Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest (No SV, you are the Waifu)

[ArchRegis]

Eh, not my best work. Specially since I know nothing about her. But I did my best, so you do too, Cathy-chan! I'm rooting for you!

Spoiler: Catherine

Pain.

The headache is starting to become a nuisance. Your eyes are wavering, and even though you've only been piloting for a short period of time, you know. You're reaching your limit. Already. All that formation flying must have worn you out more than you thought. You bite your lips in frustration.

Your name is Catherine Han. Until recently, you were a completely ordinary girl. Whether it was academics or sports, both were completely average. You've been called a little cute before, but only that. The only praise you've ever gotten was that you were hard-working.

The kind of praise given to someone who doesn't have any talent.

But then it happened. You found out you were compatible with the Valkyrie Core. An honor. Your parents were somewhat reluctant to send you to to fight, but you insisted. Even if it was little dangerous, it was better than going back to that completely ordinary life from before.

Pain. If you could just get a few minutes rest, it would be fine. But...

You juke left, barely dodging the outstretched hand from one of the taggers, before being saved by Shuri's supporting shockwaves. It wouldn't be long now. Even with Shuri's support, it was three against one. And including the new person who joined in today...

Anyway. You didn't intend to aim for something lofty like an Ace pilot. It was fine even if you only reached Elite. But when your new friend sitting next to you jumped at the chance to join Shuri's flight, you found yourself tagging along.

How bad could it be?

How naive.

Sandra was closing in now, but the other two have disappeared somewhere. Shuri's support had stopped for some reason. You weren't sure whether you wanted to laugh or cry.

Even you weren't sure why you were still here. The friend that dragged you in already quit. Giving up would be easier.

Giving up. The idea made your stomach curdle to go along with your headache.

Give up? Please. Persistence is the only decent trait you have.

...Maybe that's why you couldn't get a boyfriend.

The other two were in front of you now. Ah, a pincer movement. You hadn't noticed because of the pain. Damn operational limits. You even promised that you would pace yourself today, but instead you went all out during lessons as usual. What a bad habit.

You make a last minute attempt at dodging, thrusters on max burn. It almost works. Almost. The tip of your frame's foot clips the tagger's outstretched hand, and you sigh in disappointment.

Still, you managed to outlast Sandra this time. You relax; now you just had to wait for time to run out. You were supposed to help the others try and catch Shuri, but if you didn't take a break now, you might have to retire early later. You would only get in the way now.

Looking up, you see Shuri and the new girl. And promptly drop your jaw as they twist the space around them and teleport.

You admit it. You're jealous.

In a few short seconds, Shuri is tagged. You stare in amazement at the round, black frame of the girl who did what all five of them couldn't.

Was it possible? To become as strong as those two? You weren't sure. But as the girl nearby nudges you to vote for some random new rule, you make a vow to yourself.

I want to be as cool as Bread-chan one day.

 

[Blaflaix]

Spoiler: Omake/Crossover-ish

Yakitate!! Valkyrie​

Cadet Erica Louvre was in a good mood as she went to the Baking Club early in the morning. The Baking Club had been having trouble recently, most people weren't too enthusiastic about waking up at 4 AM to bake bread and when you could assemble a working model car in a few minutes apparently waiting several hours for bread to rise was considered boring or something. One person even said that bread doesn't matter!

Well, she would show them! Erica had a secret. She wasn't actually there to do something as inconsequential as fighting. Erica had secretly been sent by Pantasia to discover the ideal form of bread! Her Valkyrie core was being stubborn and refusing to upgrade the bread, no matter how much she stuffed in, but soon she would have an ally in her struggle. Surely someone who loved bread as much as Bread-Chan would help her! Erica just had to wait for Bread-Chan to come to the Baking Club.

Erica eagerly summoned the drone trolly with the dough made with love and care the previous day, but looking over the bowls she frowned. One of the batches hadn't risen, it was always sad when some baker-hopeful encountered an early set-back like that. As she picked up the bowl, she suddenly felt a wave of malice that made her gasp. Surely someone who could hate bead that much couldn't be human! It must be some new antagonist Type to cause such suffering! She could almost feel the echo of pain as if millions of yeasty voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced!

