Minmei Midori's Story

Barnett Belvedere and Minmei Midori

As Barnett sniffed the flowers that were left to her mysteriously earlier that day she blushed. She tried not to get her hopes up about having a secret admirer like Minmei had inferred. Soon a sudden trimmer hit the ship. The attack seemed to worsen. “What’s going on out there!?”, Barnett shouted from her bed.

Minmei held onto the dresser in the room for stability as the ship shook violently. “I think I had better return to the bridge. It looks like things are taking a turn for the worse out there.” Minmei replied.

Barnett furrowed her brow , she was determined to help out in some way. “That’s it!! I’ve got to get to my mech now! The rest of the lion team needs Sailor-Multi out there! I can’t just lay here while the team struggles on the battlefield!” Barnett fussed and Minmei quickly turned away from the door to face Barnett.

“You get yourself right back into that bed Barnett!! You’re in absolutely no condition to be knocked around in a mech in the middle of a losing battle! Trust your teammates why don’t you. They’ll be fine, they want you to rest so that you’ll be back soon and better than ever okay?” Minmei said as she helped Barnett back into bed.

“Oh alright… Hey Minmei! Why don’t you Pilot Sailor-Mate and fill in for me on the Lion Team!? Sailor-Mate and Sailor Multi are sister Mechs after all!” Barnett said in a perky manor.

Minmei gulped heavily and trembled a bit. “M-me? Well… I’m not the best battler and I’m not nearly as good as you Barnett… I’d only slow the lion team down with Sailor Mate. I couldn’t possibly stand in for you.”

“Awe come on Minmei!! You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit! You passed fighter pilot training with flying colors and you’re still not convinced that you’re a good pilot. Gee whiz what is it gonna take? Perhaps you’d feel more comfortable using Sailor-Multi instead of Sailor Mate? Sailor-Multi is a newer model that your Sailor Mate mech after all.” Barnett replied.

“Well… I don’t think it would make much of a difference. Besides Sailor-Multi’s skill set isn’t really my style, she’s a tad different from Sailor Mate. Remember the last time…?” Minmei retorted sheepishly.

Barnett let out a tired sigh. “I guess you’ve got a point there. But you’ve gotta help them somehow. The Titan’s Bridge has plenty of operators and analysts. But it’s only you and I who are best at taking the analyst and operator’s job to the battlefield. So what do you say Minmei?” Barnett was dripping with enthusiasm.

“Oh… alright!! I’ll take Neutranurse and continue my tactical duties on the field. If that acceptable Barnett?” Minmei replied in a frustrated tone.

“That’s my girl!” Barnett applauded. “Now hurry up!! It sounds like things are getting pretty real ou there!” Barnett said as she shooed Minmei out of the recovery room.

Minmei returned to the bridge of the Titan and informed the other operators that she’d be taking Neutranurse out into the field to continue her analyst duties and to perform rescue missions for stranded mechs during the retreat. Minmei hurried to the holding area and boarded Neutranurse.

“This is Metargo Analyst Minmei Midori. Neutranurse is online. All systems are go, ready for launch.” After departing from the Tiatan in Neutranurse, Minmei did a quick scan of the Titan’s damages and system info. She saw that the situation was dire. “I need to contact Admiral Preston stat…” Minmei said as she typed swiftly into the database. “I can’t believe this! Metargo on the run from such a backwater fleet!” Minmei muttered to herself as she worked on her transmission.


Azaka Oikawa and Zane Preston

Zane prepped his mech for battle when he received a transmission from Minmei Midori via com link. “Admiral Preston the sonic cannon is under fire and the Titan has taken considerable damage from enemy fire. We are currently experiencing 47% damage to the exterior hull of the ship sir! I am switching on the emergency damage protocols now. That should give us more time for quick patch repairs while we escape. The Titan Invisibility cloak is at 39% and won’t have fully cloaked the ship until another 7 minutes.”

Zane cringed at such difficult conditions. “Minmei it looks like things are a bit tight. However that’s alright though, I’ve never minded a tight squeeze. I’ll deploy at once. The sonic cannon must be protected if the Titan is to have any chance of escape. The royal family is on board and I am not going to lose them. Good call on taking Neutranure out into the field, we need that mech for rescue missions right about now. Keep up the good work Minmei and keep me posted.” Zane replied. He climbed aboard the Hyaku Shiki and took off into the battle.

Zane could see on his monitor that the Sonic Cannon was under fire. He hurried to protect it. Azaka’s second song was beginning. “I’ll protect you Azaka. I swear my life on it.” Zane said to himself as the Hyaku Shiki zoomed toward the sonic cannon. With his beam sword drawn, he cut down two Benjlakki mechs and proceeded to move toward the sonic cannon. Zane could hear Azaka’s second song and see his image holographically projected into the atmosphere. It was as if Azaka was performing at a concert hall and not a battlefield. He didn’t let the damage to the sonic cannon shake his focus. Many emulators would have great trouble achieving such a feat.

Azaka knew that his initial attack was a success. A large portion of the enemy’s fire was redirected from the Titan to the Sonic Cannon thus giving the Titan an opportunity to escape. The Sonic cannon was durable and could take plenty of hits if need be. At the first song’s conclusion Azaka turned to his band and smiled. “Alright guys that was excellent work! But it looks like we’ll have to amp things up a bit. The Titan needs a chance to escape and we’ve got to help them do it. The Sonic Cannon’s blasts amp up on our “Professional Griefers” song. We’ll knock as many as we can out of the sky. Let’s begin!” Azaka said as he started the second song. His image could be seen once more on the battlefield and the song blared across the atmosphere. The sonic canon fired many high powered beams out and took down enemy mechs with its sonic sound based blasts.

(Azaka’s 2nd song: http://youtu.be/QJelsOHe6xk)

Zane battled with an enemy mech that got a little too close to the sonic cannon. The two grappled and the enemy mech thrusted backward and pulling beam sword slashed away at the Hyaku Shiki. Zane simply smirked. “Clever move my opponent. However the Hyaku Shiki isn’t much impressed with beam swords. It’ll take a lot more than that to damage it’s golden coating. Too bad you’ve wasted your last chance.” Zane said, then he delivered a blow to the mech’s arm with his own beam sword, severing the arm. Zane flew off to continue to protect the Sonic Cannon as well as Azaka.

“Minmei, get this transmission out there to everyone, Wrap up your battles and retreat. Got it?” Zane said calmly, he knew that this couldn’t continue much longer. Benjlakki had proven themselves a strong enemy not to be underestimated.

“Rodger that Admiral!” Minmei replied. She then sent a transmission to all of the Metargo fighter pilots. “All pilots proceed to retreat pending the Titan’s escape. Admiral Preston has ordered that you wrap up your battles and retreat. The Sonic Cannon will cover our escape.” Just then Minmei caught an alert on Neutranure’s radar scanners. “Attention Titan operators there is are guided missiles headed for the Titan, do you copy? We need someone anyone to intercept as many as possible now! Someone please!” Minmei communicated with the rest of the Lion Team and the people on the open com link of the Metargo Fleets.

Queen Karen Lunaria Metargo’s Mech, Red Moon, came into view. “Targeting missiles. Four are on confirmed lock. Ready to fire and intercept. Karen fired several lasers and detonated a few of the missiles bound for the Titan. However as accurate as the Red moon was it was not possible for Karen to shoot down all incoming missiles headed for the Titan. The Titan took three good hits to its large frame. Karen communicated via the comm Link. “Sorry I missed a few missiles officer Midori. I suppose there were too many to shoot down at once.” Karen said calmly.

“Y-your majesty! Wha-what are you doing on the battlefield?! I MEAN UM SORRY FOR MY RUDENESS!!” Minmei was nervous.

“It’s quite alright Minmei. I am trying to do what I can for Metargo. You all could use the help and the Red Moon was dying to get in on the action. It’s been quite depressed since Barnett has been place in recovery.” Karen could communicate with the heart of machinery so to her a mech had a voice much like a human did. “Admiral Preston, please look after Azaka. I won’t stand for him getting hurt out here. You two still have to tie the knot you know.” Karen teased Zane via com link. She was much like a mother figure to everyone. The red moon fired away at the missiles but with every round of guided missiles there were bound to be a few that would escape the red moon’s lock on due to there being so many deployed at once.

“Copy that my queen.” Zane replied with a wink.

Collaborative post with ZacharyTC

Kyle saw the Neutranurse come out some time after he reentered the battle using a Lama Rossa. He thought the aesthetics of that repair mech were rather cheesy for a Metargo mech. (Then again, so were those on the Sailor-Multi and Sailor-Mate.) Then again, despite the goofy appearance, it was efficient. It was partly because of the wacky designs that it lasted for so long, since it has been regarded, at times, as not a major threat. Then again, the enemies who typically did not take Barnett or Minmei's mechs seriously were inexperienced pilots.

With that in mind, he flew to Minmei's side and told her on the comm channel, "I'll keep the hounds at bay, Minmei. With the battle this intense, it's suicide to be out here alone." Just then, a Sabre Bleu showed up, beam blades activated, heading right for the Neutranurse. "Look out!"

He got in front and slashed at the hilt of the enemy's beam sword on that attempted a stab, disabling the weapon. "These guys are tough! Would not expect anything less from the country that, 70 years ago, literally invented mechs and mech unit warfare, not to mention built its military reputation on utter conquest in retaliation for attacks made on them! Benjlakk should never be underestimated!" All the while he mentioned all that, he entered a lethal dance to bring down the Sabre Bleu before him. Soon enough, Kyle finally stabbed it in the cockpit. From there, he escorted Minmei as she did repairs and rescues. Any Benjlakki mech that came her way would have to contend with Kyle in his Lama Rossa.

Minmei’s brow furrowed with Kyle’s comments regarding Benjlakki. She knew that the nation was accomplished but she simply felt Metargo was better. Such a stubborn girl about some things and docile about others. She was raised to believe Metargo was the best nation out there and that made its citizens the best as well in her perspective. She knew it was an unfair assumption but she chose to snub the Benjakki nation because that was what she was taught to do.

Minmei let out a tired sigh, “Thanks for the assistance and the history lesson Kyle. Maybe when this travesty of a battle is over you can send the Benlakki fan mail. I’m sure they’ll love it. I’m almost done with repairs on the Mech’s booster engine. He should be good to fly in about 30 seconds.” Neutranurse’s electronic voice alerted Minmei, “Repairs to Mech No. 8273 complete. Booster engine repaired.”

Minmei communicated to the soldier inside the now repaired mech. “You’re good to fly properly now, Private. Are you alright in there?”

The young man smiled gratefully, “Yes Minmei, I’m fine thanks to you two. Kyle thanks for having Minmei’s back while she repaired my Mech. We could’ve been finished there. I owe you one man!” The soldier said excitedly.

Minmei replied, “Kyle, my knight in shining armor. I suppose I owe you a drink later.” Then Neutranurse picked up a signal on an incoming attacker. Minmei had Neutranurse quickly maneuver in front of Lama Rossa and commanded Neutranurse to erect the Neutra-Wall. The enemy mech broke it’s arm on impact with the sturdy Neutra-wall. “See Kyle, Neutranurse isn’t without her charms. I guess we’re even now huh.” Neutranurse flew closer to the enemy mech and hit it hard with a swift melee attack. The enemy took considerable damage and fell out of the sky.

