... Not sure if Hug or Funny.
Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest (No SV, you are the Waifu)
- Thread starter Avalanche
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- Voidbetweenstars
By stating his deadline is later will just simply make him update later, but still late.
- Location
- Somewhere.
I went with 'Informative' because I couldn't tell either.
It's an uphill battle but he should be able to make itGiven the last time Avalanche gave a deadline for posting, it's safe to assume that if he does post it will be at 2359 31DEC2017 UTC -13 (that is a real time zone, look it up).
*sees people are still posting in thread*
What's this about a promise?
What's this about a promise?
- Location
- Central Standard Time
- Location
- Middle of Nowhere
Maybe there was a sudden Antagonist attack on the Perth Arcology. Hope he's okay.
- Location
- Leeds
She doesn't exactly have a good track record of keeping people safe.
Not really. Keeping most of a whole village alive for years by herself against entire armies is pretty damn impressive. Not her fault that even she couldn't keep doing the impossible over and over without failing even once. Because a single failure is all it takes when defending something.
- Location
- Leeds
Check the timestamps on updates. You are wildly optimistic.
- Location
- Somewhere.
... [angery noises]
That was not okay.
(dang, I'm really emotionally invested in this story...)
- Location
- Leeds
- Location
- Central Standard Time
Nah. His face was over the Z key.
> orbitazssSzsaxzxzscdsxdczzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Avalanche fell asleep on the Z key.
Fanart - araa - Do it for her
- Location
- Sydney
Now all I can imagine is a picture of bread-chan in the Arcology library, at the end of every row - "This Shelf Is In Alphabetical Order; Do It For Her"
Avalanche is secretly experiencing a Re:Creators scenario.
Anna is so happy to meet him and thank him for her awesome background.
Why she's letting him taste different breads... all of them...
What? We helped in creating this scenario? Don't be silly, he wrote it...
- Location
- Middle of Nowhere
Gives new meaning to the phrase 'carb loading'.
Post 20
Avalanche
Atypical Netizen
- Location
- Australia
A/N: Bugger. Technically, I said "update on New Year's or KMS" every time I was asked. Thankfully(?) I accomplished neither 
Big thanks to; Guessmyname, Alfa290, Octol, Alphaleph, Tayta Malikai and AlphaDelta.
XxXxXxXxXx
North American Survivor Settlement (Enclosed), Site 26.
Site coordinates: [Redacted]
North American Enclosed settlement number twenty six (NA-E26) is the twenty sixth and most recent uncontacted settlement to be discovered on the North American continent.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Does the Undersecretary really read everything? Like, everything?"
"Nah, not everything, just everything about the camps and other towns and stuff."
"So uh– everything then."
"…Yeah, far as I can tell, yeah. Once she got her hands on a Valk core, pretty much yep."
"Wow, the overuse penalties must be killer."
"Probably… but you know… wait, I shouldn't say, never mind."
"You always do this. Just freaking tell me."
"It's just rumours y'know… and you didn't hear it from me, but the Undersecretary, you've seen how she looks right?"
"If you're going to have a wank about how she looks again–"
"No! No, but you've seen the Secretary General, her dad, right? And here's a pic of her mom."
"Do I want to know why you have a pic of the wife of the big boss?"
"It's the bloody net, man! This is the last damn time I try to lead you through– look, the Undersecretary. She doesn't look much like them does she?"
"So she might be adopted, wouldn't be the first, and fits with what the big boss always says to do."
"No but… look, couple years, or ten or something back, something big went down in Public Order in, like, Copenhagen."
"Copenhagen is under thirty feet of AGs."
"Siberia then, somewhere north, whatever. The thing is… uh…"
"Yeah?"
"There's lotta of rumours around that, some disturbing shit, but they say that they were trying to make artificial Valkyries or something. Humans who are guaranteed to be able to use Valk cores. The Undersecretary is one of them."
"Oh really? That'd be pretty amazing. I hope there's a couple more where she came from then."
"Yeah. Would help us a ton, ay? Anyways, did you hear what Hischer been up to with the allocation system in the east? You won't bloody believe this…"
–Conversation overheard at a pub.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Well, it shouldn't really surprise you that I'm going to focus on how you can defeat Cadet Wulandari," Professor (temporary) Yukari announced, pacing next to her lectern. To her side, Associate Professor (temporary) Sandra sat, politely waiting to interject with any helpful knowledge.
