better than any vacation!”
She jumped down from the wing and opened up several holographic windows. “I’ve finalized the design for a power plant for both the VF-25 and VF-31 – basically, I’m hybridizing the thermonuclear turbines with my Minoutar Drives. Now that I managed to get my replicator working, building the high-tech parts is a breeze.”
Hajime glanced warily at the replicator. “If you say so, Auntie…”
“Sure, I used the frame of an old industrial oven, but everything inside is made of top notch parts. It could even make a true GN drive!… If I actually had the plans for one. Anyways, as you can see I’ve finalized the modification for the aircraft, and even worked on a couple side projects.”
Hajime pushed aside the windows labeled “SF-26 Blaze” and “SF-32 Starlightning” and turned her attention to one labeled “Delta Stormer CXF-1”.
“Wait, is that…”
“Well, since the Asurada AKF-0 can’t really deal with my engine, I had to develop a test bed that does.”
***
“No offense, but… I think our Response Center was bigger.”
Sergio laughed as he put down some of Nikki’s luggage. “I know. It’s just a temporary accomodation, though. Unless you are into sneaking inside storerooms to have some privacy?”
Nikki joined in his laugh. “No, of course not.”
She put down the bags she was carrying and sat on the couch. “It feels cozy, though.”
“Yeah, it’s not bad. Even Ami approved of it.”
Nikki glared at him. Her face looked upset, but Sergio could see she was faking it.
“So I’m not the first girl you brought here?”
“Oh, I would’ve brought you instead, but you were busy visiting someone else’s apartment that night.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds, then both laughed again. Sergio walked over to the couch and sat next to her. “We both made our fair share of mistakes, didn’t we?”
“Yeah… We’re really lost without each other.” Nikki pulled Vanguard off its string. The star-shaped gem was different now – a simple flat shape instead of the faceted star it used to be.
“That’s not how I remember it,” Sergio said.
Nikki nodded. “Yeah. Corolla said she managed to get it working again, but she’s still waiting for parts to do a full overhaul. Something about having used a standard Storage Device board for the time being, she said that I only have Saber mode available now. I’m still glad to have it back, though. I can start exercising my magic properly again.”
“That’s good news! Even if it doesn’t have all its features back yet, it’s way better than nothing.”
Nikki took a deep breath. “I don’t think I have all of my ‘features’ back yet either, and some I might never get back…”
Sergio gulped. Was it a bad sign?
Nikki turned towards him, smiling. “But you all were right. I’m much more than I thought I was. And, even if I indeed was useless… that wouldn’t have stopped you from loving me, or the others from being my friends.”
Sergio nodded. “As I tried to tell you, I like you the way you are. The girl who shielded me from Vera sword in hand, looking like nothing in the world could stop her, but also the one who took refuge in my arms when the Organization tore the world apart, and I was afraid I could hurt just by hugging too tight.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “The girl who isn’t afraid of chewing me out when I’m being an idiot as usual, but would sleep until noon if no one woke her up. The one I’m in love with is Nikki, and ‘First Lieutenant Cherryflower’ is only a small part of her to me.”
“Well, about that… It’s First Lieutenant Kinomoto-Cherryflower now.”
Sergio blinked a couple of times. What did she mean by that?
“I finished up the paperwork to become legally part of the Kinomoto family. I was stumped whether to keep the surname I gave myself when I was recruited into the PPC, or change it back to Kinomoto… and in the end I just kept both.”
She laughed. “It may sound stupid, but while I’m glad to have parents and siblings again I just can’t let go of the surname that marked me becoming… well, myself and not just a Sakura clone.”
Sergio looked up in thought. “Nikki Kinomoto-Cherryflower… that’s a bit of a mouthful.”
“Well, I’m on a first name basis with pretty much anyone that matters, and outside that I’m fine with being addressed by just one of the surnames.”
“True.” Sergio nodded. “So, that’s one matter dealt with. Now, we just need to sort out the fact I’m stuck having to take responsibility for future and alternate versions of me knocking up both you and Ami.”
Nikki laughed. “We all work, so at least money won’t be too much of an issue. You won’t have to work a double shift to feed us all, Dad.”
“Still leaves a bit of logistical issues, I’m afraid.” Sergio leaned back on the sofa’s backrest. “Ami and I actually started giving it some thought. Keiko and Hajime pretty much officially recognized each other as sisters, so we aren’t really into separating them. And it would be nice for both of them to live with their parents, so we were considering looking for some place the five of us could all live in. Of course, it doesn’t mean I’m fine with the Harem Route nonsense.”
