ENEMY OF VAIZEN
It's late in the morning in Midchilda's Capital Defense Corps HQ. Reinforce helps Hayate change into a clean shirt and skirt. Then floating around Hayate's head, she brushes the commander's hair.
"-and then you have lunch with the Vaizen Management in exile-" Reinforce goes over today's schedule.
"Oh god, what do they want from me?" Hayate, understandably, is not looking forward to meeting Vaizen people after a night that can only be described as a defeat.
"Well, let me think." Reinforce pretends to think. "They have millions evacuated, the economy is in full stop, crops are sure to be ruined, and oh yeah, there is a war going on."
She leans back and examines Hayate's appearance while helping with the necktie.
"You look you are going to die, Hayate."
"I need sleep-" Princess complains.
The two ladies turn their heads as there is a commotion outside the closed office door. People are shouting at someone to stop. Suddenly the door flings open, and Teana walks in, followed by Hayate's soldiers with their weapons drawn pointed at the uninvited guest. The progression is completed by a self-driven stasis coffin wading its way through the soldiers, coming to a stop next to cold-eyed Teana.
"Guys! Don't tell me you don't recognize my friend Teana Lanster." Hayate waves her people off, telling them to leave. The soldiers grumble and reluctantly leave, closing the door behind them.
Hayate walks around her large desk and leans back on her comfortable swivel chair. She offers Teana to sit as well, but the Enforcer remains standing.
"Teana, what brings you here?"
"I just came back from Vaizen." Teana's voice is as cold as ice. "Nanoha almost died." She points at Hayate across the desk. "Even your Vita almost died. And Subaru..." Teana leans over the desk, eyes glaring. "Subaru is hurt."
Hayate doesn't say anything, but her friendly smile is gone. Teana continues, eyes boring into the young general's.
"You had everything right there, right then. Even big cannons...just sitting there. Doing nothing."
"Watch your tone, Teana." Reinforce warns, hovering a bit closer.
"A whole lot of people died thanks to your stupid-"
"Teana!" Reinforce shouts over Teana's voice. "You are talking to the Capital Defense-" She can't finish her sentence because Teana slams a fist on the desk.
"When I send my guys out for a raid!" Teana yells. "I give them everything! I fucking empty the whole arsenal!"
"Enforcer Lanster!" Reinforce is not going to float there and let Teana behave like this in front of a general. She gets right in front of Teana's face.
"And! And I make sure I'm the one kicking the door down!" Teana finishes nevertheless. Fuming.
"It was YOUR operation!" Reinforce gets in Teana's face, screaming. "We provided assistance on YOUR request!"
"I know it's bullshit, and you know it's bullshit!" Teana almost headbutts the little fairy-like girl in her face. "You just wanted me there as an excuse to fight, no matter what!" She pushes Reinforce aside and faces quite Hayate. "And Subaru is hurt...while you sat here," She gestures towards the spacious room in general, "Writing a fancy memo about how Vaizen no long is your job-"
Reinforce gets in the way again.
"Oh yeah? What were YOU doing out there?"
Teana's face turns red with rage.
"I was watching my best friend get a blade shoved in her face!" She shows her blood-soaked uniform dotted with bone fragments and brain matters. "Front row! VIP seat!" She once again pushes Reinforce aside. "At least I wasn't hiding behind my fantasy knights in their shiny armors."
Reinforce gasps, stunned by this intolerable accusation. She raises her tiny fists and is about to launch herself at this rude woman, but Hayate stops her. Commander Yagami, hurt, clears her throat.
"Teana, is that really what you think of me and my Wolkenritters?"
"This is what I think!"
Teana picks up the Hello Kitty ashtray and then throws it down on the carpeted floor. The ashtray shatters to pieces, sending cigarette butts and ash everywhere. This violent outburst takes heat off Teana and calms her down a bit. She stands there in awkward silence for what feels like an eternity. Hayate keeps quiet, allowing Teana to cool down.
"No..." Teana breaks the silence, her voice no longer icy cold. "Not really. I just..." She hangs her head low. "Sorry, I lost it."
"That hill..." Hayate sits up. "It controls the area around it, becomes a thorn in the arse no matter which direction the enemy advances as long as we keep our men on it."
Teana doesn't say anything. Hayate continues.
"It works in reverse, too. Now it's a thorn in our arse." She waits for Teana to look up, meeting her eyes.
"Signum...no, who am I kidding. I really really wanted to keep that hill, even if it meant fighting with our hands tied and using you as an excuse." Hayate shakes her head. "But I failed. For that I'm sorry." She sighs and continues. "I was arrogant and stubborn. Thought I could pull it off. And you got caught right in the middle of it. For that, I'm sorry, too."
Teana sighs, too. She raises her hands in defeat, backing off. Hayate continues nevertheless.
"I'm sorry Subaru got hurt. I'm really sorry." Hayate means it.
"No, I'm sorry. You were just playing by the book and I just-" Teana trails off.
"You stepped over the line, Teana." Reinforce reminds Teana in a scolding tone, but she, too, has calmed down. Teana turns to Reinforce apologetically.
"Yes, I did. Sorry."
Hayate lights a cigarette and puffs on it. She grimaces.
"But you are right, Teana. I can't go on like this."
"But what can you do?" Teana asks. The legal matters are strictly out of Hayate's control.
"I don't know, but I gotta get out of this limbo." Hayate shrugs. She extends her arm and gently flicks the cigarette, dropping the fresh ash onto the spot on the desk where the Hello Kitty ashtray used to be just minutes ago. She does a double-take on the spot, blinking at the gray ash on her otherwise clean desk.
Teana points at the mess. "Yeah, erm...sorry about that."
#
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Teana comes out of the shower into the locker room located inside the Executive Office HQ building. She takes out a vacuum-sealed packet out of her locker and tears it open for a new set of uniforms. The smell of the new clothing somewhat makes her ready for the day anew. Dressing up, she calls her friend in the lab. The Investigation lab is already in full swing examining the dead body Teana brought in. While talking on the comm, Teana decides to walk to her office. She has a lot of things to do. After all Executive Office still needs to do its everyday job on top of the on-going war in Vaizen, and Teana does not like to have a backlog of unresolved cases piling up on her desk.
