Location: Terra Colony Andromeda
North Sector - Training Field Septa
Frontline Position
Time: 1137
January 31, 2050
“What are you doing here?” Itsuki hadn’t thought he’d have to ask this question, not to this trembling girl, whose small deer-like ears quivered, and eyes grew wet with dew. To think she of all people had made it this far, and was pushing to the front, but..
Why is she crying? Is she afraid? No. I’ve seen fear, this is.. different. He got the sense that this was deja vu. Has this happened before? It has, hasn’t. That day, at that.. “Camp”. He frowned, wishing he hadn’t remembered. Chisuke gave him a look he returned. In that one quick exchange they traded a silent message with each other.
Tight lips, don’t speak about it.
Not taking note of their gazes, Mana lightened Itsuki's burden, grabbing Chisuke and having him lean on her. Motioning to a few trainees to settle into firing positions to keep watch, she then called over for another person to grab Itsuki. Amanda came forward, as well as a few familiar faces Itsuki hadn’t seen for the last couple hours.
“My goodness, Teacher!? Are you alright?” Shisuki was the first to bring attention to his appearance. Her usual cool expressions tensed inquisitively. “I haven’t seen you this injured before. This is quite a first.”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Itsuki waved her worry away. “I can still hold myself together, though I’m not sure if I can fight at my best.”
Richard gawked. “Are you serious? You’re going to fight like that? And your arm! It’s.. gone, I know this is a practical class but aren’t these injuries going too far?!”
Itsuki looked down at himself, and shrugged. “So?”
Everyone regarded him as if he were insane, his appearance sure fit the description. Most of his academy uniform was torn in many places as if he’d been savaged or mauled by a bear, he was bleeding from a number of cuts across his arms and legs, and he was missing his left arm. Fighting was the last thing any of them thought he could do.
Amanda reached around Itsuki’s back to get him straighter on his feet. Itsuki noticed a change in her, the confidence she exuded, yet hints of oddity and timidity supplanted in her actions.
“I see you’ve gotten over your shock.” He said to her, all unemotional as ever.
This was another surprise. Amanda had been standing stalk still during his fight with Sinder, too scared to even move or act unless he pulled her along. And even when he did, she was so aghast at his poor condition that the light left her eyes. She was lost, without direction. Now? She hopped to, scared, but not idle.
“Yeah.” Amanda scoffed as she smirked, trying to feign a bit of calm as she tried to keep her eyes away from his stump of a left arm. There was some anger in her voice. “No thanks to you, and what’s with you throwing me around all day.” She scowled and snapped at him. “What is with you? The next time you throw me, tell me, or better yet, just don’t do it! Not Ever! Again!”
Itsuki tilted his head as if there wasn’t an issue, then ignored her, opting to focus his attention on the carnage going on a distance away from them.
“Oh shit.” He said under his breath.
“Hey!” Amanda piped up, almost fuming like a kettle, “Don’t ignore me, what are you even..” She followed his gaze and realized that, Oh shit, was about right. The ongoing fight and incoming barrages from the other battle groups had stopped, yet the pressure in the air hadn’t lessened. That meant there were explorers fighting.
Some thought the barrage had been enough to finish off their opponents. Destroying that notion, three enemy identification tags were live in their Screenless Heads Up Display. Sinder was charging through groups of students with a hail of counter energy bolts coming at her.
The incoming onslaught were from the cohort battlegroups of Division 8 who now broke from the safety of the rear of their initial formations. Before they could get close or land a hit, Sinder bolted evasively left and right, summoning hellhounds that hunted the students in packs, downing and breathing flames that knocked them senseless to the ground.
Amanda and her group witnesses in awe as the number of their allies astonishingly thinned at a rapid pace. Arielle and Haruka made their way through as well, and a horde of new golems, courtesy of Haruka, charged along side Sinder. What had started as a trio of enemy explorers had become a small army in minutes.
Itsuki spotted the trio’s formation, the hellhounds and golem constructs were spreading out ahead of them, with Haruka and Arielle trailing close behind Sinder, who was pressing a charge at whatever challenged them. The wolfish girl at the front was making a productive mad dash.
It was an aggressive maneuver, but effective. Itsuki was impressed.
They’ve grown up. He thought, And they’ve gotten better at fighting together. He’d smile if he had the tact to show any emotion. Instead he objectively observed.