Nikki looked up in thought. “Don’t worry, I can see what you mean. It might not be a perfect solution, but… I guess that’s the best we can do. In fact, it might actually be fun!”
“So that’s a yes? I was afraid you might’ve had qualms sharing a roof with… well, the other girl I bedded.”
“Well, to be fair… we both owe her so much I don’t actually mind what happened. Besides, if she’s stuck having to finish raising Hajime, she did at least, you know…” Nikki let out a short giggle. “Get to experience the fun part of conceiving her daughter?”
Sergio shrugged. “Let’s put it that way.”
“Still, it’s my turn now.” Nikki said as she started fiddling with her jeans’ buttons.
Sergio chuckled. “You aren’t even unpacking your bags first?”
“We don’t need any clothes for that.”
***
Chris breathed in deeply, a bucket ready under her face. Don’t puke… don’t puke…
Despite her best efforts, her breakfast resurfaced anyway.
“Three against one, and they didn’t manage to lay a finger on him. This new aircraft is insane,” one of the ground crew said.
“Sol Three got a hit,” Shilage admitted. “She flew with her teeth and nails, and managed to sneak a simulated gun burst where I didn’t expect it.”
At the cost of my dignity.
Chris wiped her mouth, and glanced at the Project Vortigern prototype. As much as it looked like an enlarged version of an old Saab fighter, it turned out to be a highly advanced Variable Fighter – it flew circles around her Sv-51.
That, despite the fact Shilage barely bothered to use GERWALK mode and didn’t use Battroid mode at all.
Her father patted her shoulder. “Excellent work. You got a hit on Shilage while he was flying a superior aircraft – you really improved a lot.”
“Yeah, thanks. But if you want me to not get mushed by G forces trying to keep up, you should get me one of those things too.”
The Professor laughed. “Don’t worry, that’s in the plans. Three more airframes are nearing completion as of now, and of course they’re all equipped with Inertia Storage Converters.”
He grabbed her shoulder and lowered his voice. “With these, we’ll be able to work faster towards my Dream.”
And I’ll be finally able to defeat Skystreaker One.
***
“Be careful, the brakes on that one aren’t operative!” Gino shouted to some of the ground crew as they towed a VF-25 from one of the storage hangars to the one where it was to be worked on.
“Don’t worry, we’ll go slow!” the driver of the tug shouted back.
Gino nodded in satisfaction. Strike Dove’s ground crew could’ve been a ragtag bunch, but they worked hard.
“Uh, I’m sorry…” Someone said from behind him. Gino turned around, and found himself looking at what looked like an older Syaoran.
“Oh, you must be Syaoron Li, right? If you’re looking for Nikki, she’s not here. Most of the pilots have this week off.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not here for her. I have an appointment with Mr. Johnson. Can you give me directions to his office?”
Gino raised an eyebrow. Did he want to start working with Strike Dove as well? “Sure. Enter the building on your right, take the lobby’s stairs, turn left. It’s the last door in the corridor.”
“Thank you.” Syaoron pointed at a black car parked near the entrance. “Is it fine if I leave the car there?”
“No problem at all,” Gino said as he squinted his eyes. That old Honda Integra was not the car he imagined Syaoron to have – for some reason, he imagined him to be more of a Mazda RX-7 type. And to get his car in green, not black.
As soon as Syaoron entered the building, Gino walked over to the car. DC-2 generation Integra, with the Japanese facelift big headlights. Despite that, however, it was a left hand drive example and, judging by the letter E in place of the hiragana character on the lower left of the license plate, it was only temporarily in Japan. Did he bring it from Hong Kong? Still , it resembles more…
He then brought his attention to the numbers. 63-910; apparently it had the same five-number standard as used in Initial D.
But that’s not where you’re from, are you?
His phone rang, and he pulled it out. It was Johnson’s number, and he answered. “Hello?”
“Mr. Scribetto? If you’re not busy, I’d like you to come to my office.”
“Sure. Does it have anything to do with the fact the guy in front of you came here with KITT’s uncanonical little sister?”
Johnson laughed. “I’m afraid it does.”
***
Nkki snuggled against Sergio’s chest, her eyes closed. “Let’s stay like this a bit more. The bags can still wait.”
“I know, but we’ll need to make dinner sooner or later.”