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The senior laboratory operator ends the comm with Teana and goes back to studying the complex pattern floating in front of her. She has managed to extract the very essence of the dead girl's magical existence, what makes her her. Top boss wants her to isolate Al Hazard for some reason.
While her colleagues are doing the autopsy in the other room, she searches through the old snapshots of the mana signatures database. She knows what she is looking for and it doesn't take too long finding it. A matching mana pattern belonging to Fate T. Harlaown, fifteen years old. Or what Alicia would have been had the kid girl lived.
"So young to die playing soldier." The lab operator mutters. She studies the pattern again. Somewhere within this jumble of colorful lights and shapes and dots and lines is a fraction of Al Hazard, the long-lost world. Dr. Testarossa's trace should also be in there somewhere together with Alicia's essence as the seed. Precia Testarossa somehow put things together and still came out with the resulting pattern exactly the same as Chief Enforcer, who should not have any Al Hazard in her at all. The senior laboratory operator sighs.
"Now...how do I start this?"
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Several blocks down the main street from the Executive Office's HQ is an old but prominent hotel towering over the downtown. Hayate sits at a large round dining table with a bland smile, listening to half a dozen Vaizen officials who do not look very happy. She nods and smiles and makes short remarks as a fleet of waiters serve foods and drinks to this only occupied table in the restaurant that on any other day would have been packed full with people trying to enjoy their nice expensive lunch. Across the table sits the Vaizen's managing director, an old bald man in a gray suit. He has been going on about how the invasion is killing Vaizen's economy.
"It's only been three days, but we are already suffering!" says the man.
"Sir, I do my best, but you understand I am... chained, as they say." Hayate's response triggers another round of the Vaizen management arguing themselves.
Hayate looks down in horror as a waiter takes her just finished steak plate away and places another in front of her; some fancy looking...whatever the heck this is. 'Smells good, though.' Hayate thinks to herself. 'Who the heck orders a seven-course meal for lunch?' She politely smiles to the managing director across the table and dutifully digs in.
The old man listens to his men arguing while observing the young general across the table. This little woman is fighting for Vaizen people. His people, his home. 'Maybe I should have ordered the twelve-course menu?' he wonders. Besides, this lady looks like she needs to gain some weight. The Vaizen managing director shakes his head slightly, remembering Commander Yagami is of Japanese origin. He has seen many of them in his life. They all have one thing in common; they don't look their age. 'She's not a kid. She's supposed to be thirty-something.' He reminds himself.
"There is a way." He announces, and the table goes silent. One of his men turns to him with a pale face.
"But, sir, we've discussed it this morning. It is political suicide-"
The Vaizen managing director puts his hand up to shut the man up.
"Sitting here in Midchilda doing nothing guarantees that I will go down. But," His eyes bore into the commanding officer of the Joint Task Force. Hayate has put down her cutlery and is listening. He continues.
"If you can secure a victory, the aftermath of the war... the rebuilding will create a tiny chance for me."
"If I can secure a victory." Hayate sighs.
.
At Caledfwlch factory the Helios crew walk out of the quarantine hangar to the pleasant afternoon weather, but they have a very short time to enjoy the sun. A column of large passenger vehicles arrives in front of the hangar to pick them up. Captain Lowran and the crew board the transports with grumpy faces, saying goodbye to Chrono and Yuuno. The Joint Task Force has arranged an armored personnel carrier for the acting director of Naval Intelligence and his consultant analyst. They are to report to the on-site JTF base and its officer in charge; Major general Signum. A soldier salutes the two gentlemen and informs them they are expected to participate in a video conference scheduled later that day.
"What would that be about?" Yuuno asks.
"The war. What else could it be?" says Chrono, getting inside the vehicle. Professor Scrya gets in, too. He has to ask.
"So, are we officially in a war or not?"
Chrono, about to sit himself down on a flap-seat mounted on the interior wall, stops mid-motion. He, too, has to wonder.
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At the lobby inside the main office building across the parking lot, Subaru has woken up from her sleep in one of the many makeshift hospital beds arranged in rows and columns filling the entire space. Her torso is treated with a clavicle strap and half her head is wrapped in bandages, but she can still see with her right eye. Scanning the space, she recognizes familiar faces among the patients. Or at least those who still have their faces left recognizable. She can't take it and shuts her good eye, grinding her teeth.
.
In front of the Sail Force HQ building in Midchilda, there is a big protest going on. People chanting slogans, with pickets; "Unchain the Princess". Limousines start to arrive one by one wading through the sea of people, unloading generals and suited officials at the front steps of the building. When Hayate emerges from her limo with the Vaizen's managing director, the crowd cheers loudly, shouting out her name; "Yagami! Yagami!" or "Princess! Princess!"
But the cheer turns to boos and jeers at the sight of the Executive Office's Enforcer who has walked around the building from the parking lot on the side after coming in with her motorbike. The side entrance to the building from the parking lot has been locked down for security reasons so Teana has no choice but to go through the front of the building. As she walks up to the main entrance she hears someone shouting over the noise.
"Let Yagami fight, you bitch!"
Teana quickly turns to see who said that but can't find the culprit. 'It's not fair!' she thinks to herself. 'What did the Office do to deserve this?' But on the other hand, Teana is a little glad. She is once again filling in for her absent boss, but this time she is glad Fate isn't here to see this right now. Fate appearing in front of these angry people while her sisters are marauding in Vaizen... Teana shivers at the thought. She turns back and proceeds up the steps as eggs and vegetables are thrown her way.
#
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The conference room is being filled by men and women in uniforms and suits. Sometime during the last meeting, someone asked, 'Why are we doing this at the Sail Force HQ?' to which nobody could provide an answer. The best explanation they collectively came up with was; because the very first reporting session was arranged by Naval Intelligence who booked this conference room, it then somehow got stuck. The chief of Sail Force shrugged and said: "Well, since we aren't really contributing much, at least let us host the meeting." And that settled the matter.
Hayate attracts a lot of attention as she enters the room with the Vaizen managing director, trailing Reinforce behind. Teana, too, manages to make heads turn but mainly because she has been egged all over her brand-new uniform she just got this morning.
.
On the front wall of the conference room is a large display fed from Signum's HQ, showing deputy director Harlaown, Professor Scrya, and major general Signum sitting together side by side in a long bench against the hangar wall.