She flipped the bowl over and winced as the "dough" slumped onto the trolly with a thud normally associated with dead bodies. Erica honestly had no idea what to do with such a thing, but she had to make *something* from it. Maybe the crafts club could come up with something...

Either way, she now knew her enemy. This Anna Sanchez would have to be defeated, for the good of the world! Surely Bread-Chan would help.​

 

[ArchRegis]

Well, if we're keeping the chopsticks as our personal weapon, I feel no guilt over this.

-------

Dust swirls around the now-desolate wasteland that used to be a forest. The corpses of Antagonists and Valkyries alike litter the ground, stretching all the way to the walls of Perth.

For the first time in what seemed like weeks, but was in actuality only the span of a few hours, there is silence.

In the center of this destruction is critically-damaged form of the Valkyrie Durga. The once smooth, black plates that served as its frame have been torn apart, revealing the battered body of a young girl. Her eyes are completely destroyed, blood flowing from the sockets in rivulets. One arm hangs limply, completely useless.

Beneath her unsheathed halberd is the being responsible for the scene of carnage - a Type-0, Class A Antagonist that had single-handedly slaughtered two full squadrons of Valkyries until she had stepped in.

Five battered frames approach, two in particularly recklessly landing at near full speed.

"A-Anna!" From one of them, a male voice cries out in panic, discarding the broken sword in hand as he draws near the center. His closest friend in a red frame (that would have looked quite pretty if it weren't riddled with bullet holes and scorch marks) is not far behind.

He gently cradles the body of his comrade. The band holding her ponytail had come off during the fight, and her hair sprayed out like a fan in his arms.

She stirs. "K-Koujirou?"

"Y-yeah! It's me! Anna, you did it, you saved us! Come on, let's get you back for treatment!"

"Unn..." She pauses, and from the corner of her eyes, she sees the frame of her rival and friend. "S-Setsuna..."

"Save you breath, idiot!"

"Come here... before I forget." To everyone's shock, Anna smiles gently, weakly gesturing her over. Setsuna approaches cautiously, her mind in turmoil.

It couldn't be. Anna was invincible. A monster. There's no way she could d-d-die!

"Gimme your hand."

Setsuna, unwilling to disobey, reaches out of her frame, grasping the one Anna raised. The feeling of smooth, polished bamboo is pressed into her palm.

"Eh?"

It was a pair of vaguely familiar-looking chopsticks. They shined in the light of the setting sun, and somehow Setsuna had the feeling that they contained some kind of strange, incredible power. But from the little bunnies that graced the tops of them, she recognized them as hers.

The ones that Anna had 'confiscated.' She had forgotten.

"I...I wanted to give them back, but I couldn't find the right timing for it...sorry. I made some...improvements..."

Her voice was getting softer now. Slower. "Thanks...for being my friend." She shut her eyes.

"No...Anna! NO! Wake up, Anna! WAKE UP!" Tears welled up in her eyes, while Koujirou stood there stiffly in shock, uncomprehending the situation.

This can't be. It can't be real. Please...Anna...

The sound of soft snoring snapped her out of the depressive spiral of thoughts that had started to overwhelm her.

"Muguu...noo....no more bread...stop..."

"S-Setsu..."

"....L-Let's just go home........."

 

[dontpressenter]

Spoiler: Pygmalion 2

"Uh, Lim?"

"So...beautiful..."

"You're drooling. You are actually-"

Maribel jumped back as Lim thumped the table, swinging her fist like a hammer.

"So much classified data. Anna is a mystery wrapped in an enigma strung together by the webs of conspiracy! Even the elites don't know the full details!" She grabbed Maribel's shoulders. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That may not be possible."

"Pygmalion! Anna is Pygmalion! It makes far too much sense."

Maribel blinked in face of Lim's almost rabid expression. This required delicate handling.

"Lim, I know that you are thinking of scouring through Anna's rubbish-"

Lim waved the statement off. "Way ahead of you." She swiped furiously at her datapad. "Sanchez is so classified on the info-sphere, that the safest way forward is through good old-fashioned elbow grease and social trickery."

Maribel grimaced, but pressed forward regardless. "I was thinking more of Anna's feelings, Lim."

Lim paused mid swipe, the sudden conflict visible on her face. Inwardly, Maribel sighed with relief. As she had hoped, it was easier for Lim trying to defy a faceless conspiracy than going against someone she identified as an actual person. The datapad was placed down.

