Part 1

"So I take it that you agree with my proposal." Dr. Saionji asked. I had grasped his outstretched hand earlier after he made an offer too good to be true.

I slowly nodded and shrugged in resignation. Dr. Saionji's expression visibly lit up with glee. 

"Excellent. Don't worry. We'll keep our end of the bargain. I've already discussed this with some of my superiors. Once you officially join the project, we'll start to iron out the details." he assured. I nodded once more.

I'm aware that I might be getting the raw end of the deal here. Judging from this guy's smile, I'm sure he'll squeeze me for all I'm apparently worth. But I have no choice but to play along for the moment. 

There's no denying the fact that I'm currently in a very disadvantageous position. I know next to nothing about my current predicament. The things I was told about might not all be true either. Gaining more information is necessary. 

Suddenly, a loud noise started blaring. What followed was a female voice harping about 'Alert Level 1' and 'possible hostiles detected'. Dr. Saionji's expression turned a bit sour. 

"They're finally here. Sure took their time for an encore after that rather flashy performance. Or maybe they noticed the side act not doing so good." he murmured. He looked at me once more and his mouth slowly formed a wry smile.

"No matter. One can simply take this as an opportunity. Follow me lad. I'll show how this world's battles are waged. You'd have to get accustomed to it eventually anyway." he said and gestured for me to come along as he went towards the large metal door. Miss Nemu followed after him after smiling sweetly at me. I hesitated for a bit and went after them, floundering in mid air. 

***

We arrived at another spacious room. It had a lot of people in it. A raven haired woman with a serene and somewhat cold looking expression stood at the side of a rather sharp eyed man whose virile physique was evident even under the clothes that covered most of his body. He sat at the center of the room, overlooking several other men and women who sat on starkly furnished chairs in front of strange contraptions that displayed glowing images above them. 

The sharp eyed man turned to us with an expression of mild surprise. The woman beside him followed his gaze. After noticing our presence, her brow arched slightly, sporting a questioning look. The man addressed Dr. Saionji with a deep baritone.

"What brings you here doctor? And I see you brought our guest with you." he asked.

"He just agreed to be a part of the Elysium project. Figured he might as well get a taste of what he's signed up for." Dr. Saionji replied with a flippant grin. The mouth of the sharp eyed man slightly curved upwards into an almost imperceptible smile. 

"Hear that you lot? It seems the good doctor is requesting an impromptu performance. Can you deliver?" the sharp eyed man spoke loudly.

At first, it seemed to me that he was addressing the people below us. But my assumption proved to be rather off. Several bright "windows" popped up in mid air above us. All in all, there were five of them. Each displayed people wearing strange armor-like clothing and rounded helms that only exposed their faces. 

"Sounds interesting sir. I take it that you want us to be as flashy as possible." one of the people on the other side of the "windows" replied. He had a calm countenance. But his eyes betrayed a hidden fierceness. Grampa Galvan was the same. Still waters run deep, as the saying goes.

"Sure. Go all out. Performance data on the newly commissioned units is always welcome. Those things don't have any sensitive or top secret tech the other side doesn't already know about. Even so, don't you dare let any of them get compromised. Those things cost us a ton too." the sharp eyed man sternly warned.

"Don't you worry about a thing boss. We know what's up. Those Alliance bastards don't have what it takes to go head to head with us anyway." came a frivolous reply. 

A guy with a loose, carefree expression grinned at us. He was also one of the people on the windows. Despite the playful air he displayed, a sense of coercion could be felt from his smile. He was no simple fool. 

Rexler Everret, captain of the Aster Edge mercenary group was quite similar. He's my fathers acquaintance and frequent customer. He especially liked fathers swords. He was carefree, shameless and had a hugely inflated ego. But his skills were second to none. 

People followed him after being dazzled with that strength. I heard he and his group performed admirably in the war against the demons. 

"Mou! Zack-chan! Stop being so irresponsible. Take this seriously for once."

A clear, bell-like voice rang out from one of the windows and interrupted my thoughts. For some reason, it greatly reminded me of my sister.

"Sorry big sis Izuho. I'll give it my all. Don't you worry." the frivolous guy replied.

"Un. As long as you understand." the bell-like voice rang out once more. It came from a baby faced female sporting a fresh flush of pink on her cheeks. 

"Enough of that. Go prep for launch." the calm male ordered. The others answered in the affirmative and the windows disappeared.

"Here we go lad. Don't miss any of it." Dr. Saionji said while elbowing me. I nodded and turned my attention to the large glass window that displayed the sea of stars beyond it, not knowing what to expect.

"Wyvern squad, you are clear for launch." a woman operating a strange contraption below us spoke. Voices rang out one after the other, seemingly in reply.

"Wyvern Lead launching."

"Wyvern 2 deploying."

"Wyvern 3. Let's kick some Alliance ass."

