Muv-Luv: Breaking the Tide

Chapter 6 / The Voices Lost at Sea

By HitokiriOTD

#

November 9, 2001

The briefing room of the Valkyries was unusually quiet.

Normally when the squadron was gathered the briefing room would be filled with noise. For all their elite skills and professionalism, the Valkyries could be as chatty as any group of schoolgirls Takeru had ever heard. They joked and teased each other, traded gossip like a bunch of bored housewives, and discussed their work with passion and knowledge born of hard training and experience. Even on quieter occasions, the room would at least be filled with the sound of Captain Isumi or another senior officer conducting a briefing or training session.

But despite the entire squadron's presence, the room was as silent as a tomb.

A palpable sense of tension hung in the air. Special Task Force A-01 was about to be deployed on a new mission. A real mission, not a cakewalk like testing TSF software upgrades. Every pilot sitting in the room knew it, though they hadn't been given the details yet. With a personal briefing by the head of Alternative IV, Kouzuki Yuuko herself, there was pretty much nothing else it could be.

All members of the Special Task Force knew that Vice Commander Kouzuki never gave easy missions. The group of newly graduated rookies had already been warned, and they'd heard plenty of stories in the brief time since they had joined the squadron, making their nervousness understandable. But even the veteran members of the squadron felt the tension despite their stoic demeanor, knowing through bitter experience that whether they succeeded or not, the odds that they would return without some of their comrades were extremely high.

Shirogane Takeru, however, didn't feel merely tense. He absolutely dreaded the upcoming briefing.

He had a horrible suspicion that he knew exactly what mission the squadron was about to be deployed on.

When he'd delivered his warning to Yuuko the previous day, he'd gone over the details he remembered of the BETA movements and proposed the same basic strategy the other world's Yuuko had used his last time around. Simply putting the frontline forces in the region on alert had allowed the IJMDF's 12th and 14th Divisions to react quickly enough to contain and destroy the invading BETA force before it broke through the Secondary Defense Line.

What he hadn't done was talk about the secret mission that Yuuko had sent the Valkyries on to capture live BETA specimens for research purposes. As much as Takeru had struggled, he couldn't think of any way to dissuade Yuuko from the idea without lying outright to her. Takeru's objections to the mission wouldn't have even registered on Yuuko's radar, and ultimately the mission had been a success for the professor's goals, no matter what he thought about it.

If Takeru stretched, if he ignored everything that had happened because of the captured BETA, he thought he could see it from her point of view. Yuuko had gained live BETA to research, and while he didn't know what she wanted to find, he was at least sure she must have had a very important reason for wanting them if she deployed A-01 for it. Somehow, she thought that she might gain something to help with Alternative IV.

Against that purpose, there wasn't anything Takeru could say. Kouzuki Yuuko would do anything and everything in order to stop the BETA and ensure humanity's survival. For that purpose, the lives of A-01, of the inhabitants of Yokohama Base, and indeed of any soldier in the world, were utterly expendable.

To ensure humanity's survival… Shirogane Takeru understood that reason. He had seen what the end of the world looked like. Anything was worth the price to avoid that.

He understood… he understood, but…

It was difficult.

When people he knew were involved, Takeru just couldn't be as ruthlessly pragmatic as Yuuko.

He couldn't let people die when he had the chance to save them.

At the same time though, Alternative V had to be avoided.

No matter what the cost.

Torn between two conflicting imperatives, and with no idea on how he could prevent Yuuko from sending the Valkyries to try and capture live BETA specimens, Takeru had kept silent. The only thing he could do was bet everything on his own ability to make a difference.

…No. That wasn't right.

He was not gambling or relying on chance.

Shirogane Takeru had the ability to change the world's fate. And so, he would make a difference.

He had to.

After all, those other Valkyries had been successful in their mission, but it had cost them the lives of three of their own.

Ichijou Minami, Saegusa Kana, and Miyata Yuka had all been killed or severely wounded during that mission.

Takeru would not let that happen. As a member of A-01 himself, he had a chance to change their fate. He would bring all his comrades back alive.

But the deaths as a result of the capture operation didn't end there.

Involuntarily, Takeru's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together.

Another face appeared in his mind's eye, by turns kind and stern, patient and exasperated, but always irreplaceably precious to him.

Another memory, a vision dyed crimson, tried forced itself to the fore of his mind.

His pulse began to pound, fast and heavy in his veins. Takeru shut his eyes tightly, fighting against the dizziness that gripped him, struggling to stuff the errant recollection back into the darkest depths of his mind where it belonged.

Then the room plunged into shadow as Captain Isumi turned the lights off with the click of a switch.

As fast as it had appeared, the memory faded away as Takeru snapped back into the present, opening his eyes.

An image bloomed on the pull-down projector screen at the front of the room, a map of Japan glowing in dark blue with orange veins.

"I'm sending you to Niigata," Vice Commander Kouzuki Yuuko opened the briefing without fanfare.

It was a struggle for Takeru to keep his expression impassive. In just a few simple words, Takeru's fears had been realized. And yet, in just a few simple words, he had been given a new chance to change things.

Gradually, he let out a quiet breath, the tension that had gripped him fading away. Resolve replaced it.

He would not let the chance go to waste.

With a click, the slide changed.

A thick blue line cut across the country from east to west, moving from the solid blue dot that was Yokohama Base near Tokyo Bay and crawling northwest, towards the opposite coast.

Takeru squeezed the pen he'd picked up to take notes with as he stared just to the side of where the blue line ended. Not far from their destination sat a little island just off the western coast of the country, highlighted with a big crimson dot.

H21.

Sadogashima.

Once, it had been an urbanized island of the northwest coast of Japan with a long and rich history and a relatively large population. Then the BETA had taken it from Japan during their massive invasion in 1998, transforming it into a barren wasteland as they turned the island into one of their Hives.

It was the place where he had finally conquered the unconscious terrors that hid deep in his own mind, where he had proven himself able to fight the BETA.

It was the place where humanity had finally, finally wiped a BETA monument from the face of the Earth without the need of a G-Bomb, even if that had proved to be an all too temporary triumph.

It was where Isumi Michiru and Kashiwagi Haruko had died, along with so many others.

"I have information suggesting that a force of BETA will be invading the mainland from Sadogashima on November 11th," Yuuko continued casually, somehow avoiding looking anywhere near where Takeru sat in the back right of the room as she nonchalantly dropped a verbal bombshell.

Gasps filled the room.

"Since this is a rare chance, I'm sending A-01 to Niigata to intercept the BETA and capture some live specimens for research."

The slide changed.

"At 0600 hours tomorrow, A-01 will depart Yokohama Base and travel along the Kan-etsu highway towards Niigata," the Vice Commander explained. The image on the screen transformed to show a zoomed in view of Niigata province's coastline. "Once you arrive, you'll take up a position near Mt. Yahiko until you can confirm that the BETA have been detected by the IJN at the Primary Ocean Defense Line and determine their heading. After the BETA make landfall, A-01 will observe and record the battle and, when the opportunity presents itself, engage the BETA herd to try and pick off stragglers from the main group to take as samples. The IJMDF forces at the Secondary Defense Line will deal with the main body. Your job is to secure as many BETA samples as you can, and then escort the specimens back to Yokohama Base once the attack is over."

The slide on the screen changed again.

Takeru couldn't help but stare in puzzlement at the new picture. It looked like a 36mm round, but somehow it was slightly different.

"You'll be equipped with some special 36mm rounds to help you in this operation," Yuuko continued, gesturing towards the image on the screen. "They're designed to deliver a unique payload upon penetration, hopefully delivering something special into a BETA's insides that will help you capture it alive."

"What's in them?" Munakata asked as Yuuko's explanation paused.

"Hmm…" Yuuko hummed contemplatively, tapping her chin with a slender finger. "You might say… a legacy of Alternative II."

The Valkyries knew vaguely of the Alternative Plans, of course. They were a part of one themselves. However, the actual purpose and goals of the past plans remained classified, and were mostly a mystery even to the soldiers of Alternative IV.

Unlike the other Valkyries though, Takeru knew about all of the plans, including the one that hadn't been revealed yet. Yuuko herself had told him about Alternative II, where they had tried to capture and study BETA specimens in order to learn about them. Tragically, despite the vast sacrifices that had been made to capture individual BETA for study, humanity had learned very little about their extraterrestrial foe beyond the fact that they were also carbon-based life forms.

"Ummm…" Tsukiji made a strange noise from her seat next to Akane, tilting her head like a curious puppy as she raised her hand. "Eh… W-what legacy?" she questioned.

"That's classified," Yuuko cheerfully refused to answer. For someone who enjoyed lecturing people so much, she sure seemed to derive a lot of pleasure from denying answers.

"Auuu~," Tsukiji whimpered oddly, her raised hand wilting down in defeat.

"Won't 36mm rounds cause too much internal damage to the specimens?" Ichijou asked quietly, her dark eyes intent on the projected diagram. Takeru still hadn't interacted with Ichijou Minami much, but what little he'd observed had cemented his initial impression that she was a calm, cool beauty in much the same vein as Munakata, though thankfully without the latter's penchant for mischief.

"That would defeat the purpose," Yuuko replied slowly, looking exasperated at having to even explain that fact. "They've been designed to minimize the lethality as much as possible, since the goal is to take living samples."

Takeru's brain twisted as he tried to come to grips with the idea of the 36mm round being designed for "minimum" lethality.

If Minami had the same sense of dissonance Takeru felt, she didn't show it. She only nodded slightly at Yuuko's reply. "Then we will need to pick our shots carefully," she observed.

"Exactly," the Vice Commander nodded. "They won't be effective against anything but soft targets, so aim well."

Takeru's brow furrowed.

If the so-called special ammunition was as fragile as it sounded, it wouldn't be effective at keeping a rushing hoard of Tank-class at bay, much less the larger BETA strains. The standard 36mm ammunition for the assault cannons TSFs used were high velocity armor piercing depleted uranium rounds, which meant that normally a single shot was capable of penetrating through a Tank-class entirely. A single round could often punch through multiple Tanks, providing TSFs with the firepower needed to effectively combat the numerically superior red aliens. But if their 36mm rounds weren't capable of over-penetrating a Tank-class, which were often the most numerous BETA strain capable of taking down a TSF present on the field…

"We're gonna get chomped," Miyata Yuka muttered gloomily, the mousy, unsociable woman inadvertently voicing Takeru's own conclusion aloud.

The greatest and most fearsome advantage of the BETA was their sheer numbers. Anything that reduced a TSF's ability to blunt the aliens' edge in that area would make the Valkyries' odds of survival, much less success, significantly lower.

"Ahem," Captain Isumi coughed and quickly stepped forward to explain, likely to forestall the flippant response Takeru could practically see forming in Yuuko's throat. "We'll still be using regular ammunition for most of the operation," the captain said reassuringly. "I don't plan on letting us get overrun. Everyone will have at least one magazine of the special ammunition, but for the most part the impact guards will be the ones tasked to use it to take out designated targets. The rest of the unit will concentrate on thinning the herd."

"What are the designated targets?" Kashiwagi Haruko asked, sounding a bit nervous. Takeru glanced at her in slight surprise. It was unusual for the normally collected Kashiwagi to let any hint of uneasiness show. But then again, she was the Valkyries' newest impact guard, and this Kashiwagi had never fought in battle before. When he considered it from that angle, it made a lot more sense.

Every rookie surface pilot felt the same consuming dread about their first battle with the BETA. If they didn't, they had to be insane.

1st generation TSF pilots had survived in combat against the BETA for an average of eight minutes. Just eight minutes.