“I have two more units to repair. Kyle are you still willing to escort Neutranurse a bit more?” Minmei replied with a shy smile. She Thought Kyle was quite cute but she didn’t really feel he had any attraction to her. If he had shown any sign of interest in her she’d clam up as soon as she noticed it.


Kyle gritted his teeth at the thought of 'fan mail'. One thing she should know about him by now: he has no pride for any country, not since he lost his entire family to that meltdown; his parents to its explosion, his sister to a fatal illness resulting from it. He only wanted to live a life away from street life and the reminder of the loss of his family (that being, nuclear plants), that was all. However, a drink did not sound bad. He could not tell her his response right away, though, since he still had enemy mechs to deal with trying to get near Neautranurse.

Kyle said to her. "Why do you think I came towards you, in the first place!? And, we can talk about a drink later! Don't let your guard down!"

"This is Caprtain Ire, of the Titan. Forward your coordinates to Admiral Preston so he can give the orders to retreat from there. He will want to regroup at that point before taking an alternate route into Benjlakki territory."

"Captain Ire I have direct orders to lead you and your soldiers back to friendly soil and thats what I plan to do, the orders I have to carry supersede yours, so if you would be so kind as to follow them." The tone in Jin voice was stern and that of commanding officer even though she outranked him. Now down to one shot before mandatory cool down Jin hesitantly scanned for a group of enemy targets to fire upon making sure to stay on the outskirts of the battlefield. The last thing He wanted was to have to engage in real combat.

Watching all that was occurring on the beach from his location and listening to the Metargo frequency channel Jin overheard the chatter between what seemed a young boy and the captain who were fighting within the vicinity of the beach.

"Captain, there is an entire group of enemy Mech's incoming. I have one on my tale so I shall proceed with evasive maneuvers"

"Ma’am, this does not make any sense. Scans reveal that the enemy Mech's are amphibious types with little prowess at Mech combat, why would the Benjlakki send these to engage us?

"Why isn't she responding?" Jin thought to himself as he watched the two. What occurred next brought only two emotion Anger & Courage

With his eyes locked on the captain Jin could only watch as an enemy mech destroyed hers in a fiery explosion presumably killing her instantly. Jin rushed immediately in to provide his assistance to the now captain-less soldiers.

"Mayday, Mayday the captain is down, I repeat the captain is down! Requesting immediate assistance!" blasted over the Metargo frequency.

"Great, cause a mass panic why don't you" He said to himself while attempting to open a private line to Admiral Preston to fulfill the captains last request.

"Admiral Preston this is the pilot of the GAT-01A2R Slaughter Dagger Jin-Giro on special assignment to help coordinate and facilitate an immediate retreat, Im sure you've heard of Captain Ire's unfortunate death but it is my duty to inform you that you are now the commanding officer who must lead the soldiers back to friendly soil, I am currently on route to the titan for a weapons swap and I will forward you my coordinate when I touch down on board." Again His voice was stern and that of commanding officer even though the Admiral also out ranked him.

Shortly after sending his transmission to Admiral Preston Jin reached the hanger of the titan firing his last EMP blast at a group of the amphibious attackers to cover his entrance and further weaken the enemies forces. Immediately he called for a weapons swap for Champ, purging his Lightning Striker armaments.

"Sword Striker modifications stat!" Time was of the essence or at least thats how he perceived it as he barked out orders to the Titan's hanger mechanics. A 15.78 meter Anti-ship Sword was attached to Champs back along with a left shoulder pauldron/beam boomerang combo and a Panzer Eisen" Rocket Anchor which was also attached to the left arm.

Now that the modification were complete Jin swiftly exited the Titan hanger making sure to grab a beam rifle with his left hand and drawing his anti ship sword with his right, as he exited he cut down two enemy units who were attempting to rush the hanger doors upon his exit.

Jin was still in some what of a rage mode for being dragged into combat due to the death of Captain Ire, hacking down every enemy in range even managing to land a few shots with his beam rifle. He just knew he was going to get an ear full from command when he got back to base so for the time being every enemy mech he cut down or shot relieved him a little on the inside.

Piercing his sword into the cabin of an enemy mech and using its metallic carcass to shield himself from enemy fire, Jin activated his quick boost thrusters to close in on this next target and after getting within a few meters he raised his rifle and fired decapitating and destroying another Benjlakk mech, but this time he noticed something. Some Benjlakk forces stopped firing at him and had begun falling back and organizing a retreat of their own.

"Oh no you don..." Jin caught himself trying not to let his fighting past take him over again. "Wait this is just what we needed" he exclaimed with a brief moment of joy

"Where is Admiral Zane? someone needs to lead these men and women, and command is going to wonder whats taking me so long." After taking a second to contemplate Jin made a major decision and punched in his PA authorization codes

"All Metargo forces in the immediate area this is junior command tactician Jin-giro, pilot of the GAT-01A2R Slaughter Dagger I have orders for you all to convene on the Titan for immediate evac. I repeat do not pursue the enemy forces." His voice rang over the Metargo private channel

Zane fought hard to protect the Sonic Cannon from further damage. The fleet was retreating and Zane could see that Minmei and Kyle had successfully rescued several allied mechs from harm’s way. Zane patched himself into the com device of the Sonic Cannon. “Sonic Cannon this is Admiral Preston of the Hyaku Shiki. You’re clear to cease Operation Azaka and head home. I’ll remain and cove your retreat. Oh, and operator please make sure Azaka doesn’t do anything rash and follow me out here in an attempt to help me alright.” Zane said with a wink to the Sonic Cannon Operator.

Zane received a transmission "Admiral Preston this is the pilot of the GAT-01A2R Slaughter Dagger Jin-Giro on special assignment to help coordinate and facilitate an immediate retreat, Im sure you've heard of Captain Ire's unfortunate death but it is my duty to inform you that you are now the commanding officer who must lead the soldiers back to friendly soil, I am currently on route to the titan for a weapons swap and I will forward you my coordinate when I touch down on board." Jin’s voice was stern and that of commanding officer even though the Admiral also out ranked him.

Zane cringed at the thought of Captain Ire's passing. It was unfortunate to loose such a good captain like this. After a small moment of hesitation he was ready to respond, “GAT-01A2R Slaughter Dagger Jin-“ he said as an enemy mech fired on the Hyaku Shiki with heavy cannon fire. “Shit… I guess a response will have t wait until my hasty new playmate is quelled.” Zane said as he returned cannon fire. He moved swiftly to the right and flew downward and ascended in front of the enemy mech and cut it in half with his beam sword. The enemy mech exploded with a bright flash. “An eye for an eye. That was for Captain Ire.” Zane said solemnly.

"All Metargo forces in the immediate area this is junior command tactician Jin-giro, pilot of the DGAT-01A2R Slaughter Dagger I have orders for you all to convene on the Titan for immediate evac. I repeat do not pursue the enemy forces." His voice rang over the Metargo private channel.

Zane let out a sigh, “Gosh who’s the dumb blonde today?” He said to himself sarcastically. Zane opened his com link and responded. “Sorry about that delay Slaughter Dagger, I ran into a spot of trouble as I was about to respond. Follow through with the retreat. I want this executed in no more than ten minutes. And good call Jin.” Zane said with a smile.

Azaka Oikawa

Azaka watched from the sonic cannon monitors as the Hyaku Shiki took the cannon fire and then destroyed the attacking mech. He couldn’t help but to hold his breath in anticipation. He was hoping that there was something more he could do for Zane but he knew he’d only make things worse by trying to help. In the end Zane got himself out of trouble anyway. This fact was much to Azaka’s relief.

"All Metargo forces in the immediate area this is junior command tactician Jin-giro, pilot of the GAT-01A2R Slaughter Dagger I have orders for you all to convene on the Titan for immediate evac. I repeat do not pursue the enemy forces." His voice rang over the Metargo private channel.

Azaka heard the transmission and turned to the rest of the Sonic Cannon’s crew. “Great job everyone! We put on a stellar performance out there! The enemy didn’t know what hit them. Let head home.”

Karen Lunaria Metargo

Karen used her mech’s shielding to cover the retreating mechs so that they wouldn’t sustain any further enemy fire. She was glad that this battle was drawing to an end. It seemed that Metargo learned a valuable lesson in the results of pushing one’s weight around. “This is Queen Karen Lunaria Metargo aboard the Red Moon. My shields are covering the escape route. I shall return to the Titan in just a few moments. Minmei has confirmed that most allied units have returned.” With that the queen headed back to the Titan.

Barnett Belvedere

Barnett watched as the door had opened to the infirmary and in walked Cain with a sleeping woman. Barnett blushed a little as she saw Cain, she always thought Cain was attractive. However her blushing ceased when she saw the woman. “Who the heck is she?” Barnett thought to herself.

"Oh. Miss Barnett. I'm sorry if I woke you. I just have to put this girl in here." Cain said thinking that he'd woke her.

Cain gently put the Benjlakki woman's body on the empty bed in the room and sat down on a chair in between both beds.
"So." He said quietly. "Are you feeling better?"

Barnett smiled brightly. “Yes I am. At this point the doctor said that if I stick with the pain killers then I should be up and about in a day or so. What actually gotten me down is this lying in bed while the others are fighting out there. I just wish I could be doing something useful ya know.” Barnett brushed her bangs out of her face and looked up at Cain. “So Cain who is this woman you’ve brought here? I don’t recognize her at all, and I’m pretty good with faces.” Barnett asked while looking curiously.

Saul was relieved the battle was over. Of course, he knew that thousands of troops perished in the amphibious assault that ultimately ended in failure, something which placed him in a deeper internal depression. He hid such depression so well, only his wife, son, and daughter knew about it. To the rest of the Metargo Kingdom, he had a charismatic aura about him. Seeing Karen return back to the ship safely brought a soft smile to him as he walked up to her and hugged her. "Karen..."

---

Bibi saw the Champ model and realized right away it was the same pilot. She heard what she was going to be asked to do, so she simply walked up to the pilot during the conversation he was having after she told one of the mechanics to prepare a spot for the admiral. The mechanic in front of her next noticed that and then introduce her to him.

"Pilot of the Slaughter Dagger, here is the Head Mechanic, Ensign Durrans." Whispering, the man added, "Her full name is Bibiana Armine Durrans. She's the eldest daughter of and eventual successor to Duke Adelias Durrans of Lexcorvi. As you know, Dukes and Duchesses often act as advisors to the royal court. Anyway, whatever you do, don't refer to her by any titles referring to a noblewoman. She gets a bit touchy about her status. If not refer to her by her military rank, just call her 'Bibi', and you'll be fine." That same man next went over to Laurence Vincent Howe and whispered the same warning to him about Bibi.

Meanwhile, Bibi glared at Jin while saying, "So, you're the guy who's been doing my job when it comes to my mechanics division on this ship! I am familiar with that model, by the way! I kind of have to be! I'm the one who laid the schematics for the prototype and helped build it, too! Next time, just request the switch to the mode of your choice, and I'll take it from there, all right?"

