Previous Chapter: Chapter 33: Bound By Viridian Next Chapter: Chapter 35
Ariel: Well then, I will report over what Lt. Lamia and I have found so far in regards to the Ruina’s dimensional barrier.
Kai: Please.
Ariel: The dimensional barrier separates the earth and its atmosphere from this dimension, and lets it fall into another dimension. To put it a bit more simply…. Think of a piece of paper with the earth drawn on it. Then someone cut around the picture except for a small potion, and folds it under the other side. In doing so, the earth is unable to see the paper’s front side, and then to the paper, that is, from the perspective of space, the earth seems to have disappeared.
Irm: But then how come we can’t see the hole made from clipping out the earth?
Ariel: We believe the Ruina have some method of distorting space and closing the hole. We can observe what would be blocked by the earth in the space where the earth would be.
Ryuusei: But, if the earth fell into another dimension… why is the moon continuing to orbit it?
Arado: R-right. If the earth were gone, wouldn’t the moon go off and do its own thing?
Latooni: According to Brane Cosmology[1], gravity can effect things even from other dimensions…
Lamia: That’s our best guess. And from that, we were able to deduce something else. As Ariel said before, the paper is still connected by one portion. Basically, the earth hasn’t completely fallen into the other dimensions. Because the Ruina were able to get to space, there must be some method of entering and leaving. We believe there’s a small hole connecting our dimension to the other one.
Ariel: And We imagine it’s somewhere in the atmosphere of the earth.
Seolla: Can we just look for that hole?
Lamia: If we can find the Ruina entering or leaving it.
Rio: Can we make any guesses about where it is?
Ariel: There’s one place we expect it to be: In the air above the Ruina’s main base at the south pole.
Irm: If that’s the case, then they would be able to get out very quickly.
Ariel: However, we don’t know how they widen the hole, or pass through dimensions. We can’t know unless we observe them directly.
Rai: Because of that, they’re probably very careful with their movements near the dimensional barrier. I don’t think it’ll be easy to see what they’re doing.
Mai: It might be easier to pry the answer out of one of the Melior Esse….
Arado: Mai, I don’t know if I’d say that…
Ryuusei: No, there’s a way. If we beat up the Ruina at Heaven’s gate, there’s sure to be a reaction. They’ll run away, or call for backup. Watching that would probably be the best way to get a glimpse at what they’re doing.
Irm: Well, it certainly sounds like our kind of plan.
Kai: However, we’ve used too many of our supplies in the recent battles. We were planning on restocking after reaching the south pole, but due to the situation we never had a chance to. Depending on the state of the moon, we could lose our ability to do anything later.
Azuki: Major Kai, Captain Viletta, please come to the bridge. We’ve been able to contact a Federation Transportation Squadron.
Kai: Wh-what, really?!
Azuki: Yes. It seems they have staff from Mao Industries, as well.
Ryoto: !
Kai: Understood. I’m coming right now.
*on the bridge*
Azuki: They say the transport was able to escape the moon through Mao Industries, and is headed for the L4 Colony group.
Kai: (If they were able to escape from the moon… then the situation isn’t that bad…)
Viletta: Who is with them from Mao Industries?
Azuki: Rahda Bairaban and Professor Marion Radom, it seems.
Kai: Does it seem like the transport vessels will let us talk to them?
Tetsuya: It seems like it. Rahda said there was no problem, so I was thinking we would put in a course to meet with them… But just in case, I plan to send a small squad to check on their status.
Kai: That’s a good idea. Send Irm’s squad. Viletta and the SRX team will be backup.
Viletta: Roger.
*IN SPAAAAACE*
Ariel: We’re nearing the meeting point.
Irm: I still don’t see the transport vessels.
Rio: Could they ship be late?
Ryoto: They probably are taking a more concealed route. They could be pursued by the Guests.
Irm: Yeah. I mean, we have folks we don’t want to meet again out in space, too.
Ing: The other possibility is the Gaia Sabers…
Irm: We can only hope they’re tied up dealing with the Ruina…
*and Warnings*
Ariel: From 11 o’clock, elevation 25, range 4… there’s an unknown signal. Searching their light signature… they’re Gaia Sabers mechs. There are 5 of them.
Irm: Damn, I guess I jinxed us.
Rio: Is it Duvan Org’s squadron?
Ariel: Most likely….
Irm: Alright. We’ll push them out of this area. We’ll leave the SRX team to meet up with the Transport ship.
Ariel: Before that… I’m going to attempt to send out an IFF signal. I have the codes from when I was with the Beta Sabers.
Irm: In order to conceal who we are? Wouldn’t your codes be changed by now?
Ariel: Most likely. But I’m not going to use my codes, I’m going to use the squad leader’s codes.