The eight minutes of death.

To a new TSF pilot, it was an unimaginably foreboding phrase, one that gripped their minds and refused to let go until they either broke through the eight minutes… or they died. It didn't matter that average survival times had improved as 2nd generation TSFs were introduced. Trainees continued to be taught about the eight minutes of death, of the unbelievable sacrifices the early TSF pilots had made in order to try and hold the line against the BETA.

Even with 3rd generation TSFs and greatly improved training programs, the eight minutes of death remained a forbidding rite of passage for every tactical surface fighter pilot to overcome.

For a rookie who had just earned her wings and had yet to see her first battle, it would be stranger if Kashiwagi wasn't anxious, no matter how normally collected she was.

Speaking of her first battle… Takeru's brow furrowed.

Something was odd.

As far as he remembered, Kashiwagi and the rest of the members of 207A had their first battle during the 12/5 Incident. His memory was pretty clear on that, based on the conversations he remembered.

But… if that was the case… what had he changed that would account for the discrepancy?

Takeru couldn't think of anything, a fact that made his guts twist in apprehension.

"I want samples of every strain you see," Yuuko responded to Kashiwagi's question imperiously, taking control of the briefing once again. "As many as you can get." Takeru half expected her to rub her hands together greedily after making a statement like that.

To their credit, none of the pilots looked visibly depressed at her answer… for very long, at least.

"How are we supposed to capture the small strains though?" Takeru couldn't help but ask.

The Soldier and Warrior-class BETA were normally too small for a TSF to even bother with unless there were no other targets around. Even a TSF's smallest weapons would kill them outright, and no matter how fragile or less lethal the special ammunition was, it was still a 36mm round. There was a very good chance the more human-sized strains wouldn't survive even a single shot, which made the prospect of trying to capture them daunting.

He really hoped they weren't expected to try and gently snatch them up by hand or something.

"Ah, you can let those go," the scientist waved a negligent hand, easily contradicting her previous statement without a shred of shame. "I've made arrangements," she said, as if that explained anything.

Takeru couldn't help but feel perturbed whenever Yuuko-sensei said things like that.

She made arrangements? What does that mean?

He just didn't see how a TSF could capture the smaller BETA strains alive, unless they used a giant super heavy-duty net or something, which would be a good way of asking to get killed by the bigger BETA that would invariably be around. It was really a job for infantry.

In fact, that was the only thing that made sense to Takeru. Yuuko must have pulled some sort of strings to have some kind of infantry unit on the Secondary Defense Line try to capture some of the smaller BETA strains that the TSF units ignored.

That seemed logical, but then what about the Laser-class? How in the world had the Valkyries captured those alive? They weren't much bigger or tougher than the small anti-personnel strains, but unlike those, the Laser-class were absolutely lethal to TSFs.

Takeru opened his mouth to question her further, then paused. Slowly, his jaw clenched as he thought better of it.

To hell with capturing the Laser-class. Their presence had made the situation during the XM3 trials exponentially worse. To save Marimo, he had to prevent that situation from happening again, or at the very least contain it better.

If they didn't bring back any Laser-class for Yuuko, then if that incident happened again, artillery and helicopters would be free to respond to the BETA. That would make containing the situation significantly easier.

His course of action was clear.

Takeru would kill every last Laser-class he could find.

Hopefully he could get away with it under the guise of self-defense. The topic would probably still come up anyway at some point, even if he didn't ask, but maybe he could pretend to be distracted for that part. It seemed like a good time to start trying to remember the lessons he'd learned from Yuuko about plausible deniability.

"So we shoot the BETA with these weird bullets, and then what? They just fall asleep and we bundle them up when the fight's over?" Hayase spoke up from where she sat, her arms crossed as she leaned back in a hard wooden chair.

"…Yes," Yuuko-sensei said after a subtle pause, her violet eyes glancing shiftily to the side. "Eventually."

"…Eventually?" Hayase repeated dubiously, looking like she'd bit into a lemon.

"The bullets will take some time to work, especially on the larger BETA strains," the scientist revealed. "A few minutes, at least. Maybe more. And…" she paused for a moment, as if debating whether to continue or not. "…before the BETA begin go under, they may go a bit berserk."

"Berserk?!" Akane blurted. "Isn't that the opposite of what's supposed to happen?"

"What?" Yuuko began to look annoyed. "Did you think it would be easy?"

"Eh…?" Akane flushed and bit her lip, looking down sheepishly. "T-that's… no, ma'am."

"Ano, Vice Commander," Akane's older sister Haruka spoke up, her gentle voice diverting Yuuko's sharp stare. "What exactly do you mean by berserk?"

"According the records, the affected BETA will go into a frenzy," Yuuko said briskly. "They'll be more aggressive and erratic than normal when they're in that state, so watch out. But once their frenzy ends, they should pretty much stop moving."

…Are you kidding me? Takeru could only look up at the faded, off-white ceiling tiles accusingly.

So apparently to capture the BETA, first they would shoot them with some kind of special rounds that contained something they weren't allowed to know about, which would hopefully put the shot BETA into a kind of dormant state… after an undetermined number of minutes… before which they would become even more murderous than they normally were…

Hayase sighed aloud. "That's… just great," she said, forcing a strained looking smile. Apparently even Hayase had limits to what kind of challenges she enjoyed.

"Any more questions?" Yuuko queried, putting a hand on her hip as her eyes swept across the sitting group of pilots. "…No? Then I wish you all good luck. Isumi, take care of the rest."

"Ma'am," the captain acknowledged smartly as the head of Alternative IV stepped towards the door, leaving the Valkyries and her pretty blond assistant behind in the briefing room.

Captain Isumi gave Lt. Piatif a nod, prompting a new image to appear on the screen.

"Okay, ladies…" Isumi began, only to pause as her brown eyes met Takeru's. "…and gentleman," she gave him an exaggerated nod, earning some chuckles. "As you heard, we depart at 0600 hours tomorrow, so things are about to get busy. First, we'll need to…"

#

It was well into the afternoon by the time the Valkyries were let loose for a temporary break from all the briefings and preparations. Takeru had made a beeline to the PX, driven by a primal need to fill the void in his stomach. Thankfully, even though he'd technically missed the normal lunch period, the cafeteria wasn't short on food to satisfy his hunger. If there was a silver lining to being a member of the military in a world invaded by aliens, it was the fact that there was at least always plentiful amounts of food on the base. From what he'd heard, a lot of civilians weren't so fortunate, and that wasn't even considering the often bleak situations refugees endured.

"2nd Lt. Shirogane, if you don't slow down, you're going to choke," a kindly voice said from Takeru's right.

"Umphf!?" Takeru started in surprise at the unexpected appearance of 2nd Lt. Kazama Touko, choking on an overstuffed mouthful of rice and curry in the process.

"Oh my," she murmured as she sat down beside him at the cafeteria table, her food tray coming to rest on the hard surface with a clack. "Did I startle you?" Kazama asked apologetically.

"Ahahahaha!" Bright laughter rang out as Saegusa Kana sat down in front of him. Takeru would have appreciated the interesting things her laughter did to her ample chest more if she wasn't laughing at him. Also, it would have helped if he wasn't choking. "Look at that face!" the energetic blond wheezed, pointing gleefully as her brown eyes watered with mirth.

Takeru could only conclude that she was easily amused.

Miyata Yuka sat down next to Kana and stared expressionlessly at Takeru for a moment. "…Looks stupid," she concluded bluntly in a quiet voice after studying him.

"Umphf!" Takeru retorted indignantly. The more he interacted with Yuka, the more he got the impression that she didn't like him. Given the way she talked to him, the feeling was well on its way to becoming mutual.

Black spots began to dance across his vision. Takeru hastily reached for his glass of water in hopes that it'd help him clear his throat. Luckily it did help, and Takeru was able to remove the blockage to his air supply with a few frantic gulps of water and some desperate coughs. Seeing the looks of amusement on his so-called comrades' faces, he didn't think any of them would have been kind enough to perform the Heimlich maneuver on him.

…Well, surely Kazama would have. She was the nice one, a veritable angel amidst the sea of weirdoes that made up the Valkyries. He must have just imagined the amused twitch of her lips.

"Are you all right, 2nd Lt. Shirogane?" Kazama queried. The hint of concern in her voice was touching.

"…Yeah," Takeru mustered up a faint smile towards the well-mannered green-haired pilot.

"I hope you don't mind us joining you for lunch."

Considering the way they had sat down next to him like it was a normal thing, he thought it was a bit late to ask that. But that wasn't something he could say while looking into Kazama's soft blue eyes. "No, no," Takeru waved his hands in denial. "I was just a bit surprised, that's all. Please feel free."

He'd eaten together with the Valkyries several times since he'd joined the squadron, but typically those had all been for a purpose, like discussing tactics or simulator performance and other things like that. Takeru hadn't really had a social meal with any of the Valkyries so far, since he spent most of his free time with the trainees of 207B.

"Thank you," Kazama granted him a soothing smile.

Takeru was enchanted at the sight of it. After the depressing morning briefing, her smile was like an oasis for his heart.

Across from him, Saegusa whistled, breaking the spell that had dazed Takeru for a moment. At least, she tried to, but the effect was kind of ruined given that her mouth was half full of food at the time. She swallowed, then gave him a delighted looking grin. "You better be careful, Touko-chan," Saegusa raised her hand to the side of her mouth and mock-whispered across the table to Kazama. "It looks like somebody liiiikes you," she sang childishly.

Miyata, who had been locked in a staring contest with her untouched portion of fish, snorted and looked up at Takeru through her dark bangs. "Out of your league," she advised.

"Oh my," Kazama touched a hand to her cheek. "That's somewhat troubling."

"Don't take them seriously!" Takeru exclaimed.

"I'm flattered, of course..." Kazama continued as if she hadn't heard him. "But…"

"Eh? What? What?" Suzumiya Akane's high-pitched voice sliced through the cafeteria as she approached the table with a lunch tray in hand, leading the rest of the girls from former training squad 207A towards where Takeru sat. "What's going on?" she asked eagerly. Takeru inwardly sighed at the gossip-hungry glitter in her green eyes.

"…it's a bit sudden," Kazama was still talking, apparently oblivious to her surroundings. "And I don't really know how I feel about polygamy."

"…What."

Takeru had a really, really bad feeling about the direction the conversation was heading in.

Akane skidded to a halt. "…Eh?"

Behind her, Kashiwagi's eyebrows climbed towards the ceiling, while Tsukiji cocked her head in puzzlement and Takahara shot Takeru a narrow-eyed look.

"I mean, don't you already have Sgt. Jinguuji?" Kazama asked innocuously.

Abruptly, the gears in Takeru's brain screeched to a halt.

Akane's food tray slipped through suddenly numb fingers, plunging to the floor. Across the table, Takeru could distantly hear what sounded like choking noises.

…Shit.

How could he have been so careless?

Ever since that day in the corridor, he'd been living on borrowed time. Yet, after so long without seeing a hint of enemy action, he'd allowed himself to believe that things would work out.

He'd been overconfident, blinded by his own preconceptions. That was how the enemy had managed to pull off such a devastating ambush.

Shirogane Takeru had forgotten an incredibly important fact.

Kazama Touko was Munakata Misae's best friend.

Takeru could only rail against the world that had produced such a villain that could even twist an angel like Kazama to darkness, and against himself for being foolish enough to let his guard down.

Could he never escape evil's grasp?

Maybe not.

But he couldn't just lay down and wait for defeat. He had to fight on no matter how pointless it seemed.

