Magical Girl Polaris entered the briefing room and looked around at the meeting. Twenty-four other magical girls, most seated around a large screen, turned to look at her as she entered. She gave the girls a slight wave in greeting before taking her seat at the front of the room.
It was a gathering of select A-rank and higher magical girls active in the Northeastern region. Polaris couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and responsibility wash over her as she looked at the determined faces staring back at her.
This room was packed with some of the biggest names out here; it felt like everyone who mattered was present: Celestial Sonata loitered off on the left, Psychopomp and Athena looked on, standing at the far side of the room, and Seraphina was sitting beside her. Even the notoriously edgy and short-fused Illuminated Darkness Guardian was present in full armor. The petite, purple-haired girl looked more like an overdesigned anime character than a real person. Still, Polaris knew better than to underestimate her.
As she sat among them, the screen before them flickered on. The image of Magical Girl Red Riding Hood appeared on the screen in front of them.
"Good evening, everyone," Red said, her voice echoing through the room. "I have some important news to share with you all."
Polaris leaned forward, curiosity piqued. She had always respected Red, seeing the legendary S-rank magical girl as a competent and reliable leader.
"First of all, thank you all for coming," Red began, her voice carrying through the room. "As you all know, we've been dealing with a string of Aberration incidents lately. Most of them have been small, but some have been... significant."
The screen flickered to life, displaying a map of Shoreline City with several red dots scattered throughout it.
"I understand many of you plan to cross the portal to Earth next week to assist in the reclamation efforts. I would like to bring to your attention back to an incident that occurred a number of weeks ago at the NovaGen research facility here. As many of you are aware, there was a raid in the middle of a Chaos Event by a group known as the Harbingers of the Dawn, where purportedly, critical research data was stolen from the company."
Polaris felt a cold shiver run down her spine at the mention of the Harbingers of the Dawn. She had heard rumors of the PMC before. She knew they were a dangerous and enigmatic organization shrouded in mystery.
"You are all gathered here because of your exemplary abilities and your experience in dealing with difficult situations," Red continued, her voice commanding. "I am tasking each and every one of you with a missions to locate the Harbingers and to broadly investigate their activities. We have credible intelligence that the Harbingers are currently establishing a base of operations in New York City."
Polaris and the other magical girls stirred, exchanging glances.
"Miss Red, what exactly was stolen that day?" asked Celestial Sonata, her voice soft but authoritative.
Red sighed for a moment, rubbing her temples before answering. "We can't be certain right now, and Babylon is still putting the pieces together, so to speak. But we do know that it was highly sensitive information related to magical girls and their powers. High command believes it's potent enough to pose a major threat to not just the magical girl community, but to the entirety of humanity as well. What's more..."
Little Red's image was minimized to the side, and a screen with numbers, probabilities, and statistics appeared before the girls. Polaris squinted at the data, trying to make sense of it all.
Red continued — "This weekend, our intelligence detected a clash between a Germanic Supremacist organization on Earth known as Imperative Fourteen and the Harbingers of the Dawn. The battle was discovered by tracing the wave imprints of... an Imperatore's Authority by local monitoring stations. Some of you are aware that these created and established to track the Fourth Imperatore during the Third Chaos War due to its great mobility. Several more echoes were detected across the city later that day. We have received an admission that NovaGen was experimenting with Chaos Cores, including a potential Imperatore's core."
There was a collective gasp from the magical girls in the room.
"Dammit! We'll need to act fast then," Psychopomp said, voicing her thoughts aloud. "If the Harbingers have access to an Imperatore's Authority, then we can't afford to waste any time with this."
Red nodded in agreement. "That is why I am also authorizing the use of any necessary force to retrieve the stolen information and to neutralize the threat posed by the Harbingers. But be warned, this is a dangerous mission. We don't know what we're up against, and we can't afford any mistakes."
Another girl Polaris didn't recognize raised her hand. "Miss Red, what about the Harbingers themselves? Do we have any information on their capabilities and numbers?"
Red nodded. "Absolutely, Solar Warrior Marquessa. Babylon has compiled a dossier on the Harbingers. They're a PMC made up of highly skilled individuals with a range of abilities, including powerful magic and advanced technology. We estimate their numbers to be around five hundred operatives, but we don't know for certain. A large group of elite Magical Girls like yourselves should be able to handle them easily. But... be prepared for anything."
"Shouldn't Magical Girl Hana of the Dawn be involved in this?" Celestial Sonata asked. "She and Polaris just made the cut to A-rank, and I was under the impression she's had a colored history with the Harbingers."
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"Given her history, it's probably best that Hana sit this one out," Red replied, her expression grave. "She'll be present across the portal, but I don't want to risk triggering any potential trauma. I do not believe Hana would be able to approach this mission with a clear head, and we cannot afford any mistakes."
Polaris nodded in agreement, her mind racing with ideas and plans.
"And what about my own history?" Celestial Sonata asked, her tone hardening. "Will that be a problem?"
Red looked at Celestial Sonata and smiled reassuringly. "Your history does not disqualify you from this mission. In fact, your experience with the Harbingers could be a valuable asset to the team. Keep in mind that what Hana went through was a different situation entirely. A situation that I would never wish upon any child in the world."
Polaris watched as Celestial Sonata nodded in understanding. A sad smile crossed her face for a brief moment.