After she got her answer and told him she already prepared a place for Zane Preston's mech, she next walked up to her fiancé and suddenly, her expression was a bit softer. She realized it was an arranged thing, so she could not exactly blame the boy. That is not to say she would suddenly warm up to him. That would take time. "Laurence, my office is this way." Her office was one typical for a military mechanic on a ship, which also acted as part of a living quarters for multiple people (of course, there were separate bunks in the adjacent room). "This is the two of us will be staying in between battles. I personally requested that from Captain Ire, before the now-over battle, that is. We're engaged, anyway, right? So, we might as well get used to that fact." She washed her hands before going up to the fridge, then brought out two vanilla protein shakes and shook them well before setting one on the table next to the desk. "You'll need the supplements, trust me. Being in the military really takes a lot out of you." Sitting down in one chair and waiting for him to sit in the other, she asked with an arched eyebrow, "Not so glamorous once you're actually in a fight for your life, is it?" Shrugging, she added, "Well, that's reality for ya."

---

While Aaron used colorful language to describe how he and Lion Team lost several good pilots to a bunch of rookies, Kyle walked beside Minmei with a clam, yet stressed-out demeanor. Placing a hand on his forehead with a disgruntled sigh, he said, "I could sure use a drink, about now. Still want to do that?"

---

Zechariah and Benjamin made it back to the Seraphim with the rest of the remaining Brown Wings that were accounted for. Still, there was no sign of Chemda nor Adira. What happened to them? When Zechariah spotted Captain McKenzie, a burning anger seethed in him. Walking up to him, Zech said in a clam, but stern voice, "Captain, that mech pilot was already out of the fight. If she did not intend what she said to me to be a bluff, I would have already been dead." Benjamin pulled Zechariah aside and shouted at him with, "Zech, this is a war! This is what we do, we destroy the enemy! Forget that, and you're a dead man!" Pushing Ben away, Zechariah asked him, "What makes you think I wanted to be a part of any war, to begin with? When was the last time you heard me express any interest in that?"

With that, he walked away to leave his older brother to his thoughts. Meanwhile, Ben noticed Catrina nearby and told her, "Don't worry about my brother. He's just stressed out, is all."

---

Back on the Titan, after letting go of Karen, Saul spotted Jin in the aftermath of Bibi talking to that pilot. The King went up to him and said, "Bibi is often like that. You get used to it, after a time." He then said to Karen with a soft smile, "Oh! I almost forgot that you had something to say to this young man. I better check on Scoar and tell Viki of the results of the battle."

First, he gave his message on the results to Viki, which went like this:

My daughter, while the whole family is safe, for the moment, the amphibious assault on the beaches of the Gatwashiim peninsula nearest our country ultimately failed. The amphibious troops were all but decimated by the enemy garrison, roughly totaling a number of 6555 foot soldiers, 210 pilots, and 15 ships. Elsewhere, such as the southern-most shorelines of Benjlakki territory, the weaker resistance resulted in advancement further inland, though not without reinforcements from different places within Benjlakk arriving to try to counter them. Progress in this war has been made, but for how long from now, I cannot say. These matters are never so simple. The fleet I am with still has 21 ships, despite the heavy losses. I suspect neither this fleet nor the enemy one we face will be capable of any fierce combat for a while, considering the damage most ships on both sides sustained. Repairs may take at least a week, if not more. After that, we shall plan an alternate route inland to continue the military campaign. I pray to Marlextov that this war end soon, lest internal problems within the kingdom become our downfall.

---

Adira took a risk and activated the electronic map for a brief moment. Once she saw that the battle was over, she realized that this was an opportune time to test her stealth while piloting a mech. She took a guess as to where the enemy would go and took an alternate route to get there. Metargo territory was not that far, and with the mountains in the nearest enemy territory on the other side of the sea, radars would have difficulty locating her if she flew in low. Next stop, Fort Ordimarga. I'm not going back to the Seraphim without my sister.

---

Speaking of whom, Chemda was slowly regaining consciousness, yet it was barely noticeable. She had yet to be able to move, though she could hear a couple people speaking in the Metargo language. Although the words were similar to those in the Benjlakki language, some she could not comprehend everything. What she could gather was the male voice apologized for possibly waking the female one's up, while the female said something about being down while everyone else was fighting. Were they talking about the aftermath of the battle?

---

Field Marhsal Constantini received word that the defensive was successful and also heard about Vance's success in taking out three Leo Vermilions by himself. Knowing that at least one squadron needed more pilots, he personally went on speakers to make an announcement:

Listen up, boys! We may have taken some significant losses during this defensive, but thanks to everyone involved, we managed to repel the enemy amphibious assault. I would personally like to congratulate Private 1st Class Vance in defeating three Leo Vermilions all by himself with a Praetorian. He is now two kills away from being a mech ace, and his skills as a pilot, I believe, the Benjlakki Republic Navy could use. Therefore, I am requesting a transport and escort be made ready for his trip to the Seraphim, where Rear Admiral Lionel of the 101st Fleet shall be informed of his achievement and requested transfer.

While Aaron used colorful language to describe how he and Lion Team lost several good pilots to a bunch of rookies, Kyle walked beside Minmei with a clam, yet stressed-out demeanor. Placing a hand on his forehead with a disgruntled sigh, he said, "I could sure use a drink, about now. Still want to do that?"

Minmei looked at Kyle and let out a sigh. “Yeah I could use a drink about now. That last battle was quite depressing…” She said. The two went the resident bar aboard the Titan. They sat at the bar itself and the bartender asked the two “What will it be?”

Minmei replied, “I’ll have a cosmo please.” She then turned to kyle, “Order what you like Kyle.” She said. She was a bit down. Shehad such high hopes for that battle and they were utterly dashed. Minmei said to Kyle while they waited for their drinks, “So it seems you’ve a lot of respect for the Benjlakki. I gotta admit they are brave and not as easy as I thought they’d be. The upper crust of Metargo always seems so confident when they talk about defeating the Benjlakki. I guess their pompousness was misplaced. Although I respect them more, I still dislike them.” Minmei sat staring at the neon lit wording that hung from the wall as she spoke. “Perhaps I should marry that politician my mother introduced me to and then convince him to move us someplace cozy and safe. He was nice and handsome, and at least I wouldn’t have to see this mess of a war straight on.” Minmei said with a sigh.

Karen Lunaria

Karen was most glad to feel her husband’s embrace and to have made it back safely. She knew it was a bit much for the queen to fight in a war, but she wanted to do whatever she could to help the troops. After letting go of Karen, Saul spotted Jin in the aftermath of Bibi talking to that pilot. The King went up to him and said, "Bibi is often like that. You get used to it, after a time." He then said to Karen with a soft smile, "Oh! I almost forgot that you had something to say to this young man. I better check on Scoar and tell Viki of the results of the battle."

Karen replied, “Alright dear. Send Viki my love.”

"Queen Karen, you have something to speak to me about?" Jin said as Karen approached him.

She smiled and he seemed surprised by it. “I am horrible with the military ranking system, please forgive me. May I call you Jin?” The queen asked politely. She then continued, “My husband and I, as well as Admiral Preston have been monitoring your progress for some time now, and we thought to ask of your help in a greater capacity. You’re of a brilliant tactical mind it seems and I wanted to ask if you would receive the bestowing of the Tactician’s rank for the Metargo Fleets. Admiral Preston said he could use the assistance form someone such as yourself and you were the perfect choice for recommendation. I agreed and so does Saul. Will you accept my offer Sir Jin?” Karen asked with her dainty voice.

Zane Preston and Azaka Oikawa

Zane had returned to the Titan and docked the Hyaku Shiki in the hanger. He saw Queen Karen speaking with Jin in the distance and smiled. He reoved his helmet and his blonde lock fell down to his shoulders. “Please say yes!” He called over to Jin from where he was. He then continued walking toward the hangar’s exit as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Azaka appeared in the doorway with a soft smile. Zane grinned and reached his hand out to Azaka to shake it but Azaka simply dashed toward Zane and locked him into a deep embrace.

“I was a little scared for you. Don’t be so reckless out there okay?” Azaka said to his lover.

Zane replied softly, “Alright. I’ll slow down on the heroics in the future.” The two shared a quick kiss and let go of each other. Zane continued, “Let’s grab a bite to eat songbird.” The two walked down the Tiatan hallways. “Honestly had you not been out there operating the Sonic Cannon, things would have been a hell of a lot worse. I’m glad you so stubbornly insisted on protecting me. We needed the help.” Zane said solemnly.

“Anything for you love. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of Captain Ire. I wish this war hadn’t happened. So many would still be alive. I plan to write a requiem song for the fallen. It’s the least I can do.” Azaka said as the two neared the restaurant.

Zane stopped short. Azaka turned around to see what was the matter. Zane replied, “No songbird, the least would be to continue living, for the sake of peace and those that died fighting for it. Pray to the heavens that we don’t those numbers.” Zane said quietly. He then took Azaka’s hand and led him into the restaurant.

Azaka grew increasingly worried about Zane. “Oh Zane… you look as if all the sorrow of Metargo is on your shoulders.” Azaka thought to himself.

Zechariah was found by Benjamin in the naval barracks of the Seraphim, working on yet another piece of solar technology. Ben sighed in pity; he knew this war would be tough on his little brother. Whereas Ben enlisted to continue the family legacy, Zech wanted no part of it. Ben walked up to him with, "What'cha working on?"

"An Ion Weaponry Core. Metargo already has a head start in that field, with their EMP stuff."

"Isn't that a little small to work with a mech's weapons?'

"This is just part of it. I'll be sure to ask for Olivia to help with finding parts. I already made some of the other parts. This one especially needs some work on now that I have witnessed what Metargo is capable of. Once the entire core is completed, it will be installed into one of the beam rifles."

"Better not lose it."

"I know."

Benjamin looked out the window. "Hey, uh... if it works, do you think it would change how wars are fought."

Zechariah glared at his brother. "I don't care about that. So long as I can prevent even one unnecessary death, that is what matters." Looking out that same window, he asked Benjamin, "You think there's the chance the Shapiro Twins are still alive?"

Ben nodded. "Most likely. I mean, they are a tough pair of gals, so I doubt they'd go down easily."

After a nod of the head, Zechriah contacted the Admiral by on the comm link, "Admiral, this is Zechariah Malachi. Benjamin and I are going to search for Chemda and Adira Shapiro. As I said before, we lost their signals along the shore. I doubt they were killed, since no enemy mech but that downed nuclear one was nearby them when it happened. We'll be back after the results of the search."

With that, the Malachi brothers got into their Eagles, launched, and the search was on. Ben smiled somewhat while telling his brother, "Zech, with how you kept Brown Wing Team together, you ought to be promoted to Sergeant."

"Stay on task, big brother."

---

Kyle ordered a whiskey and waited with Minmei, whom discussed Benjlakk and possibly marrying politician. The thought of her settling down made him laugh and give her a playful punch. "You're not going to go back in your shell once he expresses interest in you, are you?" Calming down a bit and letting go of his mischievous grin, he added, "Seriously, though, you first need to work on not being so shy once it is clear a guy likes you." His face solemn, now, he spoke some more. "Of course, none of that will matter if Benjlakk wins this war."