The Security Adviser gets the meeting started by first welcoming the Vaizen's managing director and then greeting the three sitting in actual Vaizen.
"Let's start with what happened last night." He gestures towards Hayate, who redirects it to Teana.
"Sorry, I forgot." The Adviser apologizes and nods to the Enforcer. Teana manipulates her datapad and a 3D holo-display appears in the center of the room, showing the Vaizen map. The Staging Dock and the area surrounding it are marked in red shade. Teana stands up.
"Last night, a group of violent individuals advanced en masse towards a Bureau servicemen's position not far from the Staging Dock." The map zooms in and highlights the hill. She continues.
"Executive Officer on site, that would be me, was not able to apprehend the suspects even with the assistance provided by both Ground and Air Armament Services."
She waits for the room to quiet down. She gets it. Is Executive Office officially in charge now?
The Bureau Security Adviser raises his head from a face-palm.
"Let's cut the bullshit. We got our ass kicked, yes?"
"I got my ass kicked, sir." Hayate butts in, but Teana waves her off.
"Sir, the Office has no manpower." Teana points out. "And the Joint Task Force is operating under bullshit rules of engagement." She sits down. "And the Office is tanking all the blame." She adds, picking a small piece of eggshell out of her orange hair.
"I know." The Adviser sighs.
"We just need a clear definitive directive written and stamped, sir." Teana pleads. "Is the Office in charge or not? If we are, then I can set things in motion no matter how small, but as is now..."
"I agree with Enforcer Lanster." Hayate joins in. "Both service branches of the Bureau are sort of stuck in the limbo right now."
The Chairwoman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff steps in, trying to get things moving.
"Let's put the legal matters aside for now. Commander Yagami, what have we lost?"
Hayate points at the highlighted hill on the map.
"As you can see this hill not only controls the road junction but overlooks the vast flat land in the area."
The Staging Dock and the residential area are also highlighted. Hayate continues.
"The invaders...I mean the suspects? What do we call them-" She stops wondering as Lindy impatiently gestures her to go on. Hayate clears her throat and continues.
"Anyway...they are in this area. Now with the hill lost, they have the room to maneuver south along the coastal zone-"
"This is bad news." The Vaizen managing director interrupts. "The industrial zone along the coast is vital to the Vaizen economy." He looks around the room. "I'm grateful that you are prioritizing the safety of the people being evacuated at the Interworld, but if we lose the coastal industrial zone, it's going to set Vaizen economy back at least twenty years."
It takes a bit for the room to quiet down. Lindy nods to Hayate to continue.
"We are screening their movement, madam. If and when they do go south, a regiment of Rapid Response is in the position to launch an intercept operation." She points at the hill again. "But Nakajima's regiment will have its flank exposed to this place." Hayate hears Teana's whispered murmur 'Aw fuck that was why she-' Hayate ignores this little distraction and continues.
"Fortunately for us, for now, there is no indication of them going south, which is...rather puzzling, though."
"True." Lindy and other generals in the room nod in agreement. Any competent chief of an invasion force would aim to hold that industry zone as a hostage in exchange for the war objective. That's what Hayate would do.
"But they are not doing that. It doesn't make any sense." Hayate concludes and the soldiers in the room once again agree.
"Madam Chairwoman, Commander Yagami," Chrono, who has been silent up to now, interrupts everyone's train of thoughts. "I would like to remind you that Dr. Precia Testarossa is not an officer of an armed force. She does not have years of education and experience in armed conflicts as you do."
The Security Adviser snaps his finger.
"That actually makes sense. Have you people ever played poker with a complete novice?" He looks around the room. Apparently, many people attending the meeting enjoy playing poker. "I think we are in that kind of a situation."
Signum ahems couple of times to get the attention of Midchilda.
"Sir, I don't know about Dr. Testarossa, but the clones here in Vaizen are definitely learning how to fight better. Very fast. I am afraid there is a peer to peer learning process going on within the enemy even during a fight." She is clearly not very happy with the development. "What's worse is that they are free to put what they learn to immediate practices."
"You are saying the longer this goes on the stronger they will become?" The Security Adviser summarizes it nicely.
"But we need more time for mobilization..." says Lindy pointing out the paradoxical nature of the time issue.
On the main display, Signum is visibly uncomfortable.
"I can handle it even if they get a bit stronger, but the current legal limitations imposed on us doesn't help me securing the much-needed time."
The Adviser sighs as the topic returns to the legal matter. It is, after all, the elephant in the room.
"I've discussed the matter with the Managing Directors. We have two options here; One. Revoke Testarossa's citizenship."
"On what legal basis, sir?" Teana snaps immediately. "Revoking citizenship is a penalty, which we cannot sentence without a trial."
"We could try her in her absence." The Adviser suggests. He sees Teana's face turning red.
"Trial in absence with the verdict already given? For the sole purpose of revoking an individual's citizenship?" Teana jumps up and rages. "That is not a fair trial, sir! Executive Office will fight tooth and nail against such injustice!"
The room falls to an awkward silence. Teana sits down, blushing.
"That's what Chief Enforcer would say..." She trails off. Teana is sure she heard someone in the back of the room saying 'Yeah, right.'
The Bureau Security Adviser clears his throat, moving on to option number two.
"Anyway, option two. We amend the law. Simple, but..." He scratches his head. "I found out even with the public support we enjoy right now, the legislation process is going to take months...at least half a year-"
This time it's the Vaizen managing director's turn to rage.
"Half a year? You gotta be kidding me. We have millions displaced. Jobs are not getting done, bills are not getting paid!" He looks around the room accusingly. "Not even a week has passed since the invasion, but the impact on Vaizen already is at a catastrophic level!" The old man slams on the table. "Vaizen can't last half a year like this!"
The conference room once again becomes awkwardly silent. The Vaizen managing director sits down, burying the head in his hands.
"Commander Yagami, I ask you once again. Can you save Vaizen?" he asks softly.
.
Hayate senses she is in the spotlight. All eyes and ears are now on her. 'Thank god, at least I'm not on TV.' She tries to ease her nerve. She takes a deep breath and leans in on the table.
"As of this morning, there are roughly five thousand enemy clones in Vaizen. That's equivalent to two or three corps of our regular Ground Armament Service."