The entire flight was in attendance for this quick review. Koujirou and Setsuna sat alert and attentive at the front of the classroom, while Shuri waited passively two rows behind. A few chairs to the side of the other Ace, Anna had awkwardly folded her long frame into a seat.
"You've both already completed your reviews of her matches against Cadet Cambridge, correct? With her most recent performance in mind, give me a summary of Cadet Wulandari. Koujirou?"
"Uh, right! Her style against other Valkyries is as close to conventional anti-High Level AG combat, to the extent that such solo styles exist: an aggressive approach front-loaded with missiles for medium and close range energy combat, leveraging superior Impeller strength and power generation to destroy the target in a minimum amount of time."
"Mmm… Setsuna?"
"Cadet Wulandari uses a textbook approach to combat against inferior opposition. With full confidence in superior power density and durability, she closes and... well, bludgeons the opposition to death with whichever weapon so happens to be charged at the time."
"You are both correct. Cadet Wulandari can be summarised in one word: predictable. Yes, it's very predictable what she will do, and it's very predictable that she will win against either of you while doing it."
Yukari dropped the bomb casually, but neither Koujirou nor Setsuna batted an eye. Koujirou dipped his head in acknowledgement and Setsuna leaned forwards, silent.
"That said, let's review what exactly went down in the battle against Sandra. Koujirou, did you notice any habits that you could possibly exploit and how you would do so?"
Koujirou nodded and answered, tone businesslike, "Syifa has enough Impeller and engine power to make for a low orbital route as her first action in every round, seeding sensor drones on her way up. However, with the plasma sheath, she is blind for the first minute of ascent. Since she starts on the same ascension route every time, it's possible to intercept her and close to intercept."
Yukari wrote down the suggestion and flicked it off to float on the holo projector with a sharp nod.
"Good, and you Setsuna?"
"Cadet Wulandari is too willing to trade her Impeller integrity against her opponent, relying on her greater flat field volume. Twice, Sandra managed to draw her into trading alpha strikes with reactor-tapped plasma projectors while Sandra had reactor charge advantage. Cadet Wulandari is careless in her damage mitigation, so it might be possible to lure her into a series of trades where she loses more Impeller than she wishes to."
Yukari again nodded and flicked the suggestion off to float on the holo projector.
"Before we go any further you two, have a look at these two suggestions, the first ones to come to your minds," Yukari said, waving at the two bullet points, "How would you describe these tactics?"
The first year pair paused at this, trading an uncertain glance. Setsuna shrugged a shoulder and Koujirou minutely shook his head.
"Ask," Shuri grunted from behind them.
"Uh, we're not sure," Setsuna peeped up first.
"Desperation."
Yukari's one word reply was flat. She waved a hand, and statistical chances of success appeared. The magnitude of red across the results screen spoke for itself, the percentages practically sneering at the chances of either of the two plans succeeding. A smaller screen floated to the side, running more variations of the plans through a simulation, and the percentages of successful runs only shrank.
"For us, desperation is not such a negative trait," Yukari continued. "Grasping at straws might find a hidden thread of silk, able to carry you up."
"You will, of course, need more than a single tactic in a best of five series," Yukari shrugged, quickly bringing Koujirou and Setsuna back down to Earth.
With a clap, their surroundings dissolved, revealing the simulator's default setting: the dusty red dirt surrounding Perth.
Nue's subdued grey and green replaced Yukari's cadet whites.
"So then, we've analysed Syifa quite extensively. Together, we will be playing the part of Cadet Wulandari in today's exercises. Take this time to find another two strings. Setsuna, you're against me first."
Sandra, politely silent until that point, stood. Albion's red, blue and white plates slammed into place around her.
"I admit to feeling some frustration at my poor performance the other day. Thus, don't feel any obligation to show me undue courtesy. Have at you, Koujirou."
As the four other cadets erupted into the air for their starting positions, Shuri folded her arms behind her head and stretched back into a shrub, ignoring the thorns sliding off her Impeller. In perfect contrast at her side, Anna squirmed in place, wringing her hands anxiously and looking back and forth between the two pairs before gingerly sitting down on a rock, hugging her knees to her chest.
XxXxXxXxXx
Wednesday comes far too quickly for your tastes. You sit in the air, idly bouncing on your Impeller, watching anxiously at the spectacle playing out below.
Koujirou had drawn first today against Flight Three's leader Emily Hartman-Kenzler.
The two are currently shaking hands, but as Koujirou made to withdraw, Emily hangs on.