Irm: Well, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Contact the Hagane, as well.
Ariel: Understood. Sending out the code.
Rio: They left….
Ariel: The code I sent tells them that there’s a secret mission that requires silence over the wireless frequencies.
Irm: I really hope they believe that.
Ariel: Me too. We should continue on with the expectation that it might be a trap.
Irm: Yeah, we should change our course, or…
Ariel: We were able to avoid fighting this time, but the next time will be difficult. We should take the course that gets us to the transport ship the fastest.
Irm: You’re right. They aren’t our only enemies…. We’ll have to take a chance.
Chapter 34: Double Intercept
Rahda: …They’re late. Where’s the meeting party from the Steel Dragons?
Federation Captain: They should be on their way… but I’m worried about the group we saw on the radar earlier.
Rahda: The Gaia Sabers. They came close, but then fell back…
Federation Captain: We’re sending out civilian distress codes. They probably won’t try anything too crazy.
Rahda: You never know when it comes to them. Since they didn’t come close, there must be something else that they’re up to…
Federation Captain: If the worst happens, we’ll explain to them the situation. And the very least, it could buy us some time.
Rahda: …I’m sorry you had to get involved with this…
Federation Captain: It’s fine, I owe the Steel Dragons a few favors. Hmm…. Mrs. Rahda, it appears they’ve come.
Ariel: We’ve confirmed the transport vessels. No other units on radar.
Irm: Well, at least we avoided the worst case scenario.
Ing: Still, I have a bad feeling about this…
Irm: Me too. Not from psychic powers or anything, but from my gut. Everyone, form a ring around the transport vessels.
Rahda: That’s the Exbein Ashe…
Marion: Someone’s using it in that state…. They must be incredibly brave.
Rahda: Still, it looks more stable than I thought it’d be.
Irm: Rahda, the Gaia Sabers are looking around in this area. We should get out of here as soon as possible.
Rahda: I understand.
*Warnings oh noes*
Ariel: This reaction is…!
*oh noes*
Duvan: That was stupid, Ariel. When you saw us, you should have changed your course.
Ariel: That would have put the transport vessels in danger.
Duvan: By letting you guys move around freely, we figured out that those transport ships aren’t carrying civilians in need of rescue. And you all haven’t made it easier on yourselves… Your IFF signal backfired.
Irm: However, because you read into our movements too much, we were able to get to the transport ships first.
Duvan: Oh, congratulations on your heroism. Except those who side with the Steel Dragons will share their crimes.
Ariel: …Lt. Irm, I will lead Duvan away from here. While I do that, please evacuate the transport ships.
Irm: No, it’s very likely that there are other enemies in the area. We need to dig our heels in and wait for the Hagane to come. We’ll use his goal to our advantage.
Ariel: His goal… do you mean…
Irm: Right… He thinks Alfimi is on the Hagane, right?
Ariel: I see… Roger.
Rahda: Irm, I will help as well.
Irm: Thanks.
Duvan: All units, leave Ariel to me. I don’t care if you destroy the transport ships. Get them!
Chapter 34: Double Intercept
Victory: Protect the Peregrines.
Defeat: Any allied unit is shot down, any of the Peregrines are shot down.
SR Point: Do not let either of the Peregrines be attacked.
*later*
Rio: This reading…. The Hagane’s here!
*Yup*
Duvan: Hmm… they got here faster than I expected.
Tetsuya: All units, prepare to sortie!
*Deployed*
Kai: Are you alright, Irm?
Irm: Yeah, somehow.
Duvan: …. The Red Ogre isn’t there… could they have…
Ariel: Alfimi left after you did. You thought wrong, Duvan.
Duvan: Dammit! In that case…!
*oh hai guys*
Irm: As we thought, he had an ambush prepared.
Tetsuya: All units, protect the transport ships!
Victory: All enemies defeated
Defeat: The Hagane is shot down, Ariel or Ing are shot down, Either of the Peregrines are shot down
*moar warnings*
Eita: A new reading, headed right for us! Dead ahead, elevation 20! There’s only 1!
Almara: It looks like you’re having trouble, Duvan.
Duvan: Almara, I didn’t ask for your help!
Almara: I have a mission as well, you know.
Seolla: That’s the unit that was in the data Lt. Ryoto obtained….
Latooni: “Code Evil”…. The machine that destroyed the Huckebeins at Orleans.
Rio: It was waiting in space?!
Ryoto: Is it after Ing…?
Ing: …
Mai: What is this feeling…?
Aya: I don’t sense anything psychic, but….
Viletta: ….
Almara: Hmpf. Can you hear me, Steel Dragons? I am the Omega Saber of the Gaia Sabers, Almara Burton.
