Vespelian District Watch Airship No. #3

Looming high in the cloudy skies, the district watchmen overlooked the scenery with telescopes as they signaled with flag signs.

The crew maintained the engine and integrity of the airship in the varying compartments spread throughout the hull.

Gigantic side thrusters used wind-magic to hold the craft in place as it slowly drifted through the cloudy airspace.

At the seemingly peaceful yet busy bridge filled with gauges and valves, a panting cadet came to stop by the wide-open door.

"Captain! Overseer Willis has arrived!"

On the outer hull of the airship.

The metallic add-on frames.

A certain secondary thruster.

If one looked closer, there was a weird-looking Strider parked and latched by the hollow frame section.

Inside the enclosed cockpit was also a small pitbull pug waiting for his owner's return like a good boy.

Two figures scuttled against the wind before both lobbing themselves into a hatch to the side that was marked: Repair Duct.

"Vicky~ I can't see anything~"

"Don't worry, I've been through enough night operations... Just stick close to me and don't fall off the ladder."

"Night operations~? So you're ex-military just like the rumors~?"

"Well... My eyes aren't as good as 'back then' but I can somewhat manage..."

After a few long minutes of Blanche complaining due to her unable to see, the two softly landed onto a flat metallic surface.

The daring bright-eyed courier led the way as the two eventually ended up looking down through the gaps of a vent.

"To think that they had their hideout and base of operations hidden on one of the neutral District Watch airships."

Vixella whispered out as her eyes paced back and forth, remembering the positions of the guard patrol routines below.

"Special Forces~ As you said~ Vicky~"

"Yeah... Special, alright..."

"Hecc~ They even have quite the nice hangar~"

Blanche peeked into the open area below where many unseen before prototype Striders were parked accordingly.

"Look...", Vixella casually pointed with her finger, "He must be pretty important with all those 'special' masked guys around him."

"Ooh~ It's the Vespelian President~ Steven Willis~"

The two overlooked the young keen-eyed man donning the crimson overcoat.

A while later, he then looked stopped before looking around as if he noticed something off the usual.

"That president doesn't seem too normal to me..."

"Well~ He fought during the Great War many good years prior~ And was awarded a Pendant of Courage~"

"I see... So you guys had your own 'Great War' as well, huh... Just as I thought."

"Hecc~? Ooh~ Right~ I forgot about how you weren't from the mainland~"

"Anyways, the security should be focused on him right now so it'll make things easier for us... Let's move."

Vixella took one last glance at Steven below before gesturing Blanche to hurry as they both continued scuttling forward.

Lobbing down into what was presumably the living quarters, Vixella carefully snuck around the corners with haste.

After a few long seconds, she entered through the door with a sign above that was sharply labeled: VSF COMMANDER.

Blanche, on the other hand, waited for Vixella's daring return in the vent ducts overlooking the place with relative safety.

The commander who was wearing slack off-duty fatigues hugged a blank side-pillow on the bed as he sighed to himself.

"Why did '10' have to come in an interrupt my tea party with Miss Langford? We could've hired her under our wing..."

"Yeah, we could've been... Good friends, right? It would've been a good future reference."

"That's right... We could've-- MISS LANGFORD...!?"

The commander nodded sorrowly before eventually turning around in a panic.

"What... Now you're surprised?"

Vixella smiled wryly as she approached the husky man who backed against the room's corner on his bed.

He quickly rolled over and reached for his pneumatic flintlock on the nightstand to the side.

"Not so fast."

His attempts were foiled as Vixella grasped his arm before rolling him onto his stomach to push him against the bed.

"Shit-!? How are you so strong-!?"

The commander fumbled about on the bed, desperately trying to break free as Vixella mounted him.

Now tangling his legs further with her own, Vixella moved closer onto him while pressing down a knee against his back.

This was, of course, what Vixella had learned from the experience of the many times she had to pin someone down effectively.

"Can you please tell me all about the package...? I'd rather not get rough with you..."

She moved closer and whispered into the commander's ear.

Vixella then proceeded to smile devilishly at him, causing him to misunderstand the situation even further.

"I... Can't tell you about the package..."

Vixella tilted her head after him who looked away.

"Come on... You don't what to know what I can do..."