Haruka manipulated the earth, pulling up waves of dirt that rolled over and buried a group of 10 students in seconds. Her golems stepped forward and whipped their long arms . Swinging wide, they felled group after group of students and trainees alike. Over with Arielle, a brave group of what looked like 3 core binders drove in and penetrated the trio’s flank to catch her in the side.
Sinder suddenly dashed in and swept their legs out from under them. As they toppled, Arielle grabbed two of them and then flung them to the side like she was throwing out the trash. Sinder then got the last one, driving a knee into his stomach. The young man grew green in the face and finally passed out. As badly as they were getting beaten down, the remaining students and trainees of Division 8 kept the pressure on. They all attempted to overwhelm their enemy with numbers.
Seeing an opportunity with how occupied the trio were, Itsuki withdrew the silver pistol from his holster. His aim shaked even with his only good arm.
“Hold me still.” He demanded. “I can’t afford to miss this.”
“What?” Amanda wondered what he could do with that peashooter, it looked different from his usual weapons and put off a wave of new pressure she hadn’t felt before. But it was a gun, a useless piece that she didn’t think had the firepower to do any real good against explorers. “What are you trying to..”
“Do it now!” Shouted Itsuki, promptly cutting her off. “Now!”
At his second shout, Amanda gripped around his waist tightly and leaned him onto her. It was a good thing she was taller than him, Itsuki was light and short statured, easy to manage. No sooner had Itsuki's shaking stabilized, he closed one eye to aim. Then a soft hum of crackling energy formed at the muzzle of his silver gun. It was a small pinpoint of light that grew and grew into a fist sized wad of radiant silver shining energy.
He breathed in slowly and carefully, making sure all his targets were in sight. Seeing the last of the students and trainees going down or retreating, either from cowardice or good tactical judgment, the trio turned their eyes on him, he knew it was now or never. Sinder, Haruka, and Arielle seemed to know what he was up to and were going to try to stop him. But hundreds of meters separated them, Itsuki had time, he had seconds to aim, and he made damn sure to lock on.
He exhaled, drowning out the chaos, the shouting, and intent he could feel from everyone. The key words began to slip from his lips as he molded his core energy, making it take shape through his hands and with his silver pistol as his focusing medium. This was what Explorers called a technique or skill they had developed utilizing their core energy. People liked to flower these up, calling them special attacks with unique names. Every explorer was gifted with a certain power, all fueled by core energy, so how they’d take shape was dependent from person to person, so a personal touch was bound to be added.
Itsuki didn’t name his techniques or special attacks. He only needed the key words, and the.. memory.
“Targets locked..” He said, flat and blunt, without a hint of emotion. “Type 2.. Set.. Spread Shot.”
The group beside him attentively watched. To Amanda, and the first years who knew Itsuki, this was the first time they had seen him ever use core energy to this visible extent. The waves of pressure he emitted blew up dirt and dust as he gathered, no.. not gathered, compressed the energy centering at the forefront of his gun’s barrel.
One last blink later, Itsuki pulled the trigger and the fist sized wad of silver light balled into a marble sized sphere, then zipped forward lighting fast. They heard the boom first, and the recoil came second and hit everyone like a face full of wind. Some found themselves flat on their asses, while Amanda felt the shock hit her right in the face, dead center. She almost went tumbling over Itsuki.
Leaving them behind, the silver shot drew a sharp and straight line across hundreds of meters of distance in mere milli-seconds. It neared Sinder first and before it hit, the thing suddenly split into three. Two new thin lines of white silver light broke off, bending around Sinder to either side to get at Arielle and Haruka. Their sharp turning trajectories were impossible to follow.
But the three girls had at least a second to brace. Both arms and barriers came up in a hasty reaction. The shunt of light shone in their eyes as it hit. Suddenly they screamed as a sharp brillant pain thrummed in their heads and a shockwave passed through them.
Blown back, their focus wavered from the excruciating pain. God it hurt, it was torture to all their senses, a pain they hadn’t thought possible. Their auras were still up though, yet this pain wasn’t supposed to be possible. So what the hell had just hit them?
Unlike before, this shot of silver light hadn’t exploded, instead it pushed and pierced into them, both physically and mentally. Their shoes dug across the dirt in their attempt to hold it together.