"So uh, Koujirou, what's Setsuna's deal? She made an utter mess out of Josie," Emily asks conversationally, still grasping Koujirou hand tightly, "Before you ask, it def wasn't accidental or anything. She went out there to make a point. Josie sure got it and, well, s'not really fun having a roommate who's all weepy."
"Um, was she?" Koujirou replies, "I don't know, really. She's hard to understand sometimes."
"She was trying to show off to you, wasn't she?" Emily asked, a suspicious slant to her mouth, "Were you impressed?"
"Oh! Oh yeah, that sounds like her," Koujirou laughs with a look of sudden comprehension, "Yeah I reckon she could have been trying to show me up, she's really competitive like that. We'll, I'll make sure to match up today."
"No, that's not–"
"Anyways Emily, good luck, no hard feelings no matter how these matches go, alright?"
"Yeah, sure… no hard feelings, on my part."
Instructor Meyer's head makes an audible bonk as she tilts forwards into the command consoles. You keep an eye on her, but you know from her physiology that such an impact could not have hurt her.
"Why is a boy in my damn class? I can't deal with this. I never had a boyfriend of my own anyway…"
Thankfully for her, Instructor Meyer had not been broadcasting when she made that particular confession, but the topic itself draws some heat to your cheeks as the scene changes to the first alpine arena.
"What do you think Anna, how do we deal with that level of denseness from Koujirou?" Instructor Meyer asks, turning her head to look at you, still leaning against the console.
The two of you had already started casting, but there is a noticeable delay in your response as you scramble to come up with an answer to the rhetorical question, allocating more and more mental resources to it. Surely Instructor Meyer isn't expecting you of all people to have an answer ready for that??? You– you didn't play around with the boys, you weren't that kind of girl!
"I– I don't know what you are talking about, if a b-boy is interested in someone, he'll let them know," you state firmly.
Yes. Firmly, you needed to quash any uncertainty about your character right now–
"What if a girl is interested in a boy, how does she let them know?"
"I– I dunno? She'd– she would have to– um, tell him?"
Meyer is now looking at you with a small smile and you unconsciously scoot a little bit away from the older woman.
"So… why don't you tell Koujirou you like him?"
You blink at that, thrown off the rails by the suggestion.
"Koujirou? Um, I'm not. Interested in Koujirou, I mean."
Why would the Instructor have that idea? You two are friends and comrades, but you're pretty sure Koujirou isn't interested in you. He has Setsuna after all.
Meyer raises an eyebrow, but leans forward a little in interest, "Oh really? Well, why not?"
You hem and haw, it felt a little mean to talk about Koujirou like this, but well, you had to dismiss any mistaken impressions the Instructor had.
"He's well, not really manly," you respond haltingly, "He's too… pretty, really. And short. And thin. Also he's not interested in me, I don't think."
"So you like your men big, hairy and lusty? That's something we have in common," Instructor Meyer grins at you.
"No!?" you squeak, flapping your hands to bat the suggestion away, "I– I– I'm only here to cast the competitions! No more talking about boyfriends!"
"Aww alright."
XxXxXxXxXx
"Shuri, it may be my imagination, but I feel like the commentary has been growing rather… awkward."
"Don't look at the caster's box, Sandra."
"Must you always arouse my curiosity so, Shuri? Well this time, I shall not look over."
"Gotcha."
"Shuri!"
XxXxXxXxXx
With a cough, you turn the majority of your attention back to the competition, just in time for you to declare the end of the first round and for Meyer to announce the break in the rounds. Mountains, glaciers and forests melt away back into the default flat plains, and the next assessment for the squadron is given out. This time, there are no individual assessments in the form of written analysis, rather, assessments by entire flights. These reports are purely reflections after the match, rather than one prediction and one review. You send in a response of your own, only to find that Shuri had already covered all salient points.
Huffing in irritation, you retract your original report and work on expanding on points with your own analysis only to find Shuri doing the same. A brief edit war occurs as the two of you revise points to be more and more detailed, adding alternative points of view and arguments for and against those points.
Sandra however cuts you and Shuri off as she locks editing permissions with the note that the reply is meant to be only two thousand words with a five percent margin of error. It was not supposed to be two hundred thousand words and rapidly increasing.
Down below, Setsuna boggles at her datapad before tossing it back into storage with an exasperated huff. Sandra quickly accosts the other girl before she can fall into a sulk and the two begin to edit the report down to something manageable. Of course, neither Meyer nor Leonhart would have any issues reading and digesting the report in seconds, but it's a bad habit to form since it would confound normal humans and… probably most Valkyries cadets wouldn't have an easy time either.