Those officers who haven't received the memo this morning gasp. Hayate tries to maintain her calm voice.
"I have a single division in place, plus some mobilized Vaizen units, of which I could make an ad-hoc regiment." She can tell the others are doing the mental calculation in their heads. "In two days, I can commit my other division... and I'm promised some expeditionary force at least of a regiment strength?" She glances at Lindy who nods. Hayate continues. "So that'd eventually be one enforced corps strength in total. Versus two or more at least." Hayate clears her throat again.
"But I will win in the end. Let me fight and I can drive them into the sea. That I can guarantee."
The Security Adviser drums his fingers on the table waiting for the room to quiet down. He eventually gets the chance to ask without having to shout over the noise.
"On what basis, if I may ask? You are outnumbered, and there remains the possibility they send more reinforcement."
"If Helios AI is right," Lindy chimes in. "There are one hundred to two hundred thousand more of those clones where they came from."
Hayate hasn't changed her stance. She is still leaning on the table on her elbows, her chin raised a bit in confidence, and a hint of a smirk on the face.
"Given the mobilization rate, I expect my expeditionary force in two or three weeks?"
"I do my best. Now please explain." Lindy urges Hayate to go on.
Hayate glances at Signum before starting. It is an unspoken message to her right hand. 'Listen to me, have faith.'
"Firstly, the clones are learning on the job; they are mimicking my officers. They no longer rely on their raw power, but are starting to act mindfully, employing tactical maneuvers and stances."
"Doesn't that make it worse for us?" The Vaizen managing director interrupts with a question. Hayate shakes her head.
"On the contrary, sir. I see the signs. The fights have transitioned into something that we've all trained for."
There is 'Oh' and 'Ah' in the room. She continues.
"Mimicry without comprehending the underlying fundamentals is going to work against them. It just can't compare against the years of training and accumulated experience we have." Hayate glances again at Signum, who nods in agreement. "A complete novice is unpredictable, thus difficult, but a half-learned noob is exploitable." Hayate concludes.
"That's..." Lindy tries to word it carefully. "That's an interesting point of view."
"And secondly, madam, the logistics." Hayate moves on. She turns to Chrono.
"My recon tells me there is no logistics effort on the enemy side. Just scavenging through that little town is all. What can Naval Intelligence tell me about their logistics?"
"Apart from the newly arrived troops, there has been no other traffic." Chrono shrugs. Before this meeting, he has had a chance to quickly go over the reports from his directorate. Precia Testarossa really is not putting in any effort to sustain her clone girls in Vaizen.
Hayate leans back on her seat.
"There. I win."
.
The Vaizen managing director is stunned. Even during the lunch session, he had his doubts, but now this old man is convinced. Yagami will save his Vaizen. Princess needs to be unchained at all cost.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Commander, we are still legally not allowed to-" Signum redirects the topic to the elephant in the room. The Vaizen managing director has heard enough. Lieutenant general Yagami is someone he can gamble his political career on. He stands up.
"What if I make it happen?"
The room goes absolutely silent. Everyone is thinking the same question; 'How?'
"What if I let Commander Yagami loose?" The old man rephrases his words.
"Pardon me, but how?" Asks the Security Adviser.
The Vaizen's managing director looks around the room with a determined expression.
"As the managing director of Vaizen, I do have an emergency tool that allows me to temporarily elevate Commander Yagami above the general laws, but right below the Bureau Charters."
The Security Adviser's jaw drops.
"Martial law? That's suicide on your part! The public backlash-"
"Three months!" The old man shouts. "Three months is the maximum Vaizen can hold. If the invaders are not driven off by then, Vaizen is finished no matter what. I'm finished. Regardless of whether they are repelled or not. Three months."
He fixes his eyes on Hayate, glistening bright with hope and determination.
"But if we...she pulls it off, at least I will have a chance to gain support back by rebuilding what's left of Vaizen."
Overall it is an inspiring scene in the conference room as this seasoned managing director gambles the fate of Vaizen and his everything on the diminutive young general. Of course, Hayate of all people has to ruin the mood by nitpicking the technical detail.
"Am I even eligible for the position? I'm Midchilda-"
"As the Joint Task Force Commander-" Lindy shuts Hayate up with a frown. 'Read the mood, please!' She continues. "As the JTF Commander of both Midchilda AND Vaizen, you are. You can be appointed the Martial law command."
Hayate makes the O-face. She is the Capital Defense Command. She is the de facto theater command by being the Joint Task Force command. 'And now I oppress the civil rights in Vaizen?'
"Executive Office," The Bureau Security Adviser interrupts Hayate's thoughts. "I want your opinion."
"Yes, sir." Teana thinks for a few seconds. "To be frank, sir, there would be practically no Vaizen citizens left in Vaizen to be subjected to the proposed martial law. Half of them is evacuated already, and the other half is leaving in a week or two anyway." Teana pauses and thinks a bit more. Technically all the legal conditions for declaring the martial law are already met.
"So, apart from the fact that the public loathes the oppressive nature of the martial law-"
"Right, thank you, Enforcer. Let's keep sentences short." The Adviser stops Teana from rambling on. He drums his fingers on the desk, thinking. He studies Hayate's little face. Reaching a three-star position at her young age is unheard of, yet she had aced all the tests and padded up her resume with impressive stories of epic proportions the Bureau simply could not deny her well-deserved stars. People are on the streets demanding this woman unleash her wrath in Vaizen. And now an entire world of a significant status within the Bureau's multiverse has decided to gamble its fate on this blushing lady.
"OK. I will talk to the Management." The Adviser has made his mind up.
#
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Signum's staff ends the video conference session, and the two gentlemen and the lady knight stretch and relax. Professor Scrya yawns, wondering why he was asked to partake in the first place. Something has been bothering him for a while and this seems to be a good opportunity to ask.
"Can't Hayate just...nuke them?"
"What? No~." Chrono looks at Yuuno disgusted. Signum, on the other hand, smiles a bit. It was actually discussed when Wolfram went down. The top brass decided Bookworm can't do it.
"Why is that?" Asks Yuuno.
"Well, for one, we can't nuke Vaizen, that's obvious." Signum shrugs. "We can't send Hayate to Al Hazard either."