But they hadn’t a clue of what this was. The pain was too much and caused them to lose focus. Their barriers failed and they feared that things were going to get worse. Just in the nick of time though, the silver shot faded and dissipated. Gasping and panting for every breath, Arielle and Haruka fell to their knees while Sinder–seeming sturdier than the other two–was able to stay standing, though teetering on the edge of falling face down.
Itsuki, looking worse than them, collapsed out of Amanda’s loosened grasp, choking through every breath. Pushing himself past his mounting exhaustion, he said, “Now.. we need to hit’em now.. Before they recover.” He pointed ahead. Everyone knew who he was referring to, already they could see that Sinder was limping away, helping Haruka and Arielle get up.
“We have to get them now.” Itsuki urged, “We have to end it now!” He coughed as he tried to get himself up. “Go!” His shout was ghastly hoarse, yet commanding.
But before anyone could make a move, an alarm blared in their earpieces. Their stomach’s sank. Their eyes widened as human figures emerged from out of nowhere, they were coming out of the woodwork, appearing from the chaotic plumes of the dusty battlefield. Mana checked her HUD’s map and found the identification tags to be enemy construct signals. Everyone froze from a mix of fear and shock.
“W-where did they come from?” Mana spoke in a tone so cautionary, that it bordered the edge of nightmarish horror. “Where the hell?”
She tried to make sense of this, but as the alarm continued to blare from her earpiece, she could only help to count as the number of enemies increased constantly across the expanse of land ahead of her.
A horde of puppet constructs strode in like a tide of white waves. In a minute flat, the once dust plumed, craggy, rubble riddled plain was filled with enemy constructs. Mana couldn’t believe it, this wasn’t possible, the other Divisions would’ve stopped this from happening, then it hit her.
This had been like before, when everything went to shit. Constructs had appeared out of nowhere once again, and were making a mess of things at the worst possible times. Division 8 had swept the area and it was all clear.
So how did we miss this!? Mana’s brow wrinkled in annoyance.
Itsuki punched the dirt, frustrated after likely coming to the same conclusion, but unlike Mana he knew the mastermind behind today’s events.
Damnit Joel! He swore in his heart. This is going too far to be a joke! He clambered up, ripped a rifle from one of the nearby trainees and started firing.
“What are you waiting for!” He yelled, “GO!”
“Yes Sir!” The trainees were the first to follow, their faces hardening. They raised their rifles’ scopes, setting up lines of intersecting fire and mowed down the approaching puppet constructs who seemed like a mob of mad psychotic dolls.
Stella was the next to break out of her funk, she set across the field and conjured balls of flame in an attempt to blow a path through the enemy. Swinging her flaming switch axe, she made quick work of the white wooden puppets, though fell short as the flames had no effect on the surging packs of remaining hellhounds from Sinder.
“Keep going!” Shouted Ikki from behind. Next to him Shisuki followed with a rain of water drops collecting in her spread hands. Shooting them, they punched holes into the hounds accosting Stella. Ikki brought his black katana up and slashed wide through a pair of puppets and ramped up his speed as he drove it through pair after pair.
Not waiting around, Chisuke pushed away from Mana and staggered to walk on wobbling legs. “Come on!” He called out to Gen and Osamu. “Don’t just stand there you idiots!”
With even a hole in his gut, he drove his nodachi up into a ready position, joining the fray. He wasn’t going to give up, he wasn’t going to give an inch of ground they had fought for.
Mana, sighing, put her finger to her earpiece and declared, [To all remaining Division 8 members, All Battlegroups, regroup on my position. I repeat! Regroup on my Position!]
She jumped and flapped her wings, gaining altitude to come swooping down on the constructs as Gen and Osamu joined their reckless berserker on the ground. Allies began to gather. More trainees took positions to cover the flanks and popped three round bursts into the chests of puppet constructs.
Slashing, burning, and shooting through as many constructs as they could, the remnants of Division 8 soon formed a hastily slapshot frontline perimeter as the minutes of battle droned on. Richard, Dahlia, and Amanda were left speechless. The din of battle shook them to their cores. They could barely build the courage to snap to and go join the fight.
The odds had been yet again stacked against them. Even after regrouping, their force now only consisted of about 200 people. Against the almost numberless constructs, hopelessness was beginning to set in with those who were unable to keep up, they thought that everything was going to be in vain.