"…W-wha-what are you talking about?!" Takeru stammered bravely, finally rallying against the devastating surprise attack Kazama had launched against him.

"Oh?" the evil minion's deceptively pretty face feigned puzzlement. "Misae-san said that…"

"She's lying!" Takeru blurted frantically.

"Eh? But I don't think Misae-san would make something like that up," Kazama said earnestly. "Although, I do think that pushing Sgt. Jinguuji down in the middle of a hallway is going a bit too far. Those kinds of things should be done in private."

"It was just a dream!"

"But…"

Sweat poured down Takeru's face. Every instinct he possessed screamed that he was in danger. His mind went into overdrive as he desperately tried to find a way to escape the deadly situation he had found himself in.

"Okay, just listen to me for minute," Takeru straightened his back, steadying his voice and his expression using his iron will. "The truth is, the UN has been conducting secret experiments with hallucinogens pumped through the AC vents," he revealed in a hushed voice, his face radiating unadulterated sincerity. "1st Lt. Munakata was exposed to it. That's why she's been seeing strange visions of things that never actually happened."

"…Uwaah," Kashiwagi uttered, shocked.

Next to her, Akane stared at him speechlessly. Behind her, Takahara's amber-eyed glare seemed to be growing sharper by the second, while Tsukiji had started to look around at the ceiling vents in alarm.

"…It never actually happened," Takeru reiterated in the face of the blank look Kazama was giving him. It was an important point, so he said it twice.

"Y-you and the instructor?" Saegusa's jaw was slack as she stared at him, her big brown eyes filled with something like awe.

It was strange. Hadn't he explained things to them? It was a good cover story, if he had to say so himself. So… why were they acting like they hadn't heard it?

"…No, didn't you hear me? It's important, so I'll say it a third time. Please listen carefully," Takeru entreated. "Never. Happened."

"And now you're hitting on Touko," Miyata muttered, completely ignoring his very reasonable denials. She studied him through narrowed eyes for a long moment, her irises seemingly darker than usual. "…Lecher," she concluded finally.

"Am not!" Takeru protested.

"I don't know if I can appreciate a man who isn't upfront about things," Kazama sighed, giving him a disappointed look. "I'm sorry, 2nd Lt. Shirogane, but…"

"Stop trying to make things more complicated!" he interrupted plaintively.

A chair groaned as it slid across the green-tiled floor. "2nd Lt. Shirogane, protesting so strongly just makes you look more suspicious," Kashiwagi informed him cheerfully as she sat down next to Saegusa.

"Why?!" Takeru looked around frantically. "It was really nothing! Just an accident!" Why wouldn't anyone believe him?

"…Didn't you say it never happened?" Akane looked at him suspiciously.

"Geh!"

The orange-haired girl folded her arms. "Pervert," she declared, looking disgusted.

No, but… it was really… just an accident…

Takeru buried his face in his hands, utterly defeated.

Why doesn't anyone ever believe me? Takeru lamented.

He had thought that he'd been on his way to being accepted as a comrade by the rest of the Valkyries. But that had all gone up in smoke.

How had it all come to this?

Damn you, Munakata, Takeru seethed within the confines of his mind as he came to the obvious conclusion. I'll get you for this!

Enduring the awkward atmosphere, Takeru finished his lunch in glum silence and then fled the table, never noticing the three female soldiers that had been eating quietly in the corner of the cafeteria staring daggers at his back.

#

"Such disgraceful behavior."

"Shameful."

"Indeed."

The three women in cream-colored uniforms talked quietly among themselves as they watched the male UN eishi walk out of the room with stern eyes. When he was gone, they glanced at each other seriously.

"We must report this at once."

"Agreed."

"Without delay."

#

With the squadron set to leave early in the morning the next day, Takeru didn't have time to stay depressed about the way his reputation had gone up in flames for long. After lunch, he headed down to the hanger where his TSF rested to run through some final calibration checks with the engineers that were making sure his new unit was combat ready. And by the time he was done with that, he had to run to meet Hayase and the rest of B Flight to discuss the vanguards' roles in the coming operation.

1st Lt. Hayase Mitsuki was B Flight's leader and also held the coveted spot of Storm Vanguard One. The other vanguards for the Valkyries were 2nd Lt. Saegusa Kana, 2nd Lt. Miyata Yuka, 2nd Lt. Takahara Saki, and 2nd Lt. Shirogane Takeru.

B Flight was, for once in its existence, actually over strength. Normally the squadron operated with two elements per flight, but with Takeru having been assigned to B Flight by virtue of the overwhelming results he had shown as a vanguard in the simulators, the flight now had a total of five members.

Under normal circumstances, all TSFs were supposed to work in pairs, or elements, but with the Valkyries' uneven numbers it just wasn't possible for the upcoming mission. Given Takeru's supposed status as a veteran TSF pilot, as well as the accomplishments he'd accumulated during training with the squadron and testing the XM3, Hayase had naturally picked him as the odd member of B Flight that would be flying solo. Saegusa and Miyata's teamwork was already well-entrenched, while Takahara was a complete rookie that Hayase would have to look after, so Takeru was the only choice that made sense.

B Flight's discussion on how the vanguards would approach the mission lasted for quite a while. By the time Takeru escaped the meeting room, the sky was ablaze with gold and orange as the sun sank steadily towards the western horizon.

Having finally finished with most of his mission preparations, Takeru decided it was time to seek out his friends.

He wanted to spend some time with them, just in case...

Shirogane Takeru wasn't the type to write a will or even a last letter. He had a mission to accomplish. Until he completed it, he couldn't even entertain the possibility he might die. And, even if he did die… he was an existence that had been tossed across worlds and through time. Who knew what would happen?

Most likely, Takeru, or at least a Takeru, would wake up again on October 22nd, 2001 and have to shoulder the burden once again. It had happened before. It would probably keep happening until he got it right.

So there was no point in worrying about what would happen if he died in the coming operation.

Besides, he had nothing in this world but his friends. He'd rather spend the previous time he had together with them, rather than trying to think of words to leave behind.

#

It always felt strange to Takeru when he walked through the old Hakuryou school buildings for the second time that day. All his memories of attending class, of being a normal high school student, seemed to hover just below the surface of his thoughts. It created a strange sense of nostalgia sometimes, while at other times it gave him a feeling of dissonance when he saw military personnel and equipment instead of students.

He'd felt it earlier in the afternoon, when he'd gone to old school buildings hunt down his friends in 207B. And as he walked towards what had once been a staff room for teachers, his boots striking a crisp cadence against the hard floor, that strange feeling returned at full force. He felt oddly uneasy, like he had been called to the teacher's office for some misdemeanor.

Though, I guess that's not far off… Takeru thought wryly as he stopped in front of his destination.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Takeru knocked on the office door with his free hand. He balanced a hefty cafeteria try like a pro waiter with his other hand as he stood in the repurposed school building's brightly lit ground floor hallway. Outside the hall windows, away from the bright lights of the base, the world was drenched in shadows and moonlight.

"Come in."

As Takeru opened the door, the room's occupant looked up from her desk, her light brown eyes blinking in surprise at the sight of him.

"…Good evening, 2nd Lt. Shirogane," Marimo greeted him, her voice faintly puzzled as she set down her pen and stood. Her lips began to thin as she took in the tray he was holding.

Considering how little Takeru had been around since the testing for the new OS got started in earnest, her surprise was understandable. And given the way the last time he'd brought her dinner had ended, he could see why she probably wasn't enthused for a repeat.

"Evening, sergeant," Takeru returned her greeting with forced casualness. "Working late again, I see," he nodded towards her desk, which was covered with stacks of paper and textbooks. Takeru still found it a bit surreal how much paperwork was involved in teaching cadets how to be soldiers.

"Yes, sir," she answered neutrally.

Ever since the hallway incident, things had been a bit frosty between them. But, considering the mission he was being deployed on, Takeru didn't want to leave without making an attempt to apologize and mend fences.

Marimo-chan was too important for him to leave alone.

And… even without the excuse of apologizing…

"…I think it's fine to be a coward."

The operation he was going on had, in that other time and place, directly led to Marimo's death. By taking live BETA specimens and bringing them back to Yokohama Base, the Valkyries had provided Yuuko with rare and powerful card to play, one she had used to devastating effect during the XM3 trials.

The BETA captured by A-01 had broken free... at least that had been the official story. The truth was that they had been released intentionally by Yuuko in order to further her agenda. In one fell swoop, she had shocked local forces out of their complacency and set the stage for a live combat demonstration of the power of the XM3 to overcome all skepticism. The results of that demonstration had silenced any objections the military brass may have had and turned the XM3 into a powerful bargaining chip for Yuuko and Alternative IV.

"People who know fear are that much harder to kill. So I think it's okay. And when someone is sure they'll die, they should use every last drop of strength so they can die without shame. But if there's something you can do by living, then never stop doing it."

Yet… Takeru couldn't think of anything that had happened that day as a victory.

"I don't care if you're cowardly. It doesn't matter if nobody thinks you're brave. I want you to live on for as many years as you can, and protect as many lives as you can…"

It had cost far too many lives.

"When you get to the point where you can laugh at your mistakes, you'll find new things to replace what you lost."

It had taken him way too long, but eventually he had understood Marimo's words.

But… even though he understood… he would never, ever be able to laugh about the mistakes he'd made that day. He couldn't look back at that day without feeling regret.

When Takeru had first come to the BETA-infested Earth, or perhaps it was Earths, he'd been so surprised by how different Marimo was. Compared to the Marimo-chan he'd known, Sergeant Jinguuji had seemed like an entirely different person. Where Marimo-chan was caring and meek and a bit ditzy, the sergeant was strong and stern and competent to the core.

And yet… the sergeant had been worried about him after his first battle with the BETA. She had come out to comfort him.

In the end, his precious people were the same no matter what world he was in.

Sergeant Jinguuji was kind. Despite all of the suffering she had experienced, all the battles she had lived through, and all the comrades she had lost, inside her heart was the exact same gentleness and compassion his old homeroom teacher had possessed.

When Takeru had felt like he had reached rock bottom, her words at that time had been like a light shining in the darkness.

Her kindness had felt like salvation.

Then she…

And then she…

No matter how much time passed, no matter how much he grew, the memory made something inside Takeru twist in utter agony. It was hard to even think about.

Sergeant Jinguuji was killed.

Marimo-chan died.

Red had covered Takeru's eyes. It was the color of blood.

Wet noises had echoed in Takeru's ears. It was the sound of chewing.

His hands had filled with slick, pliable warmth. No matter how he had tried though, he couldn't put her back together again.

Something had clawed up Takeru's throat, loud, painful, awful, and seemingly never ending. It was only later he'd realized it was the sound of his own screams.

On that day, at that moment, Shirogane Takeru had broken.

It was just the start of his descent into the abyss.

He had broken, and he'd kept on breaking, the pieces of his mind cracking and shattering over and over again as he ran away, only to find that he couldn't escape. All of the horror and pain and death just kept following him inexorably.

By the time Takeru had learned his lesson, by the time he'd stopped running, he'd destroyed so many precious things.

It had been his single greatest failure.

The deep mental wounds from those failures had healed, and it was in learning from those mistakes that he'd grown into the man he was, but the invisible scars left behind still had the power to hurt him. Takeru could only accept the pain, using it to fuel his resolution.

He could never go back and fix his mistakes. He couldn't redo that day. Not truly. That Marimo had died, as had the Marimo-chan in the world he'd fled to. Causality conductor or not, he couldn't bring back lives that had been lost.

Even so, there was something that he could do. It was something only he could do.

Takeru would save the Marimo that lived in this world.