You look on sheepishly as Setsuna sits hunched, her hands bunched in her twintails as she blankly watches her datapad auto-scroll through the pages upon pages of text and diagrams you and Shuri had created. You'd written around one hundred and thirty thousand words and Shuri ninety thousand in the fifteen or so seconds you two had had. You're not at all sure when the two of you would have stopped if all five minutes had been allowed.
Despite their best efforts, Sandra and Setsuna are only able to cut the word count to ninety thousand before the deadline arrives. Shuri and you both wrote in a laconic style that's basically impossible to compress, so Sandra had resorted to outright deleting the speculative scenarios and much of the for and against arguments you and Shuri had written.
Sending off a contrite apology to the rest of your Flight, you focus back onto the match as the second round begins.
Just like the last round, Koujirou and Emily both burn for altitude and then, upon spotting each other, directly for each other, gaining speed. A bright pair of exhaust pillars spiking up from the dusty buildings and curving for intercept.
With their direct approach, there isn't any room for antics with drones or sensor play. The highest airspeed at which a drone can be deployed, even the tough hunter killers, is a little above one and a half kilometer per second. Koujirou and Emily have both surpassed that speed and are still accelerating.
In the last round, it had been a similarly straightforward approach until Emily had fired a particle cannon at one hundred kilometers out. Koujirou had absorbed the attack with his melee halberd in response and used the energy to form a plasma booster, rapidly closing distance at much higher speeds than he'd ever displayed before. It had honestly been a remarkable display of Impeller strength and coherence that he'd managed to pull the manoeuvre off. Of course, if that had been the limit of what Koujirou had in store, Emily's follow up XHEAP missiles would have struck him from the sky. Somehow, Koujirou had managed to also absorb the explosions from the powerful missiles and redirect all that energy back at Emily.
All these details had been idling in your mind, but it's only now that you properly digest it. You entertain a faint suspicion that that Meyer sometimes segues onto topics that are incredibly distracting on purpose, but that didn't really fit the Instructor's character in your opinion.
Again, Emily takes the direct intercept route and her particle cannon crackles with energy, but she holds fire, leaving the energy weapon charged as a silent warning. With a white glow, interceptor missiles begin expressing themselves from her storage, until her frame is practically bristling with the short range missiles from both racks and hardpoints.
Again, Koujirou flies out to meet her head-on.
As they close on each other, tension rises in your throat and your commentary grows terse. Simulations run through your mind, straining to find any possible points of failure in the simulator and cut them off before they can eventuate. However the simulator is nearly perfect in theory and practice, the only blindspot being a Valkyrie allowing damage through Impeller unmitigated–
Koujirou takes several interceptor missiles strikes directly and you feel a breath of relief sigh out when all the damage is directly offset by his Impeller. It looked like he isn't trying anything dumb. Just yet, anyway.
This round, Emily has apparently sworn off higher energy weaponry and is determined to grind Koujirou down through a thousand cuts. Interceptor missiles and VML slugs erupt towards Koujirou, who can only respond every so often with a molten stream of HVC rounds.
Emily plays it very carefully however, staying at the outer edges of Koujirou's maximum effective range and constantly accelerating away, using their relative air velocity to shorten his range and increase her own reaction time. Kandakara has more numerous and powerful thrusters on a lighter frame, but being forced into constant manoeuvring by Emily prevents him from making proper use of his acceleration advantage.
You analyse the likely outcomes and find yourself identifying no likely winner in the current situation. It's a contest that could swing either way. Koujirou's offensive power output is far greater than Emily's now that she isn't using her energy weaponry, but emergency thrusters fling the cadet to the side every time Koujirou fires, allowing her to dodge the immensely powerful direct fire weapon, often by bare meters. Even getting winged by the stream will knock her off balance, and in the time she would take to recover, Koujirou could close into melee range with VMAX thrust. For Koujirou, even though Emily is not doing massive damage to his Impeller in chunks, the relatively minor impacts from VML rounds and missiles still adds up quickly. Once his Impeller is weakened past a certain point, Emily could choose to daringly close in and begin trading Impeller unevenly in Koujirou's favour, yet still win thanks to his deficit.
The tipping point is close and you watch, still tense with worry that Koujirou would do something dumb with his Impeller in order to win and get hurt because of it. As the tipping point towards a likely victory approaches closer and closer, you only grow more and more worried.
