The sky above the Allied Kingdoms of Altarius was a brilliant blue. Wispy clouds dotted it's vast expanse and travelled leisurely across the horizon. The sun shone like a precious jewel that crowned this majestic tapestry of brilliant azure.

Suddenly, a small shadow darted past, disturbing the sky's tranquil atmosphere.

"MILADYYY!!! PLEASE FLY MORE CAREFULYYY!!! UWAAAH!!!"

A stream of glistening tears constantly fell from the eyes of a raven haired young woman as she screamed and pleaded while strapped on the back seat of a brightly colored Kingdom bi-plane. Closer inspection revealed her wearing maid clothing underneath a light brown aviator jacket, leading one to question her good sense in donning them during flight. It did suit her though, for what it's worth.

"Ahahaha! What are you saying Sakuya? Isn't it more fun this way? This one handles pretty well after all. Don't you want to know exactly what it's capable of?"

Laughing with a cavalier devil-may-care attitude was a crimson haired young woman; her features exuding both the cheerful playfulness of youth and the sharpness of a fine honed blade.

She sported a fierce grin with a hint of mischievousness as she performed several aerial maneuvers that could be seen as a tad bit reckless, prompting the poor girl behind her to tear up even more and continue to scream with abandon.

***

"Ugh... I think I'm gonna hurl..."

"Didn't I tell you not to join me during the test flight? This is what your stubbornness earned you Sakuya."

The maid clothes-wearing girl got down from the plane shortly after it landed with wobbly legs and walked in tottering steps towards the hangar; the crimson haired girl following closely behind.

"Honestly! You've been assigned as my personal attendant only for a few days and you're already biting off more than you can chew." the crimson haired girl exclaimed in exasperation.

"I expressly told you to just ignore Ms. Halford's instructions to accompany me whenever possible did I not? I'm not a child anymore. And flying is already second nature to me. I know the risks and how to deal with them so there's no need for all these excessive precautions. Haaah..."

She finished with a sigh as the pair finally reached the hangar.

***

The maid named Sakuya plopped down the hastily prepared guest seats; her hands pressed upon her face as she fought with a rather severe bout of motion sickness and consequently, the urge to vomit.

"Hey there milady. So how was she? Our new model I mean?"

A rugged looking, tall middle aged man greeted the pair in a rather cheerful and familiar manner. He had a crop of wavy, medium length, brown hair that was tied up in a messy ponytail.  

His tattered workers clothing sported oil and grunge stains yet he wore them as if they were badges of honor. He strode proudly towards the pair of young ladies in a light gait while sporting a warm smile.

"Flies like a charm Chief Mathers." replied the crimson haired young woman.

"It's overall speed and acceleration isn't on par with the latest monoplane models of course. But the ease of handling and it's great maneuverability far outstrips any machine of it's kind that's available presently. You have the right to be proud sir. I'll be sure to put in a good word with my father. You continue to impress as always."

The man scratched his cheek in mild embarrassment as the young woman heaped praises upon him.

"The effort wasn't mine alone milady Charlotte. My team did an outstanding job. Couldn't have done it without them."

"Of course Chief Mathers. I'll see to it that your team gets the proper credit. In any case, let me take this chance to congratulate you personally for a job well done."

The smile on the face of the crimson haired young woman, Lady Charlotte Harvey Rayline deepened as she held her hand aloft, gesturing for a handshake.

She was the only daughter of Lord Alvert Linus Rayline and eventual heir to Rayline Aeronautics Industries, one of the leading companies in the development and production of both civilian and military aircraft in the Allied Kingdoms.

The man opposite her, Matthew Alan Mathers, is the chief of the research and development department of the company. He was a former military engineer that was hired by Charlotte's father and had developed a good number of Rayline Aeronautics' newest models.

He grasped Charlotte's outstretched hand in an awkward fashion, very conscious of the young woman's inherent loveliness. His brows furrowed a little as he silently admonished himself for being bothered by Charlotte's charm despite his age.

But he really can't be blamed for it. She just gave off that much of an impression. This was very evident both in the number of suitors vying for her hand and the charmed expressions of people whenever she graced them with her presence.

"What's wrong chief? Is shaking hands with me really all that unpleasant?" Charlotte quipped, a hint of mischief present within her clear, sky blue eyes.