"But Maribel, this, this is huge."

"I know."

"This goes beyond everything I've seen before. Everything I've even dreamt before."

"I know."

"I just-" Lim waved her hands helplessly, "I know that most of my theories are wrong. That doesn't stop me from seeing them. This is the one time, one time, that maybe, maybe, I might actually on to something. I don't know, I just want this stupid insane world to make sense for once!"

Maribel sighed, and clasped her hands over Lim's shaking ones. "Listen. Lim. Come on. We both know that trying to pry into Anna's secrets isn't the right thing to do." She paused to take a breath. She hoped she wouldn't regret what she said next. "However, if you need help looking into stuff about Pygmalion that doesn't invade her privacy, you've got me. And the rest of the Scraps, I'm sure."

Lim looked into Maribel's eyes. "Really?"

"Yes."

...

"Not tonight, though. Weren't you going to try and get Catherine to join our flight after she left Shuri's?"

Lim blinked. Then swore.

Edit:
Me: That was a nice update. Gives me an idea.

Me: Everyone's probably going to be focused on the update and voting, though. I'll just write a couple of lines of dialogue in script form and draft save it for later.

~a while later~

Me: ohgodohgodicantstoptypingtheomakeiswritingitselfhelpmeSTOP

 

[ArchRegis]

I REGRET NOTHING!

Spoiler

It wasn't so bad at first.

You were confident. Even if you were only a Junior Valkyrie now, surely you'd become an Ace pilot eventually. It was only a matter of time. And if the third member of your flight happened to be freakishly strong, well that was just fine. It was good to have a goal! Something to reach for.

And then the merge happened. Koujirou, that lovable idiot tossed our lots in with those two. A noble, blonde beauty and an exotic Ace pilot. And all of a sudden Koujirou started spending a lot less time with you, always going around with that Shuri to do who-knew-what.

Training he said. Yeah right, they were probably getting all close and sweaty and – errrgh!

It wasn't fair! You were his friend first!

But even so, you held it in. You made a brave face and proudly smiled. You endeavored to work harder, become strong, and get Koujirou to notice you again. Besides; you still knew him the best. No one else in the flight could say that – not Shuri, not Sandra, not Anna. Just you.

Then she showed up. With her freakish superhuman abilities and crazy fast growth rate. It was only a matter of time before she could take on Shuri and give Anna a workout. And even worse – Koujirou knew her. She was one of his closest friends. The advantage you took so much pride in was worthless.

You worked harder. You poured blood, sweat, and tears into your training, putting in more hours than anyone else, even Koujirou.

But somehow, it wasn't enough. He might have been the same rank as you, but he mastered the Transcendental Offense that Anna taught when you were still struggling with the initial steps. And Kandakara – it did things no other frame could do.

Not like yours. Yours was just…normal.

You tried countless weapons and strategies to get an advantage. It wasn't enough.

You bugged everyone in the flight for tips and tricks. It wasn't enough.

You flew laps and ran simulations until you collapsed from the strain and coughed up blood. It wasn't enough.

And then you saw it. Koujirou and her. Hugging under the moonlight after a tough battle. A battle you were useless in.

You broke. Like glass under strain – shattering into pieces. Enough was enough.

It was time to leave.

You thought about leaving a note. At least to Koujirou, to say goodbye. But every time you tried, you saw the image of the two embracing. The memory was enough to make you hurl.

So after storing weeks of food smuggled from the dining hall, you made your exit.

Smoothly, like a ninja. You totally didn't trip over Koujirou's stupid practice sword and nearly ruin the whole thing. Definitely not.

Anna was waiting for you outside. She was always too OP for her own good.

She asked you where you were going, and you ignored her. She hands you something. It's a piece of paper, with more details on Transcendental Offense. You probably gave her a funny look, because she cocked her head in confusion.

"You're doing something dangerous, right? I don't have the right to stop you. So let me at least give you this much to help with whatever it is you're doing."

You accept the gift, and fly off. She sees you to the border of the Arcology. The considerate little freak.

She offers to go with you, but you turn her down. It would mean nothing if she kept saving you, and she seems to understand that.

The girl has really changed a lot since you met her. Especially after the fifth or so public breakdown.