His whisky now in his hand, he took a sip before saying, "Prime Minister Lopez was an idiot to have challenged the Benjlakki Republic at all, and I'm not saying this to be unpatriotic. There's a reason no other country in this day and age would have dared consider it: all that have attacked or threatened our new enemies in the millennia-long history of Benjlakk's existence lost their sovereignty, with the Benjlakki Armed Forces killing off both military and government. Granted, President Anderson promised to pull away from that dark reputation should war be upon them, which it is, but I doubt he can prevent history from repeating itself. He may end up giving in to the pressure, in the end, should we lose. If that were to be the case, neither you, me, nor that politician your mother introduced you to would live through being hunted down and shot. The civilians will be fine, it is the government and military personnel that would not survive under such a scenario. That is how serious this war is, right now. It's not like any war we fought before; our sovereignty is at stake, now. It matters not whether we grab even a mile of Fertaninn away from the Benjlakki Republic, at this point. If we lose and Howard Anderson fails to uphold his promise that he made upon election into Benjlakk's presidential office, Metargo will fall due to a lust for revenge on our enemy's part. Nothing else matters."

Turning his head sideways in sadness, he added with another sip, "It's just as the King himself said before we left to fight: we may have 'bitten off more than we can chew'. Regardless, we must continue what we started and hopefully hold out long enough that negotiations may begin. We have the offensive now, but once about a fifth of our population starts complaining about a lack of food from the imports we were receiving from Benjlakk, we will be vulnerable to retaliation. We're in a race against time, right now. We've got to beat the crisis before it beats us. It's the only way we can hope to keep our own nation independent, unless Anderson pulls it off and Benjlakk offers to negotiate a treaty, for the first time."

((I made a double post by accident. ^^; ))

Barnett Belvedere

"I don't know her name." Cain said plainly and smiled a bit. "Apparently she attacked me with another person who looked just like her, most likely her twin. They were pretty strong for...." He hesitated for a moment. Barnett gave a curious look but decided not to ask about his hesitation. Clearing his throat Cain then continued. "For Benjlakk soldiers. However, I disarmed both of them. I brought her here for Scoar to question. Don't worry though. If she wakes up, I'll make sure you're safe." He said looking at the door.

Barnett smiled that was free of worry, and replied. “Thanks Cain, I’m in good hands with you here.”

Scoar walked through just as Cain had stopped talking. Closing the door behind him he gave a tiresome sigh. "Oh." He said noticing Barnett. "Nice to see you're up. I hope you'll be able to join the battle tomorrow. We could really use you.”

Barnett brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and replied, “I should be off of bed rest by tomorrow but the doctor said that I’m only cleared for analyst duties until he gives the word. So it seems sailor multi might be idle for a short while. Thanks Prince Scoar.” Barnett thought it nice how the royal family of Metargo was so approachable.

Scoar continued, “Oh yeah, Cain, You're gonna have to stay here for about an hour. I'll try to keep you company for as long as possible but things are hectic out there. The Captain went down in battle."

"Oh. I see. That's too bad." Cain replied.

"Yeah. I suppose I'll go talk to my mom later but first I have to watch the nurse come in and draw blood from this girl. We suspect that something may be wrong with her. She may have the same 'cold' that you once had."

Cain's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at the ceiling. "I see."

Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Prince Scoar. Can you tell me again how the girl became unconscious." The nurse said, poking her head into the room.
Scoar once again sighed and said, "I'll be back you two." as he left the room.

“I wonder who she is? If she does have a twin, I’m sure she’s really worried about her. I heard that twins can often be even closer than usual siblings.” Barnett said as she stared at the young woman. Barnett glanced over at the flowers that were gifted mysteriously to her earlier and thought they’d make for a more upbeat subject change. “So Cain, I’ve received these flowers earlier and I think they’re quite lovely. I mean gosh a girl has to literally be in a hospital bed to get a bouquet of flowers these days!” She joked with a giggle. “Minmei thinks they’re from a secret admirer. I told her, ‘yeah right, I thought the guys would stop admiring me when I took this load off my chest!” She joked again. After her laughter subsided she took a more thoughtful tone, “But seriously, it would be nice if they were from someone nice that showed interest in me. Someone nice in the middle of so much trouble.” She started at the flowers as if lost in thought.

Minmei Mindori

Kyle ordered a whiskey and waited with Minmei, whom discussed Benjlakk and possibly marrying politician. The thought of her settling down made him laugh and give her a playful punch. "You're not going to go back in your shell once he expresses interest in you, are you?" Calming down a bit and letting go of his mischievous grin, he added, "Seriously, though, you first need to work on not being so shy once it is clear a guy likes you." His face solemn, now, he spoke some more. "Of course, none of that will matter if Benjlakk wins this war."

Minmei rolled her eyes playfully, “I guess. Funny thing is that he doesn’t make me feel nervous, even when I’d imagine him being interested in me. I don’t know why that is.” Minmei replied.

His whisky now in his hand, he took a sip before saying, "Prime Minister Lopez was an idiot to have challenged the Benjlakki Republic at all, and I'm not saying this to be unpatriotic. There's a reason no other country in this day and age would have dared consider it: all that have attacked or threatened our new enemies in the millennia-long history of Benjlakk's existence lost their sovereignty, with the Benjlakki Armed Forces killing off both military and government. Granted, President Anderson promised to pull away from that dark reputation should war be upon them, which it is, but I doubt he can prevent history from repeating itself. He may end up giving in to the pressure, in the end, should we lose. If that were to be the case, neither you, me, nor that politician your mother introduced you to would live through being hunted down and shot. The civilians will be fine, it is the government and military personnel that would not survive under such a scenario. That is how serious this war is, right now. It's not like any war we fought before; our sovereignty is at stake, now. It matters not whether we grab even a mile of Fertaninn away from the Benjlakki Republic, at this point. If we lose and Howard Anderson fails to uphold his promise that he made upon election into Benjlakk's presidential office, Metargo will fall due to a lust for revenge on our enemy's part. Nothing else matters."

Turning his head sideways in sadness, he added with another sip, "It's just as the King himself said before we left to fight: we may have 'bitten off more than we can chew'. Regardless, we must continue what we started and hopefully hold out long enough that negotiations may begin. We have the offensive now, but once about a fifth of our population starts complaining about a lack of food from the imports we were receiving from Benjlakk, we will be vulnerable to retaliation. We're in a race against time, right now. We've got to beat the crisis before it beats us. It's the only way we can hope to keep our own nation independent, unless Anderson pulls it off and Benjlakk offers to negotiate a treaty, for the first time."

Minmei sighed, “It seems thing keep getting darker and darker. The Benjlakk sure seem merciless considering how you describe the possible outcome should we lose. So it sounds like either we leave them alone or conquer them, or they defeat us and subjugate us. Now they don’t seem as innocent as some like to paint them in that light. But I’ve heard and said enough about the enemy. Let’s talk about you. Any personal stake you’ve got in this war?”


Karen Lunaria

The queen smiled as she began to speak to Jin. He gave a slight bow and Introduced himself as Jin-Giro

“I am horrible with the military ranking system, please forgive me. May I call you Jin?” The queen asked politely.

"Why of course ma'am" Jin said slightly shocked at her politeness and sincerity.

She then continued, “My husband and I, as well as Admiral Preston have been monitoring your progress for some time now, and we thought to ask of your help in a greater capacity. You’re of a brilliant tactical mind it seems and I wanted to ask if you would receive the bestowing of the Tactician’s rank for the Metargo Fleets." a look of surprise took over Jin's face.

while Jin was still in disbelief Karen continued "Admiral Preston said he could use the assistance form someone such as yourself and you were the perfect choice for recommendation. I agreed and so does Saul. Will you accept my offer Sir Jin?” she asked with her dainty voice.

"I'd be honored" he announced with the look of shock still labeled on his face. "So will I be staying onboard the Titan and operating out the command room here? Jin asked hopefully

"Indeed, you shall. You should be allowed to move about freely as you see fit. You will need to be present at board meetings and even some parliament discussion that involve Metargo military movements. I am most glad that you’ve accepted the offer. This is an official document of promotion. My husband and I drafted it up in advance in the event that you’d take the position.” Karen handed Jin the beautifully decorated envelope with the royal seal stamped on it. “I an official will help you get settled and briefed. Thank you once again Sir Jin! I must be off now. We shall see each other soon.” Karen said with a smiled and a gentle nod and gracefully proceeded down the hallway.

(OOC: MrGr1nch you can write for the officials that help Jin get settled as you see fit.)

Zechariah heard Viola make that assumption about wanting to 'mate' with Viki and could not help but be infuriated by such an implied accusation. He wanted to punch the android hard, but he refrained from doing so. He shouted to Viola, "Idiot! I'm not interested in sex! Don't go making such assumptions without getting to know me, first! On top of that, she's got to be stressed out, as it is, without fretting over something like that!"

Benjamin joined in with, "That's right! My brother never was the kind of guy that was lustful! What kind of scanner are you using, anyway!?"

----

Kyle's grip on the glass of whisky tightened at the query of what he had to lose. "Just my life. All else was taken from me, a couple or so years ago, by a meltdown." Pulling out a photo of him and his family, he showed it to Minmei. "Yep. That's me when I had brown hair. I didn't choose to have it colored light gray, it happened after the explosion. My parents died instantly, and my little sister received a fatal illness from that same meltdown, an illness I could not pay the treatment for in time." A tear came down as he spoke. "So, you see, I have no family or anything. All I have, aside from this photo, are my life, my knife, and a deck of playing cards. No nice home to go to, no major possessions, nothing to really look forward to. The only reason I am in the military is to live away from street life. Were my sister alive, today, she'd be in her second year of high school. She was extremely compassionate. You'd be surprised how far she would have gone for a stranger, no matter where they came from. And, she had a way of getting people to smile during hardships."

Aaron shook his head. "No. Some of us died." After a bit, he and Cain were summoned to the conference room.

--

Chemda seemed to not stay unconscious long from Aaron's kick, since she was able to hear Scoar ask if she wanted some water. It seemed the Prince understood her language. Slowly getting up off the floor, she nodded slowly, but then asked, "But, first, where's my sister? Is she okay? Her name is Adira." Turning her head, sideways, she told the Prince, "As for those... impulses... well, my twin and I kind of found out about those when some stalkers ambushed us after a high school gymnastics event we participated in. From the look those boys gave as they eyed us, well, you can guess what was coming up. We didn't let them, though, and that's where those impulses came in. Fighting skills we didn't think we had just suddenly came, and we nearly killed one of those guys because of those sudden impulses. I just can't explain it. We knew we were different in physical qualities from our peers, but to actually have a sort of killing instinct... it... it was a scary thing to think about after that incident. I don't know why it is there, but once it's triggered, usually when danger is near, it's hard to control it without major pain to the head... as this Cain guy witnessed. I'm just glad nobody was hurt by me, this time."

--

Zechariah now felt guilty for his outburst. That was the thing about Zech: he can be sweet and kind, but can also overreact. Still, Viola could have worded it differently. He made a mental note to apologize for his rude behavior, later. Benjamin, however, did not regret his choice of words. Both brothers glared at Axl as he spoke to both Viki and Zechariah. As Axl left with Viola, Zechariah continued to glare. "I swear, if Axl makes one move against Viki, I will personally shoot him to ashes!"