Hayate alone going to Al Hazard might be possible, Signum explains, but because a whole lot of supporting crew is required for her activation the logistics always is the problem intrinsic to Bookworm's destructive nature. She'd need a warship worth of people supporting her just to guide her strike actually land at the rough vicinity of the intended strike zone.
"We know what happened to Wolfram. They won't make it to Al Hazard." Signum shakes her head.
"I've always wondered." Yuuno moves onto another question. "Why is Nanoha the Doomsday, not Hayate?"
In a sense he is right. Hayate is the ultimate weapon of destruction that no other weapon in the Bureau's arsenal can compare. Chrono chuckles because he knows why.
"Yuuno, Doomsday refers to the Bureau's fate, not what Nanoha brings." Chrono explains. "Nanoha is activated when we really really want the enemy to suffer a guaranteed retaliation even after we have all died."
"How does that exactly work?" Yuuno, a longtime friend of Nanoha for nearly three decades, asks scratching his head. He has long ago realized he had picked up a monster while hunting the Jewel Seeds on the Earth. He still has trouble accepting the fact Nanoha has gone beyond all that and is now considered a strategic asset, a guaranteed retaliatory measure for the Bureau.
"Nanoha is devastating for sure, but Hayate has more raw power. But the most important factor is Nanoha can operate autonomously even when the rest of the Bureau is dead. Hayate can't do that." Says Chrono.
Yuuno digests this information for a second. Chrono is right. Hayate can't even button her shirt right on her own.
"I thought you knew, Professor. You two are longtime friends." Signum comments.
"Hmm, but we never talk about this stuff." Says Yuuno. He got into enough trouble when people came up to him to challenge 'the man who taught the White Devil how to fight.' Nanoha eventually learned of his trouble, and she has since stopped talking about blowing things up, or pulverizing things down to molecules, or experimenting with various herbs for colon cleansing, or incinerating things to ashes, etc., in order to keep Yuuno out of her explosive adventures.
"Let's say you succeeded in destroying the Bureau this afternoon." Chrono offers a simplified example, trying to explain what happens when the Time Space Administration Bureau has a grudge. "At midnight Nanoha comes and blows up your house. Morning comes she blows up the hospital you are in. At noon she blows up your funeral."
"And then she blows up your mother's house in the evening." Signum adds. Chrono chuckles and continues.
"Nanoha continues until either she's dead, or there's nothing left to blow up."
Yuuno shivers at the thought. He is not sure what's scarier; that Nanoha is capable of doing such things, or that she has agreed to do all those dreadful things.
They look at Nanoha sleeping at the corner reserved for the flight mages, snoring lightly, bundled up under a thin wool blanket with what's left of her squadron.
"Actually, Nanoha shouldn't be flying around in Vaizen as she's doing now." Says Chrono in a rather serious tone, shaking his head. "They should lock her up in a bunker or something."
"As for me, I'd rather have her above my head than in a bunker." Signum offers her opinion. "Come to think of it, isn't Fate actually the one suited for the current situation? She is the large-scale anti-personnel weapon of-"
"But would she comply with the order?" Chrono points out the glaring flaw in Signum's suggestion. Signum thinks about it. If it was her she would, but Fate... that woman is complicated, to say the least. Especially when it comes to her clone sisters, as evidenced by-
"Hey, you want to watch this."
Agito interrupts the three. She brings up a display. A live news broadcast is running. Apparently, the Vaizen managing director is making an announcement at the doorsteps of the Sail Force HQ building. Next to him stands Hayate, fidgeting.
#
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"-and after much deliberation, the Managing Directors and the Midchilda management have approved lending out their finest commanding officer for Vaizen's cause."
The Vaizen managing director announces to the reporters and the crowd gathered in front of the Sail Force HQ building. His voice is amplified and echoes around the afternoon street of Cranagan, reaching the massive protesters gathered there to demand Princess be allowed to fight. He pauses and surveys the crowd. He can sense the mood uplifting. He is delivering what they want after all.
"I thus entrust the fate of Vaizen to lieutenant general Yagami, commander of the Capital Defense Corps, the Joint Task Force, and now Vaizen Martial Law Command!"
The crowd cheers loudly as the old man gestures for Hayate to step forward. The newly appointed martial law commander comes forward and faces the Vaizen managing director.
"Lieutenant general Yagami, within the boundaries of the Bureau Charters and the military regulations, you will be free to do whatever you deem necessary to bring the calamity in Vaizen to an end."
He has to wait for the crowd to settle down. The noise is deafening. At last, he is allowed to continue.
"A great faith is being placed upon your sound judgment and conduct. Do you understand the gravity of such responsibility?"
"Yes, sir, I understand."
Hayate snaps a salute. The crowd is ecstatic, shouting "Princess! Princess!" Hayate turns around to face the cameras, and the people gathered in front of the Sail Force HQ goes quiet. She takes a deep breath before announcing:
"Dear citizens of Vaizen, I hereby declare a strict curfew outside these designated zones, as can be seen on this map..." She fumbles with her datapad, and a large holo-image of embarrassed Vita in schoolgirl uniform cosplay appears behind Hayate. The entire Bureau multiverse gasps. Not realizing her mistake, Hayate continues.
"Anyone found outside these zones...especially found in this area-" Her eyes nervously fixed on the camera in front of her, Hayate extends a hand behind her and circles around Vita's chest. "-Will be deemed an enemy of Vaizen and will be dealt with deadly forces on sight. With no warning."
Finally, somebody in the crowd breaks out in hysterical laughter. It soon spreads to everyone.
"Comply and die... oops, I mean or die. Comply or die."
The Vaizen managing director stands there with mouth agape as more and more people burst out laughing. The crowd hoots and cheers loudly. Reinforce pops up, getting in the way between Commander Yagami and the reporters. She snatches Hayate's datapad and desperately tries to change the image to the correct one. She nervously faces the cameras and tries to get things straight.
"Hello. Erm... she's worded it badly, but that wasn't actually directed at the actual Vaizen citizens-"
.
Embarrassed, Signum is face-palming hard inside her HQ hangar in Vaizen. The hangar is filled with an awkward silence as the staff members watch the newsfeed with agonizing expressions on their faces. After a big sigh, Signum waves to Agito. The little fairy-like girl nods back and gets on the comm.