"Eh? Ah, no. Of course not milady. I'm just not used to this stuff see. Anyway, is Miss Sakuya alright? Her face looks really pale."

Chief Mathers smiled awkwardly and tried to change the focus of the discussion. Charlotte didn't press any further and turned to her quietly suffering personal attendant with an exasperated look.

"Wanna go for a quick walk around the place Sakuya? It'll help get rid of the nausea. Just slumping like that would only make you feel worse."

"I don't really feel like it milady. Let's just stay here and have some afternoon tea. Doesn't that sound nice and relaxing?"

Sakuya sported a strained smile as she implored her mistress to slow down and relax for once.      

"What are you saying? Come on. It'll be great. I'll show you my favorite relaxation spot. It has a great view of the Milda valley. Really breathtaking."

The suggestion was immediately rejected.

"Wha-? Milady! Knowing you, it'll either be needlessly far, needlessly high in elevation or both!"

"It's just a few kilometers from here silly. Not far at all. It's a small clearing on a cliffside overlooking the valley.

I've heard there were some sightings of a falling star not far from this general area. Wouldn't it be amazing if we managed to find it along the way?"

Sakuya's face was drained of whatever color it had left as conflicting feelings roiled about in her heart. She was torn between her sense of responsibility towards her job and her self preservation instincts which were firing danger signals all over.

She was, however, not given any more time to worry as Charlotte grabbed her hand and dragged her along.

"We'll be taking a short walk Chief Mathers. We'll be back in the afternoon."

"Of course milady. Please enjoy yourselves. But do be careful of wild animals. There were also some reports of a fell beast being sighted around these parts. Though I know you're more than capable of handling such creatures, do still take care. I'll have snacks prepared once you return."

"Thank you chief. We may bring some wild game for dinner if we're lucky. Now then, let's go!"

"Noooooooo..."

Sakuya's sorrowful scream resounded in the distance shortly afterwards.

***

Several days had already passed since he managed to crash land with both him and his EXA-Frame coming out relatively intact.

He had foraged and hunted in the surrounding forests for sustenance, making full use of his survival know-how earned during his time as a spec-ops operative in the Neo-Pleiadic Union Space Corps.

But he knew he had to find a way to report what happened to either his superiors in Orion Delta, the PMC he was currently working for, or Union High Command.

They were hit with something they never saw coming. And the effects were nothing to scoff at either. All the advanced protection systems civilian defense contractors installed on their equipment for quality testing were rendered virtually useless.

Being able to effectively shut down cutting edge military hardware and weapon systems was devastating in certain situations; war being the primary concern.

Tensions were rising between the Union and the neighboring Ri-Galvanis Coalition and the planet he was currently in just happens to be smack dab in the middle of a sector located between the official borders of the two powers.

Things couldn't have been worse.

He knew something was off when he found out just how much pay they were going to receive just for a simple escort mission during a research expedition in neutral space.

***

TW-Z1A40-Δ, more commonly known to the locals as Verdia, was a medium sized planet that housed a diverse ecology and a category 5 civilization that had already developed flight technology and were now already dabbling in matters regarding space.

It was an obvious point of interest for various political entities such as the Union and the Coalition.

The Underdeveloped Planets Nonintervention Agreement (UPNA) discourages any form of contact between category 10 and above classed planets or planetary alliances and any other planet or sector ranked below them unless the latter initiates said contact through their own efforts; by then which they would be briefed into the "why" and "how" of things by an independent regulatory body - The Ascendant Civilizations Inter-sectorial Council - and offered the option to join a planetary alliance or remain independent while considering trade options and agreements.

There were many advantages for taking a budding space faring civilization under one's wing. The monetary aid from the Council's independent development fund was considerable for example. Thus, various planetary alliances contend for the chance to make first contact.

Data gathering missions were conducted solely by the Council and findings were disseminated to the various planetary alliances to ensure fairness. Sometimes, PMCs such as Orion Delta were hired to provide assistance and security along with the Council's official forces.

This time, they were told it was a countermeasure for recent space piracy incidents near the said sector. It's now apparent that they were worried with something far more dangerous than a couple of pirate cruisers.