You fly. Faster. Faster. To anywhere but where you left. A single tear slips down you face, as you think of Koujirou. You wonder if he will miss you.

--

It's been 5 months and 2 weeks since you left Perth. You've run out of your stores of food, so you take up the odd job here and there, using your Valkyrie to earn enough money to survive. But any other time you have, you've gone to the battlefield.

After getting hailed several times by UN forces, you've mastered active stealth to an absurd degree, and have hacked the systems to remove yourself from the databases. Anna would be proud.

You've gotten stronger. Fighting day in and day out until you can barely move from the migraines and physical exhaustion. Thoughts of Koujirou keep you moving. One day, you'll come back and take him away from her.

But you're still unsatisfied. Your weapons hardly do anything to a Type Zero – you've tried, and it was the worst decision of your life. You managed to learn Static Wave Force, but it takes you too long to set-up and has too many consequences. You need a faster, more reliable source of power.

Still, Static Wave Force saved your life. You make a promise to thank Anna when you get back.
--

You stare at the unmoving corpse of your opponent.

It isn't an Antagonist.

It's an Ace pilot. You fight down your revulsion and integrate everything you can. In a fit of curiosity, you try to integrate the dead pilot's Valkyrie core. You had heard it was impossible, but to your surprise it works. Your volume and integration limits have gone up, so has your impeller field.

Maybe they've never tried killing another Valkyrie before. Or maybe it's just a latent talent you didn't know you had. It didn't really matter – you knew what you had to do now.

--

Killing other Valkyries is fun. The look of shock and betrayal on their faces as you pierce their hearts with your halberd and laugh. Naturally, you steal their cores as well. Besides, it means one less girl who might talk to Koujirou.

Kosenjoubi has changed. It used to have a beautiful shape, elegant in design. But now the red colour has darkened somewhat, the gold shifting over to a grey-black. The visor has darkened, and any useless ceremonial details have been culled in favor of something sharp and useful.

The UN has a warrant for your arrest. It suits you just fine – it makes it easier to get more prey to absorb.

You've gone insane. You know this. Or do you? Maybe you're not insane. Perhaps everyone else is instead. Yes, that must be it.

Even the pure, overflowing love you had for Koujirou has not gone untouched.

Oh no, thoughts of him are still your primary motivation. But using him as your lifeline has warped those feelings into something…darker.

Koujirou. Koujirou Koujirou Koujirou. Koujirou. Koujirou.

You'll take him back. Anyone who gets in your way will be killed and eaten. Anna, Shuri, Sandra, her. All of them. You don't care if he comes kicking and screaming. He will be yours.

You cut down another UN Valkyrie. It's a 300 unit this time. Lucky~!

--

They call you the Berserk Valkyrie, cutting down humans and Antagonists alike. You've soloed several Type Zeros, even one that was Class C (take that Anna!). You've stolen their weapons too. Higgs use has started to become second nature, and you're starting to understand a lot more of Anna's notes.

The arrest warrant is gone. Apparently the mortality rate wasn't worth it. They decided that if they just didn't bother you, they'd have less casualties.

You're pretty good on weapons now anyway, so you keep your hunting to a minimum. Unless you're bored. Then you go out and have fun to your hearts content.

A few blips show up on your passive sensors, and you tense up.

Somewhere in the deepest recesses of your mind, you recognize those blips. Especially two in particular.

Koujirou. Koujirou and her.

You move faster than you ever have before, your space-rendering Higgs-based battle-axe carving a zone of absolute destruction in its path. But before you can erase that eyesore, someone interferes.

Bread girl. A cannon materializes and showers her with firepower, but she teleports away after getting her to safety.

That silly Koujirou tries to help, but you gently rebuff him. With 644000 V of electricity. He won't die, but he won't be able to struggle for a while.

You'll rescue him later.

Then he'll be indebted to you and you'll live happily ever after. That's how it works, right?

Shuri get cut down. So does Sandra. They're just flies to you now, but every time you go for the finishing move, Anna saves them. She's tough. Somehow, she's even stronger than before. You fight, but it's pretty even. It pisses you off, because you feel she's still holding back even now.

You make a mistake and overextend your swing. She has the perfect opening. You see her tense up and get ready to unleash some special move.

But she stops. She hesitates.