"All units, we are back in business. Princess is unchained."
There's a weak cheer in the hangar that abruptly stops as the camera zooms in on Vita in schoolgirl uniform.
"This is embarrassing to watch." Chrono shakes his head. "How does she manage to mess up every time?"
"If I remember correctly, last time she was on a live broadcast her ponytail caught fire-" Yuuno recalls. He kinda liked Hayate with the long hair, but ever since the incident, she went back and has stayed on bob cut.
"No, that's the one before. You missed her skirt coming off." Chrono corrects his friend. The two gentlemen turn to Signum.
"Ah, well..." She shrugs. "It's one of her charm points. People are used to it, I guess."
#
.
Zafira, in his puppy form, nonchalantly enters the town, trotting on as if he is on familiar ground. Soon enough he catches the attention of the clone girls. They follow him excitedly, chatting among themselves and giggling.
He walks around the town. The occasional sights of destroyed houses and craters on the roads ruin the otherwise joyful early evening image of this small town. It doesn't take him long to find what he is looking for. A dog-house in the yard of a two-story residence. It is, of course, vacant, but it doesn't matter. Zafira makes the place his home as if he's lived here for years. He deliberately yawns, looking away from the girls gathered around his newly acquired home.
"Aw~ this must be its home." Observes a masked girl. Another one crouches down trying to meet Zafira's puppy eyes.
"It must have been hiding from all that fighting." The girl looks sorry.
"It's so cute~ whatever it is..." Another one crouches down and extends her hand.
The girls try to charm him, but Zafira plays it cool and deliberately ignores them. But then he is caught off-guard by a tall Alicia clone girl with a broken mask who steps up and picks Zafira up, checking his underside.
"It's a boy."
Zafira sniffs. This clone smells different. 'What the-'
"I have an idea!" The broken mask girl shouts excitedly. "Let's call him Zafira!"
A look of realization dawns on Zafira's puppy face. He barks and wags his tail in approval. The broken mask clone hugs the puppy tight, rubbing her face on his.
"Yes~ You like that name, right, Zafira? Good boy, good boy."
And then the other girls dive in to cuddle the puppy.
.
It's taken him an hour or so to finally set himself free of the girls. He's left his puppy home and is now tracing the scent down the street. He follows the invisible trail, and trots into a dark alley, making sure he's not seen. The Alicia clone with a broken mask is waiting in the shadows.
"Zafira, what are you doing here?"
"That's my question, Fate. I'm doing my recon thing. What are you doing here?"
Fate cranes her neck to see if anyone is around. She finds none.
"I am trying to find out what this whole invasion is about." She crouches down to pet Zafira's head. "Actually, I'm glad you are here because I cut off all comms as a precaution. Are you in contact with your unit?"
She has in fact cut all communication to the Bureau. Numerous heads of regional Executive Office across the Bureau territory kept calling her for emergency budget approval. Taking care of the evacuated Vaizen people means extra works and overtime for their Enforcers and Agents. On top of that, the media has been calling Fate non-stop. She simply cannot walk around among her clone sisters with the notification beeps going off all the time.
"I'm on a secure channel. You can relay through me when you need to." Zafira kindly offers. Fate nods in appreciation. 'Good dog.'
"So, what's the plan?"
"I'll snoop around, but-" Fate's partially covered face grimaces. "But there is a pressing matter. I need to find some food for the girls."
"Excuse me?" Zafira wonders if he has heard her right. 'She what?'
"There are thousands of them, but none of them brought anything to eat."
"You want to feed the enemy?" Zafira is baffled.
Fate hugs the puppy tight.
"Come on. Help me out, please?"
.
About ten kilometers south to the town along the coastal road sits a couple of industrial facilities. As the road runs down to south more and more such facilities would appear, and then some thirty or forty kilometers down the industrial zone would start for real. Alph and the Recon company has set up here though because sitting all the way down the road would be too far from the enemy for them to do their recon job.
Alph is talking to Zafira over the comm and she is baffled.
"You want me to do what?"
"You heard me right." Zafira's hushed voice whispers out of the comm. "There's got to be something."
"Yeah, but for five thousand..." Alph trails off, looking around. Where the heck would she find something to feed five thousand enemies? And more importantly, why? Something catches her eyes. A large sign that reads "Vaizen Canned Soups INC". She looks around and realizes she is, in fact, standing in the parking lot of a canned soup factory. 'What dumb but convenient luck' she scoffs.
#
.
It's the late evening in Midchilda. Hayate is sitting at her desk, hunched forward with her face on the wooden surface, arms sprawled open. Reinforce is lying on the desk next to Hayate's head, looking at the ceiling with vacant eyes. Sometimes she'd twitch at the recollection of what happened this afternoon.
"Oh god... I want to die." Hayate jerks up. "Does Vita know?"
"If she knew she'd be calling like mad." Reinforce sighs. Sooner or later Vita will find it out.
Hayate sighs, too, and goes back to her previous position; her face pressing flat on the wooden surface of the desk.
Reinforce sits up and knocks on Hayate's head with a tiny fist.
"So, now we are free to fight. What's the plan?"
Hayate rotates her head to face the little lady.
"I can't attack when Fate-chan is among them. Besides-" She sits up. "-if I push too hard now Testarossa might be tempted to send the entire clone army to Vaizen in response. I'm not yet in the position to deal with that."
"Or she might just give up?" Reinforce offers hopefully. Hayate shrugs and yawns.
"Depends on what she really wants from us." She calls Signum, whose face appears immediately.
"Signum, I'm worried about something."
"About Vita getting mad?"
Hayate winces.
"No!... Actually, yes." She shakes her head to focus on the topic. "Let's say we put up a defense so good they can't advance a single step. What would they do?"
"Hmm..." Signum rubs her chin while thinking. "It's been established Dr. Testarossa isn't a military mastermind. She most likely opts for the simplest solution."
"Which is to throw more bodies?" Asks Hayate in a tone that is more of seeking an affirmation rather than being a genuine question.
"Yes, I think so." Signum, too, is thinking. 'Two hundred thousand potential reinforcement...' That's something she does not want to come her way. "I think I better relax my defense a little." Signum suggests.