But, many were like stubborn pebbles attempting to stand against a tide, they were persistent, yes, but were helpless to watch as the tides came in to sweep some of them away. Morale plummeted as Sinder, Haruka, and Arielle drew out of reach and out of sight. The puppet constructs blocked the path ahead and were intent on getting in the way.
Amanda gritted her teeth at all the fighting, all the struggling and chaos. What even was the point now? Why keep fighting? She got that this was a training exercise, an extreme one, but what was the use of this training if you didn’t have any chance of winning. She felt cheated, that this wasn’t right. She wanted to win, she wanted this to also be over, she didn’t want to keep fighting anymore, she didn’t want.. to lead.
“No.. don’t get up.” Dahlia said. She was speaking to Itsuki who had been compounding his injuries. “You’re too injured. Y-you can’t fight anymore. If you keep this up, you’ll die!” Amanda hadn’t heard Dahlia speak so loudly before. The timid girl was being uncharacteristically insistent. Itsuki shook her off, followed by a glare.
“If Chisuke can fight with a hole in his gut.” He said, “Then I can fight without an arm and when I’m half dead. And you’re wasting your time. Go do something else and worry about yourself.” He made to walk past Dahlia, but she got in his way and got bumped to the ground for her trouble.
Itsuki grimaced down at her. “You shouldn’t be here.” He mumbled, then limped over to one of the trainees who handed him a fresh rifle. Shouldering the weapon, he popped single shots to conserve the ever diminishing reserves of bullets they had.
Dahlia, left on the ground, eyes wet with tears and a lost look in her eyes, was on the verge of weeping. Keeping it in, she puckered her lips to tense them shut. Every part of her told her to join the fight, but a fear kept nagging at her. Amanda came over and pulled her into a hug, trying to reflexively comfort the girl. She hated how Itsuki had treated Dahlia.
Just what was his problem!
Surprisingly, Dahlia was accepting of her. Amanda hadn’t thought it through and expected Dahlia to push away from the hug at any moment. Instead the trembling girl accepted her so readily.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Mana’s voice then came over the comm. [To all battlegroups, engage the puppet constructs, I repeat, engage puppet constructs. Clear a path!]
[Negative.] Said another voice. [This is Mortar 2. Unable to continue, fighting strength has decreased by 70%. I repeat.. 70%. Turning to Defensive action. We cannot advance.]
[Sword 3 here, unable to proceed, additional puppet constructs are getting in our way. Where the heck are they coming from! Spear 1 and 4 are down. I repeat, Spear 1 and 4 are down. We can’t hold! And we can’t reach the target!]
“Shit.” Mana cursed, she surveyed the situation from a higher altitude. From this vantage point, from the left to the right on the ground, Division 8 was getting onesidely boxed in. Advancing further would lead to an absolute defeat.
Preserving combat strength was the best option she could think of, but what then?
We can’t win. Mana shook that thought away and remembered what she learned in her first year here at the academy. You gotta try, you gotta try and try. You only give up when you choose to give up, and explorers never choose to give up. Not! Ever!
[Then we’ll need to regroup!] She demanded. [Everyone who can move, on me! I’m sending you a new position to stage a stand, there’s a spot nearby where we can use to get the high ground. We’re going to clear a path of retreat, and then..]
[Not to worry!] A new jovial voice interrupted. [Your cavalry has arrived, watch your heads Division 8 because we’re coming in hard and fast.]
Two whistling sounds suddenly traveled over everyone's head. An explosion threw itself up in the ranks of the puppet constructs, rocketing plumes of fire and black smoke followed by a littering of falling debris.
[Tally ho!] The new voice shouted in their ears, all exuberant and excited like a giddy commander who was raring to get into the thick of things.
Mana smelt the scent of steel rise into the air, she turned around and saw the approach of 5 tanks at the horizon behind them. The tanks’ barrels were freshly smoking hot and a brigade of young soldiers rushed on nimble legs, their augment suits getting them up to speed.
Rolling and rushing past Amanda and Dahlia, reinforcing trainees took cover amongst the scattered debris of shattered rubble and boulders, while the tanks boomed shell after shell over everyone’s heads. Heavily armored trainees fired shoulder mounted rockets and they poured lead like mad.
[Go! Go! Go!]
A squad of 10 trainees moved to provide close support with Itsuki, who had by now taken the front most position with Chisuke. They all stared down a 10 meter golem, its fist poised to slam them into the ground.