“We can order delivery so-”
A phone rang, and Nikki recognized Sergio’s ringtone. He reached out, but she grabbed his arm. “Don’t even think about answering. It’s our-”
Vanguard started ringing as well, and Sergio sighed. “This sounds important, what do you think?”
They both sat up, and Nikki glared at the two electronic devices ringing and flashing on the coffee table. “Business as usual, then?”
“That’s what us heroes get, I’m afraid.”
***
Sergio walked into the briefing room, Nikki in tow. The room was pretty much packed – Skystreaker, Haro and Razgriz squadrons in full, all of his relatives, and even Hayate and some of the Wolfram’s crew.
Shit, this must be something big. Here goes our vacation…
He looked for an empty seat, and there were two in the first row between Corolla and Kathleen. He walked over and sat next to his sister, Nikki taking the other seat.
“Any idea of what’s going on?”
“No clue, but we kept two of the best seats for our favorite couple,” Corolla said. “I just hope you had enough time to have some fun.”
“Shut up.”
“We’re really meaning it,” Kathleen added. “Your soap opera should’ve ended a few seasons ago.”
Sergio opened his mouth for a retort, but right at that moment Johnson entered, quickly followed by Gino, Syaoron and a girl with black hair and glowing red eyes Sergio found familiar.
Who is she… Wait, no way!
She smiled at him. “Glad to see you still up and kicking, rookie.”
Nikki leaned towards him. “Who is she?”
“Believe it or not, that’s the one who recruited me into the PPC.”
Johnson took position at the holographic screen. “I’m sorry about summoning you all in such a hurry, but we just got some very important intel which Strike Dove has to address as soon as possible. These are Agents Arumi Knight and Syaoron Li from the Protectors of the Plot Continuum, an interdimensional organization I believe most of you have already heard about, and for which Captain Turbo, First Lieutenant Corolla and First Lieutenant Cherryflower worked. I’ll leave the rest of the exposition to you, Miss Knight.”
“Thank you. Let’s see…” Arumi said as a folder opened on the holographic window. “First of all, I’m Arumi, the one who’s actually a car. Kiddo here is Syaoron, some of you know him already, he’s currently some kind of fusion between the kiddo I recruited fifteen years ago and the kiddo from the Colonel here’s world. He’s still a good kiddo.”
Arumi and Syaoron’s PPC ID cards appeared on the screen. Arumi’s ID card actually held two photos: one with her current appearance, and one of a black Honda Integra with KITT’s scanner bar.
“So, as you might’ve heard from my former colleagues over there, my organization used to keep the multiverse safe, but this time we failed and everything fell apart. I’m real sorry about it, but please don’t be too hard with us. We really tried.
“Me, Kiddo, a few Weeds from the Department of External Security and a small bunch of agents from other departments are, as far as we know, most of what’s left of all the PPC and its alternates. We’re trying to get hold of as many survivors as we can, but with a war out there it hasn’t been so easy. In fact, Kiddo here took a while to ascertain that the Sergio, Nikki and Corolla over there were the ones relevant to us.”
Arumi leaned over to Syaoron, a hand over her mouth. “Did you really have to get that intimate with her to be sure, though?” she whispered, low enough that Sergio only barely heard her.
Next to him, Nikki sank in her chair.
“That’s not important now!” Syaoron shouted, his cheeks flushed. “Anyways… What she was getting at is, we are barely scraping by. Only one of our bosses actually made it here in this world, and he needs help.”
Another PPC ID card appeared, this time featuring the photo of a giant dandelion.
Captain Dandy? He’s alive?
“The giant sentient telepathic capital-F Flower here is Captain Dandy, the DES’ Department Head,” Arumi explained. “Good news, he’s still alive and reasonably well. Bad news, he’s a prisoner in Belka. Alongside someone who might be of interest to you guys.”
Another photo appeared, of a blonde guy whose adorned outfit screamed “royalty.”
“This is Prince Frederick of Bedwig, current head figure of the Principality of Belka,” Johnson said. “Or, at least, that’s what they still want us to believe. He hasn’t made a public appearance since before this war, and this intel suggests that a coup d’etat, likely by the so-called ‘Grey Men,’ actually happened. This faction is the one that orchestrated the Circum-Pacific War in their world to exact revenge on the nations that had defeated Belka fifteen years earlier, and there is no doubt this war is also their doing in a bid to turn Belka into a world power by crushing the only other vaguely intact nation of this continent.”