Rio: So she was with the Gaia Sabers!
Kai: Omega Saber… Have you heard of this before, Ariel?
Ariel: No…
Almara: Of course the traitor doesn’t know of my position. Until recently, the Omega Saber was a closely guarded secret. As the highest Saber position of them all, alongside the High Personal Trooper Galilnagant, I perform my duties as Commander Alteur’s second in command.
Lamia: What do you mean by High Personal Trooper?
Almara: A personal trooper above all others… A machine created from the data of the Huckebeins and the knowledge of the Gaia Sabers…
Arado: So it’s a Hyper-sonal Trooper…
Kai: Why did you destroy the Huckebeins and steal the Black Hole Engines and Tronium Engines?
Almara: So the Guests wouldn’t take them. Especially the engine cores. If I hadn’t have shown up, we’d be in a rough spot right now, right?
Kai: …
Ing: Almara Burton…. Why did you target me at the Tesla Labs?
Almara: You abandoned the Gaia Sabers, and therefore, you’re a traitor. (Is probably what I should say right now….)
Ing: (Is that really it? It could have something to do with my past….)
Ryuusei: From the first time I saw her, I knew something was up…
Rai: Déjà vu?
Ryuusei: I dunno, but I have a bad feeling about this…!
Aya: Me too… There’s some kind of pressure about her, unlike the usual psychic energy….
Mai: I feel like I’ve felt this before…
Rai: Captain Aya and Mai, too?
Ryuusei: Rai, how about you?
Rai: I feel like I’ve seen the mech before, but that’s probably just because it looks like a Huckebein.
Ryuusei: In any case, it’s dangerous. That’s what my gut tells me.
Viletta: I agree.
Rai: (Even Captain Viletta is saying it…)
Almara: (Hmm, the SRX team, eh…?) Duvan Org. Leave the rest to me. You can go back.
Duvan: Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t let the Beta Sabers’ name be disgraced like that.
Almara: You’re just obsessed with your status as an Idealant. Don’t overdo it. Life is short, after all…. Especially in your case.
Ariel: …!!
Duvan: What are you talking about, Almara?!
Almara: It’s just a joke, don’t take it too seriously. If you’re not going to move, then at least stay out of my way.
Duvan: You bitch….
Ariel: (Duvan hasn’t realized it yet…)
Victory: Lower the Alles Geist to below 20000 HP, or lower the Galilnagant below 15000 HP
*Ariel versus Duvan*
Duvan: Ariel, what was Almara talking about there?
Ariel: ….
Duvan: …Not telling me just means you know something. Say it!
Ariel: …Even if you knew, nothing would change.
Duvan: So you don’t want to tell me! Then I’ll get the answer from you by force!
*Almara Versus Ing*
Almara: Now, show me the real you! Just like the first time you boarded that hunk of junk!
Ing: The real me….?!
*Fighting*
Almara: Hmm, it seems like you don’t let your full power out easily. In that case!
*Cut scenes!*
Ing: Ugh! It’s too fast to counter!
Almara: Hahaha! You’re trapped! If you don’t get serious, you’ll die!
Ing: (Gah, what is she after…?!)
Kai: The Galilnagant is focusing on Ing! People close to him, defend him!
*Blow up Duvan*
Duvan: Dammit! Those bastards!
Almara: (Hmm…. That’s why I said to not overdo it…)
Duvan: Until I get a hold of Alfimi, I can’t be defeated… I’m withdrawing!
Almara: As long as the Steel Dragons are here, I won’t be able to corner Ing…. I need to change my plans.
*Bye folks!*
Eita: No remaining enemy units. Nothing left on the radar, sir.
Tetsuya: What’s the condition of the transport ships?
Eita: They’re fine, sir.
Tetsuya: All right, keep everyone on alert. Contact the transport ships.
*in the hangar*
Marion: Flickerei Geist… Based on its form, they used Alt’s parts on it…
Ariel: …I’m sorry.
Marion: There’s nothing you need to apologize for. I’m not a huge fan of the idea that something as suspicious as the Fau Kern being attached to it, but the fact that the Alt’s parts can be used like this makes me happy, as a developer. Although… It appears the person who first gave them the opportunity to use those parts is here, too.
Axel: … It’s not like I planned for any of this to happen. But this really is starting to feel like fate. Just like how I got onto this ship in the first place.
Ariel: (Fate…. Duvan…. Alfimi… and…)
Kai: …Rahda, What’s the situation like on the moon?
Rahda: For every step forward, we have to take one step back. Since the Guests appeared on Earth, the space troops at the main Moon Base and the southern Capital have been on high alert, but since we weren’t able to control the air, the enemy amassed their firepower at the moon cradle, and the defending battalion was annihilated.