Ben whispered to Viki with, "This is the first time I've seen Zechariah express any form of malice. He must really be ticked by what Axl said to you."

Zechariah then realized they were still in Sandra's presence. "We better listen to what Rear Admiral Lionel has to say, so, we should stand at attention, again."

--

Kyle heard the call for all available Lion Team members to head tot he conference room. "We better continue this later. No point in bringing a whisky to that place." He quickly poured the contents of his glass into a nearby sink and sprinted to make it in time, the rest of Lion Team there to see the playback of the battle.

Sure, many of the remaining Lions were angry, but none showed it more than Aaron. After all, this was the first time he was ever bested in battle. He wanted to prove himself the best, he wanted to uphold his family legacy. To do that, he needed to get rid of the one obstacle in his way: Zechariah Malachi.

Once it was time for explanations, Aaron spoke up first, a deep fervor about him. "While it is true that arrogance and disorganization were part of the reason, one cannot deny Benjlakk planned in advance for repelling our attack! The King himself was not mistaken in telling us we'd be facing a foe unlike any other! As for Captain Ire's death, I know for a fact that in prime condition, she would never have fallen so easily! Have you all forgotten the Second Metargo-Mysticaran War!? Not even a Golem manned by an elf could defeat her so quickly! Could one, men?"

The members of Lion Team that were actually veterans of the Second Metargo-Mysticaran War shouted in unison, "No!"

From there, Aaron continued, his voice expressing more rage, "Damn right, 'No'!" Obviously, something happened which hindered her abilities while in her mech, and I guarantee it occurred during and after the confrontation between the Titan and the enemy flagship called the Seraphim! Furthermore, we have been plagued by inexperienced men in the Royal Navy, especially from among the so-called 'elite' that get it in their heads that because they are 'privileged', they can start out a couple ranks above the rest of us and not face the consequences! Had that not been the scenario, we would have had even more men of experience, thus Benjlakk would not have had it so easy! Bibi, our mechanic, is a shining example of someone from among the nobility who chose not to take such an erroneous route, but instead started from the bottom up in the ranks! And now, look at her: her skills and mechanical expertise have proven to be the lifeblood of our success in our war with Mysticara time and time again, which was before our conflict with Benjlakk we are facing!"

Lion Team gave the customary Metargo war chant of, "Struf ul Gluj! Struf ul Gluj!" ((It is an ancient Metargo phrase meaning, "Strength and Glory! Strength and Glory!"))

Aaron was now as fired up as he could be in his speech. "What's more, is that today, we, Lion Team, have faced rookies from Among Brown Wing Team, all of whom surpassed our expectations, especially one! When their sergeant died, as was shown to us, one[/I[ of the pilots within Brown Wing Team kept them together, resulting in the sonic missile barrage which forced us to confront them!" Playing back the face off Aaron had with the pilot he spoke of, he continued, "See for yourself, men, the maneuvers and technique of the man in question! There is only [I]one Benjlakki lineage's legacy that could ever hope to match that of Metargo's own Lextu lineage! Only a member of the legendary Malachi family could have pulled this off! Mech unit warfare may have only been around for seventy years out of the millennia-long history of the Malachis and Lextus, yet the reality stands! It has been confirmed when the man named Zechariah Malachi, whose emergence into the continuation of his family's legacy is shown here, in his first ever battle! Men! We are facing an enemy with the means to humiliate us, yet we must show them Metargo's resolve and prevent that from happening! To victory!"

Lion Team once again shouted in unison, "Struf ul gluj! Struf ul gluj!"

Azaka Oikawa and Zane Preston

As the two sat at the restaurant located in the Titan Ship, they conversed in a slightly flirty manner. They were enjoying spending time together without talks of war. Azaka always gained attention wherever he went, due to his celebrity status. People stared and tried not to get caught taking photographs of the two. Out of nowhere appeared a few of the Metargo operators who stood gossipy and starry eyed at Zane and Azaka. “It’s the Zanaka couple!!!” The three girls shouted as they ran over.

Before the group could reach the couple, Zane smirked at Azaka, “Well there goes our peaceful moment. Thanks superstar Azaka.” Zane said sarcastically.

“Oh hush. You’re just as popular with giggling girls and boys as I am. They probably want your autograph just as badly as they’d want mine.” Azaka said after rolling his eyes.

The three young ladies had reached the couple and began to talk a mile a minute. “Hi there Adimral Zane! OOPs! I meant Admiral Preston!! Oh…I’m such a ditz!! Sorry…” One of the girls said apologetically.

“It’s alright, you can call me Zane. But just this once okay. I wouldn’t want everyone around base forgetting that I’m their superior officer.” Zane replied with a flirty wink. Azaka simply snickered to himself. He knew Zane couldn’t help himself but to flirt with anyone.

The girls grew even more excited by Zane’s reply. The other people in the restaurant were becoming annoyed. “And Azaka your songs were awesome!! As usual! We almost forgot to work when Operation Azaka started! I felt like I was at your Banana Moon of Love holoconcert all over again!!” The Green haired squealed.

“BUT of Course we did our JOBS!! Right Popako??!!!” The red headed girl said forcefully as she hit the Green Haired girl in the arm for almost getting them in trouble.

Azaka smiled nervously. “Thanks a million girls. I’m glad you enjoyed the Sonic Cannon concert but It’s really supposed to Distract the enemy units not our own operators and pilots…” Azaka replied as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

Zane stared at Azaka rather plainly, “Perhaps we should discontinue Operation Azaka, seeing as that it could very well be more of a hindrance than a help.” Zane said joking in a serious tone. Azaka knew Zane very well and could tell when Zane was trying to get under someone’s skin.

“That’s not funny Zane…” Azaka said as he turned as way in a huff. Clearly he was upset.

“Lighten up songbird… I was only kidding with you.” Zane said in a smooth yet sincere tone.

The girls looked on and their faces blushed excitedly. “OOOHHH…. GIRLS I THINKE WE’RE WITNESSING A ZANAKA LOVE QUARRELL!! AHHH…” They bounced around. “You two make the cutest couple ya know!”

Both Zane and Azaka looked at them surprised. “Um, we do?” they both said innocently.

“Of course!! I’ve even seen guys that are jealous.” The green haired girl said.

“C-can we have your autographs? Pretty please Admiral Preston, Mr. Oikawa?” The more quiet blue haired girl asked shyly.

“Sure, what’re your names?” Azaka replied with a soft smile. He took the photo’s they had and signed them as they told the couple their names.

“I’m Popako.” The green haired girl spoke.

“I’m Matsuko.” The red haired girl said in a charged manner.

“And I’m Aiko. Thanks so much for your time. Sorry to have disturbed you two.” The polite blue haired girl said as she blushed.

After Zane signed the photos he replied, “It was our pleasure to spend these moments with you lovely ladies. Be sure to catch Azaka’s mini performance tonight at 7:00. You know to boost troop morale. He says he’s planned a lament for Captain Ire as well.”

“Yes please come.” Azaka added.

“OF COURSE WE’LL BE THERE!!” The three girls said in unison. Shortly afterwards the three girls scurried off.

Zane took another sip of wine and said casually, “If only more people learned to appreciate and get excited about the little things. They wouldn’t feel the need to subjugate other countries when there is plenty at their own fingertips.”

“The little but precious things, like love.” Azaka added. The two leaned in closely for a kiss however right before they could the blue haired operator returned.

“Umm… excuse me Admiral sir. I’m so sorry to have interrupted you two again. But I forgot to give you a message. The new tactician has ordered a meeting with the lion team to discuss today’s battle. Well then, I shall be going now sir.” With that the young lady tipped away.

“Well I guess love will have to wait no, won’t it. I guess I gotta go songbird.” Zane said as he stood from his seat. “Check please.” He called to the waiter.

“I may not be a soldier or a member of the Lion Team but I want to sit in on the meeting. I am a consultant to the military and I participated in the battles as the operator of the Sonic Cannon. Strategy is as important for me as it is for you all. Please Zane, let me come.” Azaka said as he stood to his feet as well.

“Alright Songbird, no need to present a court case to me. I’m always on your side. However I’m not so sure what the other guys will say. Their pride has already taken a beating today so they’re quite a touchy lot. Come on let’s go.” Zane replied with a reassuring smile.

As the meeting started and Aaron gave his remarks some of the Lion Team members momentarily shot glances at Azaka for being present in the meeting though he was not a member of the Lion Team nor the military. However he was a big participant in the recent battles thus it was grounds for him to sit in on them, though the pride of the soldiers ran thick and Azaka was sometimes unwelcomed by the prideful soldiers.

Zane stepped forward, “I take full responsibility for what happened today. I also take responsibility for Captain Irie’s death. That is on my head and the blood is on my hands. I was too comfortable in thinking that I could be more hands off in this battle. In my experience even a lackluster soldier can shine brightly under the proper guidance and leadership. I failed to step up to the plate and for that I am terribly sorry. I promise you all that THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.” Zane said in a serious tone.

Azaka grabbed Zane’s hand, “Zane you can’t take such blame upon yourself. It’s not fair.” Azaka said withconcern.

“Azaka, the day I start blaming my soldiers for my mistakes is the day I should quit lest I never look myself in the eyes again.” Zane replied in a deathly serious tone. He was bitterly upset by today’s events.

Viki Lunaria Metargo


Zechariah's eyes widened in shock. "Princess?" Taking off his pilot's helmet to reveal his dirty blonde hair and tanned faced with blue eyes, he turned his attention to Viki, "Y-your the Princess of Metargo?"

“Why yes I am. I guess I didn’t mention my last name. Oh right! Sir Hansel always tells me in case I teleport away in a situation like this that I should refrain from telling my last name. That way people who don’t recognize me will not hold me for ransom or something.” Viki replied in a chipper tone. She found his fussiness to be quite amusing.

Viki wasn’t too thrilled when Zechariah said he’d be taking her to his base. She was technically a prisoner to the enemy. However she wasn’t very worried. Viki knew that as soon as she ate enough food and gained enough strength, she could simply teleport home with ease. There was very little anyone could do to contain her. She quite surprise however to find that everyone was treating very nicely.

An android walked forth before others and stood in front of the princess, she stood tall at 6'2 foot, having to look down on the princess. ''Your vitals are nominal. Welcome to the Seraphim.'' She looked to Zecharich for a moment with a glare before looking back to the princess. ''Stay away from Zechariah. He is showing signs of wishing to mate with you.'' She next put her hand out. ''Greetings, I am Viola Jenova. I am the first bio mechanical android of Bennjakk. I specialize in computer interfaces, hacking, locating and hand to hand combat.'' She then actually smiled with warmth that didn't belong to a mere machine. ''But that is only the basics. I do not wish to bore you.''

Viki shook the android’s hand with a warm smile. “Why hello there! It’s a pleasure to meet such an interesting android.” Viki then glanced back at Zechariah. “He wants to mate with me??? Oh dear I’m not ready for such activities… We’ve only just met after all and I am not a woman of those morals.” Viki said as she placed her hand over her heart.

Zechariah heard Viola make that assumption about wanting to 'mate' with Viki and he shouted to Viola, "Idiot! I'm not interested in sex! Don't go making such assumptions without getting to know me, first! On top of that, she's got to be stressed out, as it is, without fretting over something like that!"