"Wyvern 4 commencing operation."

"Wyvern 5 engage."

An image appeared on the side of the glass window. My attention was instantly glued to it. 

What appeared... were giants of steel. 

Part 2

Zack Simmons licked his lips in anticipation. It has been quite some time since his squad fought a decent battle. He couldn't help but get excited. Despite his earlier remarks, he knew full well that Alliance black ops weren't ones to be taken lightly. He welcomed the challenge.

Before long, his unit's sensors detected the hostiles. Eight enemy units were heading their way. There may be more lurking outside the sensors range, waiting for an opportune snipe. He primed his units weapons and braced for the clash. 

"I just love being point man!" he mused as adrenaline pumped in his system.

The unit beside him released beam dispersal nano materiel which spread quickly around them as a precautionary measure. Afterwards, all of them deployed Hi-Phonon barriers and cranked their sensors outputs to maximum.

They were out in open space. There was nowhere to hide. No cover to take refuge in. Whoever draws first blood gains a solid advantage. 

The enemy signatures came closer and closer. Before long, Wyvern squad was able to discern their figures in the distance. They aimed their weapons at the incoming enemies and prepared to fire. 

Bright flashes ripped through the darkness. The battle had finally begun.

***

A soundless void. A silent battlefield. Constantly tethering on the brink of life and death within the cold vacuum of space, where mere moments could decide ones fate. Tranquil and yet chaotic. Zack was enamored with all of it. It wasn't to the point of addiction, but he did quite enjoy it. 

And so, within the silent hell where even ones screams cannot resound, Zack Simmons smiled in glee. He was truly thankful for being assigned to the Wyvern squad and sent to participate in the Elysium project - the Confederations greatest and, perhaps, final bid for seizing freedom and prosperity.

He really wasn't all that interested in the Confederations ideals. Nor was he driven by hatred or revenge against the Alliance. To be able to indulge in this guilty pleasure of his for as long as he can was enough. Yes, it was more than enough.

An enemy came before him - a seemingly shoddy looking Tactical Frame. "They're really putting effort into maintaining their image as dirt poor space raiders." he thought. 

Despite its looks, the enemy machine was fast and precise. The two sides have already gotten into a close quarters firefight and heavy autocannon fire bathed the battlefield with an ethereal glow. 

High-Phonon barriers were excellent for defense but consumed massive amounts of energy. Though the High-Phonon power cores installed on the latest Tactical Frame models were capable of continuously gathering and refining ambient particles, resulting in a near perpetual energy source, the rate of replenishment still had a tentative limit. 

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Thus, each combatant endeavored to overtax their enemies power core by pelting their barriers with a constant stream of heavy autocannon fire, firing several hundred 45 mm explosive rounds per minute. 

That said, it wasn't like the combatants were stupid enough to just get hit. Their units engaged in systematic combat maneuvers, constantly trying to catch their opponents off guard and set them up for a cross fire. 

Zack maneuvered his unit with wild grace. Despite his bold and fierce combat actions, he didn't neglect cooperating with his squad mates. He skillfully dodged incoming autocannon fire and constantly tried to lead his opponent in disadvantageous positions.

Suddenly, his machine jolted from a strong impact. He was hit. It was an incredibly accurate snipe. Luckily, the units barrier managed to hold up, but getting hit with any more of those will certainly be bad. He howled with a mixture of annoyance and excitement.

"Ahahaha! These guys are the best!" he exclaimed.

A bright flash went past him. He knew where it came from even without confirming. Izuho Himeno's unit just made a countersnipe. 

"No less from you..." Zack mused. His grin widened as he once again plunged headfirst into the thick of battle.

***

An innocent looking smile blossomed on Izuho Himeno's face as she confirmed elimination of the target via direct hit.

Aiming right for the moment when the High-Phonon barrier is lowered to allow for precise shots, she picked off the enemy snipers one after the other with shockingly fast and accurate countersnipes, seemingly with the greatest of ease. 

Getting done in right after an attempt to do the same to an enemy in a battlefield isn't all that improbable. But a sniper dying almost immediately after he or she squeezes the trigger was nothing short of terrifying. One isn't even given the chance to find out if he or she really did manage to take an enemy down before dying themselves. 

The few snipers who did manage to survive an encounter with her were left with a grievous blow to their confidence coupled with a traumatic experience that led to fear of getting back to active duty and squeezing the trigger. Squeezing it meant death. That fear became deeply lodged in their subconscious.

If she didn't manage to kill you physically, she'd kill your spirit. She'd already ended countless promising Alliance snipers careers. This feat had earned her several embarrassing monikers, which she absolutely abhorred. 

After getting assigned to participate in the Elysium project by High Command, her record only continued to grow. And she did relish that fact. 

Constantly outdoing her old scores gave her an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. It's rumored that she likened it those antique whack a mole games prevalent in the 21st century.