"Yes, please do." Hayate agrees. "Let's give them a false sense of progress, at least until we have some more bodies of our own in place." Hayate does a quick sweeping motion. "And then we roll in one sweep, but..." She trails off.
"But?"
"I gotta find a way to deal with Al Hazard."
.
Chrono also agrees.
"Yeah, that still leaves us with a couple hundred thousand clones in Al Hazard." He crosses his arms with an annoyed face. "A victory in Vaizen doesn't necessarily mean the end of the conflict."
"True." Signum nods in agreement. She, too, crosses her arms and leans on the hangar wall.
"Whatever the reason, Precia Testarossa wants Midchilda. She has been bruteforcing the multiverse to locate Midchilda for some time." Chrono thinks out aloud. He notices Yuuno wincing.
"And we led her to Vaizen..." Yuuno trails off.
"Even when we push her out of Vaizen, it's a matter of time she finds Midchilda." Chrono goes on. "Then we have a catastrophe." He sighs and looks at Signum. What are the options?
"Logically speaking, we'd invade Al Hazard in retaliation. Taking the fight away from our territory." Signum offers her professional opinion. "But then again she's capable of destroying our troopships from afar."
The three fall silent as each tries to think. They are disturbed by Nanoha waking up from her long sleep, yawning and stretching and scratching.
#
.
The senior laboratory operator is working into the late evening. She pulls out charts and reports on holo-displays above her desk. Teana is sitting next to her, eating a sandwich.
"You really had to see it right away, huh? Couldn't wait till the morning?" The tired operator complains. Thanks to Teana she is working overtime.
"Hey, people are dying out there. My friend had her face cut open last night, OK? She lost an eye." Teana takes another bite of her sandwich.
"Right. Sorry about your friend." The lab operator apologizes. "You could have at least brought one more sandwich for your other friend." She shakes her head. "That'd be me, in case you don't realize."
Teana just grins. Her other friend has finished pulling up all the results. She rubs her hands.
"OK, here it is."
Teana leans in, studying the charts and the brilliant patterns. She can't understand what she is looking at. Her friend points at a holo-display of a very complicated looking pattern of lines and shapes and dots.
"This is her composition-"
"The dead clone girl?" Teana interrupts. The senior operator nods and continues. "Then I take out Precia Testarossa's footprints." She shows another image and adds. "I had to extrapolate from the old record of Dr. Testarossa, so it's not 100% accurate."
Teana finishes her sandwich and motions for her friend to go on.
"I also compare against Alicia Testarossa, back when she was alive." The operator shows another pattern. "Again, I had to extrapolate so there's another layer of the margin of errors." She then points to yet another pattern. "Then also against Chief's snapshot. This is from the time she was fifteen-"
"Fifteen? That's too young to fight in a war." Teana comments in a sad tone. The operator agrees. She continues.
"And then I do a very complicated scientific sorcery you won't understand-" She takes out sunglasses from her desk drawer and puts them on.
"And voila!"
The first holo-image changes to an oscillating and pulsating pattern so bright it is blinding.
"Oh god! My eyes!" Teana covers her eyes. The operator giggles behind her sunglasses.
"I give you... Al Hazard!"
.
"Oh god! My eyes!" Chrono yelps in pain and covers his eyes.
"I give you... Al Hazard!" Teana puts away the offending holo-image and takes her sunglasses off. She has come back from Midchilda to Vaizen's Interworld Terminal to show this to Chrono.
Teana pulls out another image.
"This is the toned-down version."
"Damn you, Teana." Chrono blinks several times, trying to recover from the searing pain his eyes suffered. He examines the pattern. "What do we do with it?"
"Well..." Teana is not sure herself. "Boss wanted me to discuss it with you."
'What the hell?' Chrono thinks for a while. Back when he worked for the Office he was good. Very good. Probably that is why Fate instructed Teana to talk to him about this, but for now, he has no idea what to do with this piece of the analysis result.
"You talk to Fate first. She's with Zafira so relay through Rapid Response comm channel." Chrono suggests. He feels this knowledge about Al Hazard would become useful. But how?
"I... I will need to think about this a bit more."
#
.
Fate is sitting on the toilet inside a cubicle in the ladies' WC in the storage facility of Vaizen Canned Soups INC. Zafira is on the floor between Fate's legs, relaying the communication.
"Tell her she's done a good job extracting the data." Fate whispers into the comm.
"I will." Teana whispers back.
"It's in their linker cores, right?" Fate already has an idea.
"Should be."
"OK." Fate gives her instruction in a hushed voice. "Tell her to find a way to neutralize it en masse. Some kind of an area effect magic, perhaps." She gestures imaginary area magic. With the mass linker core neutralization, it should be possible to pacify the clone girls without hurting them. After that Enforcers and Agents could waltz in and arrest the weakened girls.
"Oh, that's a brilliant idea!" Teana quickly lowers her voice. "I will tell her to start right away. You be careful, boss."
Fate ends the comm. She walks out of the cubicle and exits to the hallway to come face to face with the senior clone girl wearing the red ribbon.
"There you are." Says the girl flatly.
Fate greets the senior with a nod. They walk down the hallway with Zafira trotting along. The red ribbon girl breaks the silence.
"We are only ten, but there are so many. I don't think we can move them all out tonight."
Fate faces the girl and smiles.
"See? I told you there's got to be something to eat somewhere."
"Yeah, you were right." The girl nods, but her eyes are fixed on Fate's. "Lucky we came looking this way."
Red Ribbon stops walking, falling behind Fate.
"How did you know?"
Fate stops and turns.
"Hmm? I just suggested a direction, and we got lucky. That's all." Fate shrugs.
The senior clone points at Zafira.
"No. I mean how do you know Zafira is a boy?"
"He's..." Fate doesn't like where this is going. "He has the thing?"
"What thing?"
'Oh boy.' A sudden chill runs down Fate's spine. She quickly glances down and notices Zafira trying his best to act as if he does not understand what the girls are talking about. Fate points at Zafira.
"Look... look for yourself."
The puppy quickly flashes a pained expression accusingly directed at Fate but manages to maintain his composure. Red Ribbon doesn't say anything nor moves. Fate can feel the piercing eyes behind the mask boring into her. And then all of sudden the senior clone girl starts walking again, taking Fate's hand in hers.