Benjamin joined in with, "That's right! My brother never was the kind of guy that was lustful! What kind of scanner are you using, anyway!?"

Viki said quietly, “Oh well that’s good to know. For a second there I almost thought I teleported into the craft of a predator… Glad to know you’re a good boy.” Viki said with an innocent smile.

Another young man entered the room and did a lot of glaring at Viki. He calmed Vika down. Before leaving he turned to the princess and smile. It was an evil smile a predator gives to their prey before hunting them down. "Princess. I advise you go home. I don't know how long I can control myself. Since your family was good to us as children, I'll let it slide this time, but don't forget. Even if these people here treat you nicely, or even like a livable prisoner, as long as your near me your life is in danger. You are Metargo after all." He started to walk away and then stopped, chuckling to himself. "Oh and Zechariah. You might want to watch your hormones. Hahahaa." Giving his tease, he walked away from the seen, putting his hands in his pockets.

Viki followed him out with her eyes. She stood pondering on his words. “Golly is he dark or what. However he does have a point there. I should be getting home. Sir Hansel must be really worried. I’d hate to cause trouble for everyone.”

Zechariah continued to glare. "I swear, if Axl makes one move against Viki, I will personally shoot him to ashes!"

Ben whispered to Viki with, "This is the first time I've seen Zechariah express any form of malice. He must really be ticked by what Axl said to you."

Viki looked puzzled, “Oh? Mr. Zechariah is so concerned about me? I barely met him. Wow he’s a sweet heart! Is he this caring about all girls?” Viki replied innocently. “Oh also I am still REALLY hungry… I’ve had an extremely long day. I had to address the Kingdom today… you don’t know how hard that is. Then I rescued a stranded medical shuttle and a very pretty noble woman named Amelia. She was very sweet. Then I got abducted… wow today was quite eventful indeed!” Viki gave an astonished smile.

Barnett Belvedere

Barnett was shocked that Cain was the sender of the flowers. She couldn’t help but smile very brightly. Cain’s shyness only made him further attractive to her. She had never seen him act in such a way. She wanted to tell him that it was alright but she couldn’t stop giggling to speak. She was most relieved that her mystery man was one that she very much liked.

Soon afterward the young woman awoke and she explained who she was. She was simply a teenager really. A girl that was a mystery to herself in a dangerous situation. Barnett began to feel sorry for the Benjlakki girl. “Poor dear. I hope they don’t treat her ruff. I don’t even care that she’s an enemy. I just want her to get home safe and sound.” She said softly.

Minmei Midori

Minmei listened to Kyle’s story. She realized that he was very different from some of the other soldiers she met. He had been through a lot in his life. He had to leave to attend the Lion Team conference. Minmei replied to Kyle, “I see you’ve gotta go. I’m not a member of the Lion Team so I guess I’m sparred the lashing you guys are probably gonna get. But I’m sure my superior will fuss at us operators as well. Good luck.” she took another sip from her Cosmo as Kyle left.

Chemda was about to answer when Scoar turned his attention to Barnett. From what the Benjlakki girl could gather, the conversation concerned Barnett and a man named Cain, possibly the person before that was in the room when she first woke up. Then, of course, Scoar left once Cain arrived at the door. What was going on?

---

Zechariah remained at attention as the rest of Brown Wing Team present left the Seraphim's briefing room. He could barely believe he was promoted by more than one rank, let alone to Sergeant and leader of Brown Wing Team. Of course, he kept calm about it. Inwardly, he felt bad for Viki having to go through what she was going through. "Yes, Admiral?"

---

Benjamin left the room having mixed feelings. The first emotion was envy that he was once again outperformed by his younger brother, and now even outranked by him. The other was Ben secretly congratulating him on his promotion. I guess me being corporal with Zech as Sergeant is not so bad. Remembering what happened before the promotion, Benjamin contacted Viola via commlink and told her, "Hey, Viola? Zech and I did not mean to react so hostilely, okay? For future reference, while hormones can tell when somebody is attracted to someone, it does not always equate to wanting to have sex. In Zechariah's case, he is abstinent. Oh, and one more thing: can you please stop acting like anyone owns you? You are a person, after all. On top of that, you outrank most guys and gals within Brown Wing Team. The only two you don't are Cecilia, a Ranged Specialist whom is at the same level of authority as you, and our new Sergeant, Zechariah, whom will lead Brown Wing Team from here on out." With that, Benjamin hung up and walked along the hallways.

It was not long before Ben spotted a man whom seemed to be a test pilot of sorts. Having nothing else to do, he walked up to him with, "Hey, there. You got time?"

---

Kyle went out the door Jin held open after May exited, followed by George. The last person to leave the before Jin was Aaron, whom felt convinced he would win the mock duel in the hanger. There, Sergeant Lextu waited, hands at the hilts of his swords.

---

Saul shrugged at Karen's suggestion. "I suppose a temporary distraction would do some good."

Julius was half-tempted to head over to the med bay to see if Sailor-Multi was there, but that would not be great for his service record, so the little bot decided against that and remained by Karen's side. Julius knew it has been a rough day for everyone. Thankfully for him, Multi was okay.

During the conversation between the two monarchs, people within the hanger hollered to anyone nearby that some sort of mock duel was about to take place, which was heard by Saul, "I shall see what is going on, my love." What he saw was Aaron and Jin getting ready for a sword fight. He wondered if it was something Jin planned in order to discipline Sergeant Lextu.

He could not evaluate any further before Scoar called and mentioned Axl, requesting a mech. Saul nodded before saying, "Near Shadow Complete should be complete within a month and a half, if not more. In the meantime, there is a Mycenaean I had Bibi customize beforehand to suit your fighting style. It also has the royal seal on the front of its torso."[/color]

---

Aaron waited with a smirk. Once Jin came and the wooden sword racks were set, Sergeant Lextu pulled out his set of wooden swords and twirled them for a moment before getting into an aggressive fighting stance. "I'm going to enjoy making you think twice before challenging me. You honestly think you are a match for a Lextu?"

He then charged forward for momentum before leaping upwards for an attempted downward slash. From there, he commenced with a flurry of slashes, albeit not with full force due to his cockiness getting the better of him.

---

Kyle, meanwhile, went back to the bar and ordered himself a strawberry daiquiri, paying for it before sitting down somewhere. Minmei was nearby, yet he did not see her. He figured she had gone somewhere else, by now.

---

The Titan had finally docked, giving Adira the opportunity she waited for. Still in disguise, she used the card she pickpocketed to unlock the nearest door, which happened to be one of several to the hanger. Most everyone present was busy spectating some sort of duel, meaning few would notice her heading elsewhere. She used that fact to her advantage as she walked deeper into the ship for her sister. First, she tried accessing the laboratory with her card, yet its door did not open. It would seem certain security cards could only open specific doors. Clever, and typical.

One of the lab staff came near, so Adira hid around the corner and waited until the door was open. Once it was, she wasted no time in walking inside behind the man, muffled him until he went unconscious, then took the card from him. She next inserted it into the laboratory database prior to typing in the command to see the day's records. Among them was the impending analysis of the blood of a Benjlakki soldier that was captured and currently held at sick bay. No doubts about it! Chemda is on this ship! She attempted to delete the data, yet ended up unsuccessful because of a lack of authorization to do so.

Using her scanning shades, Adira noticed a nurse was headed her way in the distance. She could not afford to be caught where she was, therefore she searched the immediate area of the room she was in for some sort of ventilation, opened the shaft, and resealed it right on time. Using the map she saw along the way to the lab, she snuck her way towards where the ventilation led to the sick bay, making sure her steps were not heard. Before she knew it, Adira saw her twin, feeling relieved she was all right. Her relief turned to worry and agitation once she caught a glimpse of the pilot from earlier, getting out of sight before she could be spotted. ****! So long as that guy is anywhere near her, I can't do a **** thing!

---

During the duel, George spectated part of it before Emesto suddenly attempted to regain control over his body, just as he attempted it when the battle went on, earlier . George mumbled, "My head... are those memories I am thinking about? They couldn't be mine..." George then saw Emesto's memories of spending time with a red-haired girl named Catrina. What felt odd was, the entire dialogue of each of such memories was entirely in Benjlakki. "Get... out... of my... head..."

It was not yours, to begin with, said a voice within the brain. Where are we? What is going on?

"Shut... up...

Sir Eric Hansel and Lady Amelia Cross

After princess Viki’s vanishing Sir Hansel gave an exhausted sigh. Sitting in the pilot’s seat he quickly entered the coordinates for the Titan into the shuttles guidance system. He then walked over to a mini ship hatch prepped it for launching. All the while lady Amelia stood with her hands placed over her mouth in shock of what just happened. “Where in the world did she go? Oh dear Sir Hansel whatever shall we do?” Amelia said in bewildered tone.

“Where indeed Lady Cross. Don’t you worry, I shall find the princess. She does this often. Always by accident of course. I have a way of finding her pretty reliably.” Sir Hansel replied.

“Oh I do hope she’ll be alright. What must we do to locate her? Supplies on this ship for the wounded are limited. I must accompany these soldiers to a proper medical facility soon. However I would like to see to it that the princess is not in any danger.” Amelia replied.

“It’s quite alright Lady Cross. I have set the coordinates for this vessel to take you and the others to the Titan. I shall use the secondary ship to find the princess. I will contact the King when I find out more information or Viki herself. So if I may ask that you please not inform anyone of the princess’ disappearance?” Sir Hansel asked politely. He was always the gentleman.

“You have my word Sir Hansel. Do take care and please send word to me if you are in need of any assistance at all. This is my personal number. I can be of help if you need, trust me.” Amelia replied with a warm smile. She was indeed a very useful person to have in your company, even in times of danger, Amelia could hold her own to a certain degree.

Moments later Sir Hansel took off in the secondary shuttle and began to utilize his locator for Viki. The readings were quite shocking. The teleportation trail lead to an area that was not long ago occupied by enemy ships. It was now that Hansel knew where Viki teleported to. The princess was onboard a Benjlakki ship. Hethen began to track the residual heat signature of the vessal Viki teleported into. He had a trail and a match. Not it was a matter of following the trail and rescuing Viki. “I suppose I shall see a little action today. They had better not have wronged that dear young lady in any way. If I’m not careful I’ll start another international incident.” Sir Hansel said to himself. He set off to find the princess.


Amelia Cross

Amelia had arrived at the Titan and immediately made sure all that were on the shuttle were transported safely to the medical ward and properly treated. Aftera few hours she saw to it that everyone was settled. The other doctors and nurse were concerned about Amelia. She had been working so hard, it was easy to forget that she wasn’t a volunteer and mistake her for the head doctor. She was just as knowledgeable as the head doctor in fact. The two often collaborated on treatment ideas.

The other nurses, after a while, refused to allow Amelia to see to another patient. “Go get soe rest Lady Amelia! We mean it! You’ll be in a hospital bed yourself if you don’t mind your rest and be careful. Call it a day milady.” One of the nurses said.

“Alright, I will do as I’m told. I promise. But I will be back first thing in the morning tomorrow. Is that alright?” Amelia said with a smile.