"Hey, Anna," Instructor Meyer pats you on the arm gently, "You're worried about Cadet Rokusabe, right? Don't worry, we've seen his simulator records. Cereza's already on watch for that sort of thing."
>Explain further.
Your reply is terse and sent through high density comms, most of your attention raptly watching the soon to end battle. Projections place a fifty percent chance that the match will end within twenty seconds, additionally twenty-five percent expect a conclusion within the next twelve seconds. Watching the energy levels and direction of thrust from the two cadet Valkyries, the placement of weaponry and state of Impeller fields, you carefully adjust your simulated scenarios. Koujirou doing something stupid is a state that achieves peak probability at either seven or thirteen seconds from now.
>Cereza is watching from a closed off space just to their side like we are. She's ready for any possible dangerous energy leak.
The Instructor decides to reciprocate and speaks through comms as well, saving a lot of time.
>We did review our simulator practices, especially after that boy got himself hurt. In this kind of setting, even though the simulator delivers the blunted energy equivalent of any piercing attack, there would still be a non negligible possibility of death if a simulated attack is passed through an Impeller, especially if the field is kept below fifteen centimeters in thickness from vitals. The Higgs impulse wave wouldn't degrade into imaginary force fast enough in such cases.
Instructor Meyer sends you junk data? No, it's an… abstract virtual expression of worry? You suppose that this is the equivalent of an emoji in high density comms.
>So, Cereza is concentrating right now on watching for any attacks that are passing Impeller fields when they should not be.
That reminds you… you spare a bit of concentration to enquire on what Instructor Leonhart is doing right now. You view the information the simulator returns to you with some bemusement. Instructor Leonhart is floating in a subspace, completely empty aside from a refracted scene as the simulator projects down the battle between the cadets from the main arena. She can watch the battle in real time from her subspace, in fact, she is slightly ahead of you and Instructor Meyer, since she has less light speed delay to factor in.
So Instructor Leonhart would be the one to react against any shenanigans. You relax somewhat, but still hover a metaphorical finger over the eject button, ready to send either cadet into a safe space the instant something silly occurs.
>There's a pretty high chance Cadet Rokusabe will do something silly around three seconds from now, right? We did a little pattern analysis and we think that's around when anything will probably happen.
You send back a surprised affirmative, then take a moment to think.
>The Instructors also expected Koujirou to attempt allowing partial damage through his Impeller?
Meyer sends back a laugh and Leonhart answers in her stead.
>He is our student after all. A nice boy, but almost a little too determined in some aspects.
Almost too determined. There is such a state? Then again, you think about the utter recklessness of some of Koujirou's suggestions during lessons with a mental wince; you concur and wryly send your agreement. Then, after a moment considering yesterday's practice sessions, you amend the sentiment, but leave it unvoiced. You're not really sure the lessons stuck deeply enough for Koujirou to actually heed them in battle.
Three seconds pass in silence, at least on the direct communications line. Instructor Meyer and you are still talking up a storm through the commentary as the action grows frenetic. Emily is no longer flying away from Koujirou and now slowly allowing the distance to drop, her energy weapons now charging. The instant in time you mentally labeled 'Peak Koujirou #1' passes without incident.
You can see Koujirou's face screwing up in a grimace of frustration as his Impeller dips lower and lower, and yet he is unable to hit Emily a single time with his own hypervelocity cannon in return.
Emily continues patiently leading Koujirou around the arena, keeping a steady twelve-to-fourteen kilometers of distance between the two of them. The time you labelled Peak Koujirou #2' approaches as Koujirou's Impeller begins dropping to dangerously low levels.
Defying your expectations however, Koujirou visibly calms down, the frustrated furrows in his brows smoothing out into nearly calm and contemplative mask.
Koujirou inverts his course and, smashing through the thin cloud of interceptor missiles behind him, rapidly flies away from Emily. Emily hesitates instead of immediately chasing, enough for Koujirou to escape her immediate range. He steadies out at a distance of fifty or so kilometers; well out of the effective engagement envelope of VMLs and interceptor missiles against a Valkyrie frame like Kandakara. There, he hovers and begins deploying a screen of drones.
Emily finally gives chase once she realises that Koujirou had not been setting up a trap, then abruptly changes plans; rising and snapping off a shot from her still charged particle cannon. Koujirou jerks aside just in time, losing two recently deployed drones, but avoiding the brunt of the attack.