He could sense the palpable feeling of danger coming from this crazy fiasco. An entity or organization was actually willing to defy the Council; something that was thought to be very unlikely given the Council's power and influence.

He thought of Ri-Galvanis as a major suspect as they have been very overt and confrontational regarding the recent border disputes with the Union; going so far as to annex a part of neutral space between their borders without paying any heed to the concerns raised by the Union through the Council.

Tension was at its peak. And if the Coalition did indeed find a way to bypass protection systems and directly attack and disable an opposing forces vehicles, equipment and weaponry, then it certainly could spell heaps of trouble for the Union.

It could possibly result in one sided slaughter, given the Coalitions newly acquired propensity to subdue everything with overwhelming force and virtually taking no prisoners ever since the fairly recent successful coup and subsequent government takeover by the Ri-Galvanian military.

In fact, the Council was also at quite a loss as its attempts to build amicable relations with the current Ri-Galvanian military junta were all but snubbed.

But no one actually thought the Coalition would dare to openly oppose the Council as the difference between their power and influence as organizations was simply too large. But doubts have surfaced in his mind about the veracity of that assertion.

Of course, the assailants could be an entirely different independent force. The potential threat was still just as alarming though.

***

He did not actually feel a particularly strong sense of duty, nor loyalty towards the Union. But many of his friends and acquaintances were still employed in the Union military. They've already managed to survive the hell that was the Eddessia uprising. Even if it was for a few moments longer, he wished for them to live out their hard earned daily lives.

He had always found his comrades dazzling. They had something to fight and live for. Some place to come home to. It was more than he could say for himself.  

But there was something that bothered him about the current situation. Why was there no further action taken after the mystery attack downed all their units, including the Council scout ship they came aboard in for the mission?

If it weren't for the fact that all his comm equipment was being jammed and that he couldn't even manage to use anything that sent or received remote transmissions, he couldn't have quickly come up with the possibility that this was all deliberate.

"___Perhaps they really had panicked..." he thought to himself. Maybe they didn't expect to be sounded out so suddenly. There were rumors going about that the data collection mission they were tasked to escort didn't exactly go through proper procedure and wasn't actually formally announced.

Maybe their presence really did catch their mystery assailants unawares and, as a result, they had attacked his squad and the research team without thinking about the consequences.

But this was all simply conjecture and it was obvious that he wasn't going to get anything done by mulling these things over alone.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

In the mean time, he had decided to look for clues regarding both his squad's and the research team's whereabouts. It shouldn't be too difficult for rumors to spread considering how flashily they dropped from the sky.

He couldn't confirm his exact coordinates, contact them using his Frame's comm terminal, nor use recon drones to scout terrain so he's going to have to go about it all manually. He wasn't adverse to that notion either, which was probably a good thing.

***

It had been a few days since the crash and he had spent a majority of that time going through the conifer forests and watching for signs of habitation by local residents from whom he can glean information.

He had hidden his EXA-Frame deep within the mountains and continued on his trek down. There were severe sanctions for revealing higher category tech to the local populace of a world of a much lower technological tier and are not officially recognized and registered in the ranks of the ascendant civilizations. Thus, he had made every precaution to ensure he didn't do just that.

Of course he didn't exclude the possibility of having to use modern ordnance and tech to deal with certain eventualities. But he still thought it better if he could avoid situations that would actually require such actions.

He had already covered quite a distance within a few days yet there wasn't a single sign of people living within the immediate area. He did, however, manage to find a fresh water source - a small clear stream that went several meters deep further down. He immediately replenished his dwindling water provisions.

Then he was hit with a sudden urge.

Actually, thinking back about it sometime later, he found his subsequent actions after this course of events somewhat careless and stupid.

He even felt ashamed about them somewhat due to his military background and training. They made him think he had gone soft.

But whats done cannot be undone; at least not in this particular case. So he went about his merry way and stripped down till he was bare-naked and jumped into the water to wash the dirt and fatigue off.

***  

"___How the heck did I ever get into this situation?!"

It was the question that was persistently repeating itself in his head as he stood frozen in place within the water.

He had decided to take a quick bath to wash off the dirt and grime accumulated after hours of trekking. He at least wanted to look passably decent when he does meet someone from the local populace. It wouldn't do to leave a bad impression after all. He didn't want to be mistaken for some sort of mountain bandit or something.