"Let's go. We have sisters to feed."
.
Alph and the recon troops are well concealed. They employ military-grade cloak magic strong enough it would be near impossible for the clone girls to detect them. Nevertheless, they keep distance, watching from far out of the perimeter of the soup factory. Using optics magic, they observe the girls coming out of the storage building, each carrying several carton boxes stacked up high. The soldiers count the boxes and read the labels to compile a record. The data will later be passed to Naval Intelligence, where the analysts will then study the nutrients data associated with each can of soup. In two or three days, Commander Yagami should find a report on her desk regarding the estimated nutrient intake of the enemy of Vaizen, and the long-term consequences on their physiology.
.
The clone sisters are happy with the canned soups the group brought back, going around sharing and commenting on different soups. Unfortunately, they cannot read the labels, and having seen, let alone tasted, the contents for the first time in their lives, they have no idea what they are eating. It doesn't stop them from digging in, though. A group of senior clones is going around distributing spoons they have appropriated from the kitchens of the abandoned houses.
There is a line formed up in front of Fate. Mostly little girls. Fate helps them open their cans. Her broken mask cannot hide the big warm smile on her face as she blissfully watches the little sisters excited by this newly acquired delicacy. A few steps behind her, Red Ribbon girl watches Fate with curious eyes.
#
.
Deputy Director Harlaown paces around in the hangar much to the soldiers' annoyance. It's well past midnight and those who are not on duty are trying to get some sleep. Chrono is immersed in deep thought, mumbling to himself. He abruptly stops and initiates a call to Hayate. He has come to the same conclusion as Hayate did. Al Hazard must be dealt with no matter what.
.
Teana rides an army issue motorbike on a dark road. She is returning from the field hospital after paying a short visit to Subaru. There wasn't much to talk about nor do as Shamal has sedated Subaru to sleep.
"She's nothing but trouble!" Shamal complained to Teana. Apparently, the hyperactive woman-child cannot stay still in her bed.
Teana reaches the Terminal. After clearing a series of checkpoints, she enters the hangar, taking the helmet off.
"Teana, when are you leaving? I've been thinking." Chrono comes over immediately.
"I'm leaving right away. Why?"
Chrono leads Teana to a secluded corner of the hangar.
"Look, I like Fate's idea, but it's not enough." Says Chrono in a hushed voice.
"Not enough? What do you mean?" Teana sounds a bit annoyed. Weaken the girls' linker cores and bag them when they are pacified. It sounds like a very good plan to Teana.
"Yeah, it's a good plan." Chrono admits. "But there are two hundred thousand more in Al Hazard. They will come."
"Hmm... yes, you are right. They will come." Teana sees the point. "I guess we will just have to repeat until they are all in jail." She tries to leave but Chrono stops her.
"Do we even have enough jail space?" He shakes his head. "That's not the main issue, though. Listen, don't forget Precia Testarossa prints out those clones for free. Al Hazard grants her virtually unlimited resources!"
Teana finally gets it.
"Hang on. That means-"
"The war in Vaizen will never end!"
Teana, shocked, leans in closer. She lowers her voice to a whisper.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know. For now, at least..." He looks around to make sure no one is listening in. "I talked with Hayate. She's started drafting an invasion plan."
"Jeez..."
Chrono puts a hand up.
"But she has also ordered me to come up with an alternative solution. To deal with Al Hazard."
"She can order you?" Teana is honestly impressed. Hayate has gone up the rank for real.
"She can order anyone at this point." Chrono just shrugs. "Anyway, you follow up on Fate's idea. For now. I have a feeling the key to everything lies in there somewhere, so keep that in mind."
"OK, I will." Teana promises.
#
.
Nanoha and Captain Ru Lusche are taking a break from flying. They sit outside a large mobile structure that is Ginga's portable command office. They sit cross-legged on the ground, sipping coffees, not talking much.
Captain Ru Lusche's eyes linger on her group leader's blood smeared combat uniform. She tries to say something but hesitates. In fact, she has been hesitating for a good half an hour. Nanoha has had enough.
"Go on, Caro. What is it?"
Caro musters up her courage.
"Madam, you stink."
Nanoha sighs.
"I can't disagree. I'm such a bad leader-"
"No!" Caro interrupts. "I mean you literally smell bad!"
.
Colonel Ginga Nakajima walks out of her portable office structure with a mug in a hand, just in time to find Nanoha sniffing herself.
"What's this? A new fetish?" Ginga inquires.
"Caro here tells me I smell bad?" Nanoha sniffs some more.
"You do indeed." Ginga admits. "Don't tell me you are doing that cleansing thing again-"
"What? No. Fate doesn't allow me." Nanoha pulls her uniform shirt and sniffs inside. "I just haven't washed for some days."
Ginga points at the night sky.
"Vaizen Air is up there. Why don't you go take a shower? Get some sleep, too."
"But I slept through the whole day! Besides-" Nanoha refuses. She gestures towards the seaside. "-Fate is out there. She's probably still awake, trying to figure out what they are up to."
.
The town is engulfed in darkness and is quiet as it should be at this late hour. A little masked girl thrashes around on the floor of the pitch-black living room in one of the houses left behind by the townsfolk. She cannot sleep over the noise. She can't take it anymore and stands up. She fumbles her way over to the couch where a long figure lying on it is emitting an unbearable noise. The little girl whacks the sleeping head and the snoring stops. Satisfied, the girl gets down and lies on the floor. As soon as she settles down and shuts her eyes, the snoring starts anew.
.
"I need to stay awake... in case she needs my help." Says Nanoha, throwing her gaze into the dark night air, to east.
Caro looks at the older woman with envy filled eyes.
"How romantic..." She observes in awe.
"How is YOUR romance going?" Ginga asks Caro "Any progress?"
The young captain shakes her head in frustration.
"I went to see him during the evening chow, but..." Caro shakes her small fist in the air. "He's still as dense as a brick! Grrr!"
"Jeez! How many years have you two been like this?" Ginga is well aware of Caro's love interest and the lack of progress this young lady has had.
"You know what, Caro? Just beat him up into pulp, and he will finally get it." Ginga points at Nanoha. "Ask her, she's the expert."
"Hey!" Nanoha protests, feigning innocence.