But so do you. Somewhere, you recognize you still owe this girl for her help. Before she can react, you swoop down and grab Koujirou. With a burst of your Higg's generator, you vanish.

--

Koujirou pleads with you. Begs you to 'return to your senses'. You kiss him to shut him up. You've stopped outside to fight. If you left, Koujirou might escape. And you couldn't let that happen. You only wish you managed to kill her when you had the chance.

Then he wouldn't want to go anywhere. Then he'd be all yours.

--

An army of UN officers have come. At their head is the old crew. Anna is at the head. She is nowhere to be seen.

Anna asks you to give up, saying that if you come quietly, they'll be lenient on the punishment. You think it's because they're just desperate for strong Valkyries, but at least the flight seems to honestly want you to come back.

You surrender. You know from the look in her eye that you will lose. Besides, you already got your wish. Koujirou promised to marry you and be with you forever. His face looked a little funny when he said it, but you have his word. And he wouldn't dare lie to you, right?

At least, your thoughts have been a lot clearer recently now that he's promised.

You're led back to the Perth and chained up. Footsteps echo as they approach your cell, and you briefly hope it's Koujirou coming to see you.

It's not. It's Anna.

She has a determined look on her face. She blames herself for not stopping you back then. And then says something you don't expect.

"I will definitely save you, Setsuna. No matter what. So please. Come back to us."

You consider it. You have Koujirou's promise, so you're pretty sure that she can't get to him now. And it'd be nice to have some real food and a shower. Ooh! A shower with Koujirou…

You nod in agreement. With one condition.

"As long as you and those other whores stay away from Koujirou, then sure!" You laugh. And laugh.

You hear Anna whisper something.

"…This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

"That's rude."

Class Change: Estranged Childhood Friend à Psychotic Yandere

 

[qsurf]

[X] Since there are two aces in the flight now, would you like Shuri and I to hold back further? Or should we stop for the next exercise and decide after that?
-[X] Suggest matching their kill counts perfectly to make sure you don't disturb the exercise in either direction.
[X]Randomly generated scenario
[X]Moderate

=============================================

Spoiler: FAUXChan

Project Valkyrie Core Ep6 Anonymous No.6580▶No.6583 No.6592
File: peasantsaside.png
ALL HAIL FLIGHT QUEEN SANDRA! LONG-LIVED MAY BE HER BENEVOLENT RULE!
---
Anonymous No.6583▶No.6585 No.6587 No.6592
File: nottudissoshittuagain.png
>>6580 (OP)
...alright! Who the fuck let the Mary Suendra-fags in again?
---
Anonymous No.6587▶No.6592
File: ohohohoho.gif
>>6583
>Look at this peasant.
Oh, I'm sorry, I could not hear what you were whining about over the sound of my queen's gloriously luxurious drills being blown about in the wind.

Jelly that your Walking Armory Waifu ain't getting screen time anymore?
---
Anonymous No.6592▶
File: excaliPALM.jpg
>>6580 (OP)
>>6583
>>6585
>>6587
>>6588
This stopped being entertaining when the Anime Industry first began. Can you two just shut the fuck up about this already?! Gawds!

Anyways. Yeah.

[STUDIO] has to have an unlimited budget, I mean, the Opening Sequence in Ep1 was fucking intense and then that little scuffle 'tween Se-Tsun and Koji. Then Ep2 and 3 with the Sims and Valk training program. After that we freaking got Ep4 and 5 with Gilgamesh's little sister schooling everyone even the Elite Valk. And now...

...Sandra's hair, well also the Sim, but fuck, did you freaking see that hair action?!
---
Anonymous No.6593▶No.6594
It just occurred to me that Anna broke Koji's sword twice. With a finger (or thumb's up).

I mean, she's been making his Impellar Field her bitch since Day 1!
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Anonymous No.6594▶No.6595
File: carlos.png
>>6593
---
Anonymous No.6595▶No.6596
>>6594
...
No.
Don't you fucking dare.
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Anonymous No.6596▶No.6597 No.6599 No.6601 No.6603 No.6606 No.6609 No.6610 No.6612 No.6613 No.6615 No.6618 No.6620 No.6624 No.6626 No.6627 No.6628 No.6631 No.6634 No.6636 No.6637 No.6638 No.6642 No.6646 No.6648 No.6649 No.6650 No.6653 No.6656 No.6657 No.6659 No.6662 No.6663 No.6665 No.6666 No.6668 No.6669 No.6671 No.6672 No.6674 No.6676
File: antagonistcarlos.png
>>6595
...