“As for Prince Frederick, we don’t know much about him, but apparently he was trying to promote policies based around peaceful collaboration with other countries,” Scribetto added. “I doubt he would’ve approved a war of aggression, no wonder the Grey Men wanted him out of the picture. Reinstating him is our best bet to end this war.”
Arumi nodded. “And that’s why we’re here. Rescuing them would benefit everyone, on both sides of this war and beyond. I hope this is a goal you’re willing to pursue for the good of the world, ‘cause… Well, we don’t really have the funds to officially hire you guys otherwise.”
“Of course we’re helping. Unfortunately, this is not something we can convince the NATO brass to support us on, so we’ll be going through unofficial channels to prepare this operation,” Johnson continued. “Commander Yagami of the TSAB already offered us the support of the Wolfram, which will once again be our airborne aircraft carrier. We’re also opening an unofficial diplomatic channel with the Clow Kingdom through First Lieutenant Cherryflower’s family, so hopefully they’ll agree for us to set up staging ground there. This will be a death or glory operation, I’m afraid, which means we’ll mobilize everything for it.
“Skystreaker and Razgriz squadrons will of course spearhead the operation. Agents Knight and Li have volunteered to take part in the operation as well, so they’ll assist the Skystreakers as they break into Stier Castle.”
“Stier Castle?” Snow asked. “That’s where we rescued President Harling from!”
“And your knowledge of the area will be invaluable. The location is deep into Belka itself, so the operation is on hold until we have enough fifth-generation Variable Fighters available, but at the same time we should act as soon as possible. Mr Scribetto?”
Gino rubbed his chin. “We can get four VF-25s and three VF-31s to combat grade in ten days, but for the rest we’re missing too many parts – we’re looking at four weeks to get one more of each.”
“Those seven will have to do. First Lieutenant Minase, First Lieutenants Keiko and Hajime Turbo, Petty Officer Leone, you are now officially assigned to Haro Squadron. You’ll resume combat flight training under Captain Shirogane to be our backup unit equipped with the Gundams and VF-0 Phoenixes, and will escort the Wolfram while the operation is underway. I know this is sudden, but I’m confident in your talent.”
Sergio took a deep breath. If he even involved the school-aged girls, it was really an all-in. But he could see why – if their plan worked, the war would be over.
***
“So, you’re pretty much royalty now?” Kathleen asked, her left eyebrow raised.
“Kinda. King Fujitaka of Clow and my father recognized that their families are alternate universe versions of each other, and so we’re relatives of sorts,” Nikki explained. “But my family agreed to not be part of the succession line.”
Kathleen crossed her arms. “This is still wild. From Magical Girl to fighter pilot and then even royalty? You sure are climbing up, Nikki.”
“To be fair, she never asked for any of it,” Sergio said. “Things just kinda keep happening to us.”
“Yeah, I know. By the way, now that you two are together again, you should also give Ami some love.” Kathleen smirked. “Or I’m going to swipe her off you when you least expect it.”
Faith tugged at her sleeve, an uncharacteristic pout on her face. “Kath…”
Sergio sighed. “If it gets you off us, the plan is to all go live together. Me, Nikki, Ami, Keiko and Hajime. It will be a bit weird, but-”
Kathleen clapped her hands. “Perfect! I knew you would come around eventually. One big happy family for both of your daughters!”
“Yes, that’s the idea,” Nikki said. “But, even then, we don’t plan on-”
“Tell me when you buy a home, ‘cause the king size bed is on me. Gotta make sure the three of you can sleep together comfortably.”
Sergio and Nikki both facepalmed.
***
“And that’s one thing sorted out!” Corolla shouted as he finished removing the masking paper from the Wave Gundam’s new arms.
Kathleen crossed her arms as she looked at the finished work. The new arms were nothing like the Wave Gundam’s original ones, or the one that had been salvaged from the Belkan transforming mecha. The shoulder armor was much bulkier, and attached to the forearms were long, arcuated sheats. A small consolation was in the fact Corolla had agreed to change the robot’s green trim to purple.
“I’m telling you, I like the paint scheme and I appreciate very much that it is symmetrical now. But those arms are really ugly.”
Corolla shrugged. “Well, that’s not how I would’ve designed them either. But what little manufacturing ability I have here is already booked to get as many Galahads and Blazes as we can in time, and Shiranui arms are pretty much the only ones in mass production right now.”