Amanda, too lost in the fast pace of things, and getting turned around, was finally grounded when a tank rolled up and stopped next to her. The tank’s top hatch opened and Amanda wasn’t expecting to see who had arrived. The occupant hadn’t noticed her and directed his gaze up to Mana.
[Sorry I’m late Mana, took some time to reorganize at the rear, but I’ve got your back.]
Mana finally recognised the voice. [S1? You’re supposed to be in command, what about the other division?]
[Not to worry, remember I said I’d provided reactionary action for Plan B, well I thought, why not do it myself? Plus, I have capable friends who can take over my role. I may have been chosen as the default leader of our merry band, but I’m confident any old CDU or CAU trainee can take command. Now.. what’s the plan?]
[No clue.] Mana flew down and landed next to S1 on the tank. [I’m just trying to hold us together out here, I’m not much of a leader type, neither is Chisuke and Itsuki is in no condition ot lead. That guy’s probably not able to think clearly after all that blood loss. So far, Itsuki’s urging us to make for the target, but we’re cut off and the targets are recovering.]
[Itsuki has the right plan.] S1said. [But we’ll need to consolidate our forces like you said.] He pinged everyone in the local area. New navigation markers began appearing in their HUDs.
[Attention!] S1 ordered. [Regroup around the tanks and set up a tight perimeter. Heavy Infantry, roll out cover, fabricate some barricades, and get some damn mortars in position!]
[Yes Sir!]
The rear guard of trainees besides S1’s tanks sprinted from their firing positions. Drawing out a contraption that unfolded and expanded amongst the outcropping of scattered or broken boulders, the components clicked into place to create an instant makeshift platform. Other groups set up and spread, getting tripods for mortars in place, and started unloading shells from the bulky containers strapped to their backs.
With things getting into a pace, Amanda pulled Dahlia with her to see where they could help.
[Incoming!] Shouted a trainee over the shared comm. [Aerial units inbound! Distance 800 meters, and closing fast!]
[Confirmed.] S1 said and tilted his head up to the graying sky. He marked the enemies location in his HUD and signaled Mana with a few gestures. She nodded and flew up to run distraction as he changed channels to Division 1 and requested for air support. After a second he got through and scrolled across the available reserves. [Group Beta! Group Gamma! Report condition.] He ordered.
[This Group Gamma, designation Alpha 1 here, we’re resupplying and will be ready to roll out. ETA is 3 minutes until we hit the air.]
[Double time it, Alpha 1!] S1 said, [Get your asses up and in gear. And the same for your Group Beta. No slacking!]
[We understand, sir!]
S1 grinned. [Now that’s what I wanna hear.] He pulled a pair of binoculars and spied the vast horizon ahead. With air support coming, and the defensive lines reforming, now was the time to lay down some morale boosting firepower. [Come in Division 1 Command, I need a favor.]
[At your service sir. What kind of hell do you want us to rain down?]
[The kind that looks pretty.] S1 joked with a small chuckle, [I’m sending you coordinates, Stand by.]
[I’ve got a list here if you need it.] Said a bluntly familiar voice, [Use it.]
A second later, S1 pushed himself up higher from the tank’s top hatch and spotted who he was talking to.
[My pleasure, Itsuki. Now get back before you get caught in the explosion.]
[Working on it. This huge golem is making that.. Shit!]
Itsuki’s side of the comm turned to static. S1 witnessed the cause as Itsuki and others found themselves caught in the golem’s hulk of a swing. The thing was 10 meters tall, so it had an impressive reach. S1 ordered a squad of trainees to engage, exploding the golem with two prong rocket strikes and then dragged their injured asses back over. A few minutes later, Itsuki and Chisuke were propped up, leaning against the side of S1’s tank.
The perimeter defense was finalized in minutes as the other 4 tanks spread out and condensed the remaining students and trainees around them. In less than 10 minutes, they had a makeshift forward outpost. Allies in the air had begun engaging the opposing aerial constructs with Mana taking command. Group Beta made strafing runs from above to thin out the enemies and mortars were popping off from the safety of the defensive perimeter set up between the tanks.
A lull in the battle took over, and the enemy started to dig in the same as them. Of note, Itsuki saw how the constructs had backed away and stopped their furious charge. This was likely the headmaster’s doing, he was putting the fight into a stall, trying to let Sinder, Haruka, and Arielle recover.