>>6594
>tfw it's not hard enough for Anna and Shuri offers advice.
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Anonymous No.6676▶
File: typecarloscap.png
>>6596
>>6597
>>6599
>>6601
>>6603
>>6606
>>6609
>>6610
>>6612
>>6613
>>6615
>>6618
>>6620
>>6624
>>6626
>>6627
>>6628
>>6631
>>6634
>>6636
>>6637
>>6638
>>6642
>>6646
>>6648
>>6649
>>6650
>>6653
>>6656
>>6657
>>6659
>>6662
>>6663
>>6665
>>6666
>Illuminati confirmed
>>6668
>>6669
>>6671
>>6672
>>6674
>>6676
capped.
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Anonymous No.6682▶
File: breadchansuperelevatorgtfo.png
>All this Anal Antagonist Annihilation
...I-I think I'll ask about the in-episode ValkChan later...
I'm scared
My sides are in orbit, but still scared
---

 

[Alfa290]

Spoiler: Tell Me About...

Interviewer: William Hershel, UNOMI
Interviewee: SGT David Rodriguez, 1-144th Field Artillery
FOB "Trident" - Sacramento 1800

-Begin Transcript-

Hershel: Tell me about San Francisco.

Rodriguez: Heh, what's to tell? We threw every asset on the west coast we had at it, and bounced off without even scratching the paint. The Nevadans got broken in half. The Mormons limped away with ten people at most. Arizona lost their vehicles. You name them, they got eaten alive by the enemy's defenses. It was a suicide mission and we knew it. Still hurts though.

H: If it was a suicide mission, then why commit?

R: Are you asking stupid questions just because?

H: No, and please answer the question.

R: Fine, we were doing it for you useless pukes.

H: Oh?

R: Yeah, we did. The enemy may zero in on over air transmissions, but they didn't notice the miles of fiber running underground. After we rebuilt the facilities to actually use the cable, we had reliable communication all the way out to New York.

R: From New York we listened in on UN transmissions. You'd be surprised how much the New Yorkers picked up. But imagine our surprise when we hear that an attack on Alaska is in the works to establish a beach head to push south and east though the US and Canada. We knew how dense enemy coverage was up there. Sure we'd heard some stories of the Red Warrior from the guys up in Oregon, but nobody bought it.

H: Is that so? I'll ask you about that later, but what did the Alaska Offensive have to do with anything?

R: It had everything to do with it. We couldn't get our intel to you, if we tried to transmit to the base in Newfoundland New York would've been left hanging in the breeze. So instead we decided to fight a diversion. That diversion was the attack on San Francisco Breach.

R: We managed to cobble together twenty thousand people. Fifteen thousand combat troops with five thousand in support, all with nanite enhancements and genetic modifications. We went home with a tenth of that.

H: Nanite and gene modification?

R: Yeah, standard stuff, improved digestion, respiration, immune system, and higher efficiency muscle tissue. Most of the stuff was researched by Cal tech over here back before things went to hell. I'll tell you straight, we and Nevadans had some false starts with the tech. Wound up killing a good number of the volunteers, but in the end they had a small army of Captain Americas.

H: Do you know how they did it?

R: I haven't the foggiest. That was one the the higher-ups always held close to the chest. Sure they gave us armor and gene mods but they didn't tell us how they worked. Looking back, they probably thought we'd decline if we knew the full extent of what could happen.

H: So what happened during the assault?

R: I have no idea. I jumped out of the Avenger, hit the ground running, then next thing I know I'm in San Diego Bunker with the roof coming down at me. Fucking Manhunters, damn things are fucking relentless.

H: Manhunters?

R: Yeah, the big shiny assholes that don't die when you slice them in half. They have adaptive metal armor, an impeller field, and can reconfigure their arms and head into particle cannons and a plasma caster respectively. I don't know how, but they can always sniff us out. We've lost entire bunkers to them. Taught us real quick to not clump everyone up if they don't have a Valk to babysit them.

H: The gauss rifles don't work on them?

