Previous Chapter: Chapter 29: The Swaying Spearhead Next Chapter: Chapter 31
???1: …. To you, the Melior Esse who were born at the same moment….
???2: ….
???3: ….
???1: These are your flesh bodies. They were formed from the human knowledge of fire and ice.
???2: I am… Fire, then?
???3: And I Ice.…
???2: What of the Lord of Ruin?
???1: He still sleeps on the other side. In order to summon him, we Melior Esse must gather his nourishment.
???3: Nourishment… You mean the negative thoughts of living beings…
???2 : So we generate fear, agony and hatred by having them die meaningless deaths in the throes of despair?
???1: Exactly. I’m going to the northern reaches. The North’s Septen Polum and the South’s Meridiem Polum[1]…If we can bring forth the Ultrum Exterior[2] from those places… Humans will sink into a mire of fear and despair. Then you begin your work.
???3: Understood.
???2: Hahahaha, this is going to be fun!
*MEANWHILE IN PARIS*
Gaspard: We don’t have enough information coming in. We can’t tell what’s true and what isn’t.
Alteur: You doubt us, and not the Steel Dragons?
Gaspard: I trust my gut more than my superiors. I don’t think they are interested in rebellion.
Alteur: From what we saw, it’s possible that they were colluding with the enemy when they went MIA.
Gaspard: And that’s why you’re saying they plotted to assassinate the president?
Alteur: Yes. And after they fulfilled their objective they ran from the scene. Currently the Gaia Sabers are in pursuit.
Gaspard: …
Alteur: Send a message to the Far East division. The entirety of the Steel Dragons will be discharged from the armed forces and arrested. But if they capture the Steel Dragons, they need to let us take them into custody. They should be captured if they come to deliver their report, too.
Gaspard: We’d rather investigate this incident ourselves, figure out what happened, and have them tried in a military court.
Alteur: If you protect them, you’ll just be inviting suspicion onto yourself. Even if you don’t order them to be hunted down, it still may look like you’re aiding fugitives.
Gaspard: How very heavy handed of you. Weren’t you the one who brought the President to the front lines in the first place?
Alteur: I’m repeating myself, but the ones who took the president’s life were, undoubtedly, the Steel Dragons. You need to hurry up and get after them. Further, Vice President Don Hendricks, who is succeeding the president, will be sending the same order momentarily. I’m sure you understand, that’s an order from the highest office. This is not something you can refuse.
*beep*
Daniel: ….This has become very serious.
Gaspard: If he’s comfortable saying that much…. It may not be the whole story, but it seems true that the Steel Dragons were the ones who caused the president’s death.
Daniel: So there’s no need to investigate that particular point?
Gaspard: If he lied about that, then he’d be the one with his back against the wall, so…
Daniel: That’s true…
Gaspard: Well then, Jacob…. What do you think?
Jacob: I find it hard to believe that Captain Lefina Enfield would plot treason and go after the President’s life. She rose to squad leader and captain of a ship at her age, so there’s no questioning her capabilities. Sometimes she can be a bit aloof, but…
Gaspard: You certainly know a lot about her. Have you invited her in for a glass of Champaign yet?
Jacob: I’m waiting for my chance.
Gaspard: Hmm…So?
Jacob: It was either an accident or a trap. Alteur Steinbeck’s attitude supports that.
Gaspard: I see…. In that case, Daniel… Discharge all members affiliated with the Steel Dragons from the military. And send an order to all units. If they find the Steel Dragons, they are to force their surrender and take their officers into custody. And if the Steel Dragons resist, they are permitted to use force.
Daniel: Is that okay, sir?
Gaspard: It’s an order from the top, so we have to follow it. If Lefina Enfield is kind of person Jacob thinks she is… She won’t lay a hand on our troops. And it’s unlikely they’ll comply with a surrender order from our side.
Daniel: Why is that?
Gaspard: She’s not going to protest their innocence to Kenneth of the Far East branch, but to the us. That would be more effective.
Daniel: So, if we just summon them here…
Gaspard: We can’t do that. Ignore all messages from the Steel Dragons. Even if they offer to be summoned here, ignore it.