Kathleen nodded. “I see. I’m glad I got you to change the name on the ones you, Sergio, Nikki and Ami will be flying, though. Starlightning was just terrible.”
Corolla pouted. “It was perfect! But, yeah, Galahad works too.”
The Unison Device floated down from the arms, turning back to full-size form as she landed next to Kathleen. “Anyways, I calibrated the new arms’ actuators so you shouldn’t feel much of a difference, but you’ll have plenty of training sorties to figure it out anyways. The sheats on the arms contain a sub-arm that will bring combat knives right into the manipulators when needed – I wanted to put the beam sabers there, but getting the particle conduits there to recharge them would’ve taken too much time. The beam sabers are still in the waist armor for now.”
“Gotcha. So, it is ready?”
“Of course! You’ll already be flying it in tomorrow’s training exercise!”
***
“I’m really sorry, but, you know, there’s a war going on,” Keiko said into her wristphone.
“Don’t worry about it, I understand,” Osamu said on the phone. “There’s two more qualifier races after next month’s, so we can always have you take part in the later ones. Stay safe out there.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on getting myself killed. Bye!”
Keiko closed the call and turned towards her father. “And that’s done. Hopefully they won’t worry too much, since I told them I’m just doing logistical support and not flying a transforming mecha.”
Sergio nodded. “Hopefully you won’t have to fight anyway, from what I understood the Wolfram will launch us from NATO-controlled territory so Haro Squadron is mostly a contingency plan.”
“Yeah, especially since we’ll get, what, one week of practice?”
Sergio ruffled her hair. “It should be enough. You and Hajime pulled your own weight pretty well at Sand Island. Besides, the Phoenix is a nice machine.” He laughed. “Hajime was almost drooling when she fully realized she’s going to fly one.”
Keiko joined in his laugh. “Yeah, Sis really loves her planes. She really is your and Stepmom’s daughter.”
Sergio gave her a weirded-out stare, his eyebrow so high it nearly met his hairline. “Stepmom?”
“Well, if you think about it, that’s what Ami is to me. And Mom is kind of Hajime’s stepmother, as well.”
Sergio sighed. “This is never going to stop being weird, is it?”
“No, of course not.” Keiko shrugged. “But, hey, ‘weird things keep happening’ kinda runs in the family so I’m used to it.”
***
Hajime barrel rolled out of the gun burst of the Phoenix in front of her. She switched her own Phoenix to Battroid mode and gripped the gunpod tightly.
She took aim and squeezed the trigger; the gray and aqua green Phoenix in front of her got quickly covered in blue splotches.
“That’s a kill for Blue Flight,” Hiro said over the radio. “Blue Three took out Red Two.”
“Damn it, Thunderbolt.” Keiko grumbled. “I thought I had you this time.”
“Lightning to Tsunami, I think we’ll need to work a bit on your aim later.”
The radar warning on Hajime’s Phoenix blared, and she turned the aircraft back to fighter mode to get her speed up again as the Silent Raptor chased her.
She turned right hard, but it was to no avail. The radar warning turned into the missile warning, then “FATAL HIT RECEIVED” appeared on her HUD.
“Blue Three down, Red One hit her. Red Flight wins the engagement,” Hiro said.
Hajime sighed. She didn’t expect to last long against her father, but less than ten seconds? That was embarrassing.
***
“By waiting too long before switching back to Fighter mode, you left an open window for Sergio to close in before you could build up enough momentum for an effective evasive maneuver,” Hiro explained as he pointed at the triangle labeled “THUNDERBOLT” on the debriefing projection.
Ami watched as her daughter dutifully took notes. “I’m afraid she’s a bit like me, we both tend to fly flat.”
“Nothing that can’t be worked on,” Sergio reassured her. “Like Keiko’s aim, a bit of practice will fix that. They did pretty well, all considered.”
Hiro turned off the projector. “I agree, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time. The operation is four days from now, two of which will be of travel and set-up.”
“I know,” Sergio agreed. “Corolla’s working around the clock to get the new Variable fighters ready in time, but I’m afraid we’ll be flight-testing them during the transfer itself. That’s… not exactly ideal. But since we don’t know the condition the Prince and Captain Dandy are kept in, or the plans the Grey Men have for them, we can’t afford to lose a single day.”
Ami couldn’t help but agree. They were putting a big burden on their own shoulders, and on those of Hajime, Keiko, Ai and Kathleen, but they had no choice.