It wouldn't save his instructor, who had died in front of his eyes in that other place. Nor would it save the innocent teacher he'd inadvertently condemned to a horrible death. Takeru would never be able to make up for their deaths. But, at the very least, he owed it to them to try and save the Marimo that was alive in the latest world he had been thrown into.

For the sake of the fallen Sergeant Jinguuji, for the murdered Marimo-chan, for the ones he had left behind and the one that was still alive… for the sake of the Marimo he loved… and, in the end, for his own sake…

It could not be allowed to happen again.

It would not be allowed to happen again.

"…gane?" Marimo's voice drifted through Takeru's consciousness. "Are you listening, 2nd Lt. Shirogane?"

Her voice was faintly annoyed, and she'd put her hands on her hips in that way she had when she was running out of patience.

Marimo-chan was standing right in front of him, alive and vibrant in her exasperation.

Takeru thought her frowning face had never looked so beautiful.

"Sorry. I got a bit lost in thought," he apologized. Takeru hesitated a bit before taking another deep breath and gathering his courage. "…Are you hungry?"

"…Eh?" Marimo's mouth opened in startlement.

"You haven't eaten yet, right?"

"Well…" she hesitated, "…no."

"Great!" Takeru said jauntily, stepping forward and placing the tray down on her desk. "I brought dinner."

Marimo considered the food-laden tray with deep reluctance. "That's…"

"I thought we should have a talk," Takeru interrupted her, not wanting to give her a chance to refuse. He met her gaze evenly. "Please."

She bit her lip for a half second. "…All right," Marimo agreed quietly.

A breath he hadn't known he was holding escaped him.

He'd brought two plates of food, figuring Marimo would feel less awkward if she wasn't the only one eating. Takeru set one in front of her, taking the other one for himself, and they both sat down to eat the lukewarm cafeteria food. Silverware clinked as the conversation lapsed in favor of the meal. Despite her hesitation, judging by the way she attacked her plate, it looked like Marimo really had been hungry. Takeru mimicked her, all the while racking his brain for the right words to say.

No matter how much he thought, the perfect words didn't come. All too soon, Takeru found himself chasing little clumps of rice across his significantly cleaner plate. He glanced at Marimo, only to find her looking back at him, her own plate clear.

Takeru steeled himself. "I'm sorry," he said directly, bowing his head.

"2nd Lt. Shirogane…"

"Things have been weird ever since that night in the hallway," Takeru continued. "I know I apologized already, and you said it was okay, but… I wanted to say it again." He swallowed nervously. "I'm really sorry about, um… accidentally groping you…"

The silence stretched. Hesitantly, Takeru looked up to take in Marimo's reaction.

She was looking at him with a flat expression. "Like I said before, I accept your apology, sir," Marimo said stiffly. "There was no need for you to apologize again."

"There is," he disagreed. "I don't want to leave things like this, not when it could be-" Takeru cut himself off, his mouth shutting with a click.

The frustration was getting to him, almost making him say things he shouldn't say. Takeru knew he was being pushy, that he should have left things well enough alone. But he didn't have time for Marimo to stop being irritated with him. He had to try and make amends, and he had to do it quickly before the mission started the next morning.

Marimo's cold expression wavered, her gaze becoming searching. "Are you… leaving?"

Grimacing, Takeru ran a hand through his hair. "…Yeah," he grudgingly admitted. "Just for a little while, but… yeah."

"I see," Marimo murmured. She sighed, closing her eyes for a long moment. "It really is okay," she said finally. "I meant it when I said that. It was just an accident. I wouldn't hold that against you."

"But…" It sure hadn't felt like it to him.

"I guess… I was just a bit irritated," Marimo explained, smiling wanly.

"Irritated? Why?"

"Well, that's…" she stumbled, folding her arms and looking away, her cheeks flushing abruptly. She mumbled something under her breath, too quiet for him to hear.

Takeru could only stare in wonder. Unlike the Marimo-chan of his original home, Sgt. Jinguuji didn't get flustered or embarrassed easily. He couldn't really remember seeing her blush before. It was simultaneously an extremely rare and incredibly nostalgic vision.

"…Marimo-chan?" Her name escaped his mouth without his volition.

Crap.

Marimo's brows furrowed for second, her embarrassed expression fading. "That's the second time you've called me that," she observed, looking at him almost quizzically.

"Um, yeah…" Takeru mumbled, his head drooping. "…sorry."

"Can I ask why, sir?"

"I… well, you may have noticed, but I'm not really a big fan of stuffy formalities all the time," Takeru answered tentatively. "That's why… I'd rather my friends call me by name, and… I'd like to do the same in return."

Marimo's eyes were wide. "Are you saying… you consider me a friend, sir?"

Takeru's reply was instant. "Of course."

"I… Thank you, sir," she said haltingly after a long pause.

"Just 'Takeru' is fine," he said hopefully.

"That would be against regulations," the sergeant instantly dashed his hopes. Takeru could only look away and sigh, depressed. "However…" Marimo said haltingly, her expression softening. "If you really wish to, I don't mind if you want to call me 'Marimo-chan,' but… wouldn't it be more appropriate to call me Sgt. Jinguuji?"

His breath caught in his throat. He'd heard those words before.

Marimo-chan.

She really was the same no matter where he was.

It was a struggle for Takeru to keep his eyes from watering as the rush of emotions hit him.

Instead, he offered Marimo a heartfelt smile. "…I'll think about it."

"Please do, Second Lieutenant." The small smile she gave him in return was dazzling to Takeru.

"'Takeru,'" he prompted.

"2nd Lt. Shirogane," Sgt. Jinguuji sighed.

"Please?"

"No, sir."

"Come on, it's okay when we're alone, isn't it?" he asked beseechingly.

"No means no," she scolded lightly.

It felt like he was back in his own world again, playfully teasing Marimo-chan. Takeru couldn't even begin to describe how happy that made him.

His mind was suddenly overflowing with memories of his Marimo-chan, smiling at him, scolding him, walking with him, eating with him, kissing him, talking with him, loving him…

Takeru's thoughts were full of Marimo.

He missed her so much.

And yet… here she was, right in front of him.

That probably explained the temporary lapse of sanity that led to his next action.

Takeru rolled the desk chair closer to Marimo, stopping when their knees were almost touching. The brown-haired woman had frozen, startled by his sudden approach. Takeru gently took her non-resisting hands.

"Please, Marimo-chan?" he asked again gently. "I really want you to do it."

Marimo was too astonished to reply, her eyes wide like dinner plates as her mouth moved soundlessly.

A pen clattered as it bounced on the ground, accompanied by the familiar sound of fluttering paper.

…Is it just me, or does the room seem brighter now?

Marimo's eyes stared over Takeru's shoulder as she sat like a statue in her chair.

Takeru slowly turned around to look back towards the door, a feeling on existential dread blowing away any sense of joy he had been feeling.

PleaseGodnotMunakataPleaseGodnotMunakata, he prayed with all his heart.

Takeru's eyes settled on the open doorway.

His prayers were answered. It wasn't Munakata.

Captain Isumi stood in the doorway amidst a puddle of fallen papers, looking like she'd just seen a ghost. She was gaping at Takeru and Marimo's joined hands.

He'd never seen the captain looking so astonished. It would have been novel if it wasn't at Takeru's own expense.

Abruptly, Takeru's stalled brain kicked back into gear. Hastily, he let go of Marimo's hands and sprang to his feet, putting some distance between them.

"T-this is… umm… it's not what it looks like!" Takeru blurted.

At his words, Marimo seemed to unfreeze. She shot to her feet. "Y-yes, that's right!" she agreed quickly, flustered. "It's d-definitely not whatever you're thinking!"

Captain Isumi took a step back, her cheeks pink for some reason. "Sorry for interrupting," she inexplicably apologized.

"There's nothing to be sorry for!" Marimo cried, sounding strangely pleading. "You didn't interrupt anything at all!"

"I'll… come back later," Isumi mumbled haltingly. She then turned on her heel and began to quickly walk away.

"Captain Isumi!" Marimo called plaintively. It was an incredibly nostalgic sound.

Yet again, Takeru could strongly see the echo of his former homeroom teacher in the sergeant. He could almost see the columns of mortified tears sliding down her face. Takeru shook away the hallucination. Getting lost in his memories could lead to disaster, as the encounter with the captain had just so aptly proved.

As the reality of the situation hit him, Takeru could only groan and sink back into his seat. He leaned forward, placing his face into his hands, and resisted the urge to cry.

Not again, he whimpered. First Munakata, and now the captain?

What would the Valkyries think of him? His reputation seemed like it was just dropping further and further into the gutter.

"Haaah," Marimo sighed tiredly, flopping back down in her chair as well. Given the way she rubbed her temples, her thoughts mirrored his own. "You really are just…" she trailed off.

"…Sorry."

There was really nothing he could say. After a long silence, Takeru reluctantly stood up again.

"I should go," he muttered.

"Please do."

He moved to gather the tray he'd brought, only to be waved away by Marimo. "I'll take it back later, sir. Perhaps you can take back the things Captain Isumi dropped instead?"

Takeru nodded and went to pick up the papers the captain had dropped along with her pen. As he finished, he stood and began to leave, only to pause in the doorway. He looked back at Marimo, who had silently resumed working at her desk.

"Are we… okay?" Takeru asked cautiously.

Turning, Marimo met his uncertain gaze for a moment. "Yes, sir," she exhaled. Then she smiled faintly. "We're okay."

Something in Takeru's chest seemed to relax. His lips turned up slightly and he nodded. "See you later, Sgt. Jinguuji."

With that, Takeru turned and made his way out of the office to track down the captain and return her things to her.

"…Shirogane-kun."

Takeru's feet froze.

"Good luck."

Mysteriously, his vision blurred for a few moments.

"Th… thanks," Takeru cleared his throat unevenly. "See you later, Marimo-chan."

This time…

This time, for sure…

I will save you.

#

November 11, 2001

Tactical Surface Fighter cockpits were noisy.

Even when not in combat, even when standing perfectly still, as long as they were powered on there was always some sensor chiming, some mechanism groaning, or some alert beeping.

Usually it didn't bother Mitsuki, but there were times it got kind of annoying. For example, when it got in the way of a surreptitious nap while the unit was stuck waiting around for something or other. Not that she would ever do such an irresponsible thing, of course.

After arriving at their destination on the Niigata coastline late the previous day, the Valkyries had immediately begin preparations for their operation. With the preparations taking a good part of the night, Mitsuki had gotten very little sleep before the whole unit had to move into their positions in anticipation of the predicted BETA attack.

She let loose a jaw cracking yawn and stretched her arms a bit before glancing at the distant ocean waters, which looked deceptively calm from her hilltop vantage point. It didn't look at all like an army of aliens would come boiling out of the dark blue surf at any moment.

Out of all the missions the professor had sent the Valkyries on, the current operation was probably the most unbelievable. The BETA were utterly alien to mankind. They could not be accurately predicted. That had become a matter of doctrine for humanity. Yet suddenly, Yuuko had sent the Valkyries out based on a prediction of what the BETA would do.

It was crazy.

That still didn't stop Mitsuki from feeling a tingle of unease as her eyes rose up to take in the gloomy seas that stretched between the Honshu coast and where she knew Sadogashima to lie in the distance.

Being so close to a BETA Hive made her itchy.

They were close enough that if their TSFs jumped too high, much less took flight beyond nape-of-earth altitudes, the Heavy Laser class that were idly tanning on the surface of the distant island would quickly take offense and send numerous high energy complaints hurling their way at the speed of light.