Daniel: Huh?
Gaspard: If we shelter them, Alteur will target us. That’s his plan.
Daniel: So…
Gaspard: As of now, the Steel Dragons have gone MIA.
Jacob: I see… You’re getting them to act as a non-affiliated independent squadron. Like that, they can…[3]
Gaspard: That’s right. You’ll act as the pipe for information. However, we can’t ease off on the pursuit. And I am not involved in with them. Because they are rebels who are not under our jurisdiction… Do you understand, Jacob?
Jacob: Yes. This is off the books.
Gaspard: Just like when you were with the 00 Section, eh?
Jacob: That was a long time ago.
Gaspard: In any case, you’ll be a busy man. You’ll be Watching people with connections to the Steel Dragons, and if needed, providing security for them. I think they’ll be running into the Gaia Sabers many times over…
Jacob: There’s a person in the upper echelon who have a connection to the Steel Dragons.
Gaspard: Who?
Jacob: Mr. Taylor Centrum. He hasn’t been touched by the “Scythe of Harpe” yet.
Gaspard: Centrum… A well-known family, whose daughter is a traitor… how will he handle it?
Jacob: His family bonds are strong.
Gaspard: Then you don’t need to involve him. And regarding the other investigation… Use every means necessary, and come to a conclusion as soon as possible.
Jacob: Roger.
*PATH SPLIT BITCHES*
Top Option *GO TO EARTH IF YOU WANT*
Bottom Option: *LETS GO TO SPACE!*
*On the news*
Caster: …That is the information we have received from the ground so far. Once more, for those of you just tuning in: Today, at 10:22 AM Federation Standard Time, the specialized Earth Federation Military Squadron known as the Steel Dragons betrayed the federation. They attacked and destroyed the escape vessel of President Graien Grusman, who was on the Air Christmas, the mothership of the Gaia Sabers. The staff aboard the escape vessel are all dead. The Steel Dragons fled the scene, and they are still at large. Further, after the attack, we have reports that the Gaia Sabers are currently engaging the Guests…
*Bridge*
Tetsuya: …So it’s true… The president was on that ship…. We… We did something we can’t take back.
Lefina: ….
Sean: Judging from when and how the ship was launched, it’s unlikely that it was the president’s idea.
Lefina: If we had complied with their demands, this won’t have happened… My… My judgement was wrong…
Tetsuya: No, the fault lies with me…. The ship that destroyed the President was mine, after all…
Ratsel: That may be the end result, but the timing of the President’s launch doesn’t add up. This was not an accident. We may have been used to kill the president.
Lefina: …!
Sean: So… The Gaia Saber’s… Alteur Steinbeck’s plan wasn’t to get us to surrender our ships… But to kill the president, and have us take the blame.
Lefina: And now we’ve been branded as traitors…
Sean: Eun, what are people saying on the net?
Eun: There are some claims of conspiracy, but overwhelmingly, they’re asking for our arrest.
Sean: And is there anything on the Gaia Sabers?
Eun: There’s an investigation of who to blame, but during this fight with the Guests, it doesn’t look good that we appear to have started a rebellion… That’s what I’m seeing.
Sean: Hmm… Why would the Archin appear at that time?
Ratsel: I doubt that they were just a simple recon team. I think their arrival was staged.
Tetsuya: So you think it was all a set up.
Sean: Most likely. The Gaia Sabers predicted our movements… They set it up so we would have to use the Breakout Formation to escape from the battle.
Tetsuya: But it doesn’t add up. Everyone already knew the Gaia Sabers had suspicious aspects… People only overlooked it because they were under the direct authority of the President. If they were to lose that authority, then they wouldn’t be able to protect themselves.
Sean: However. By staging this during the fight with the guests, it would fall upon Alteur Steinbeck himself to seek out who the fault lies with… If he’s adept at controlling the situation, the Gaia Sabers could end up better off than before.
Ratsel: If all he wanted to do was kill the president, then there should have been other ways to go about it without involving us... considering the timing, our being framed for killing the president is probably just one part of whatever Alteur’s true plan is.
Lefina: What could that be?