“Actually, I think I heard that the aircraft for Skystreaker Squadron were pretty much ready,” Hiro said. “But… I guess Corolla wanted to keep them a surprise.”
“Don’t say anything more, Hiro,” Kathleen shouted back at him. “It is a surprise.”
***
“So…” Sergio said as he stared at the closed doors of one of Tomoeda Field’s hangars. “Is it just me, or has Corolla decided to go full dramatic revelation for this?”
“No, I think you have a point.” Nikki pointed at the aircraft parked outside. The hangar had been pretty much emptied, there was no doubt.
Ami crossed her hands behind her back. “Still, I’m curious to see how the Kairos look in their final spec!”
Sergio laughed. “Yeah, same. And I’m not against her having fun with the presentation, really. It should be any time no-”
The hangar doors opened, and Sergio shielded his eyes. The inside of the hangar was brightly lit – from what he could see, some mobile spotlights were parked inside, all on at full blast. The floor of the hangar had been completely cleaned, as well, to the point it was reflecting the already blinding light.
Just as he was about to call for it, the lights dimmed. Corolla was standing in the middle, surrounded by three VF-31A Kairos sporting variants of his Phoenix’ livery. The one in the middle had red trim, likely the one that was going to be assigned to him. The one on the left had light blue trim, and the one on the right had lilac trim instead. Corolla and Ami’s, likely.
Or, at least, he assumed them to be VF-31As – he noticed right away that the wingtip had been modified to feature missile rails.
“Welcome to the aircraft reveal for Skystreaker Squadron!” Corolla shouted, outstretching her arms. “This is the day I officially surpassed Shoji Kawamori! At least in aircraft design, still working on race car design.”
Sergio raised an eyebrow. “Corolla, you just repaired them.”
She waved her finger no. “And that’s where you are all mistaken! How could I just be content with repairing them? Any resemblance between these aircraft and the VF-31A Kairos is purely superficial.”
Corolla walked over to the one with blue trim and “030” on the side of the cockpit, and patted one of its leg nacelles. “First of all, these beauties are equipped with dual Minotaur Drive Turbines in place of the thermonuclear turbines. Which means they’ll leave a regular Kairos in the dust, and plenty of power for the other systems. The Energy Conversion Armor still isn’t as strong as the Destiny Gundam’s Phase Shift Armor, but we’re getting there.”
“That’s good news!” Ami said. “It means that-”
“But I’m not done yet!” Corolla waltzed under a wing, and pointed at the pylons. “Not only have we got our usual rails from the Ace Combat universe, but with Robin’s help I adapted a few tricks from her universe that allow up to three different special weapons to be carried at once! Gone are the days of having to choose between an air-to-air or air-to-ground loadout! Between that, and the original weapon systems of the aircraft, we’ll be armed to the teeth!”
Sergio couldn’t help but smile. Corolla’s excitement was contagious, and she appeared to have done an excellent job of what until a couple weeks earlier were just some run-of-the-mill damaged Kairos.
“Mine here, 030, is equipped with the folding radar dish in place of the multipurpose container so I can’t carry a gunpod unless I sacrifice some pylons, but Ami’s 029 is equipped with the Support Assault Cannon, the sniper version of the Assault Cannons used by the Shiranuis, and for Sergio’s 028 I surpassed myself!”
She ran between the engines of the red-trimmed aircraft, and Sergio followed her. At first, the gunpod looked like the sleek beam gunpod of the Siegfried, but at the tip he could clearly see four gun barrels poking out.
“GPU-36/A, housing a GAU-13/36 four barrel rotary cannon. Basically, an upscaled version of the original GAU-13/A used by the Phoenix chambered for the same 36mm round of the Assault Cannons.”
Sergio whistled. “That’s some serious firepower. And you managed to have all of this done in just a few days? That’s insane.”
Corolla puffed her chest. “Never underestimate me! Of course, the multipurpose containers on your planes aren’t there just to hold the gunpods, but they also contain spare ammo for them. Reloading of Assault Cannons will be handled by the same sub–arms as used by the Shiranui, but for the GPU-36/C I designed a direct feed chute. While the gunpod itself does have two standard Type-87 magazines, when it is attached to the container it is continuously restocked by it.”
Nikki sighed. “I hope at least you are getting enough sleep…”
“Anyways, the other three are coming along nicely, but as of now these three are already combat grade. Which means it is time to officially reveal their name!”