“We wouldn’t have it any other way Milady.” The nurse replied with a motherly smile. “Alright, off with you now.”

Amelia gave a polite curtsey and left the med bay. She went to get a bite to eat and gave her brother a call. She figured he could help keep Viki’s disappearance under wraps from the official s back in Metargo. That way Sir Hansel had more time to rescue the princess. Percival agreed and was able to concoct a plan to serve the purpose. He soon made an announcement that the Princess would be going on a holiday to visit a relative. She would be back in a few days. This way no one would question the whereabouts of the princess.

Amelia, ended the call and eat her meal quietly. She was glad to have the warm meal and a glass of orange juice. She loved orange juice. It was much to her relief that she was able to inform her family that she was alright. The family was so grateful to the princess who rescued Amelia and the others on the med shuttle. After finishing her meal, Amelia headed to her quarters to get a nights rest. She wasn’t planning on attending the concert as she had had enough excitement for one day. However she soon received a urgent call from the nurse at the medical ward.
“Lady Cross I am so very sorry to disturb your rest but we have a serious emergency that we need your help with! There was an intruder onboard the Titan and she attacked two of the pilots and fled. She severed their hands milady!! The doctor is in the middle of performing a surgery and he can’t stop at this point or it’ll be fatal! You’ve the most knowledge next to him Lady Cross, Please help these poor young men!” The nurse pleaded.

“Yes indeed! I Shan’t waste another moment. I’ll please prep the cybernetics unit as swiftly as you can!” Amelia rushed over to the medical ward and there was chaos. The two men were in severe pain. Amelia arrived and found a quick solution to stop the bleeding and began to prep the anesthesia. She leaned over Kyle, “It’s going to be alright, sir. I shall have to put you to sleep alright. Everything will be okay, I promise you.” Amelia said before the anesthesia ha d begun to work. Her gentle smile was reassuring and calming. Once the two men were asleep she began to have them moved for the operation. If all went as she had planned, the two would wake up with cybernetic hands to replace their lost ones.


Barnett Belvedere

Barnett was shocked at the sudden attacker’s entrance into the room. She was looking a sword pointed at her face. Barnett kept a small pistol under her pillow just in case she needed to protect herself. Minmei had told her she was crazy for it but Barnett was always under the impression that something like what was happening could occur. During times of war no one could be too careful. Today was just another example of that. As the girl made her escape from the room, Barnett drew the gun and fired shots at her. She felt bad for firing at the young lady’s twin but war was war. Barnett knew that it was a kill or be killed situation.

After the girls left the room, Barnett lowered her weapon and exhaled deeply. “OH MY GOD… I knew it. I said her twin sister would be worried sick about her. So sick she went ballistic crazy and busted her out of here, a HIGHLY FORTIFIED ENEMY WAR SHIP. I need a shot of something strong… “ She said as she slumped down in bed. She then heard the moans, groans, and shouts of agony belonging to the wounded Kyle and Aaron. “What happened out there?! Who did she hurt?!” Barnett asked frantically. A few moments later Lady Amelia Cross arrived with the rest othe the medical unit and transported Kyle and Aaron to surgery. Barnett clasped her hands together in prayer, “Heaven help them, please.”

((Tagging at least on of each person's characters to let people know we are still up and running. So, If I do not mention some of the characters tagged, that is why.))

Now that the Shapiro twins were away from Metargo territory, Adira changed course for the islands nearest the Gatwashiim Peninsula. Chemda noticed that change of course on the digital map and asked, "Um... Adira? Why are we not headed for the Seraphim?"

"There is something I need to show you."

They landed next to an abandoned buildings, the surrounding area showing signs of combat, yet nothing from the current war. There were vines, moss, and all sorts of other things from nature covering the weapons and mech parts. The craters had been filled with water from rain over the years, resulting in ponds filled with sediments. The building itself was largely intact.

The twins entered the building to notice from familiar things about it. Files scattered about, laboratory materials on the shelves of rooms, even the screens on the walls. Their memories were returning, however slowly. Adira already knew, but Chemda only now realized this was the laboratory they came out of with their parents when merely little girls.

Once they made it to the safe, Adira began using her handprints and eyes for the scanning to unlock it. As she did so, she explained. "Chemda, this safe contains information on the project we were a part of, the reason for our heavily advanced capabilities. From what I could gather, we were genetically modified so to defeat a group of other genetically enhanced people from Metargo. Our encounter with that one opponent before you were captured confirms this. What I am wondering is, who first sponsored and came up with this 'Project Ghost' that we were to face off against when we were old enough, and why was such a thing happening, to begin with? Both the Benjlakki and Metargo governments deemed it illegal to experiment on humans. I was not about to let you be used as a guinea pig on the off chance someone on board that ship had plans for that. Once we obtain the documents, we are destroying this facility so the enemy does not get its hands on the scientific gear inside the building."

Chemda tilted her head. "How will we do that?"

"There is an armory nearby. We will use the explosives inside to blow the facility up. what is left will be destroyed by your Eagle, which I connected to via my customized comm device so to set it to autopilot to make it here." The safe finally opened, allowing Adira to grab the files in there. "The reason the safe was untouched is because the systems rigged it so any forced opening would result in an explosion. We will need these papers so to conduct our own investigation into this 'Project Ghost'. We can trust neither the Benjlakki Armed Forces, nor the Metargo Royal Military." Now that the files were obtained, Adira motioned for Chemda to come. Okay! Let's go!"

The twins sprinted towards the armory, where Adira used the card key she swiped from the desk of her and her sister's father, whom was drunk at the time, the day the twins were drafted. Once in the armory, both Adira and Chemda searched it for explosives and set them wherever the biggest bang could occur in the facility. Adira was the one who set the timer on each, activating them at each location. The Shapiro twins barely had enough time to get out of there and away from the blast radius before the entire facility went up in flames and ashes.

Just then, Chemda spotted something weird: one of Adira's pockets had something in there. Nothing was there, before, so it struck her as odd. "Adira, what's in your right pocket?"

"What do you mean? Nothing should be in there." After reaching in it, she pulled out the locating watch Jin had placed in the pocket without her notice. "Damn! We've been tracked! She threw it in the air and sliced it to bits with her swords out of frustration. "Get in your Eagle, now!"

Chemda did as she was told and enter the cockpit of the Eagle that had just landed. Both twins, in he cockpits of their eagles, launched into the air and switched their mechs to humanoid mode, Adira's holding twin blades while Chemda's was equipped with two beam rifles, one in each hand. Chemda got behind Adira and both waited in the air for their attackers to arrive.

Adira contacted her sister via radio with, "Chemda, I'll draw the enemy away from you so you can pick them off from a distance."

"Right!"

Lady Amelia and Percival Cross

Amelia listened intently on Ernesto and Bibi’s words. If Prime Minister Lopez was behind some conspiracy it could mean that Percival was possibly in danger. Amelia had great faith that her brother was not involved in such a conspiracy, Percival would never do intentionally do anything to bring harm to the nation of Metargo, he loved it too much. Amelia needed to warn Percival to watch the Prime Minister closely. “If you two will excuse me, I must return to my quarters. I shall inform my brother, Minister Cross, of the matter. Perhaps he can look into things closely regarding Minister Lopez.” After a moment, Amelia returned to her room.

Once in her room, Amelia conference called Percival. Percival had answered while in route to the Titan. “Hello my dear sister! I missed you, why haven’t you called me sooner? You must have been quite busy working.” Percival greeted Amelia.

“Hello Percival. I know it has felt like a lifetime. My apologies for my lack of communication, I have been away quite a bit lately. The last battle called for every medic at the military’s disposal.” Amelia explained, a bright and excited smile embroidered on her face.

“It must be frightfully taxing on you. I hope you are well, you look sensational nonetheless.” Percival replied. He was so proud of Amelia.

“It is grueling and difficult, but so rewarding. The soldiers have such an inspiring spirit about them. Being able to lend them a hand makes it all worthwhile. If I may divert to another matter, there is another reason why I called.” Amelia explain the situation regarding the Prime Minister and a possible conspiracy afoot.

“Perhaps this is not a coincidence that I am on my way to the Titan as we speak. I shall be there in the morning. Amelia, the King has asked me to look into the fled prisoner incident in connection to Project Ghost and the Exorcist Projects. Thanks to this new information I have further evidence to support my search. Please keep an eye on this Ernesto gentleman. It would be necessary to perform a complete and thorough physical on him. Since he personally doesn’t remember, we’ll have to hope his physiology sheds more light on the subject. However, please do be careful to treat it as if he is under no suspicion. It is possible that he could be a sleeper cell for the conspirator. I don’t want you or anyone else harmed, and we definitely don’twant a repeat of recent events.” Percival instructed.

“Indeed. I shall treat the situation most delicately. I eagerly await your arrival. I love you Percival.” Amelia replied tenderly to her brother.

“I can’t arrive there fast enough. I love you too Amelia. Rest well and I shall see you in the morning.” Percival replied. The two soon ended their call. Amelia prepared to rest for the night.

Viki Lunaria Metargo and Sir Eric Hansel

When Zechariah explained about Karl Lopez Viki remembered the young man that he had spoken of. In fact she had met him once before. He was indeed nice person. Viki smiled and listened however before she could reply Torii flew about to gain their attention. Asthey ran down the street they found a serious situation. Zechariah overheard as group of soldiers discussing their plans for an attack on the Metargo Southern Military Academy at a small town called Disclesca, including the use of a nuclear cannon in retaliation for Metargo's appliance of one. From what could be gathered, another squadron was already preparing to launch in this illegal operation.

The blond young man's eyes widened in shock. "Are they insane!? Not only are they breaking military law by resorting to nuclear weaponry, they are going to destroy a whole town with it! We have to stop them! We'll let Naval Security at the docks know about this so that can take care of these guys!"

It was too late: a sentry was in place for the rogues, whom shouted from above, "We have intruders! Take positions!"

Viki gasped when the soldiers attempted to attack. “I had better materialize my Wow Wand here. It seems like they’re serious…” She said under her breath.

Torii flew in front of the sentry to distract him while Zechariah set his plasma pistols to stun and took aim. He open-fired on the first group, knocking a few rogues unconscious before holstering a pistol, taking Viki's hand, then saying, "To the docks! Hurry!"

Viki replied, “Uh Okay,” her voice slightly unsure but she trusted Zechariah a lot.

Torii followed close behind to provide a small shield to block some of the hostile shots as Zech used the one pistol he held to shoot more stun blasts at the pursuers. Each beam hit its mark with precision. He did not stop until he heard a sound in front of him. "Grenade!" He lifted Viki and got her out of the way of the blast right on time, sliding to the grass nearby as the grenade exploded. He helped her up prior to standing in front of her, firing more stun beams at the hostiles with both pistols, now.

Some more were behind them so he told Viki, "Look out!" He shot a couple of the rogues so that he knocked them out, but then he ended up having to look every which way just to keep his guard up while still shooting. "Dang it! We're surrounded!"

Viki looked about every which way. She needed to help out. ‘I don’t think Zechariah quite understood what I meant when I said I can use magic.’ She thought to herself. She stretched her hands out in front of her and a golden yellow light flashed. Her magic staff appeared before her. She grabbed hold of it and held it up toward the sky. She smiled and said “Set!!”