Ratsel: I don’t know yet. Alteur’s plan has plenty of holes if you look close enough… That could be because the plan was interrupted by the Steel Dragons being summoned to La Gias, or the Ruina appearing, or other unexpected incidents occurring. On the other hand, he might have based it around these events happening.
Sean: No matter what it is, the situation we’re in is overwhelmingly disadvantageous. Not only the Gaia Sabers, but the entire Federation is pursuing us.
Lefina: I have no intention of firing on my fellow troops. Let’s send a message to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and explain the situation. We have no intention of rebelling…. And if we don’t tell them about Alteur Steinbeck’s possible plan, then…
Ratsel: However, if we were caught now, it would be bad. While I try to get in touch with my contact in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shall we head for Comodin Island? That’s the Kurogane’s port of call, and you can restock and repair there.
Lefina: …We will accept your gracious offer, Ratsel.
Tetsuya: …. I wonder if the JCS will even listen to us…
Ratsel: I don’t know… But, while his methods differed from ours, President Grusman always acted to protect the Earth Sphere’s independence. It falls on us, due to our involvement in the president’s assassination, to impeach Steinbeck and uncover his plot.
Tetsuya: …Yeah…
*RUMBLE*
Lefina: !
Ratsel: Something feels…
Lefina: Report.
Sean: …. The power from Tesla Drive 1 is falling. The cause is damage from the previous battle and our high speed maneuvers. Drive 2 is holding out, but after what we went through, it needs emergency maintenance.
Lefina: Then let’s execute a water landing. The Hagane will keep watch in the sky.
Tetsuya: Understood.
*OUTSIDE*
Eita: The Hiryuu Custom has completed its water landing.
Tetsuya: Any enemies in the area?
Eita: Nothing at the moment.
Tetsuya: Then keep us at this altitude. Keep the entire ship on alert.
Eita: Yessir.
Tetsuya: (Enemies…. That no longer just means the Guests or the Ruina… What… What are we going to do?)
Eita: Um, Captain…
Tetsuya: What is it?
Eita: What… What are we going to do?
Tetsuya: …! (That’s right. I can’t get tripped up over this. Captain Daitetsu never showed the crew any of his worries.) …We can only prove our innocence through our actions. We’ve always been able to get ourselves out of sticky situations. That will not change.
Eita: Captain…
*WARNINGS*
Tetsuya: !
Eita: Stork Class carriers, 3 of them! From 6 o’clock!
*There they are!*
Tetsuya: Our pursuers have come! What’s their affiliation?!
Eita: Gaia Sabers!
Tetsuya: Then we will distract them! Azuki, relay that!
Azuki: Roger!
*Blacknessss!*
Tetsuya: What…. The color of the sky…?!
*MORE WARNINGS*
Eita: Captain, there’s a strange mass reading in the air! And there’s a strong ES wave with it! It’s… It’s getting larger!
Tetsuya: Where is the ES wave coming from?!
Eita: From the South Pole!
Tetsuya: Whaaat?!
Eita: Th-this…. It’s covering the airspace!
*MORE WARNINGS HOLY SHIT*
Eita: A-an even stronger ES wave! It’s coming!!!
Tetsuya: !!!
*BOOOOM*
*And thus, you have selected a route. Let's continue!*
*hagane*
Tetsuya: Helmsman, steady the ship! Eita, do you know the cause of the gravitational disturbance?!
Eita: I think it’s not the controls, but the emergency systems acting up!
Tetsuya: What?!
Eita: There’s a gravitational abnormality around the ship…. No! It’s space! We’re in space!
Tetsuya: Don’t be ridiculous! We were on the earth!
Eita: Putting the outer camera on the main screen!
Tetsuya: !!
Eita: W-we are…!
Tetsuya: Eita, confirm our location! Azuki, contact the Hiryuu Custom!
Azuki: R-roger!
Tetsuya: (What the hell just happened…?!)
Eita: This is strange, I can’t use the Satellite Link…. Azuki, what about you?
Azuki: N-no luck here, either.
Eita: I can’t get a reading from MOSS, either…. I’ll have to calculate it from the position of the earth and the moon. W-wait what?! This is crazy!