Leaving his equipment near the waters edge, he began cleaning himself up.

But just a few minutes after he began bathing, something unexpected happened.

Goddesses suddenly appeared!

And they were fully naked to boot!  

He just had a major naked encounter!

They all stood frozen in the water, as if time itself has stopped. Then one of the goddesses let out a piercing shriek, snapping him out of his reverie.

"IYAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"W-Wha-? No, wait! Calm down miss! Just please calm down."

He had tried to appease the screaming raven haired goddess but the crimson haired one got in front of her with a challenging look in her eyes.

"Uh- I mean you no harm miss. This is just an unfortunate accident."

The crimson haired goddess spoke but he didn't understand her words. Well of course he didn't. He didn't have his universal translator equipped after all. He slowly backed up towards where he placed his equipment with his hands raised.

While reaching for the translator within his equipment bundle, the crimson haired goddess let out a threatening shout.

Feisty.

He liked that type of woman.

But it wouldn't do to antagonize them here. They were his first contact with the local populace after all. He couldn't just leave it as a misunderstanding. It could result in rather unpleasant complications.

He hurriedly equipped his translator and attempted to speak with them again.

"I'm truly about this miss. This was just an accident see. I didn't expect two lovely ladies to be bathing all the way out here. I sincerely apologize."

"?!"

The crimson haired goddess had a look of surprise in her eyes. She was most likely confused that she could suddenly understand the words of this mysterious stranger who had been talking gibberish till just now. But she had regained her composure shortly afterwards and spoke with him warily.

"If you truly mean no harm then stop staring at us with that lewd look in your eyes. It's extremely rude."

"Eh? Uh- Sorry about that. But aren't you also staring intently at my body miss? So lets just call it even alright?"

She went red up to her ears after the young mans remark. She did admit to staring at his well developed body. But she will never admit that so openly in front of him. Not with that smug look hes sporting on his face.

"A-Anyway, no matter how you look at it, you're still incredibly suspicious. You're clearly a foreigner. No one in this country has bright silver hair like you do. And what was that thing you put on the back of your neck just then? Was that a translator glyph? How'd you get something that rare and valuable?"

"___Translator Glyph?"

He was confused by the unfamiliar term but managed to not show it in his expression. It was probably a technological invention developed in this world.

His own universal translator worked by processing and transmitting data directly into his brain, thus allowing him to effectively speak and read another language as long as it has been encoded in the translators database. He decided to play along for now without directly admitting to anything.

"You can say that. Anyway, with this we can understand each other right? Ill go and cover myself up in a bit. Then well talk more. Don't worry. I wont run away. I have a few questions of my own and I might as well ask them to you lovely ladies."

The young man smiled reassuringly. It was all very natural, without the slightest hint of pretense. So much so that it greatly shook the composure of the crimson haired girl in front of him. But she still barely managed to keep a neutral facade.

His smile deepened, finding her attempt at staying cool quite cute. She blushed slightly but never broke eye contact. It seems she won't let her embarrassment affect her caution.

"Alright. Go behind those bushes. Just so you know, I'm carrying a weapon and wont hesitate to shoot if you attempt escaping."

"Of course milady. Now then, if you'll excuse me."

She wasn't kidding. He understood that. It made him take an interest at her even more.

"___Is she part of the military? A soldier or knight maybe. Crap. I kind of regret not bothering to research about this place prior to deployment. I've become quite lazy"

He proceeded to dress after a bout of self admonishment. Still, he couldn't get his mind off the young women he just encountered.

He had seen countless beautiful women in his lifetime. He had even escorted some of them on some occasions. He was tasked to guard several interplanetary idols and cultural ambassadors during his stint in the military and even after he moved on to working for PMCs.

And some daughters of influential military officials were lovely as well.

But whether or not this was due to the rapid technological advances regarding beauty and wellness and their parents considerable assets or were given to them naturally, even he would be hard pressed to know.

Modern technology was just that scary.  

However, there was no hint of anything "fake" or "artificial" about those two young women. That was certainly rare. And rather charming.

Yes.

He was charmed indeed.