The fighting grew calmer as Itsuki, mustering some strength, stood and asked S1, “So? Did you find someone who can regrow an arm?” He showed off his stumped left arm, the end was burned to a bloody black.
S1 nodded. “Yeah, she should be around here somewhere.” He glanced behind the tank, his HUD guiding him to who he was looking for, then pointed. “There she is. Hey! Girly, get over here.”
“Huh? UH.. Umm.. Y-yes.” Replied the girl as she dodged around other trainees and students who were busying themselves during this short break in the battle.
Chisuke frowned at who arrived. [This isn’t going to work.] He muttered to himself, making sure it was over a private comm with S1 and Itsuki. [Don’t you recognize her?]
S1, not taking the hint, hopped down and patted the girl on the shoulder. “Don’t be such a brooding bastard Chisuke. This girl will do fine as a healer as long as you don’t scare her off with that face of yours, the same with yours too Itsuki.”
“That’s not what he meant.” Itsuki said, “And would you stop being chummy with the girl, you’re making her nervous.”
“I am?” S1 looked at the girl and realized that she was sweating bullets. Better yet, he realized who specifically he was meeting for the first time. “Oh.. sorry about that.. Let’s start over. You’re Dahlia, right?”
As best as S1 was trying to sound amicable, Dahlia recoiled and went stunned silent. She grew pale and S1 was beginning to get the gist of things. Before he could apologize for putting her on the spot, another girl stepped in between them.
“Sorry about her.” It was Amanda. “Dahlia’s nervous with non beast humans.” She explained, bowing on Dahlia's behalf. “I hope you can understand.”
S1 gave an appreciative nod. “Nothing to apologize for, I should be the one to do so. I didn’t know and I.. understand..” He glanced at Dahlia, “It must be difficult with your..”
“S1.” Itsuki interrupted. “I know you’re being a gentleman, but we’re running out of time, so enough idle chit chat. Every minute we waste talking and apologizing will be time Haruka will be using to heal Sinder and Arielle. They’ll be back, we have to hit’em before they can hit us.”
“You make a good point.” S1 pulled himself up a seat on the tank’s armored tread, giving Itsuki a pointed look, “And I assumed you’re going to be the one to do it.”
“What, do you think a student could?”
“Maybe.” S1 shrugged, “We have a nice batch this year, so who's to say. Also, aren't you a student technically?”
Itsuki shook his head. “In this case I’m part of the staff executing this part of the training, now stop being all smarmy and focus. With how your Plan B went, and my Plan A, I think we know for a fact that students and artillery can’t beat our opponent, no matter how much we throw at them.”
“Then how will you handle it? Do you have a Plan C?” S1 asked.
“Nope, but I know who does.” Itsuki opened a new comm channel and then said, [Itsuki to 00, give me a sitrep. Have you completed your uplink?]
[Query.. Confirmed, one moment, I’m securing our comms.] A couple seconds later, Itsuki, Chisuke, S1, Amanda, and Dahlia were connected. [Query.. Local connection secured and enabled with nearby friendlies. To answer your question User Itsuki, I do not suggest asking me for tactical advice. I have not been rated for such authoritative command and have not been battle tested.]
[Well we’re circumventing the usual status quo, so go ahead and give us your best analysis of the situation.]
Amanda listened in, as did Dahlia and Chisuke. A silence hung for a second between Itsuki and the new arrival to the conversation. They all thought that this 00 person was hesitating to talk. It was strange, the voice seemed artificial like it wasn’t a person, though it felt like one.
[Query.. Are you sure User Itsuki Homura?] 00 asked, [I do not find this logical.]
[Well I do.] Itsuki replied, [You have the floor, 00. Go ahead.]
[Query.. Understood.] There was another second of silence, then a beep as 00 responded analytically. [Satellite uplink has shown that the three targets, Haruka, Arielle, and Sinder, are sequestered over half a kilometer south from your defensive perimeter. They are recovering their strength. Using recent explorer records and historic data, Haruka will have them back to fighting strength in approximately 1 hour.]
[Can we reach their position with artillery fire?] S1 asked, [We still have enough shells for another round of bombardment, and we can add the students’ firepower if we get close enough, plus Division 1 has some shells they can spare. I know the first two saturation attacks didn’t work, but now might be possible.]