Tetsuya: Eita, what’s your report?
Eita: C-captain…. The earth… The earth’s gone! It’s vanished!
Tetsuya: W-what?!
*elsewhere*
Ryuusei: The Earth has disappeared…. Seriously?!
Robert: To be more specific, it seems we can no longer see it… The moon is still in orbit, and the Lagrange points still operate normally.
Kai: …What happened?
Latooni: This is just a guess, but it looks like the Ruina have erected a barrier that covers the Earth.
Kai: A barrier?
Latooni: You could also call it a dimensional rift. Because of it, we can’t communicate with the earth… Nothing can get through it.
Aya: What makes you think this was the Ruina’s work?
Robert: The ES wave that hit us before it appeared originated from the South Pole. And it passed between the Hagane and the Hiryuu Custom, expanding outward. That could be the reason why we ended up in space.
Rio: Then… What’s happening on the earth right now?
Robert: Most likely, the sun’s light will be intercepted by the dimensional rift. It’s probably completely dark down there.
Viletta: If that’s true, then there’ll be trouble.
Arado: What will happen?!
Viletta: First, there will be an influence on air circulation. Then, sea currents.
Kirk: Correct. The ocean usually stores heat, meaning the temperature difference between the land and sea will cause violent storms.
Robert: To put it plainly, the energy that enters the earth is visible light. The earth absorbs most of that energy as heat, and infrared light is all that’s left. But if that balance were to be broken…. The entire earth would freeze over. It’d become a Snowball Earth.
Shine: That’s…
Seolla: So it’d be an ice age…?
Robert: It’s not like it would happen immediately… The more pressing problem right now is power lines. If there’s no sun light, the temperature goes down, and then everyone in the world starts using their lights and heaters… Then the shortage of power on the lines will cause a panic.
Rai: Not only that, but think about the psychological effects. People will get scared because they don’t know what’s happening… They’ll feel despair.
Ryuusei: So, isn’t that exactly what the Ruina want?
Rai: Exactly…. The world will become exactly what they need to harvest negative emotions.
Shine: What are we going to do…? We took President Grusman’s life…. And we no longer have a place to return to.
Latooni: Queen Shine…
*AND NOW THERE’S WARNINGS GREAT*
Ryuusei: What?!
*bridge*
Eita: The ships approaching us are from the space military’s 3rd Orbital Patrol branch.
Azuki: They’re sending orders for us to halt.
Tetsuya: And if we refuse, they’ll open fire… Because we’ve committed an unforgivable sin.
Eita: But Captain! That was…!
Tetsuya: …Contact their ships. All fighters, stay at level 1 combat stations.
Eita: Combat stations…?!
Tetsuya: Just in case. We may need to make an emergency escape at any moment. We need to be ready.
Chapter 30: Space Without Blue Light
Humphrey: This is Colonel Humphrey Inez of the 3rd orbital patrol branch of the space division, Federation army. Respond, Hagane.
Tetsuya: This is Commander Tetsuya Onodera, captain of the Hagane, of the First Special Battalion, Far east division.
Eita: Colonel Humphrey Inez, huh. This’ll be tricky.
Azuki: What kind of person is he?
Eita: He’s a captain from earth, which is rare for the space division. He’s a survivor of the battle at Field S08 during Operation SRW.
Azuki: So he’s a veteran soldier…
Eita: Yeah. A very rigid one, at that.
Tetsuya: Colonel Humphrey, does the Space division have any information on the earth disappearing?
Humphrey: There’s no need for me to tell you. As of 1200 today, the Steel Dragons have been officially discharged from the military.
Tetsuya: ….!
Humphrey: As such, your usage of those ships, which are private property, is treasonous in the eyes of the Federation government and military. Immediately power down your weapons and surrender. Further, you are suspected of being involved with the assassination of the president. Should you refuse, I would like you to know we have been authorized to open fire.
Tetsuya: Please wait, Commander! We were framed in the incident with the president. It was not our intention to kill him. But we don’t have time to discuss this right now. Given that the earth has vanished, we need to investigate the reason behind it…
Humphrey: It’s not something civilians need to be worried about.