One of her old squad mates claimed to have overheard her muttering "C'mon! Pop your heads up so I can blow it right off..." over the comms, leading to the rumors. She neither confirmed nor denied them. She just immersed herself in doing what she did best. 

The present battle was business as usual for her. She hummed a cutesy tune with a voice that sounded way too young for a woman of her age as she continued to hunt for more prey. 

***

Blaise Olver surveyed the battlefield with a calm gaze. He was currently satisfied with how things were proceeding. All his squad members seemed to be in top form. They definitely got hold of the initiative, as was planned. And he did like it when everything goes as planned. His lips slowly arched upwards in a rare show of satisfaction.

He continuously gave crisp and decisive orders as he strode over the battle field.

"Wyvern 4, fall back to point E-4. Wyvern 5, head on over to point E-6 to assist. Wyvern 3, continue to keep those bogeys occupied and steadily bait them to point D-3. We'll get one of them in a pincer. Wyvern 2, pin the others down with snipes and keep them off our backs."

He gave orders and his squad executed them almost perfectly - like sublime clockwork. He found these moments truly exhilarating.

Yet, he didn't think victory here would actually decide the ultimate outcome of the present battle. It was another one of his occasional presentiments - sudden bursts of intuition. And, more often than not, they were right on point.

"Should be any moment now..." he muttered.

A bright flash came from the rear - where the camouflaged Confederation heavy cruiser "Aegis" was located. It was enveloped in a blast that came from the main cannon of a fairly large battleship. Judging from the sensors readings, it was a highly concentrated burst of Genion particles. 

"So that's how they managed to wipe out the Confederation transport convoy." he thought.

"That can certainly be said to be the strongest spear." he continued to muse to himself.

"Unfortunately for you, we have the strongest shield. And there's definitely no paradox." he whispered to no one in particular as his mouth broke into a slight grin. 

Part 3

Captain Kent Grumman's face contorted to one of shock, disbelief and horror.

"T-They actually managed to withstand a blast from the Banshee's main cannon. Impossible! How could that even...?!" he exclaimed while stuttering.

As soon as contact with Deep Eyes 04, Miya Iwamori, went dark, he had immediately ordered a seek and destroy operation to be undertaken. He couldn't afford to let the Confederation ship go. Especially not after the possibility of an Alliance Deep Eyes agent being compromised came into the picture. As for any political complications that came afterwards, he'll leave it to those in charge of clean up to sort out. 

After catching up to the target, he had ordered the TF squad to act as decoys by deploying them ahead in order to set up the decisive blow via the Alliance heavy cruiser Banshee's main cannon. They skirted the standard quantum sensor detection range while sporting optical camouflage and waited for the most opportune moment to fire. The main cannon was a newly developed weapon that fired a large amount of heavily concentrated Genion particles which would effectively annihilate all caught up in its wake. 

That's what was supposed to happen. But, contrary to it, the Confederation ship was able to survive the onslaught. They even looked poised to counter attack. That fact sent Captain Grumman to a state of panic and rage. 

And he wasn't even given the chance to recover.

"Sir, one hostile closing in fast! It's heading straight for us!" a bridge officer warned in a horrified tone. 

"D-Deploy barrier! Have the point defense guns ready to intercept just in case." Captain Grumman ordered.

"N-No good sir! It's already inside the barriers effective range! The point defense guns won't be able to keep up either!" the bridge officer exclaimed in a terrified shriek.

Before Captain Grumman could ruminate just how an enemy machine could accurately spot and close in on them, catching them unawares, blades of superheated plasma sliced through the Banshee's hull and melted him and the rest of the bridge crew to nothingness.

***

"Wyvern 6 to Dragons Nest. Plan S-4 'Guillotine' successfully executed. The coordinates were spot on. The lieutenant does it again. The guy really should open a fortune telling business. I bet he'll rake in a ton." Wyvern 6, whose real name was Eva Emmett, remarked playfully over the comms. 

She was the sixth and final member of the Wyvern Tactical Frame squad led by Lt. Blaise Olver. She was supposed to sortie with the rest of her team but was told to delay her deployment and quietly make her way to a set of coordinates specified by her team leader. Apparently, the hunch paid off and she managed to take down the Alliance ship with relative ease. 

"This is Dragons Nest. Copy that Wyvern 6. Good work. Proceed to disable the rest of the ships combat potential but leave enough intact for the tech guys to have a field day out of it. But be sure to take out the energy reactors to prevent attempts at self destruction. Destroy the secondary bridge as well. Hail the remaining crew and demand unconditional surrender. We'll also proceed to head over to secure the spoils until reinforcements arrive." came the lengthy reply.

"Wyvern 6 copy. Proceeding to carry out orders."

Eva licked her lips and started to systematically destroy the specified targets.

-Chapter 9 End-