It was a hazard that would make even a veteran eishi sweat a bit, as if the threat of an imminent BETA invasion wasn't enough.

Speaking of eishi… Mitsuki turned her attention to the status of B Flight, glancing at the indicators on the left side of her vision. With the press of a button, she accessed the details of her subordinates' vitals to check their status in order to see if anyone needed one of her patented pep talks.

As anticipated, Saegusa and Miyata seemed relatively calm. Their heart rates were a bit higher than normal, but everyone in the squadron was feeling the pre-battle nerves to some degree, so it was to be expected.

In contrast, Takahara's pulse was racing a mile a minute. It was also within Hayase's expectations though. A rookie pilot facing her first battle would have to be crazy not to be nervous as hell. Takahara was definitely in need of Hayase Mitsuki's tender, supportive words of wisdom.

Before opening a communications channel to talk to the girl, Hayase checked on the final member of her squadron and immediately began to frown.

Rather than being nervous like a sane person, Shirogane's vitals looked suspiciously calm. In fact, if she hadn't known better, it would have looked like he practically unconscious.

After a few seconds, Mitsuki's eyes widened incredulously and she quickly slammed her fist down on one of the buttons in her cockpit, opening a communications channel. "Shi-ro-ga-ne…" she pronounced his name slowly, enunciating each syllable. "You couldn't possibly be sleeping right now, could you?" her voice trailed off threateningly.

With the video channel open, Mitsuki saw the moment his brown eyes snapped open. Shirogane jerked upright in his seat.

"…No," came the belated response.

"You have a bit of drool on your chin," Mitsuki tapped her chin with her index finger, helpfully indicating the spot for him.

Stone-faced, Takeru reached up and wiped his chin with the back of his hand, rubbing the saliva off onto the rubber-like surface of his fortified suit. "…I do that sometimes," 2nd Lt. Shirogane said without batting an eye. "It's a medical condition. I can't really control it."

"Your eyes were closed."

"…I was meditating," he claimed. "It helps me keep a calm center."

"2nd Lt. Shirogane."

"1st Lt. Hayase?"

"500 pushups when we get back to base."

"…Affirmative, ma'am." She almost missed the sulky mutter that followed. "But I wasn't sleeping."

"Shirogane," Mitsuki could only sigh incredulously at his nerve. "You really are just…" she trailed off, shaking her head.

Unexpectedly, the sound of snickering reached Mitsuki's ears. Instantly, she began to scowl at the image of the resigned looking Shirogane, only to realize the laughter sounded entirely too feminine to be coming from him. Mitsuki glanced at her list of open channels and silently winced as she saw the squadron channel showing as open.

Had she somehow hit the wrong button by mistake in her haste? She couldn't even remember the last time she made that kind of rookie mistake.

That guy really brought out the worst in her.

"Shirogane," Captain Isumi spoke.

"Ma'am."

"Naptime is over."

"Copy."

A few more muffled chuckles followed. Mitsuki sighed again, shaking her head one last time before smiling wryly. At least the tension that had gripped the squadron had been lightened, if only by a little bit.

"2nd Lt. Shirogane, at least pay a little attention to your surroundings," Akane scolded, her digital image scowling. It looked like she was still upset about the fact that he'd been assigned as a vanguard over her.

"Yes, mother," Shirogane mumbled.

Akane's face reddened with anger. "You—!"

"Ahahaha!" Kashiwagi's bright laughter interrupted Akane.

"Haruko!" Akane complained, betrayed.

A chime announced an incoming private communication from the captain, forcing the suddenly lively squadron channel into the background. "When did you two set this up?" a bemused looking Captain Isumi asked Mitsuki.

"Eh?" Mitsuki blinked.

"Do you expect me to believe you just happened to broadcast that little skit to everyone by accident?" Isumi gave her a knowing look.

Speechless, Mitsuki stared back like a gaping fish. After a few moments of frantic thought, she decided that she could only play along with the captain's assumptions. It was better than admitting that yes, she had indeed committed that rookie blunder. She would never live it down.

"Eheheh," Mitsuki forced a sheepish laugh out and gave Isumi her best innocent look.

"Well, good job," Isumi nodded. "It looks like everyone's relaxed a bit."

"…Thanks," Mitsuki accepted the unwarranted praise.

"You know, if you ever decide to change careers, the two of you might do unexpectedly well as a comedy duo," Captain Isumi added, smiling playfully.

For the second time in the conversation, Mitsuki found herself temporarily at a loss for words. What in the world did she mean by that? "No way, captain," Mitsuki finally found her voice, waving her hand in lighthearted dismissal. "You know I love the adrenaline too much to quit."

Isumi chuckled a bit before switching back to the squadron channel. "That's enough chatter, people," the captain said, her voice instantly quieting the friendly banter that had still been flying around, mostly at Shirogane's expense. "I know it can get boring just waiting around, but we're here on a mission, so make sure you all stay focused. And just to be clear, that means no napping while we're on alert."

Mitsuki glanced on Shirogane's image, fully expecting another sulky expression at the captain's good-humored jab. Instead though, his face looked incredibly grim. He looked almost like a different person compared to before.

A prickle of alarm shot through her. Mitsuki scanned the horizon and checked her sensors intently, only allowing herself to relax when she didn't find any sign of the BETA approaching. That left her to wonder why Shirogane's expression had changed so much.

Surely it wasn't because he'd been teased too much? Not when he looked like a man about to stare death in the face. A quick glance at his vital data showed that his heart rate had risen slightly, but it was still well below the point that would indicate fear or panic.

Seeing no imminent threats, Mitsuki wrote it off as yet another oddity of Shirogane's and turned her focus back to the squadron's conversation.

"Captain, will they really come?" Kazama asked.

"Who knows," Captain Isumi sighed over the com channel. "But the Vice Commander thinks they will. We'll just have to trust her."

"Yeah, that's right," Mitsuki spoke up. "We just have handle the mission we were given, and—"

Alarms squealed loudly. The distinct sound immediately set Mitsuki's pulse pounding.

A bright magenta alert blazed across her display.

[Code: 991]

WARNING

It was the standard international code indicating that the BETA had been sighted and were an imminent threat.

"Valkyrie Mum to all Valkyrie call signs," Haruka's voice came over the squadron channel. She sounded as calm as always, but Mitsuki could hear an underlying tension beneath her professional tone. "The Primary Ocean Defense Line is reporting that a BETA herd has been detected advancing towards Niigata."

"…Well, it looks like we're not going home empty-handed after all," Captain Isumi said dryly, breaking the silence that followed the unwelcome announcement. "All units, prepare to move out!"

#

At 0620 hours, the Primary Ocean Defense Line detected the BETA advancing from Sadogashima Hive.

It was exactly the same time as Takeru remembered.

Within seven minutes, the BETA had breached the Primary Ocean Defense Line, destroying the IJN's 56th Naval Squadron on their way through.

The BETA had breached the Primary Ocean Defense Line with horrifying speed, which also lined up with his memories of another world. Even when put at DEFCON 2, the IJN simply didn't have the resources to stop a determined BETA advance across the ocean floor.

However, the IJMDF forces in Niigata did. After being put on high alert by Yuuko's machinations, the 12th Division was already moving to intercept the BETA. An entire wing of TSFs had been scrambled, with the 12th Division's armor and infantry forces on the way behind them. The IJMDF's 14th Division was also moving, though being based further away meant that they would not make it in time to meet the BETA's initial landfall.

Takeru's first prophecy to Yuuko had been fully validated. By the time he returned, Yuuko-sensei would finally be willing to work with him to prevent Alternative V.

It was his first concrete step towards changing that future once more. It didn't feel like a victory though.

How could it, when he saw the plumes of smoke belching from the dying ships of the 56th Naval Squadron rising in the distance?

Most of the crew on those ships wouldn't survive. The thought made Takeru grit his teeth in frustration, wishing he could have done something, anything, to prevent their fate.

But there was nothing he could do.

He wasn't a superhero. He couldn't save everyone.

The world had proven that to him over and over again.

Still, while he couldn't save everyone, he could make a difference for his comrades.

Takeru's grip on his TSF's controls tightened as the distant thunder of naval guns and depth charges, the evidence of the IJN's continued efforts to halt or at least thin the BETA herd before it made landfall, grew louder in his ears. The Valkyries moved towards the sounds of battle, speeding northwards to the BETA's predicted landing site based on the information coming from the Primary Ocean Defense Line.

At 0648 hours, the BETA herd boiled up out of the surf, surging up over the beaches just north of Kakudayama unopposed and driving inland without pause. Hundreds of Destroyer-class led the way, their thundering charge gradually picking up speed as they left the water. Behind them followed an even greater number of Grappler and Tank-class aliens, and eventually several of the titanic Fort-class rose out of the water, accompanied by swarms of the more human-sized aliens.

A-01 moved northwards, flying low behind the small mountain range that partially shielded the area of Niigata Plains they were in from the coast in order to minimize the risk of being targeted by any Laser-class coming from the beach. When they reached Kakudayama at the northern end of the little mountain range, they could see that the vanguard of the BETA herd had already slammed into the 12th Division's hastily formed defensive line at the old national highway just a few kilometers to the northeast of the Valkyries' position.

Once, the hills that loomed around where the Valkyries had come to a stop had been covered in trees and other lush greenery. Years of BETA incursions and the subsequent efforts by humanity to drive them back had scoured the foothills clean, leaving them largely barren aside from a handful of stubborn trees and patches of weeds. The thirteen massive figures that stood at the base of the foothills thus had no cover or concealment, not that humanity ever really seemed to be able to hide from the aliens anyway. The BETA never seemed to really need to see to know when humans were present.

Sure enough, not long after A-01 touched down to take stock of the BETA's advance and their distant battle with the IJMDF's 14th Division, groups of grotesque red figures began to break off from the main herd heading inland, turning southwards towards the Valkyries. Soon after, several groups of Grapplers and Destroyers veered south as well, following the Tank-class that had caught scent of the Valkyries' presence.

Takeru watched their approach as if from a great distance, his mind focused on other things. Rather than spend time gawking at the thousands of horrific aliens streaming across the plains below them, or worrying about the hundreds of BETA that had started to head his way, he would rather spend the precious time he had left to think about more constructive things. His mind continued to churn through plans and backup plans as he wracked his brain for ways he could keep his comrades alive.

He didn't have long to think though.

"All Valkyries, Valkyrie 1," Captain Isumi's calm voice sounded in Takeru's ears. "You all know the plan. Valkyrie 4, Valkyrie 9, weapons free. Start tagging our incoming guests."

"Valkyrie 4, affirmative," 2nd Lt. Ichijou answered, her normally cool tone sounding downright arctic in the face of the BETA.

"Valkyrie 9, roger!" Kashiwagi replied hastily, her voice atypically tense.

Almost as one, the squadron's two impact guards, 2nd Lt. Ichijou and Kashiwagi, opened fire. Their long range support assault cannons boomed in a steady rhythm as they fired, smoothly switched targets, and fired again, wounding alien after alien with their special ammunition.

The larger aliens seemed to stagger briefly when hit by the rounds before continuing their march, untouched by pain. Occasionally a few of the creatures died outright when the impact guards aimed poorly, though only among the relatively small Tank-class.

The group of BETA headed towards the Valkyries began to accelerate in response to the incoming fire.

"B Flight, you're clear to engage," the captain said calmly as the BETA began to charge towards them in earnest. "Halt the Destroyer-class, then pull back as planned."