Tetsuya: !
Humphrey: Respond. Are you surrendering or not?
Tetsuya: (Even in this crisis, he’s more focused on fulfilling his given orders…. I guess that’s what a soldier should do…)
Humphrey: Commander. Respond.
Tetsuya: …I accept.
Humphrey: Very well, then I will send out troops to escort you. Wait for further instructions, Commander.
Tetsuya：Yes, sir.
Eita: Captain…
Tetsuya: Given the situation, I have no intention of starting fights with our own soldiers.
Eita: But at this rate…
Tetsuya: Our ship is made with a non-standard fuselage. It’ll take a considerable amount of time to surround us and get us ready for capture.
Eita: Certainly.
Tetsuya: All hands, Standby at your combat stations. Keep the entire ship on alert. In the event of an emergency, we’ll be able to immediately respond.
Eita: If the situation changes?
Tetsuya: Yes… I have a bad feeling. We can’t move right now. This would be a good chance for the enemy.
Eita: I understand. I will do my best to politely respond to the colonel’s orders. In order to buy time.
Humphrey: …They have no intentions of resisting, then. I see the pupil of Daitetsu Minase is obedient.
Operator: Honestly, I’m glad.
Humphrey: What’s that?
Operator: During Operation SRW, I saw the how the Steel Dragons fought with my own eyes. If we were to fight against them, we wouldn’t emerge unscathed. And in this strange situation we’re in…
Humphrey: So you’re still saying that kind of thing? They weren’t the only ones in the L5 war.
Operator: Yes, sir.
Humphrey: The misguided idea of putting all the excellent weapons into one squad was only done so that our best pilots would look even better. If those units had been spread out, if we had more balance… The great Ark wouldn’t have been sunk…. General Norman Sleigh would still be alive. The Steel Dragons and the Gaia Sabers, they exist only to execute extreme one-sided ISA tactics. Especially the latter, considering they’re outside the Military’s jurisdiction…
*WARNING*
Operator: High energy signals approaching! From three o’clock, elevation 5! Range 3… No, Range 2!
Humphrey: From the flank?! They’re too fast!
Operator: High-speed missiles sighted! They’re headed for our ship!
Humphrey: Dodge them!
Operator: We won’t make it in time!
Humphrey: Guuuh!
Operator: Hit at rear-starboard Frame section 476! Starboard engine is losing power!
Eita: The Repulse was hit! The enemy squad is coming! It’s the Ruina!
Tetsuya: What?! Even when the earth has disappeared…. Where are they coming from?!
Eita: Does that mean the Ruina were also in space….?!
Tetsuya: I hadn’t heard of that…! Azuki, open a communication line with the Repulse!
Azuki: Roger!
Tetsuya: Colonel Humphrey, the enemy are the Ruina! We’ll intercept them, so please hurry and escape!
Humphrey: I won’t accept that. You’re planning on escaping in the confusion, aren’t you?
Tetsuya: We have experience fighting the Ruina! Please, let us intercept them!
Humphrey: I will not allow it. Your ship’s fighting power is now under our jurisdiction. You can’t use them without our approval!
Operator: The second wave of missiles is heading for us! They’re coming right at us!
Humphrey: ! You mean they’re following our evasion?!
*boom*
Humphrey: Nuuuooo!
Tetsuya: Colonel!
Eita: Captain, the enemy is aiming for the Repulse!
Tetsuya: Send out our mechs! Find out where their scouts are!
Eita: But if we do that…!
Tetsuya: We’ll be labeled as traitors from the Federation military as well, right?
Eita: Y-yes!
Tetsuya: We… We’ll just have to shoulder that disgrace!
Eita: !
Azuki: C-captain!
Tetsuya: Even if we’re traitors, we can investigate the mystery of the earth’s disappearance, and fight the Ruina and Guest. That means there’s no reason to waver. We can’t let it all end here. Send out all the units!
*deploy screen*
Kai: You’ve got guts, Captain. You remind me of Captain Daitetsu when you make decisions.
Irm: This is better than fighting our own troops. Though we may get into trouble later.