"I'm in!" Crystalline Dancer spoke up, catching the attention of the other magical girls. "I am willing to take on this mission and do whatever it takes to retrieve the stolen information and neutralize the threat posed by the Harbingers of the Dawn. I accept the mission."
The other girls nodded in agreement, and Red gave Polaris a wry grin. "I had no doubt that you would be up for the task, Polaris. You're one of our rising stars, after all."
Polaris blushed at the pun, feeling a sense of pride at the recognition from the living legend. She knew this mission would be difficult, but she was determined to see it through.
Red turned to the rest of the girls. "This is a coordinated effort, and we will be working closely with the authorities on Earth. In addition, we'll be working with Sisyphus for this. We will rendezvous with Epsilon and Delta Company."
Polaris nodded in agreement, feeling relieved they would have support from experienced soldiers. She knew that teamwork would be essential in this mission.
Red gave the girls a final nod. "Very well, then. You all have your orders. Please report to Commander Escathos for briefing and deployment. Good luck, girls."
Polaris stood up, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. This was her first mission as an A-rank Magical Girl, and she wanted to prove herself worthy of the rank. She knew the risks involved, but the thought of retrieving the stolen information and protecting humanity from harm gave her a sense of purpose.
As she exited the room, she approached Celestial Sonata, who was studying the dossier on the Harbingers intently.
"Hey, Sonata," Polaris said, catching her attention. "Are you okay with this mission? I could tell it's a touchy subject."
Celestial Sonata looked up at Polaris, her expression steely. "I'm more than okay with it. The Harbingers... well, I do think they have good intentions, but the ends never justify the means. And if they're willing to be as reckless as to use an Imperatore's Authority, then they're clearly not afraid to cross lines. We have to stop them."
Polaris nodded in agreement, grateful for seeing the Magical Girl's unwavering resolve. Taking a deep breath, she decided to take the opportunity.
"Ummm. Also, thank you," Polaris said sincerely. "I know it's not much but... you saved my life during the last Chaos Event."
Celestial Sonata blushed and smiled softly at Polaris' words and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"It was nothing." She said with a wink before turning away to join Red for the briefing with Epsilon Company.
Together, they left the room and headed to Commander Escathos for their briefing. The mission ahead of them would be dangerous and challenging, but Polaris was ready to face whatever came her way.
What was New York City like, she wondered? Polaris had never been to Earth, let alone a city like New York. She imagined it to be a bustling metropolis of towering buildings and flashing lights, a stark contrast to Terra's sleek and relatively bright cities. Media from Earth had made its way over, and she had seen glimpses of what life was like there. However, experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely.
As Polaris and the other Magical Girls arrived at the briefing room, they were greeted by Commander Escathos, a tall woman with a stern expression and long white hair braided into a long ponytail. She wasted no time in getting straight to business.
"Good to see you all," Escathos said with a commanding voice. "As you all know, we have received intelligence that the Harbingers of the Dawn have potentially acquired an Imperatore's Authority. Our mission is to investigate the trail, and neutralize the threat posed by the Harbingers."
The room was silent as Escathos continued laying out the mission's plan. Polaris listened intently, her mind processing every detail.
"We'll be working in conjunction with Delta and Epsilon Company from Sisyphus," Escathos said. "They are already on the ground in New York City, and will provide us with logistical support and intel. Our primary objective is to retrieve the stolen information, and if possible, to capture or neutralize any Harbingers that we come across. Any questions?"
Celestial Sonata raised her hand. "Commander, what kind of resistance should we expect from the Harbingers? And do we have any information on their potential location?"
Escathos nodded, acknowledging Celestial Sonata's question. "The Harbingers are a PMC that specializes in covert operations. They are highly skilled and well-equipped, so we should expect heavy resistance. As for their location, we have narrowed it down to a few possible areas in New York City. Our intel suggests that we should start with abandoned hotspots toward the northern side of the city, outside of the negentropy coverage zones."
Polaris felt a knot form in her stomach as she imagined the potential danger they would face in such a situation. The ground on Earth was notoriously infested with Chaos Beasts, after all.
"Understood," Celestial Sonata said, her expression serious. "We'll be ready for anything."
Escathos gave a curt nod before dismissing them. "Good luck, Magical Girls. The fate of humanity rests in your hands."
As the group dispersed, Polaris shifted her weight uneasily. For a second, she considered reaching out to Celestial Sonata and introducing herself properly. After all, they had already risked their lives for one another- surely they were friends now?
But before she could make up her mind, Celestial Sonata checked the time on her music-note-shaped phone and zoomed off in a blur of pink. With a sigh, Polaris followed the other Magical Girls down the hallway and toward the exit.
Forget it. What was she thinking?
She couldn't just go up to a superstar of a Magical Girl like Celestial Sonata and strike up a conversation. Sonata was probably way too busy for that kind of thing, anyway. What could a girl like that use a friend like her for?
Polaris tried to shake off the feeling of disappointment and refocus on the mission at hand.
This was it. Her first mission as an A-rank Magical Girl.
She followed the other Magical Girls out of the room, her steps echoing in the hallway as she prepared to fly back to her apartment and get ready for the mission. A new Aberration-infested city awaited her next week, with all the dangers that would entail.
She couldn't help but feel a thrill as she imagined facing down danger in a foreign land, surrounded by friends both old and new.
It was a feeling she'd grown to know all too well and to cherish.