A pack of Destroyers quickly overtook Tank-class that had been leading the way. Dozens of enormous armored behemoths thundered up the hill towards the waiting UN TSFs, outpacing the rest of the BETA as they continued to pick up speed despite the climb. Several of them were wounded already, their large legs bleeding red blood and orange fluid, but it didn't seem to slow them at all. In fact, the ones that had been wounded by the impact guards' precise shots seemed to be pulling ahead of even their fellow Destroyer-class somehow.

Takeru remembered Yuuko's offhanded explanation with mounting apprehension. Normally, a few dozen Destroyers charging across an open battlefield were easy prey for a well-trained TSF squadron, especially if their ammo and fuel were plentiful. But it became an entirely different story when the goal was to try and keep the berserk genocidal aliens busy without killing them.

"Rise and shine, ladies," Hayase said cheerfully over B Flight's communication net. "It's time for work." Valkyrie 2's jump units ignited. "B Flight, wedge formation," the flight leader instructed, her tone turning brisk. "Keep low and follow me!"

"Roger!"

Almost as one, the five vanguards blasted towards the BETA.

They flew low, hugging the ground. The Laser-class hadn't been detected, but no one was willing to bet that they weren't around. The scarred earth became a blur of brown and green in Takeru's vision, while the approaching forms of the BETA grew larger and larger with each passing second.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, B Flight had closed the gap between themselves and the Destroyer-class, charging straight into the teeth of the stampeding herd of armored Ruitare.

"Up!" Hayase barked at what seemed like the last possible second.

Takeru's limbs moved on instinct, swiftly launching his Shiranui upward as he followed Hayase. B Flight darted upwards, just over the tops of the charging Destroyers, close enough that Takeru could make out the texture of their shells and giving him a closer look than he ever wanted of the disgusting, bulging flesh at their backs.

Unconsciously, Takeru bared his teeth in a snarl at the sight.

Face to face with his hated foe, Takeru's worries disappeared. Time seemed to slow as his focus narrowed tightly.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins.

The time for thinking and worrying was over.

It was time to fight the BETA once again.

"Fire!" he heard Hayase's command distantly.

His assault cannon roared in measured bursts, raining 36mm HVAP rounds down into the fleshy backsides of the Ruitare he passed over in chorus with his fellow vanguards.

The Storm Vanguards passed over the aliens like angels of death. The Destroyers leading the charge died, their huge forms stumbling and smashing into the ground with thunderous crashes as they were scythed down by fire from above. A blink later, the charge disintegrated as the beasts following behind the frontrunners slammed into their giant corpses at high speed. It was the world's most grotesque traffic pileup.

An alarm blared inside Takeru's cockpit.

Laser-class BETA had been detected on the battlefield.

"Valkyrie 11, you're too high!" Hayase warned sharply. "Drop your altitude!"

"Roge—"

Beams of pure white sliced through the sky.

Valkyrie 11 exploded, her TSF's laser coating no match for multiple Laser-class. The Shiranui dropped out of the sky like a rock, spewing flames, smoke, and debris.

Takeru's stomach seemed to fall with it.

A blink later, the dead machine crashed violently into the churned earth in the wake of the Destroyers' charge.

The operation had only just begun, and already…

Already, he had failed.

He slammed a fist down on his thigh in frustration and grief.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday!" Hayase called over the squadron net, her voice knotted tight with suppressed emotion. "Valkyrie 11 is down. Repeat, Valkyrie 11 is down." A second later, she gasped loudly. "—Vitals are still coming in from Takahara's suit! She's unconscious, but still alive!"

It was a small miracle. The targets of the Laser-class rarely survived, especially when caught off guard. But Takeru wasn't in the mood to look a gift horse in the mouth. His frustration and grief evaporated as his determination was renewed at Hayase's joyful report.

"Roger, Valkyrie 2," Captain Isumi responded swiftly. "Secure the crash site. A Flight will move in to assist. C Flight will provide cover fire."

B Flight had already dropped back down to the ground, landing in the large gap between the Destroyer-class and the onrushing Grapplers and Tanks. Quickly, they backtracked to where the smoking wreck of Takahara's Shiranui rested and formed a protective circle around it, careful to keep the incoming BETA between themselves and the distant Laser-class.

With the temporarily snarled group of Destroyer-class on one side and the rest of the BETA splinter group closing the distance rapidly on the other, it was a hair-raising spot to stop moving.

Eyeing the situation, Takeru's mouth set into a frown. He opened a channel to speak to Hayase. "Valkyrie 2, Valkyrie 13 here," Takeru spoke. "We need to clear out the rest of those Destroyers before they untangle themselves, and those Laser-class need to be suppressed, or else we're going to have problems."

Hayase's face popped up on his HUD, her expression grim. "You're right," she agreed evenly. Then she hesitated, "But the mission…"

"Leaving the Destroyers at our backs is going to get someone killed," Takeru countered. "And if we need to defend this spot for long, we won't be able to keep the Lasers from getting line of sight on us." To Takeru, the less BETA they were able to capture alive, the better off everyone would ultimately be. But they were also genuinely major threats with the potential to complicate an already difficult situation, and he did not want to see any more of his comrades fall.

For a brief instant, Hayase bit her lip in indecision. Then she nodded briskly, "Do it."

"Roger that," Takeru acknowledged, relieved that she'd agreed with his logic. His TSF stomped out of the protective circle formation as he moved towards the seething clump of Ruitare, the massive creatures in back already starting to recover from the abrupt end of their charge.

"…will take out the Destroyer-class to secure our rear. Saegusa, recover Takahara," Takeru listened with half an ear as Hayase issued orders over the flight's net as he eyed the clump of BETA ahead of him. "Miyata, protect…"

Tuning out her voice, Takeru's assault cannon rose as he aimed towards the lumpy alien flesh in front of him. He fired in brisk, measured bursts, switching from target to target without even bothering to move his TSF's position. With each burst, a Destroyer died, 36mm cannon rounds ripping through their unarmored rears to wreck their insides.

He had put down nearly two thirds of the remaining aliens by the time A Flight roared by the Destroyers' left flank, their guns spitting bullets as they passed, ending the remaining Ruitare.

They quickly joined B Flight's position, taking up protective stances.

"Incoming Tanks!" the captain called out. "All units, open fire! We need to hold this position!"

Scores of red, six-limbed aliens spearheaded the second wave of BETA coming towards the Valkyries. They had gotten close enough that their large, disturbingly human-like teeth could be seen in the huge grimacing mouths located it what Takeru could only think of as their chest area.

The Tank-class BETA, or Equis pedis, were the third smallest strain among the aliens, at least in height. As ferocious as they looked, against a TSF they died easily. They were even vulnerable to small arms fire from infantry. However, Takeru knew they couldn't be underestimated. With their incredibly powerful arms and jaws, they were fully capable of shredding battle tanks and bringing down even the toughest Tactical Surface Fighters. They also were the most numerous of all the BETA strains that humanity faced, and thus embodied the BETA's most fearsome advantage over mankind more than any other BETA variant.

The BETA's more fearsome advantage was not the Laser-class's peerless lethality and absolute ability to deny the sky from mankind. Nor was it the super-massive, incredibly tough and powerful Fort-class, or the giant Destroyers and Grapplers with their harder than diamond carapaces. It was not their mysterious G Elements or some advanced alien technology.

It was their numbers.

The heart of the aliens' strategy against humanity, if it could even be called a strategy, was simply to drown the natives of Earth beneath an endless tide of BETA.

It was a childishly simple approach. It was also working.

That was why the relatively fragile but incredibly numerous Tank-class were, at least to Takeru, practically the poster-child of the BETA.

The Tank-class BETA had killed more TSF pilots than any other strain.

It was a chilling fact that eishi forgot at their own peril.

Faced with the menacing red horde of Tanks, the Valkyries opened fire.

In light of the need to recover one of their downed comrades, the mission to capture the BETA was temporarily put on hold, with each Valkyrie firing lethal munitions in order to break the charge. 36mm HVAP rounds ripped through the front ranks of Tank-class, turning red alien flesh into a bloody mist. The Tanks that had been in front were almost completely annihilated. A-01's guns continued their gory work, peeling open the crowd of aliens like an onion.

Then several red forms seemed to take flight.

"They're jumping!" Captain Isumi warned urgently.

The Tank-class had the ability to jump incredible distances, helping them close the gap to come into melee range of their foes. However, the distance the Tank-class had leapt from was far, even for them.

Too far.

The world around him slowed as Takeru saw the creatures leap, blood streaming from wounds behind them.

The Tank-class leaping into the air were already wounded, each bleeding from an orange-tinted gash somewhere on their bodies.

They had been shot with Yuuko's special ammunition.

It appeared that berserk BETA were more than just usually erratic. They also seemed to be stronger than their untouched cousins.

Takeru's breath stilled, his eyes narrowing in concentration as his hands twitched his TSF control sticks with quick, subtle movements.

His assault cannon boomed in rapid succession. With every report of his TSF's gun, a leaping Tank-class bloomed a new, significantly more lethal wound. Nearby, the guns of A Flight echoed in a symphony of ranged firepower.

Less than a handful of seconds after they leapt, the small group of berserk Tank-class met the earth again with meaty thuds, dead before they hit the ground.

"Valkyrie 2, Valkyrie 13, Destroyers eliminated," Takeru reported once the immediate threat was dealt with. "Now commencing suppression of the Laser-class."

"Copy, Valkyrie 13," Hayase replied. "I'd go with you, but I need to make sure the recovery goes well, and I can't spare Miyata either. Maybe Captain Isumi can…"

"It's okay," Takeru interrupted. "I'll be fine on my own," he continued, giving her a confident grin. "I'll be back before you know it."

She hesitated a bit before speaking again, "...Good hunting."

To take out the Laser-class, he'd have to make his way through to the rear of the BETA force, avoid getting killed by the many Tanks and Grapplers in his way, then kill the Laser-class without letting them target him in return. That wasn't even considering the looming forms of the Fort-class stomping along near where the Lasers were standing. A single blow from one of those giants could ruin any TSF's day.

It was understandable why Hayase was hesitant to send him off to do the job alone.

It was practically a suicide mission.

For an eishi, suicide missions were just bad days at work. Admittedly, unlike most professions, eishi tended not to survive their bad days. But it was still a tragically normal state of affairs. Any TSF pilot worth the name would accept the task with equanimity as their duty.

For Takeru, it was like winning the lottery. He'd been wracking his brain for a way to avoid having to capture the Laser-class, and now he had been given the opportunity to purge them from the battlefield. Compared to the tragedies he could prevent by doing so, the personal risk involved in the task meant nothing to him.

He fought the urge to grin as he acknowledged Hayase's transmission and ignited his jump units in a blaze of blue fire. His Shiranui rocketed forward, the acceleration pressing Takeru back into his seat as he plunged into the teeth of the alien horde at breakneck speeds, his assault cannon blasting the way clear. In a few blinks, he'd penetrated their formation, lancing through it like a needle through skin.

His HUD turned into chaos as he became utterly surrounded by BETA. Angry red Tank-class leapt at him, only to be neatly avoided by Takeru's swift, precise maneuvering and the judicious application of cannon fire. Enormous Grappler-class tried to bar his way, swinging their massive, harder than diamond claws in an effort to bludgeon his TSF to death. Takeru flowed around them or over them, dashing through their ranks without pause.

Armed with the prototype OS that would become the XM3 operating system, Takeru's Shiranui responded to his harsh demands, performing feats of agility that no TSF had ever done before.

In the midst of the BETA, Shirogane Takeru unleashed the true potential of the operating system he had envisioned. Man and machine united in mind and body, moving as one.

A war titan clad in super-carbon danced through the alien horde, swift and graceful and utterly lethal. And despite the BETA's numerical superiority and physical might, despite all their efforts, they could not touch it.