Kai: As long as we both get through this, that is. …Ariel, Ing. I suppose our plans have changed. Please lend us your power.
Ariel: Yes, sir.
Ing: Roger.
Kai: Ing, this is your first space battle with us. Until you get used to it, don’t go to the front lines, but stay close to the Hagane.
Ing: There’s no need to worry. I’m already used to it.
Kai: (Used to it…? Is it because his adaption potential is so high? And he’s able to remain calm even during this madness...) Well then, please provide backup for Ariel.
Ing: Roger. (This feeling… my body remembers it. This is my first time, but… I can do it.)
Kai: Erebus 1 to all units. As you can see, we are fighting without the earth being visible. Put the disappearance of the earth out of your mind. Be cool and collected.
Ing: It’s fine, Major. We’ve seen plenty of strange things in our battles so far.
Aya: Maybe it’s not that impractical, or maybe we just haven’t fully accepted it yet.
Kai: I see. However, don’t forget to change to a second MO. You won’t be able to position yourself based on the earth, and it could get confusing.
Rio: Understood.
Seolla: Arado, you heard that, right? Be sure to change the MP settings.
Arado: R-right.
Latooni: Queen Shine, you too. Transfer the MO to the brightest fixed star besides the sun. To regulate position in this fight.
Shine: I understand.
Latooni: Shine, As for Earth and Riksent…. I know you’re worried, but please try to focus. We’re here for you.
Shine: Thank you, Latooni. I won’t falter until I can return home.
Operator: Colonel, The Hagane has sent out a battle squadron!
Humphrey: Those bastards are disobeying our orders!
*Warning*
Operator: Enemy signals, from behind, elevation 25! They’ve entered range 2!
Humphrey: Ugh! They’ve made their way here!
Tetsuya: Colonel, hurry up and leave the battlefield! We’ll cover you!
Humphrey: I thought I told you I wasn’t taking orders from you!
Tetsuya: I’m not going to let people in my own army die!
Humphrey: …!
Tetsuya: We’re in a better position to deal this situation than you are, correct?
Humphrey: …Dammmit…
Tetsuya: Escape. We’ll take it from here.
Humphrey: Fine. You can take on the Ruina. But I won’t let you move as you like!
Tetsuya: Understood.
*And they run*
Eita: Not letting us move, he said…. He’s really adamant about having every last bit controlled, isn’t he?
Tetsuya: It’s essential to be able to adapt on the battlefield. I’m going by my own judgement. Eita, set a defensive line. And pay attention to the 3rd branch’s movements.
Eita: Understood.
Tetsuya: And work out as many escape routes from the battle as you can. Without going from 0 to 3 o’clock.
Eita: …. I see, in case the blockhead doesn’t leave?
Tetsuya: Exactly. They’re could just be acting, and trying to arrange something for later.
Eita: Yessir.
Tetsuya: Send a message to all hands. Do not let the enemy follow the 3rd branch. We must stop them here.
Azuki: Roger.
Eita: I have set the defensive line.
Azuki: Confirmed. Steel 2 to all units. Do not let the enemy units past the defensive line.
*that one*
Kai: Erebus 1 to all units. As you just heard, don’t let them pass the line!
Chapter 30: Space Without Blue Light
Victory: All enemies defeated
Defeat: Hagane is destroyed, an enemy unit passes the defensive line.
SR Point: Beat the map without letting a single enemy unit touch the defensive line.
*Kill shit*
Eita: Unknown response! From 2 o’clock, Elevation 30, headed straight for us! It’s entered Range 2! Only 1 reading!
Tetsuya: Is it a new Ruina mech?!
*Seems like*
???: So they’re the ones who are blocking our way. Looks like there’s guys with balls out in the outside world too, heheh.
Shine: Wh-what is that?!
Ryoto: I’ve never seen that mech before… Could it be a Melior Esse?
???: So there’s no noise in the system from just me being here… It seems that human and machine I ran into beforehand was the only one like that. In that case…
*Static*
Azuki: We’re getting an incoming transmission from the unknown!
Ignis: I am Ignis. The Melior Esse of flame. Engrave my name into your memories with fear and sorrow!