R: The gauss rifles could make a dent. A shoulder mounted ULPC could punch through the armor and its impeller, but the only guaranteed way to kill a Manhunter was with a Shark missile or Ball Launcher. Two problems with that though. Sharks are the size of a telephone pole and the Ball was really only a way to finish it off for good, not actually stop it.

H: Did particle cannons not work?

R: Were you listening? Ultra light particle cannons could punch through but they almost never did catastrophic damage unless they hit a power source. LPCs like what we could mount on trucks or MPCs on the Strikers and Bradleys fared somewhat better. But it was really only Valk level particle weapons that could shred one with a single hit. Most of the time it came down to praying the RIC-45s could hit the carriers and base defense would stop the Manhunters.

H: About the RIC-45s, how did they come about?

R: The rocket chairs? Easy, we needed something cheap and simple to build that could catch an enemy hyperjet at fifty thousand feet. Some WWII buff brought up the Me 263 and the X planes. All of them went insanely fast for their time, all of them were rocket powered, and since the Southwest had no shortage of rocket parts and fuel we had supplies ready and waiting. In the end, we got a reusable ground launch rocket interceptor that had a top speed of Mach 12 and accelerated so fast that it would leave pilots as a fine paste without all the safety gear, mostly thanks to Valk improvements on the design.

R: Let me tell ya'. It's a hell of a sight to see one takeoff. Little pop, whooshing noise, then it sounds like the god of thunder is throwing a temper tantrum. Anything else you want to ask me? It's almost chow time.

H: No, we can wrap up here for today.

R: Thanks, it'll be nice to eat something other than nutrient paste for once.

-End Transcript-

 

[Chaosbrain]

When Worlds Collide

Power at 8%

If she still had lungs, Anna Sanchez/Durga would have been panting for breath. As it was it was perhaps better she did not still have them, as they would have been full of holes at this point. Having long ago lost her physical body to the enemy, she was now fully a machine, one of humanities last hopes for survival. Together with her flight, they had held off the endless antagonist waves until the archology had been nearly ready to attempt to leave earth. Now, it was the final battle for everyone. Idly she wondered what would happen to her if she ran out of power. Would she "die," or simply enter sleep mode, doubtless to be torn apart while she was helpless.

Power at 5%

Kosenjoubi had been the first to fall early in the battle, the young girls luck having run out fast under the shear numbers of enemies. Albion and Konark had lasted until the second type-zero had shown up, its strange energy weapon bypassing their impeller fields entirely and bisecting both of them in a single swing. The thought washed over her before dissipating on the cold shore of reality. They had known what would happen, they knew why they were doing this. The final archology was entering the upper atmosphere now, its engines wavering in their glow as it tried to desperately get away.

Power at 2%, critical systems damaged. Impeller field offline.

Finally, her thoughts turned to Kandakara, no, Koujirou Rokusabe. He was at the front of the ship, fighting off the antagonist orbital forces to clear a path, only their inexperience with melee combat allowing him to survive this long. Anna/Durga knew she did not have enough power to reach the ship before it became to far away, but it was for the best. The archology was unfinished, and assuming they escaped the antagonist forces it did not have the resources to support its crew for long. Many tough decisions lay in the crews future, and she did not want to add on to them.

Power at 1.0%, lower 2/3 of frame inoperable or destroyed.

As she began to fall, Anna/Durga knew two things. The first was that the blue flash she saw just in front of the archology was Type-Zero Abraxas dying to a suicide run from the second to last Valkyrie in existence, marking the death of Koujirou. The second was that she had just enough power to release the explosive device from her frame and detonate it on the forces now swarming her.

Power levels critical. Entering offline mode.

The last thing Anna Sanchez/Durga saw in this world was the bright glow of the approaching Type-Zero, and its hesitation after firing its weapon at her as it saw the explosive.

---

Nippon Banzai was walking along the beach, arms behind his head as he took in the glorious sunshine and sea air. As he walked he wondered at the strange way everyone seemed to act around him. His imoto-san always seemed to blush whenever she looked at him, and Setsu-chan was always mad and hitting him. Aleksandra-chan was always inviting him around for tea, Shuri-chan was always trying to get him to wrestle with her, and Bread-chan kept talking about how she would protect him forever. Then there was how his frame had this strange glitch in it, always misidentifying the other girls as derogatory nicknames and warming up slightly whenever he said its name out loud. It was all so weird.