The symbol of the Blinking Rune appeared over the wand and a golden portal appeared over a group of soldiers. From the portal dropped piles of heavy furniture, Pots, pans, and rocks. The group of soldiers were incapacitated and pinned under the mass of heavy objects. The other soldiers looked on confused and terrified. No one quite understood what happened. However some of the others advanced further. With the wave of her wand two of the three were surrounded with a golden light and vanished in thin air. Viki had teleported them away somewhere. However one was left still charging at them, faster than Viki could activate another spell.

In a quick motion Sir Hansel swooped in with the stroke of his sword to the soldier’s gut and delivered a powerful blow. The sword was sheathed so the man was not seriously injured but knocked out. Viki recognized him immediately. “Sir Hansel!!” She exclaimed.

“I am most excited to see you as well my dear princess. However we must focus on the enemy ahead.” He said as he assessed the opposition. A few of the enemies began to fire at them. Hansel, using his sword, swiftly deflected many of the shots with unearthly speed. Hansel motioned toward Zechariah, “Youngman, can you take down a few more of them? We should be able to fight our way out of this mess.”


Minmei Midori

Minmei had rushed over to the infirmary to visit Kyle. She had heard from Popaco what had happened to him. She couldn’t believe such a thing happened. She was glad that Barnett survived the incident unscathed but she felt dreadfully worried for Kyle and Aaron. She burst into the area where Kyle and Aaron were supposed to be resting. “Hey Kyle, Aaron, Oh my god are you two alright?! I knew they shouldn’t have let that girl stay in the same place as the others!! What the hell were they thinking?!” She exclaimed as she entered and saw them. However Minmei was late noticing Scoar. “Oh, your majesty!! I’m so sorry, I’m hyper loud…” Minmei bowed nervously. “Perhaps I should return later…” Minmei said as she began to turn toward the door sheepishly.

Cain nodded as he heard the girls conditions on asking her questions. "Well you're right," he said folding one of the papers into a ball and throwing it into the trash. "It's very unlike me to do this. Scoar keeps making me do things different than what I want. Anyway, since I became acting command, he saw this as a good idea to..... Well I don't know really. Get to know you and allot of other people I guess. Which is true considering that I rarely have conversations with anyone else besides him and now you and most of the time those conversations go in a direction I didn't foresee. You know how it is right? You have the right skills to talk to people and get on their good side, even get along with them, but you don't do it because acting like yourself is better than some fake way you've learned. Nah, never mind, you probably don't get what I'm saying." Cain then remembered another reason why him and Scoar got along so well. In front of each other, neither had to act in a way that was awkward or fake to each other. Somehow Scoar learned to act that way around more people while Cain just hadn't let go.

"Hehe. Look at me. Giving you a whole bunch of answers to questions you didn't even ask. Man it's been a long day." Cain said leaning back in his chair. "So basically the questions are meant to check to see are you alright since the recent ship attack, what you saw, and how does that experience effect your mind and body. Also personal information to update the person on your emergency contacts list. I don't need the paper I threw into the trash because that can be found in the infirmary records. It'd be too embarrassing to ask about that stuff. But, I will ask, how are you doing after that experience. You acted pretty fast too. It was.... kind of cool. I hope you're not hurt or anything. Also, before we go any further I need to know your age, so I can determine whether to cross out this speech by Scoar.... I mean Prince Metargo. Apparently we also have to do a debrief on the matter so we should probably go with the whole scenario from your perspective bit." Cain leaned forward on his chair and smiled.
................................................................................................................................................

Axl looked over Benjamin as he spoke, not really amused with his straight and narrow answer. Seriously, he had no idea how to react to those kind of things. Well, at least not how to in a fun way. "Sure thing." He breathed out before looking at Viola. "So. Shall we go then. I can get us there in a about three hours.... Wait where is his lab located?" Axl said turning around. "Well whatever. I do need to handle some special business of my own. You'll let me right?" Axl chuckled. "Of course you're going to ask what it is and in that case, I'll tell you on the way there. If that doesn't suit your needs for knowledge then I can just go without you. I don't mind. You should decide quickly on if you want to go now or not. Time is of the essence. For both of us I would guess."
................................................................................................................................................

Scoar smiled as the two men gave all their information. "Great. That's the first ten percent of this questionnaire. I'm sorry you gentlemen lost one of your arms and I'm your only entertainment through this time of boredom you're facing in here. However, those arms of yours will help you out in the future. Should be stronger than your last set. Not to mention I will guarantee that you will have a good coating that will look just like a normal arm. However, the nerve sensor system for touch and feel is a little bit in testing, so use that at your own risk." With that, Scoar checked off another thing on his list and gave the two a stack of papers to sign. "I don't know why we use papers, scan them and then get rid of them. Guess some things are just too reminiscent to let go of. Speaking of which I..."

As soon as he was about to say something that had to do with the next matter of his visit, a blue haired girl ran in. Scoar, knowing the names and looks of most of the people on the ship noticed almost immediately that it was the girl who hung out with Barnett. He sat thinking about her name as she went on to conversation. Finally she noticed him and gave him honorifics as anyone who hadn't talked to him much would. Then she seemed to be walking towards the door in a rather weird step. "Oh no wait." He called while putting his arm on her shoulder. "You should here this too. It's important information that I personally want as many people in the Lion Team to know. Please sit and before you say it, please, call me Scoar. I will not take any honorifics from those who are with me on the battlefield, because out here, it doesn't matter who you are, or where you're from..... Well for the most part at least. At the end of the day it comes down to us combining our skills as individuals to fight for a greater cause." After saying, that the boy checked another thing off of his list. "Which brings us to another thing. I know how it must be for you guys to be so young, yet have to act so much as adults. You guys have to sacrifice your greater years and possibly the best part of your life on a battlefield." Scoar sighed as he sat at the end of Kyle's bed. The room was beggining to get full. "However, you guys are the heroes at the end of the day. There aren't allot of people who can call themselves that. If you ever have any doubts in that, just talk to me and I'll explain why. Not now of course. Only when you really need it." After checking another thing off his list, he put his pen to his mouth deciding whether or not to skip debrief. He let go of a huge sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now it's time for debriefing. No it wasn't a mission, but it was still contact with an enemy. So, I'll let you all answer in turn, you can choose. Minmei, was it? You can answer too, if the answers relate. Okay. First part of this debrief is the recap of events. Two girls from Benjlakk assaulted this ship. One who was brought on this vessel to be imprisoned and another whom I assumed tried to save her. Now, from your point of view, what happened during that time. I need to know what happened a little bit before and the right after and also during if you didn't know that already."

Aaron and Kyle saw Minmei come in and felt somewhat sorry for her. The day kept getting more serious as it went by. UPon being asked about their perspective of what happened, Kyle was unsure of what to say since he did not see much. Aaron, however, had a pretty good idea of how Adira got into the ship.

The Falcon of Fury spoke first. "Before, I was having a duel with Tactical Commander Giro. The Benjlakki woman that broke in must have used one of the unguarded doors to the hangar to enter while there was a crowd watching the spectacle. After the duel, Jin-Giro and I received word that there was an intruder, so I lent one of my swords to the Commander while we sprinted in the direction of where the intruder would be. I told Kyle to come and meet us along the way. We saw the prisoner and the woman breaking her out and noted how fast they were going. Thus, we charged, leapt forward, then prepared to impale the two by having our blades in front of us."


Kyle nodded while adding to it. "We thought they would not be able to counter in time. Boy, were we wrong. The woman escaping with the prisoner slid under us with uncanny reflexes before slicing our hands off. It is odd: both Benjlakki soldiers' speed and reflexes were beyond that of any known person in humanity's history. That kind of makes you wonder if they were genetically modified." Looking towards Aaron, he asked, "Doesn't that sound suspicious?"

Aaron nodded, then turned towards Scoar. "Now that Kyle mentioned it, the records shown did say the prisoner was captured by Cain when he fought and defeated both of them at the same time. There is no way a man could have stood a chance against them by himself, not unless he, too, was genetically modified, at some point in his life."

Kyle nodded while saying to Scoar, "The question is, who conducted such operations on each side, who sponsored them, and why? Was one project reactionary to another? It all seems too convenient to be a coincidence."

Just then, a female soldier came in with a file to give to Aaron. Aaron looked at the file while holding a glass of water that was beside him, only to freeze in shock once he saw the name. He actually dropped the glass he was holding as his eyes widened and he held his breath.

Kyle knew it was not everyday that Aaron loosened his grip so much, meaning there had to be a reason. "Uh... Aaron? What's the matter, Sergeant?"

Aaron held still as he explained with the query, "Do you recall me mentioning a gal I met at a military academy?"

Kyle's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! You mean, that's her? Seriously?"

Aaron simply nodded. "Her name is Cecilia Lumine." Next, he looked up at Cecilia and told her with a blush, "Well, uh... It's great to see you, again. Currently, until I recover from the loss and replacement of my hand, I have placed Specialist Numi in charge of Lion Team." Looking around, he spotted the person he mentioned. "That's him with the clipboard, talking to Corporal Belvedere. It may be a good idea to acquaint yourself with the two."

Kyle introduced himself. "I'm Kyle Scipio. My rank is Private, currently. I never really moved up in the ranks. Anyway, I am also part of Lion Team."

---

Bibi nodded towards Amelia before turning to Emesto. He no doubt experienced enough for the day and needed his rest. She showed him to where his other personality had a bunk and told him to try to not act suspiciously until more could be found out. Emesto simply nodded before sleeping on top of the bunk.

---

Benjamin was about to get on the transport when he heard Oriana shouting at him after she punched him in the shoulder. Uh-oh... that can only mean one thing... What he heard next gave him a little relieve while leaving him intimidated, at the same time. "Y-Yes, ma'am!"

Zechariah rolled his eyes before saying to Ben, "Are you going to stand there, or are you going to get in the transport?"

Both brothers entered the transport prior to heading back to the Seraphim, where the mechs were being prepped. Benjamin took his own Eagle while Zechariah got in an undamaged one. All mechs for Brown Wing Team were being repaired and given weapons. Laurence Vance's new Eagle was being customized to suit his fighting style.

As everything was being prepared in the hangar, Zechariah told the participating Brown Wings via radio, "Brown Wings, here is the strategy: Once we take off, we will enter Fighter Jet Mode to catch up to the rogues. Once they are spotted, we shall launch Sonic Missiles to disrupt their nuclear weaponry while grabbing their attention. From there, we will use Formation Legion 354, With Benjamin's group and I up front at the lowest altitude, Laurence Vance's group in a row between the first and last, everyone else at the back with the highest altitude. The angle for setting up the rows will be 45 degrees. In that formation, some of the power to the weapons will be switch to the shields so we can stop projectiles headed to the ground when necessary. That will decrease firepower, so make each shot count."

---

As Saul enjoyed the concert with Karen, he could not shake the feeling Romano Lopez had something to do with the conspiracy. The man always did seem shady, for some reason. He would not discuss it, at the moment, so he kept quiet.

---

Romano enjoyed a cup of wine while listening to the news. He always got a kick out of the fact nobody knew his plans but him. He wanted to keep it that way in order for them to follow through.