[Query.. Yes, but that will be ineffective. Sinder’s defensive capabilities can easily counter a saturation attack with a dome of her self created fire. Even with the current number of Mystics on our side and spare shells, I estimate a 10% chance of success. Together with Arielle and Haruka they can combine their defensive strength. With this in mind, the chances decrease to 2%. It will be impossible to subdue them with conventional means when they are together. The best course of action is to split them up and fight them as individuals.]
[So a strategic strike.] Chisuke suggested, [We’ll have to punch through the constructs like always, simple enough.] He rolled his eyes, already knowing that this was going to get messy once again. [Guess that means I’m up. You coming Itsuki?]
Before Itsuki could say anything, 00 cut in, there was a hint of worried annoyance in its tone.
[Query.. Negative, in your current conditions, both Users Chisuke and Itsuki are unfit for combat. I do not advise any further exacerbations of your injuries, especially in a training exercise. Any more may be fatal.]
[Then let Dahlia heal them.] Amanda suddenly suggested, she wasn’t sure if she had the right to speak on this matter, but she was confident in Dahlia’s ability.
Itsuki, Chisuke, and S1 shot her a hard look, as if trying to communicate to her to not say anything else. Not heeding them, she insisted.
[What? Dahlia can do it. She’s great at healing people, right?] She was directing her question at this 00 person.
[Query.. Correct User Amanda. User Dahlia has the miraculous gift of healing like the target Haruka, but not all people can heal the same way.] 00 made an awkward pause before continuing to say, [She.. is a special case. And there are.. limits she can’t go to.]
To Amanda, it sounded like 00 knew something she didn’t and was apprehensive of explaining further. Still, Dahlia was incredible, she had healed Amanda in less than a few minutes, and she was all bruised up at that time. Maybe Dahlia can’t heal or regrow an arm, but closing up cuts would do Itsuki and Chisuke some good. It was better than no healing at all.
“Well what if..”
“Don’t.. Ask..” Itsuki abruptly said, cutting Amanda off before she could speak again. “It’s none of your business, so don’t bring it up.”
He pulled himself up S1’s tank and reached into the hatch to grab a medkit, then tossed a cylindrical object to Chisuke and got one for himself. They both put the cylindrical device to their necks and pushed a button on one end of it. It hissed and Itsuki moved the conversation along with 00.
[If you’re not going to send me or Chisuke, who will you send?]
[Query.. It will be a mix of students and trainees.] Replied 00, [We will bombard a path open using Division 1’s artillery, then the remnants of Division 8 will support a desperate attack to reach and separate the targets. I estimate that 50 personnel should be assigned to each target in an encircling maneuver, and do not assume you or Chisuke will be part of the teams. Even with those stimulants you’ve injected into yourselves, both of you are not medically fit for another encounter.]
[Well too bad, we’re going, and the people you'll send with that plan won’t be enough.] Itsuki said, [Numbers aren't going to help. You need a smaller force, one capable of high speed combat rather than focused fire and encirclement tactics. Your best bet is using me or Chisuke. There is also Stella, Ikki, and Shisuki. They’re viable among the first years we have with us at the moment. The same goes for Gen, Osamu, and Mana from the upperclassmen. So make your roster around them and us.]
[Query.. I can not do that. Your injuries..]
[Aren’t going to be an issue.] Chisuke gruffly interrupted. [Me and Itsuki here have handled worse injuries than this. We’ll be fine.]
Amanda wanted to shout yeah right because Chisuke had a bleeding, albeit bandaged, hole in his gut. She was amazed he was even conscious, let alone alive. She nudged Dahlia and asked in a whisper, “Can you believe this? They sound crazy if they think they can fight in that condition.”
When no reply came, Amanda noticed that Dahlia had tensed and was focusing her gaze on Chisuke. The girl seemed to be remembering something.
“It’s really them.” Dahlia finally muttered, “They were the ones, the ones that..”
“Who?” Amanda asked, “What are you talking about?”
Dahlia again didn’t respond, she stepped away from Amanda and got closer to Chisuke. Chisuke was focusing on the conversation over the comms with 00. He was arguing, and Itsuki was doing the same while S1 seemed to smile, trying to keep a peace between the three.. No.. four of them. When Dahlia got a better look at Chisuke’s face and then saw Itsuki with S1, a flash of a memory played out.
***
It was hazy, it was cold, or was it her imagination. Everything felt so numb. She recalled that she was on someone's back, holding onto them. It’s cold, really cold.