What she had meant by this was actual torture, threatening, and hurting the man in the most effective ways possible.

The commander, on the other hand, had completely taken it the wrong way.

"NooOooooOoo! I have a wife and I want to stay loyal to her! Let me goooo!"

"Aah...? What do you mean---"

CLUNK.

A heavy mechanical footstep came to a stop in front of the open door as loud whirring noises were heard.

There was a mechanical armor suit powered by wind-magic combustion firmly saluting at them by the entrance.

It stood there for a while before retracting the plate-visor to reveal a woman's face.

"10...!?"

The commander blurted out.

The female soldier who still had her eyes closed held her salute.

"Good morning, commander! It's time for your training in the experimental storm suits with me--- Eh...?"

"Aah... I can explain this..."

Upon seeing how Vixella was erotically pinning down her commander against the bed, '10' blinked a few times.

"Sir... I think I'm seeing things... I'll... I'll come back when I feel better..."

"Nooo! Help me! I'll explain later!"

"Ah, really now... Commander... You look like you're having a good time though..."

"Nooo! She's the one from that hotel night raid... She's going to kill me!"

Without any warning, Vixella grabbed the commander's flintlock by the bedside and fired off many rounds towards the door.

Clanking noises were heard as '10' raised an arm to protect her face before sliding the visor back down.

Nothing but barely noticeable scratches were shown from the impacts of the shimmering mechanical suit.

The magical battery of the musket soon ran dry, resulting in Vixella tossing the useless object away.

"Magical emitters again..."

"Miss Langford... Don't underestimate me...!"

"Aah-!?"

Surprised by a sudden backward headbutt that came from the commander, she reflexively lurched back and fell over.

Fortunately enough, the headbutt's impact didn't do much to harm her but instead land softly between her supple chest.

"Guess being a girl isn't too bad... Sometimes-!?"

She then elbowed the commander's chin and rolled off the bed to confront '10'.

"Commander-!? Ugh... I'll make sure to pay for your bedroom repair fees at a later date!"

The storm suit grabbed both sides of the doorframe and crumpled it wide open before barging into the room.

Vixella slouched down for the encounter with the hulking mechanism that readied its combative stance by lifting its arms.

Getting slight flashbacks of how it went back in the former world with that one G-Robo MK. II, she knew what she had to do.

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Darting to the side and twirling out of the room with a plunging leap, she then began fleeing down the corridor.

"That tricky woman-!?", 10 peeked out of the doorway to see Vixella take the far corner, "Shit... I'll tend to the commander first..."

Alarms eventually rang throughout the craft as the crew began barricading and closing off the ship's critical compartments.

"Protect the Overseer at all costs! Secure the dropship and warm up the engines! Make sure none of our escorts are sabotaged!"

One of the sharply dressed men wearing a jagged metallic mask ordered out to the surrounding soldiers and guards.

Forming a diamond formation around the Vespelian president, four special agents carefully led him towards the outer hangar bay.

Steven followed along silently before narrowing his eyes to look at the weathered pocket watch he had taken out from his coat.

A CENTURY LATER

(Airship Transition Music)

From the vivid walkway railings high above, a ventilation shaft was busted open as Vixella tumbled into a roll before into a sprint.

"Waaaait! I require a special interview with your dear president!"

One of the special agents broke formation and drew their pistol at her who swung herself down from the upper elevated walkways.

Despite getting a clean shot at her, the pellet bounced away as Vixella grinned confidently behind a shimmering forcefield.

The agent who tried to attack her in the melee as she landed was then kicked away into the scenery.

"That was risky... So that's how magical emitters work...?"

The city watch and soldiers then immediately began to surround her from a safe distance.

They formed an encirclement with their pneumatic muskets and flintlock pistols at the ready.

"Out with it."

The Overseer's voice was slightly muffled behind the long tucked-up collars as he stepped into the encirclement.

He brushed his arm aside, gesturing the soldiers to stand down before pacing forward without a halt.

"So you're a person of little words."

"..."

"Alright, cool president guy... Where did you take the package... Specifically, Lady Iris that I was supposed to deliver?"

Vixella asked politely, slacking her composure as she began gesturing the form of a large and tall box.

"Interesting... Interesting..."

Steven continued with heavy steps towards her.

"Sorry, did I offend you in any way?"