Within minutes, Takeru burst through the rear ranks of the BETA group that had peeled off to confront the Valkyries and into open ground. Almost immediately, he darted to the right, narrowly avoiding being impaled by a massive, whip-like stinger that dripped with corrosive green acid. The Fort-class died a blink later to Takeru's 120mm depleted uranium-tipped retaliation. As the enormous alien came down like a collapsing building, Takeru blasted around it and made a beeline to the next Fort-class in his way.

He darted from Fort to Fort, using their massive bulk as shields to prevent the Laser-class from firing at him as he flew low towards them. As long as he never let them get a clear line of sight on his TSF for more than a few seconds, he could prevent them from firing. It was perhaps one of the few times he could feel somewhat grateful for the sheer numbers of BETA, which meant that there was plentiful cover to use on his approach.

Still, he quickly began to run out of Fort-class to use for cover. The gigantic beasts were relatively rare, after all, and in a brigade sized herd there were normally only around fifty to a hundred of them total. The group marching towards the Valkyries had included about twenty of the Fort-class, which was a surprisingly large amount given the total size of the splinter force. Luckily though, he didn't need much more cover, since he'd finally come to grips with the group of Laser-class that had been menacing the Valkyries.

Takeru growled at the sight of the Laser-class, otherwise known as the Lux, as they grew close enough to see clearly through his TSF's eyes without magnification.

They were one of the smaller BETA strains, only slightly taller than a Tank-class as well as being significantly narrower and lighter. Their skin was a rotted grey, their bodies bulged with lumps which were occasionally topped with what looked like bristles or patches of hair, and they lacked arms entirely. Their only limbs seemed to be their feet, which looked disturbingly human. Physically, they were probably the weakest of the BETA. But then there were their eyes. The eyes of the Lux were enormous, each bulb seemingly as big as the head they projected out from. It was from those eyes that they emitted their high intensity lasers which completely denied humanity access to the skies anywhere within their range.

They were, like all the BETA, utterly alien and revolting to human sensibilities. But human pilots, including TSF pilots, reserved a special sort of hatred for the Laser-class.

Takeru was no exception.

His hands tightened violently around the TSF control sticks. His breath hissed out from between clenched teeth. The world seemed to slow again as his vision narrowed down until it seemed like all he could see where the Laser-class milling about in front of him.

Takeru killed the last remaining Fort-class almost reflexively, barely even noting it even as his TSF's massive PB Blade carved through the joints on its front legs. As it fell, Takeru slammed the point of his blade through what appeared to be its head, staying behind its massive bulk as it toppled to the ground.

As his TSF's feet met the earth again, he moved around to the right side of the Fort-class's corpse until he could see beyond it. At the second he saw a lumpy grey shape, Takeru opened fire.

Takeru used the corpse for cover as he systematically mowed down group of Lux. He fired briefly, then darted back behind the corpse, changing positions before opening fire again. It was a tactic that would not work for too long, but he only needed it to work for a few moments. In response, Laser-class waddled in his direction, stopping to stare ominously whenever he poked his head out only to die in a storm of cannon fire.

His TSF sensors beeped urgently as another pack of Destroyer-class peeled off from the main attacking wave to charge towards his position.

"Too late," Takeru murmured, smiling in satisfaction as his gun pulped the last standing Laser-class alien.

He paused, allowing himself a second to relax as he savored the accomplishment.

With the local Lux dead, the Valkyries would be significantly safer. And it also meant that the Laser-class wouldn't be unleashed on Yokohama Base by Yuuko, which would hopefully make the suppression that much quicker.

Maybe then, Marimo would…

Takeru breathed out slowly, reigning in his thoughts. The present had to be his priority, at least until the operation was over.

With the press of a button, he opened a line to Hayase. "Valkyrie 2, Valkyrie 13, Laser-class suppression complete," Takeru reported.

There was a long pause before his flight leader responded. "Good work, Shirogane," Hayase eventually replied, her breathing audibly uneven. The face that showed in his HUD was tight with strain, her blue eyes narrowed as she gazed at some threat Takeru couldn't see. "Now get your ass back here ASAP," she ordered tersely before terminating the connection.

Takeru's sense of satisfaction disappeared, replaced by worry for his comrades. Whatever was going on back where he'd left them, it was clearly not easy going for the Valkyries.

With a few deft flicks of the controls, Takeru's Shiranui pirouetted in place like a giant ballet dancer before rocketing off towards where the rest of the squadron was still fighting.

Once again, the turf below turned into a blur as his TSF blasted over the terrain in high speed NOE flight. It wasn't long before Takeru saw the flashes of tracer fire ahead of him, evidence of A-01's continued struggle against the BETA. With each second that passed, the distant battle grew closer. When Takeru reached the rear of the BETA formation of Tanks and Grapplers, he nudged his TSF up, flying over them, his assault cannon raining down death upon them as he passed overhead.

As he approached, a cold ball of ice formed in Takeru's stomach as he saw a second column of black smoke rising where the Valkyries fought.

Had another member of A-01 fallen?

He re-opened the squadron net that he'd muted in an effort to focus on taking out the Laser-class. A wave of conversations immediately overwhelmed him.

"…Reloading!"

"Valkyrie 6, Grapplers on your six!"

"Saegusa, do you have Miyata yet?"

"Munakata, keep those Tanks off of us!"

Takeru slammed the throttle. The Shiranui bucked as its jump jets flared a brilliant blue, their output increasing as he soared higher into the sky, willingly risking annihilation by any undetected Laser-class in the vicinity in his mounting desperation to reach his comrades.

"Valkyrie 2, you need to pull back! There's too many of them!" the captain's voice barked.

"Saegusa is still behind me!" Hayase shouted back. "I'm not moving until she recovers Miyata!"

Both Takahara and Miyata had been brought down by the BETA, though given the fact that a recovery attempt was being made, it seemed like Miyata had also survived the destruction of her TSF. B Flight had taken significant losses.

As Takeru approached the site of the battle, his TSF screaming through the air at altitudes far higher than was sane with potential Laser-class threats, he had a bird's eye view of the situation.

Five UN TSFs fought desperately around the smoking wrecks of two fallen Shiranui, while a sixth knelt next to one of the lifeless units. Hayase and Captain Isumi's A Flight were fighting fiercely to defend Saegusa's kneeling TSF as she tried to recover their unconscious comrades, but moment by moment the protective circle was getting smaller as the defenders were forced backwards. Soon, they would run out of room to maneuver.

A few hundred meters behind them, another battle was playing out as the group of four more TSFs in C Flight attempted to provide covering fire for A and B Flights even as Tanks and Grapplers closed into melee range.

Let me make it in time, Takeru prayed as he coaxed his TSF to even higher speeds.

"Hayase!" the captain screamed in warning.

Takeru's blood froze in his veins. He could only watch helplessly from a distance as a Grappler's giant claw slammed into the side of Hayase's cockpit block.

Storm Vanguard One crumpled. The proud, unfaltering warrior that had stood strong in the face of the vicious BETA assault to defend her fallen comrades, crushing all aliens that came within reach, toppled to the ground, finally overwhelmed by the invaders' superior numbers.

A group of Tank-class surged forward, approaching Hayase's now still machine.

It was a scene Takeru had seen all too many times before.

The Tanks would swarm over the TSF, their powerful jaws biting through critical components, their strong arms pounding and tearing away at armor until they had ripped open the cockpit and exposed the pilot within.

And then, they would reach in and grab the helpless pilot, their mouths opening wide, the muscles in their arms tensing in anticipation.

And then, they would…

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

He would not allow it.

He would absolutely not allow it.

Shirogane Takeru was sick and tired of losing his friends, his comrades, his precious people.

He was not going to let yet another Valkyrie die, not while he was in reach to do something about it.

Unwittingly, Takeru was screaming as he drove his TSF downward, heading straight towards Hayase's fallen unit like an arrow, firing off several precision shots at the Tanks crawling over Hayase's TSF.

Once upon a time, Hayase Mitsuki had saved his life from the very same situation, as he had lost his mind and been overwhelmed by the BETA. At that time, he had only been able to wait in absolute terror, stuck in the dead steel coffin of his TSF as the BETA battered their way inside. In that darkness, in that overwhelming helplessness, where he could only rage impotently and shiver in fear as death approached, Hayase had saved his life.

In that world, he had never been able to repay her for that.

But here and now, he still had a chance.

He would save her and any of the rest of the Valkyries still within his reach. He would save Marimo. He would save Kei, Chizuru, Miki, Mikoto, Meiya, Sumika, Kasumi, Yuuko… all of his precious people.

Shirogane Takeru descended from the sky like a bolt of lightning, slamming down amidst the BETA in a cloud of dust and blood. The super-carbon giant clad in the colors of the sky blurred into furious action, assault cannon thundering in one hand, giant blade whirling in deadly arcs in the other.

The Tank-class that had begun to rip apart Hayase's Shiranui died in seconds, removed with surgical precision by cannon fire. The Grapplers and Tanks in the near vicinity died next, slaughtered by the blue titan's blurring blade.

"I won't let you take her!" Takeru roared his defiance at the BETA as he drove his TSF in an all-out assault. "I won't let you take any more of my friends!"

Within moments, the space surrounding Hayase's fallen unit was clear of BETA.

"Captain!" Takeru called frantically after opening a communications channel.

"Shirogane, what—"

"I'll hold the BETA off," Takeru cut her off hurriedly. "Please retrieve Hayase and the others!"

The mission was an utter clusterfuck. From the very start, it had seemed ill-conceived, but with each additional disabled TSF, the situation grew more and more desperate as A-01 struggled to retrieve their downed pilots.

At some point, Captain Isumi might have decided to halt recovery efforts and just continue with the objective. As much as she cared for her subordinates, the captain was fully capable of sending them to their death to accomplish the objectives given to her by the Vice Commander. For the sake of humanity, the commander of Special Task Force A-01 had to be capable of that much.

Takeru couldn't let that happen. And with him defending the units making the recovery efforts, it wouldn't happen. He would make sure of it.

Shirogane Takeru was an entirely different pilot than any of the other Valkyries. He was a strange existence, his fate tossed about across space and time. He had seen countless battles, endured an uncountable number of defeats, and won a matchless number of victories. He didn't remember even the barest fraction of what he must have experienced in all those other worlds. But all those experiences had still left their mark on his soul.

The BETA would not get by him.

They would not take him down.

They would learn that fact to their peril.

The alien advance was pushed back as Takeru continued the high-speed massacre, his TSF moving like living quicksilver as he drove relentlessly after the nearest BETA, eliminating them with gun and blade without pause.

No matter how many he killed though, there were always more. Hundreds of BETA pressed towards him, the group seemingly even larger than ever. At some point, more and more BETA had peeled off from the main force that was fighting with the 12th and 14th Divisions to consume the Valkyries. However, to feed on the Valkyries, the BETA would need to get past Takeru first.

Behind him, members of A Flight worked to recover the downed pilots while Captain Isumi and C Flight resolutely held the flanks and rear against the aliens.

Takeru lost all track of time. He simply fought, his mind becoming almost blank as he tracked and reacted to the movements of the BETA, his hands and feet continuously moving as he guided his TSF in its lightning fast actions against the invaders. His world became nothing but the battle, the reading of his enemies' movements and his own counters.

The BETA could not be understood, much less predicted, by human minds. Nonetheless, whenever the BETA tried to slip past his defenses to prey on the vulnerable pilots behind him, the aliens found Takeru barring their way. When they tried to confront him directly, every BETA that challenged him quickly met their end.