***

After he finished putting on all his equipment, he came out from behind the clump of bushes to find the two young ladies fully dressed and waiting nearby, seated beside each other upon some large rocks.

The crimson haired one touted something that resembled a short barreled rifle with a wooden stock. She aimed it at him readily.

But that wasn't what caught his attention. He stood still, mesmerized by their current appearance.

The crimson haired young woman wore a red tight fitting collared blouse that accentuated her ample upper body curves and equally form fitting pure white trousers that resembled the ones equestrian riders of old used as part of their riding uniform. That meant it also emphasized her slim legs and shapely buttocks. She also wore a pair of black long boots.

Her blouse was slightly unbuttoned at the top, making it possible to get a slight glimpse of her cleavage along with an article that was bordered with a thin, almost transparent layer of white lace holding her chest up from inside her clothes.  

It strangely seemed a tad bit naughtier than her naked appearance from earlier. Truth be told, it bothered him a bit.

Just beside her was the raven haired young lady who screamed hysterically earlier on. She seems to have already collected herself for the most part and was now looking at him, apprehension and a slight glimmer of fear present in her gaze.

But what was truly striking about her was her current choice of dress. No matter how one looked at it, she was clearly wearing a maid uniform. It was dark blue, with the collar and cuffs being a crisp white. The dainty apron that she wore on top of it was also pure white.

Lace trimmings adorned the collar, cuffs, apron and her maid headband. Small, delicate looking rose patterns were embroidered on the lace.

It exuded an overall impression of pure innocence.

Now here was another breathtaking beauty.

If the crimson haired young woman embodied a kind of beauty that had would make a lasting impression upon others almost immediately, this raven haired maid(?) was the kind that would increasingly mesmerize you the more time you spent looking at her.

Being beholden with two genuinely beautiful women after ending up virtually stranded on this Category 5 planet made him wonder if he actually landed in paradise. He was grinning from ear to ear despite having a weapon aimed straight at him.

"What's with that weird grin on your face? Don't you dare do anything stupid or I'll really shoot!"

"Ahaha. Sorry milady. I was just really awed by your beauty."

"Enough fooling around! It's about time you told us who you are and what you're doing all the way out here."

"I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I told you I'm just your average hiker would you?"

"Of course not. You're obviously a foreigner. Also, this part of the forest is privately owned by Rayline Aeronautics. You can't just simply waltz in here to hike."

"Oh? Then the fact that you're here means that you have some sort of connection with that company. You have a personal maid with you after all. Aren't you worried I might try something like kidnapping you ladies for a hefty ransom?"

"You can certainly try. But it won't be that easy you know. I think you'll find me a bit more of a challenge than your average woman."

"___Well, she certainly isn't bluffing." he thought. She didn't reveal any openings even as she engaged him in conversation. The way she held her weapon indicated that she's no amateur.

He was still relatively confident in his ability to subdue her. But your average criminal would probably be no match. But he really wanted to avoid any trouble with them if he could.  

"Well? Out with it then. Patience isn't really one of my stronger virtues." she prodded in a lightly threatening tone.

He was in a bit of a bind. He originally planned to scout things out first and then blend in with the locals. Ideally, he didn't want anyone seeing him in his standard equipment.

It was a sleek composite hard suit made from densely packed nano-carbon strands and highly flexible military grade synthetic fibers, layered with a nanite film that would adapt to all kinds of weather conditions and block harmful radiation.

Gaudily colored in black and orange hues, it looked a little too foreign and otherworldly considering the level of technological advancement in the planet he was currently stuck in.

The only drawbacks were that, due to cost cutting, his current suit model was not equipped with the capability to keep away dirt and grime from its surface like its later editions, nor did it break down and disperse sweat in order to prevent odor build up.

Aside from the formerly mentioned defects, it was still a considerably advanced piece of equipment.

But in the middle of him desperately thinking of an appropriate excuse to give, another unexpected event happened.

Bestial growls suddenly resounded from within the forest. And it seemed to be coming closer and closer.

Before any of them could react, a large black shadow suddenly vaulted from within the trees and bore down on the of three them; fangs and claws bared.

The raven haired maid looked at it with an expression filled with utter terror and yelled.

"H-HORNED SILVERMANE!!!"