Corolla opened a large holographic window that hovered over them, reading “CorollaWorks SF-32 Galahad.”
Ami blinked. “You went so far as to change their designation?”
“Of course! If Xaos renamed Delta Flight’s customs ‘Siegfried,’ I can name ours whatever I want!” Corolla fidgeted. “Well, to a point. I originally wanted to call them ‘Starlightning,’ but Kath vetoed it.”
“I can see why. Naming them after me and Sergio doesn’t really sound appropriate,” Nikki said.
“Anyways, Galahad 028, Sergio’s, is currently set up as a SF-32S, the flight leader variant. Four laser cannons on the head turret, more sensors and antennas, the works really. Ami’s Galahad 029 is set up as the SF-32T sniper variant, so it has been tuned up to provide the stability to make best use of its sniper cannon and long range missiles. And, of course, since I’ll be flying Galahad 030 I set it up as the SF-32C electronic warfare variant. Anything our E-767 could do, the -C can do as well!”
Sergio smiled. Those aircraft were going to make things a lot easier. “Looks like we now have an entire squadron of ace customs.”
“And the Razgriz will, as well, since I’ve turned the VF-25 Messiah into the SF-26 Blaze! Oh, and you’ve not seen the flight suits yet!” Corolla said. “Well, they’re the same kind Nikki was using with the Kairos really. But I managed to have them made in each one’s signature colors!”
Sergio gulped. “No skin tight suits for me, please.”
***
“Stay still for one second!” Kathleen shouted as the red-trimmed mecha in front of her just accelerated out of her sights.
Sergio laughed. “I’m sorry, Lowroar, but it wouldn’t be a good test if I did.”
“But it’s not fair! Your mecha is faster than my mecha!”
“HIT RECEIVED” appeared on her HUD, and she pouted. “I’m the elder one, I should have priority over the nice stuff.”
“Except I’ll be the one spearheading things out there.” Sergio grumbled.
“Thank Aunt Virgilia for that. You know she would kill Gramps if anything happened to me. She already made a fuss over me being the backup.”
“FATAL HIT RECEIVED” appeared on the HUD, and Kathleen crossed her arms. “Doesn’t mean I should be given the scraps though.”
Sergio laughed. “Come on, that’s still a fine Mobile Suit. And I’m pretty sure Corolla is already thinking of ways to improve it.”
***
Corolla sat on her workbench as she started reviewing the flight data from the SF-26 Blaze. “So, replacing the shield with a Multipurpose Container didn’t affect the center of gravity too much, as I expected.”
“If it did, the flight computer didn’t let me feel it anyway,” Nikki admitted as she sat next to her. “It flew exactly the same way it did with the shield.”
Nikki glanced at the aircraft in front of her. Their VF-25s – now named SF-26 Blazes – were pretty much ready as well. She was flight-testing the first one, which was actually sporting her own Skystreaker Squadron livery with white trim.
“That’s great!” Corolla shouted. “As such, the Blaze’s final configuration is cleared. I guess we can give it the Razgriz’ paint job then.”
Nikki nodded. After all, it wasn’t going to be her aircraft – one of the Galahad still under modification was. I’m quite surprised she bothered with having this Blaze painted in my colors… wouldn’t it be a waste of time?
Corolla opened up a holographic window and tapped some instructions in it. Like magic, the aircraft changed color – black replaced the aircraft gray base, the hexagonal snow camo disappeared, and the white trim was replaced by the smaller red trim of Razgriz Squadron. The insignia changed to the right one as well, with her aircraft number, 04, replaced by Snow’s 221.
Nikki blinked her eyes. How did Corolla manage it?
“I love Macross tech,” Corolla said. “Believe me or not, the color change feature is actually canon.”
“… I see.”
“By the way, it’s not gonna be ready in time for the next operation, but I took the liberty of making a special configuration for you,” Corolla continued as she passed the holographic window over to Nikki. “This is the SF-32N, close range combat setup specially geared towards you. I took the liberty of asking Makina to borrow some of the parts they use in the Siegfrieds.”
Nikki blinked again. “You’re in contact with Xaos?”