Outnumbered hundreds to one, Takeru and the Valkyries held the line. The BETA crashed against him like waves against the shore, and one by one they broke in front of him.

Then, abruptly, it was over.

"This is Valkyrie 8." The utterly unexpected transmission from Suzumiya Akane jolted Takeru out of the strangely calm state of mind he'd fallen into. "Valkyrie 2 has been retrieved," Akane reported, her voice exhausted yet triumphant.

Akane had successfully pulled Hayase, unconscious but still alive, from her unresponsive Shiranui.

Seconds later, Tsukiji Tae's voice followed. "V-Valkyrie 10 here," she said, her tone halting and hollow. "Valkyrie 6 has been r-retrieved."

Similarly, Tae had managed to extract Saegusa Kana from the wreckage of her own TSF alive.

Takeru couldn't help but sigh in relief at the good news.

Then Tsukiji's voice continued her report. "Sa… Sa-Saki and Mi…" her voice hiccupped, "…Miyata-san are… are d-dead."

It took a few moments for Takeru's brain to process what she'd said.

Takahara Saki and Miyata Yuka were dead.

…No.

It was like getting punched by giant.

For an instant, Takeru was utterly flattened.

Then Takeru gritted his teeth, his eyes suddenly stinging as the news pierced him to the core.

Two of his comrades were dead.

Failure engulfed him, absolute and suffocating. How could he have let it happen? How could he have let them die?

What could he have done to—!

A metallic taste filled his mouth. A thin line of warm liquid dripped down his chin.

Takeru forced his jaw to unclench, releasing his now bleeding lower lip from the grip of his teeth.

Now is not the time, he told himself harshly, willing his thoughts back into focus. The mission wasn't over yet.

As if to prove his point, a pair of Grappler-class stamped towards him side by side, their terrible arms swinging to enclose him. But the instant before their massive arms crushed his TSF between them, Takeru soared, whirling over the giant aliens. His PB Blade cut through their pale, unarmored flesh as he passed, each rapid slash leaving arcs of red alien blood raining in its wake.

A blink later, Takeru landed behind two dead Grapplers and opened fire with his assault cannon, blowing gaping holes through a half dozen Tank-class.

He could wail and weep and gnash his teeth all he wanted later. But for now, he was still an eishi, and he still had a duty to see through.

"…I see…" Captain Isumi's heavy sigh was audible through the squadron net. Whatever her feelings though, she didn't let them get to her for long. When she next spoke a few seconds later, her voice was measured and businesslike. "All Valkyries, prepare for NOE flight. We're pulling back to the base of that ridge to regroup."

A ping announced the arrival of a neon map sent by the squadron leader. A zoomed in map of their current location appeared in Takeru's HUD, annotated with helpful illustrations visually explaining Isumi's intent.

A chorus of weary acknowledgements bounced back across the squadron net.

"All right," the captain said. "Stay low and stay alert. Let's move."

With little fanfare, A-01's remaining TSFs engaged their jump units, lifting into the air and turning to fly outside the reach of the BETA.

They were not retreating. They were simply pulling back temporarily, shifting the location of the battle back into their favor. Even as they pulled back, their guns never stopped hammering the BETA.

Takeru couldn't help but glance back at the fallen wrecks the Valkyries were forced to leave behind. He could see the Tanks already crawling over them like so many red ants.

#

For Special Task Force A-01, the latest invasion of Niigata by the BETA ended with a whimper. A bloody and violent whimper, to be sure, but compared to the opening stages of the fight it was relatively tame.

After they pulled back several kilometers to the base of the ridge the captain had chosen, the two injured members of B Flight were quickly flown to the rear for medical attention by Akane and Tsukiji. That left the four members of C Flight, Captain Isumi and Kashiwagi in A Flight, and Takeru as the lone man left standing in B Flight as the remaining combat-ready members of A-01.

Despite the dramatic loss of firepower, Captain Isumi remained determined to carry out the mission. In short order, the impact guards were once again set to work sniping the BETA using the special ammunition, and they were soon joined by Kazama and Asakura. And like before, the maddened BETA and their compatriots single-mindedly charged over open ground towards the Valkyries.

Unlike before though, Isumi's Valkyries no longer had a piece of ground they needed to defend. With the elimination of the Laser-class, or at least the ones that had been close enough to threaten the squadron, they were free to use their superior mobility to their full advantage. When the charging BETA came too close, the Valkyries simply gave ground in front of them, flying backwards and opening up the gap again.

It was largely the same as the initial plan, minus the need to take out the fast moving Destroyer-class, and without the Laser-class to complicate things it worked perfectly.

Within minutes, the BETA advance began to falter as more and more of their number seemed to simply collapse into comatose heaps.

Twenty minutes later, it was over.

As A-01 mopped up the few remaining stragglers in the splinter group that had been pursuing them, the IJMDF's 12th and 14th Divisions finally succeeding in breaking the back of the main BETA force.

The BETA force that had attacked Niigata on November 11 was destroyed.

Humanity had won a precious victory against the alien invaders.

And yet, even though mankind hadn't lost the battle…

Even though Takeru hadn't lost…

Somehow, his mouth tasted like ashes.

#

The battle was over.

A-01's mission was complete as well. In the aftermath of the battle and the subsequent mop up efforts, A-01 had, with the assistance of a rather shady but highly efficient mechanized infantry battalion that at least nominally appeared to be from the IJMDF, begun their work to actually secure the comatose BETA specimens for transport.

The work had been utterly monotonous and at the same time extremely difficult for Takeru. He'd constantly struggled with the overpowering urge to simply tear the BETA he helped secure and move to pieces. Resisting that urge for hours and hours had left him mentally exhausted.

It was late afternoon by the time the Valkyries had finished their work and seen the last transport truck off. After refueling from supply trucks, Captain Isumi allowed the squadron a brief break to rest and scarf down a quick meal before they had to begin the journey home themselves. They had settled down for a rest near the shore, where Takeru had promptly opened his cockpit hatch to get some fresh air for the first time in what seemed like forever.

The setting sun dyed the sky in brilliant shades of gold.

Shirogane Takeru sat on the edge of his TSF's open cockpit, listening silently to the sound of the surf rolling in against the beach as he chewed robotically on an unpleasant bar of unrecognizable flavor. The salty air whipped at his face as he ate while numbly staring down at the waves rolling onto shore.

He had been proven right about the invasion. He had the proof he needed to convince Yuuko that he had been telling the truth about his unbelievable experiences.

He wasn't happy about it.

It was a stark contrast to the vindication he'd felt the last time around. But then again, he hadn't personally seen the Valkyries die on the shores of Niigata before.

Rationally, he knew it wasn't his fault. The BETA had killed them, not him.

Yet…

But still…

If only…

The thoughts haunted him.

He had been the one to set the events that saw A-01 deployed to Niigata in motion. Never mind that if he hadn't, the death toll reaped by the BETA would have been exponentially higher. Never mind that if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to convince Yuuko of the truth of his words. Never mind that only two of the Valkyries had died instead of the three that had fallen in the last world.

Two Valkyries killed in action. Two more wounded in action.

It was a depressing harvest for a single mission, even for the choosers of the slain.

Takeru had, indirectly or not, been to one to lead the Valkyries to Niigata.

2nd Lt. Takahara Saki's death was his to bear.

He hadn't known Takahara very well, not in any world. He'd never even met the green-haired, amber-eyed girl the last time around, and in his original world, she'd been at best a distant acquaintance through Akane. From what he remembered, she'd been a sharp, confident girl, both intelligent and sporty. She'd seemed like a good fit with Akane, with the two of them being quite similar in their talents and hobbies. Still, he hadn't spoken with her much, a fact that he regretted. Because of that, Takeru's memories of Takahara were vague at best.

Even so, she'd been his comrade.

2nd Lt. Miyata Yuka's death was also his to bear.

He'd known even less about the short, plain looking vanguard than he'd known about Takahara. All he'd really known was that Miyata had been kind of a weirdo, and that she hadn't seemed to like him very much, a feeling that had been on its way to becoming mutual.

Despite that, she'd been his comrade.

The fact that he'd been unable to prevent their deaths was just... he couldn't even put the strange blend of sorrow and frustration and regret he felt into words.

So he didn't. Instead, he coiled his right hand into a tight fist and furiously slammed it down into the cockpit door he was sitting on with an incoherent yell.

"Arrgghhhh!"

Takeru poured all of his frustration, his sadness, his rage, and his remorse into the blow. It smashed into the super-carbon surface with a dull thump. Luckily, Takeru was wearing a fortified suit, which was probably the only reason why he didn't break every bone in his hand by punching his TSF at full strength. Instead, he only felt a temporary flare of pain work his way up through his knuckles and into his arms for his trouble.

"Shirogane!" Captain Isumi's concerned voice sounded in his ear. "I heard some kind of scream. Are you all right?"

"…Yes, ma'am," he replied after a beat, taking a moment to collect himself. "Sorry about that."

"I see. That's good. You're currently the ranking officer in B Flight right now, so I can't have you falling apart on me."

Takeru closed his eyes at the unintended reminder of B Flight's losses. "Of course, ma'am," he answered evenly, opening his eyes again and gazing at her digital image steadily. "Don't worry about me. I was just letting off some steam. I'm good now."

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it," Captain Isumi nodded in approval. Then she smiled, "You may also be happy to know that I've gotten word from the medics." Takeru's eyes widened at the captain's words, his stomach tensing in anticipation. "Hayase and Saegusa are in good condition. It doesn't look like they were injured too badly."

"I…" Takeru spoke haltingly. "That's… good news."

"Isn't it?" Isumi's smile widened for a moment before her expression turned professional. "I'll leave you to your break now. But be ready to move in fifteen minutes. And until Hayase returns to duty, you'll be in charge of B Flight. Given your experience and your performance today, I'm sure you'll have no trouble, but keep in mind that you're an acting flight leader. Make sure you behave as such."

"Roger," Takeru answered crisply.

The captain ended the transmission, leaving Takeru once again alone with his thoughts.

Hayase and Saegusa were okay. It was a huge weight off his back. At the very least, he wouldn't lose any more friends in Niigata.

Slowly, Takeru let out a breath.

Then he released the dark emotions that had held him in their thrall.

Takeru was an eishi, a guardian forged in pain and battle many times over.

He knew how to deal with the death of his comrades all too well.

Moping around and stewing in regrets and what ifs wouldn't help anyone. Nor would it honor the memories of the fallen.

All he could do was remember Takahara Saki and Miyata Yuka and carry on.

The tension that had been plaguing Takeru's head ever since the battle finally relaxed.

Gradually, his gaze rose up, moving from white sands to roiling sea until his eyes finally stopped at the horizon where the molten gold sky met dark blue water.

Shirogane Takeru stared out across the sea to the west.

To Sadogashima.

One day, he thought grimly. We'll come back. And this time…

His hands curled into fists again. But there was no despair or sorrow or even anger in the motion, just determination.

We'll win.

#

Muv-Luv was the created by Age. All the concepts and characters from the franchise are theirs. This is a non-profit work of fiction.

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading the sixth chapter of Breaking the Tide. Thank you to everyone who has left a comment or a review about the story so far. I really appreciate all your feedback. And, for those of you who've been waiting, thank you for your patience.

I proofread this chapter by myself, so there may be (or rather, almost certainly will be) mistakes that I missed. If you see any, I'd be grateful if you pointed them out so I can fix them. And of course, I always want to hear any other thoughts you may have about the story. Any comments and/or criticism you have on grammar, spelling, or the story in general would be highly appreciated.