Kai: So we’ve lost the Moon Cradle…
Irm: The Inspectors also occupied that place…. Maybe the guests knew their attack patterns.
Viletta: Rahda… What’s the status of Celebes City and Mao Industries?
Rahda: When we left, they were still undamaged.
Viletta: You left on the president’s orders?
Rahda: Yes, as soon as he got information on the guest’s invasions, he called for all the developers to escape to earth.
Marion: During the Inspector Incident, they targeted the new machines…. He took measures to prevent that from happening again. And moreover, they didn’t expect the earth to vanish like it did.
Rahda: After that, we changed our course to the L4 Colony group, and as we were headed there, we were able to contact the Hagane.
Kirk: Did you bring all the parts for the Exbein?
Marion: We did, but…. Due to the series of events, the production is behind schedule.
Kirk: But still, with this we can assemble the main machine and the parts together. After that, we can start working on boosting efficiency….
Robert: That’s right.
Marion: I’ll help as well. Considering I work on PTs, I won’t allow my designs to be overshadowed by some “High Personal Trooper”. Let’s begin the work right away.
Kirk: Right. First, we need to replace the Engine Module on the Ashe.
Robert: To make that go faster, we need to make adjustments to the upper body’s balancers and bypass circuits…
Irm: Looks like they’re fired up. Should be fun to see what they cook up.
Rahda: Irm… As for the president…
Irm: I know. She stayed, right?
Rahda: …Yes.
Irm: Considering what happened last time, it’s just like her to do that.
*Bridge*
Eita: The Transport ships are headed off.
Tetsuya: Rahda, I’m grateful that you distributed the supplies, but are they going to be okay?
Rahda: Captain Modnell was saved by the Steel Dragons during the Inspector Incident. He wanted to repay that favor.
Tetsuya: What? I never asked…
Kai: It seems like he’s a gentleman. ….In any case, Captain. After this last excursion, are we returning to the moon?
Tetsuya: About that… Considering the space forces are fighting the guests on the moon, I’m thinking it would be better if we went to Heaven’s Gate.
Kai: … In order to avoid running into them?
Tetsuya: Yes. It may be wrong to think this way, but if we can limit how many friendlies are in our battlefields, it’ll make it easier for us to go about our business.
Kai: Since the space army is in good condition, they can probably handle it themselves… but what about the Moon Cradle? It’s likely that it’s already been taken.
Tetsuya: In the case that the friendly forces call for backup, it’ll be dangerous if our ship is there.
Kai: Certainly…. It would be easier for us to help at Heaven’s Gate.
Tetsuya: We should leave the moon and colonies to the space army. Since we have experience fighting the Melior Esse, we need to head for Heaven’s Gate. In order to solve the riddle of the dimensional barrier…
Kai: I suppose you’re right….
*Elsewhere*
Rio: Hey, Ing. Do you really not remember that Almara lady?
Ing: I really don’t…
Ryoto: Just like last time, she seemed focused on only attacking Ing….
Ing: I thought so too.
Shine: I wonder why…
Ryoto: To bring out Ing’s power… It could be to make him grow as a fighter.
Aya: When psychics are placed in dangerous situations, their power becomes stronger…
Ryuusei: The sense of growth you get from experiencing horrible pain…. I remember that all too well.
Aya: Ah…
Viletta: Like Ingram did.
Ryuusei: Yeah… In order to make us stronger, he took it upon himself to become our enemy…
Ing: So you think Almara’s goal is similar.
Ryuusei: …Probably.
Rai: So you’re saying Ing was discharged from the Gaia Sabers and made to fight against Almara to facilitate growth, so that he would one day add to their fighting power… It’s a really risky move
Viletta: Right…. At the beginning, Ingram commanded the SRX team, letting Ryuusei’s team grow.
Lamia: (It’s possible, but since Ing has no memories….)
Ing: In any case, it seems like Almara Barton is connected to my past somehow.
Ryuusei: And further, that Galilnagant… What was that sensation I had when I saw it?
Ryoto: With Ryuusei, that means 4 people felt it, so it probably wasn’t simply coincidence.
Mai: But I still don’t understand…
Ing: …I have a request for all of you.
Lamia: What is it?
Ing: If, while fighting Almara, I can’t control my own power… If I become your enemy, I want you to stop me.
Rai: Even if it means losing your life?
Ing: Yes, I’m prepared for that.
Ryoto: Ing…
Previous Chapter: Chapter 33: Bound By Viridian Next Chapter: Chapter 35: Hunters become the Hunted
[1] YEAH WIKIPEDIA THAT SHIT MOTHERFUCKERS