Suddenly as he was walking his foot bumped into something half-buried in the sand. Dismissing his frames frantic alerts to the infirmary and downloads of triage guidelines, he knelt down to pick it up. Bushing the sand off of it, he was amazed to realize it was a Valkyrie core! Unable to contain his enthusiasm, he placed it under one arm and began running back to the archology. He, Nippon Banzai had found a new Valkyrie core! He was so lucky!

---

Power at 5%. Charging from adjacent Valkyrie Core.

Anna/Durga did the mechanical equivalent of blinking he eyes. Turning on her self-diagnostics, she found that she had been reduced to a currently inactive core. Keeping herself unexpressed for the moment, until she knew where she was, she used her scanners to observe her surroundings at lowest power, to preserve stealth. She could barely believe what the scans told her.

 

[Blaflaix]

New sidequest: Get Setsuna kissed by every member of the flight.

Click to shrink...

Here's an OMAKE

Spoiler: DURGA isn't CASIE

DURGA isn't CASIE​

Anna marched into the cafeteria where the rest of the flight was eating like she was on a mission and stopped immediately next to Setsuna.

Setsuna was reminded again exactly how tall Anna was as she craned her neck to make eye contact, "Was there something?"

"I have recently made a breakthrough in social interactions," Anna declared.

"...and you are completely unaware of the irony of that statement." Setsuna muttered

"I was reviewing the recordings of our team interactions with Durga," Anna continued.

"You were consulting an AI about social interactions? And what was that about recordings..." Setsuna was growing more alarmed.

"I realized that I have failed to participate in a critical team bonding exercise." Anna admitted.

"...and suddenly the fact that you are only addressing me becomes extremely ominous..." Setsuna was definitely alarmed now.

"So far, every member of our flight has kissed you," Anna stated calmly.

Setsuna put her head in her hands "Don't remind me... wait."

"...Except for me." Anna concluded.

Setsuna put her hands on the table firmly, "No."

"I assure you, it is true. I have the recordings if you want to see them." Anna replied.

"I would like to see them!" Koujirou interjected.

"What!? Wait, Anna. No. I mean, you shouldn't be taking social advice from Durga and kissing me is in no way a team bonding experience! If you have any questions, you can ask me, or anybody except for Koujirou, but this is definitely wrong!" Setsuna replied.

"I may take you up on that later, but my data analysis shows that none of the kisses were done with your permission." Anna countered.

"Oh, crap." Setsuna takes off running with Anna in hot pursuit.

"Do you think we should intervene?" Aleksandra asked.

"It's good for Setsuna to get some escape and evasion practice." Shuri replied.

Koujirou watched as Anna picked up Setsuna. "I would say it was like a dream, but I don't think my subconscious would've ever come up with something like this..."
​

​

 

[NotAKobold]

Anna: *Cuddles*
Setsuna: Anna?
Anna: *Sleepily*Mrrr?
Setsuna: Could you, you know...let me go?
Anna: No. Good pillow.
*Enter Sandra, coke-zero, stage left*
Coke-zero: *Looks at cuddles*I have mixed feel-no, wait, I wholly support this.
Sandra:
Setsuna: *Whispering*Hey, Anna?
Anna: Mrrrr?
Setsunsa: Look at Sandra.
Anna: Mrmphrrr?
Setsuns: Look at her hair. Isn't it big and fluffy? I bet it's real soft, t-
Anna: *Glomp*
Sandra: ...
Anna: Best pillow.
Coke-zero: I wholly support this.
Shuri: *Bursts in*Guys! A co-errr, type Zero is attacking Perth for no adequately explained reason! Come on Anna, we gotta fight it!
Anna: No. My pillow.
Shuri: But-!
Coke-zero: You know, I bet that they're here to ruin morale by stealing our pillows.
Setsuna: ...That's the stupidest thing I've ever-
Sandra: Hey, where'd Anna go?
Everyone: ...
Coke-zero: Did she teleport?
Shuri: *Uncertain*No. She just broke the sound barrier. By running. With her valk unexpressed.
Everyone: ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A moment later...
Durganna: Kill.
Type-Zero: *Learns the meanings of the words regret, terror, and pain*