Lamia: So it is a Melior Esse.
Arado: Th-that hair’s amazing!
Irm: He’s certainly got a more outlandish appearance the guy from before.
Ryuusei: He looks like the bad guy in a Saturday morning show.[4]
Ignis: Your planet has been engulfed in darkness. The black earth, sky, and this void will be illuminated by the fire of destruction!
Ariel: …That confirms 3 things.
Arado: Huh, What?!
Ariel: First, that the ones who set up the dimensional rift were the Ruina. Second, that the earth has not completely vanished. Third, that the Ruina can cross through the dimension rift from one side to the other.
Arado: Right, because he could make his way here…
Seolla: Then that means we should be able to return to earth somehow!
Viletta: If we can, I want to capture him to get that information.
Ryuusei: Man, that’s playing on hard mode.
Rai: This isn’t the time to be complaining.
Ryuusei: I-I know that!
Kai: As Captain Viletta said, we need more information about the earth’s disappearance. All Units, Resume the attack, with the intention of capturing Ignis’s machine. However, if it looks like we’ll take substantial damage, abort the capture.
Ignis: Come if you dare, Humans! Your negativity and its resonance will nourish the Lord of Ruin!
Victory Condition: Lower the Impetus’s HP below 30,000.
Loss: The Hagane is destroyed.
*Ignis vs Ryuusei*
Ryuusei: Since you bastards made the earth disappear, you should know how to return it to normal, right?!
Ignis: Even if I did, why would I tell you? Die in despair!
Ryuusei: Heh, who would feel that way after seeing you? Since you were able to get here, we know there’s a way to go back and forth from earth still!
*Vs Lamia*
Ignis: Fear me, hate me! Your shivering emotions will become a wave, which will become power!
Lamia: That doesn’t concern me. It’s not like I have emotions.
Ignis: Huh? Oh, I see… You’re artificial!
Lamia: Just like the Melior Esse?
Ignis: Heh, Don’t compare us to a doll like you. Now break!
*vs Ing*
Ignis: Now, let me show you how weak you really are! Raise your voice in Anguish!
Ing: (I am not afraid…. Even in my first battle in space, my body knows what to do. Why is that… If I want to learn why, I can’t die here.)
*Vs Irm*
Irm: You made the Earth disappear…. That’s pretty a pretty cool trick.
Ignis: *chuckle* That’s not all we’re doing. You’ll experience an entirely new level of terror!
Irm: Well, every trick has some kind of secret. Before your show really begins, we’ll figure it out!
*Battle over*
Ignis: Heh, these guys aren’t bad. But no matter how they struggle…
*Static*
???: Ignis, it’s time.
Ignis: Don’t get in my way. I found some good prey.
???: Don’t forget our actual mission. We just got here, so we don’t have enough fighting power yet. Return to base.
Ignis: You’re saying you’re too weak to do anything by yourself?
???: Do you not understand that creating a foothold now will help us more later? What a failure. *chuckles*
Ignis: What was that?
???: If you think I’m wrong, come prove it.
Ignis: Hmm…
Ryuusei: ! His movements are!
Ariel: We need to surround him now!
Ignis: You guys barely escaped this time. We’ll meet again.
*And warp*
Ariel: Gah, that technique again!
Eita: The enemy reading is leaving battlefield at high speed!
Tetsuya: Where did he go…?!
Eita: He’s moving serpentine, but my guess is he’s leaving orbit.
Tetsuya: Okay, get ready to escape from the battlefield. Our next objective is to pursue the Ruina.
Eita: Roger. Is it acceptable if we escape with the plan I made?
Tetsuya: Yes, please.
Eita: …Azuki, Send a recall order to all ships. Don’t let them get close to the upper main mast or the starboard hull areas 400 to 500.
Azuki: Roger. I’ve sent the recall message.
Eita: Also, I hope you’re a good actor.
Azuki: I don’t have a lot of confidence, but I’ll do what I can.
Eita: I’m counting on you. …Gunnery captain, Navigator, Hangar captain. We’re starting.