“Kinda. I’m more of a member of the Girl Mechanical Geniuses Society.” Corolla put her hands on her sides proudly. “Once this war is over, I’m gonna help Sunny with her latest SSTO, and Penny’s latest robotics project is…”
Nikki could do nothing but stare as Corolla went off boasting about the works of the members. Was Sunny actually Sunny Emmerich, the one from the Metal Gear universe? And Penny sounded like she could be the one from Inspector Gadget…
“Corolla… Is this how you managed to get all this stuff done?” Nikki asked, interrupting her tangent.
Corolla fidgeted. “Maybe?”
“You… you went and recruited girl engineers from all over the multiverse?”
“Well… more like we all love a challenge.”
***
“The Phoenix is so cool!” Hajime said as she changed out of her flight suit. “It’s a plane, and a mecha, and I’m flying it!”
“It’s a whole week you’ve been repeating it,” Keiko said. “You weren’t this excited when you met Nanoha and Fate, and that time I had to restrain you from glomping on them.”
Ami laughed. “I might’ve been a bad influence.”
Hajime fidgeted. “Well, I did grow up surrounded by Lyrical Nanoha and Ace Combat…”
Ami gulped at Keiko’s accusatory glance. “Guilty as charged?”
Keiko opened her mouth to say something, but she was bumped into by Ai as the latter headed towards the door in a hurry, still buttoning up her dress uniform’s jacket.
“Whoa, slow down,” Keiko managed in the end. “What’s the hurry?”
“The Wolfram will be here soon, so they’re gonna need help managing the loading of aircraft, ammo and supplies,” Ai explained.
Keiko raised her eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess making sure we don’t get accidentally sent out without planes or ammo is pretty high on the priority list, but I don’t think you really need to run people over for it.”
Ami nodded. Keiko had said it a bit too roughly, but she had a point. “Even if you’re a couple minutes late, nothing bad will happen. You’ve just finished another training session, people will understand. Take care of yourself before you take care of others!”
“I understand.” Ai took a deep breath and smiled. “Skystreaker Five, Mermaid, heading out safely! See you later!”
Ami laughed, soon joined by the other girls.
***
Hiro leaned on the railing of the main base building’s rooftop.
Am I up to it?
Sure, he had been Haro Squadon’s flight leader since he was recruited. But the truth was, he never really had to do much in the way of leading. He had a wingman only twice, and lately with the combined Skystreaker-Haro formation he was basically a wingman himself.
And now, I have been entrusted with the Colonel’s youngest relatives.
“Something on your mind?” someone said from behind. Hiro recognized Ami’s voice, and turned around.
“Sorry for intruding, but we were wondering where you had ended up,” Ami said as she walked towards him. “So I thought that maybe I would find you here.”
Hiro took a deep breath. “I admit I’m a bit nervous.”
Ami nodded. “We all are, trust me. If we succeed, we’re gonna make history – that’s a lot of weight on our shoulders!”
Hiro averted his eyes. “It’s not just that. In fact, I’m just the backup. But… I hope I can live up to the trust you’re giving me. Your daughter, her sister, Sergio’s sister, Ai… I have to keep them all safe. But I’m just a test pilot.”
Ami leaned on the railing as well. “But you’re one of us. The fact you’re worrying about it tells me you’ll do anything to make sure Haro Squadron will come back in one piece.” She laughed. “If you’re worried about being too much of an outsider, don’t. Even I felt like an outsider at first with Sergio, Nikki and Corolla, but that was never true!”
Ami put a hand on his shoulder. “If we put the girls in Haro Squadron, it’s because we know we can trust you with them. You’re a great pilot, and a great friend. And, besides, I’m sure they won’t give you any problems. You already fought alongside Hajime and Keiko, right?”
Hiro gave a nod. “Yes, that is true. I might’ve been worrying too much.”
He took a deep breath, and glanced at his Destiny Gundam as it was wheeled onto the Wolfram’s loading ramp. Our time to make destiny, right?
Yes, Syaoron is one and the same not just with the one featured in Mai Dire Fine, but also with the one featured in Huinesoron’s Apples & Oranges series set in Reorganization times, marking another “character merger” like Ami’s having happened.
And, of course with summer having officially started, it’s time for the Totally Canon Accurate Beach Fanservice! This time a less crowded version, featuring the two new cast additions alongside my core four characters.
Nikki has been chosen to perform the anime summer tradition of splitting the watermelon with a stick while blindfolded. Or an energy sword, in this case. And, for those wondering, Arumi is not planning to scuba dive. She’s just wary of salt water and sand, and so decided to go with a full wetsuit for extra protection.
Wings Of Canon 