Nighttime? But why is it warm? On her hands? And what was so.. slippery? Blood? Was it blood? Yes. The warmth, the slickness, the sickening stickiness.. But not her’s.. His.
She heard an irritated voice and then saw a flash of a camo colored cap on a shorter someone's head.
Have I seen that before?
Then there were two other voices, one that was in front of her, probably the person carrying her, who was likely bleeding. This voice was gruff and the other one next to this one was somewhat chatty, friendly even.
“Huh? Hey, the girl’s waking up, give her another shot to sedate her.” That voice was the irritated one, it was so uncaring. “S1, pass me the medkit.”
“No can do, we’re all out, Itsuki.” This voice was the chatty one. “We used the last of it for that girl with the wings. She was feisty, plus this one seems calmer than the rest. We’ll be fine.”
“No, she’s afraid, S1. She could freak out at any time.” Said the irritated voice, “She might turn into a liability in a fight. Hey.. Chisuke, pass her to me. I’ll gag, blindfold, and tie her hands so she’ll stay still.”
“Are you kidding, I’m not going to let you do that, it’s cruel, she’ll be traumatized after this as is, don’t make it any worse ya jackass..” This was the gruff voice, as menacing as it was, it was caring, Dahlia could sense the gentle caress past the abrasiveness of the tone.
“But she’ll live.” The irritated voice said. “Now hand her over. You're going to tear your stitches at this rate.. And.. oh great.” The irritated voice sighed. “You're bleeding. Jesus christ, Chisuke, you get on my nerves.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
“Now now.” Said the chatty voice, “Don’t get into a fight, we still have to get out of here. I’ll ask another group if they have extra sedatives, for now let’s move. It’s not safe here, and this place is a nightmare. I swear, when we find the people who made this place, I’ll be personally there to.. ”
“Yeah.. I know.” Said the irritated voice, he sounded sympathetic for a change. “We’ll.. find them, and you’re right. It’s not safe here, nowhere is safe.” His voice turned into hiss with a sharp anger, “This place is full of savages.”
***
The recollection ended there. Dahlia didn’t know what had ended it, but she couldn’t believe what she had remembered. This long buried memory, under layers of trauma, had finally resurfaced at such a convenient time. She wondered if Gen’s ability to affect luck and fate had any role to play. That was a stretch, though what was really on her mind was how she had escaped that horrid place after her village was burned and everything was taken from her.
Deep down she knew that humans were the ones that saved her. Except, in her dreams and in recent reminiscence, she had imagined that it was Mana, she wanted that to be the truth. But now that truth was fading away. When they came, these three humans, who slaughtered the bad men who took it all from her, she thought of these three as the same as those bad men who so brutally treated her like an animal. She couldn’t forgive and forget what humans did, what they did.
She had drowned out their voices, not wanting to hear them, not wanting to believe in them. Never with humans.. Not ever again. Was it a coincidence that she’d met these three here? She didn’t know for sure. She was at least sure of how Itsuki was looking at her. He was irritated by her presence, Chisuke was somewhat the same, while S1 was exuding a tinge of regret.
From how they held themselves, Dahlia could make sense of what was going through their minds.
They all know. Her eyes widened as if a dawning realization had finally shown itself from the shadows in her mind. They all know that I hate them, no.. not them.. Humans. I.. I can’t bring myself to get near them, I can’t speak to them, I can’t touch them. I can’t.. Help them. I can’t.. Heal.. them.
She balled her hands into fists. I wanted to see those bad men die, to suffer, for humans to suffer. But is that what I really want? If so, then why did I come here? Why do I want to be an explorer?
A hand patted Dahlia’s shoulder. Normally this would surprise her, though not this time. When she glanced over and found it was Amanda, she no longer had the reflexive action of recoiling away. Of the people she had met, Amanda was the one who was the least off putting of all the human’s she had encountered since those dark days. She had such inviting eyes and a cold calming atmosphere around her.
“Dahlia.” Amanda muttered in her ear, “If this makes you uncomfortable then let’s leave.”
“I.. I umm.” Dahlia was torn.
She had so many questions, except there wasn’t any time. What she wanted to do conflicted with what she knew she needed to do? But could she? Could she work through her past and come to grips with what had happened all those years ago? Would she finally let people back into her life again? To let humans back into her life?