*Boom* and warnings*
Azuki: Hagane to Repulse! Our engines have been hit! We’ve lost control! I repeat, we’ve lost control!
Operator: Repulse to Hagane! Please tell us the details!
Azuki: Our Communication array was also hit, so our reception is off!
Tetsuya: …Now’s our chance. Ahead, at half speed. Leave the battlefield swaying back and forth!
Operator: The Hagane has left the battlefield.
Humphrey: They can’t steer, and they’re having communication difficulties…?
Operator: Yes, sir. In the battle with the Ruina, it appears they suffered engine damage.
Humphrey: Do they really think I’ll be fooled by such a ploy?
Operator: Then should we pursue the Hagane?
Humphrey: We also sustained damage. Considering the abnormal situation, preparing our battle squadrons is our first priority.
Operator: We most likely wouldn’t be able to drive back the Ruina by ourselves.
Humphrey: What’s that? Are you taking their side?
Operator: No, sir.
Humphrey: Hmm… given all their special, non-budgeted machines and production-test weapons, it’s obvious that they could handle that Ruina force. Saying they went out of control… I won’t let them get away with that. It’s even more important now, considering we’re in a state of emergency. Report about what happened here to space headquarters.
Operator: Yes, sir.
Humphrey: (Right now, who should we be fighting….? At the very least, they’re not mistaken about that…)
*inside the Hagane*
Kai: Captain, where are the Ruina heading?
Tetsuya: I think they’re going to Heaven’s Gate.
Kai: They picked a troublesome place…
Arado: What’s Heaven’s Gate?
Latooni: It used to be called Skull Head…. During the Shura Rebellion, we were captured there…
Arado: Oh, that space plant…
Ariel: Officially, it’s said that Isurugi Industries is proceeding with repairs there, but the reality is it falls under the jurisdiction of the Gaia Sabers, who are planning to use it as a space base.
Kai: Is there a squadron stationed there?
Ariel: Yes, but not from the Gaia Sabers.
Lamia: So if the Ruina are heading for Heaven’s Gate…. Then we could also say also that they need a base in space?
Kai: Most likely. So, Captain… What should we do?
Tetsuya: Considering we’re on the run from both the Gaia Sabers and the Federation, I feel we need to figure out how to break through the dimensional barrier as soon as possible. If that Melior Esse is going to Heaven’s Gate, then we will too.
Kai: True, but we also have the guests to worry about. We’re isolated, so it could easily become a rough battle.
Tetsuya: Even so, I have no intention of running. Even if we’ve been discharged from the military, we still have power. And especially with the way things are right now, we need to use that power against our world’s enemies.
Kai: Heh. If the commander has no doubts, then why should his men have them? Let’s go to Heaven’s Gate. To get the key to taking back Earth.
*Elsewhere, outside of the moon’s orbital range*
Zeb: Sheeeeesh, the Earth haaaaaaas a lot more bad guys than I imagined!
Seti: Even after doing an analysis of the phenomenon, we weren’t able to find out what device they’re using to cause this.
Zeb: Moooooreover, if Earth has disaaaaaaapeared, then doesn’t that mean there’s nooooooo point to us being here?
Zezernan: No… Couldn’t we see this as a good thing?
Zeb: Huh?
Zezernan: Right now the moon is under our control. And now those monkeys can’t interfere with us. We should make our move soon.
Seti: Roger.
Zeb: Whaaaaaaat are we gonna do about those guys frooooom Antarctica? They eeeeeeven showed up in space!
Zezernan: We’ll take them out, too. In order to do that, we need Heaven’s Gate as a base. Send some forces that way.
Zeb: Unnnnnderstood.
Zezernan: (The earth disappearing wasn’t part of the plan, but if we can get our hands on whatever technology they used to do it, it’ll be a great bonus…)
Previous Chapter: Chapter 29: The Swaying Spearhead Next Chapter: Chapter 31: The Assassin From Distant Lands
[1] Southern and northern Lungs? Bowls? Maybe even Poles, as that’s where they are.
[2] The Old Ones’ Outside. Badass.
[3] Having the object (Gaia sabers) without a verb is impossible to directly translate.
[4] Special effects thing enemy commander. What