She gestured him to stop walking towards her while warily looking at the people who still had their weapons aimed around them.

"No..."

Even with that said, he didn't stop his pacing forward.

Two rounds were then fired off from her pistol as Vixella made the distance.

They were non-lethally aimed to hit the Vespelian president's right shoulder.

The left mechanical arm was swiftly raised to deflect the shots as Steven continued to pave forth.

Vixella felt a bit out of place as she momentarily lowered her pistol before holstering it.

The Vespelian president stopped a few good meters in front of her.

"Before we begin, I shall test if you are worthy of my presence."

In the blink of an eye, the air erupted as Steven closed the gap with a single thrust of his right mechanical leg.

Vixella avoided the left mechanical arm that came for her as she retaliated with an uppercut.

Much to her expectations for a solid impact, Steven took it on by glancing into it with the mechanical arm's elbow. 

The sneaky follow-up elbow that came from below was also brushed aside as Steven took a step away.

When Ivan's Musket Pistol had recharged, Vixella drew it out low and fired off an accurate three-point burst.

Stepping aside to dodge the first two, the third one hit his left leg... But his magical emitter took it.

He then glanced down at the shimmering forcefield as it dissipated before looking back up at Vixella.

"You pass."

The soldiers and guards around them began to look weary as they were seemingly unsure of what they should do.

It seemed like some of them were beginning to get tired of holding up their firearms as they crouched down to rest them.

"Do not interfere."

Steven threw a death-glare at one of the soldiers who seemed to ready his musket to fire in the background.

The men nearby then quickly pulled the seemingly trigger-happy man to the ground as he nodded once before being let go.

Vixella looked around for a bit before slowly holstering her pistol.

Right there, she subconsciously reached for her left hip... Nothing.

Seems like a certain something that she needed just wasn't there.

The encounter came to a silent standstill as they both looked at each other.

Steven was completely unscathed from the head-on barrage of attacks earlier.

How troublesome... Vixella wondered if she had to step things up a notch.

Seemingly not planning to continue combat, Steven instead lowered his guard to transit into a conversation.

"You remind me of my former self."

"Aah... I'm sure we're quite different."

"I've walked the path of solitude and have lost many things that were dear to me... Including my father..."

Steven glanced down, seemingly conflicted as he pulled out the same weathered pocket watch to inspect it.

"Sorry if I brought back some unwanted memories... Since I understand how it feels... Though in the end, I'm not you."

"Correct... For we are two sides of the coin-"

"There might be a resemblance-"

"But alas, we never face the same direction."

"We should just retire and become poets."

"Perhaps at another time and date... For now, show me your true prowess."

"How about you just tell me where Lady Iris is...? You're not planning to do anything to her, are you?"

"I've met Iris a few times as a child... Fear not for her safety... For she shall serve a greater purpose..."

"So you've got your version of a story to tell?"

"Don't we all...? I wouldn't mind hearing yours here and now---"

"Nah... Let's talk another time later, cool president guy..."

The soldiers and guards surrounding them then raised their weapons.

Vixella frowned slightly upon realizing that she wasn't going to get out of this one unscathed if she didn't resort to direct magic.

However, upon realizing that she wasn't alone, Vixella put her trust in a certain someone to save the day as she looked skyward.

KA-DONK!

A cylindrical canister landed beside them as Steven lurched back with widened eyes.

Much to everyone's unpreparedness, the vicinity was then consumed by a blinding smokescreen coming out from the canister.

"Why walk the path of solitude-!?"

Vixella shouted out from somewhere beyond the dense smokescreen.

Despite his rigid training and skill, Steven just couldn't figure out her exact location even after listening to the sound of footsteps.

"Isn't it way more convenient to have someone help you out-!?"

A clenched fist then suddenly spurred out from the smoke towards his right cheek to tumble him away.

In the aftermath after the smoke had cleared, Steven could be seen clutching his somewhat bruised face.

"Someone to help me out... I see... Then let us meet again one day..."

The three remaining agents assigned to him then immediately rushed up to check on the president's condition.

The crew of the airship as a whole was then later ordered to scan every corner of the airship and capture Vixella alive.

A little too late did they know that Vixella and Blanche, alongside the pitbull pug Woofers, had already flown away from the place.