With that, the balance of the battle is reset.
Emily hovers, deploying her own drones, changing her missile loadout and recharging her particle cannon, whereas Koujirou regenerates his Impeller and continues deploying drones.
Emily's actions are sharp with irritation and she begins a cautious approach towards Koujirou, clearly off put by the other cadet's choice to disengage rather than continue chasing. Both Valkyries are now surrounded by a deathball of drones and missiles, and despite it being the safer, more conventional tactic when operating as a solo unit, this isn't the preferred style of either combatant here.
You jump up and down a little, pumping your fist in silent celebration, before slamming yourself back down into your seat and politely folding your hands across your knees as Meyer throws an inquisitive glance your way. Inside however, you are still brimming with excitement.
Koujirou is being sensible. Koujirou is being sensible.
Yukari and Sandra had both talked themselves to exhaustion trying to teach him, and it actually stuck.
You calm yourself quickly and assess their current situation as the part of you casting prods for it, noting that Emily is making a wary advance, keeping her formation subsonic.
You review the disposition in force and note the significant disparity in favour of Emily in munition throw weight. Most of that advantage was a result of– you switch gears and simply pass on your conclusions to your caster personality.
>"She still holds a powerful advantage in this matchup, wielding the longer ranged frame weaponry, ready to destroy Koujirou's drone force at range."
>"What are Koujirou's choices here? He's just stuck again isn't he?"
>"We have to keep a close eye on the ranges, Emily has to leave the protection of her own drone force to deliver effective fire against Koujirou's drones past his intercepting fire, however, if she gets too close, Koujirou can charge her down."
>"Then, what if Emily brings her own drone force closer?"
>"That only allows Koujirou more opportunity to force the confrontation with his own drone swarm."
>"But that's exactly what Emily is doing, she's moving her entire force up behind her."
>"The dust storm is closing in. Emily will want to use her drones while she still can. She is willing to attempt to outfight Koujirou in a direct confrontation."
Part of you continues chatting away with Meyer as the rest of you carefully watches the deployment patterns of the two cadets. Koujirou has formed a rough spearhead assault formation, with hunter killers at the fore, cruiser missiles arching up high, missile sleds at the rear and sensor drones scattered to the sides. Emily leads a less conservative stormfront formation, cruise missiles upfront, with hunter killers and missile sleds in a broad wing behind them.
Again, the simulated scenarios you run through your head come up frustratingly indecisive, you can't predict with any certainty how this clash will end.
The dust storm now looms over the arena, a wall of dust streaked through with lightning stretching fifteen kilometers into the air. It's shadow raced out ahead of the wall to cover the entire city and its outskirts.
The leading elements of the two forces collide.
Missiles streak across the sky as Emily and Koujirou both spend their first actions directing intercepting and disrupting fire toward each other's missile waves. Explosions erupt as drones and missiles are spent, the exchange rate heavily in Emily's favour as nearly all of her weapon systems speak their fury. Plasma and railgun rounds scar the skies, drones and missiles fall detonate and shower the ground below with debris in response.
She is only allowed a short grace to fire unimpeded, then Emily is forced back as Koujirou approaches, barely dodging the leading blast of hypervelocity rounds. Retreating back into her own waves of drones, she changes targets to Koujirou, occasionally redirecting fire to swat a hostile missile.
This time, Koujirou is determined to catch Emily in melee. As his own hunter killers begin engaging Emily's in direct fire, Koujirou focuses, ignoring a strike from one of Emily's cruise missiles and exploding forwards at maximum speed. Emily makes for an emergency burn, trying to dodge, but unlike a stream of hypervelocity cannon rounds, Koujirou can redirect.
Koujirou slams into Emily. The explosion of plasma as their melee halberds clash destroys the hasty minefield Emily had been attempting to deploy, filling the air with even more explosions as Koujirou forces Emily back.
Koujirou does another one of his weird fancy arm movements and with a flourish, Emily is suddenly being dragged after her melee halberd as the Impeller over her helmet smacks into Koujirou's rising knee. You run the motion through your head a few times, considering the move, he'd manipulated their centers of mass and axis of thrust, then locked the two melee halberds in such a way that he could drag Emily around.
Emily is flipped backwards by the force, nearly losing her grip on her melee halberd.
You lean forwards in concern; the melee blow had transferred a lot of energy directly into Emily's Impeller. A moment later however, you relax minutely, the energy had been neutralised before really affecting her body and it's only disorientation at suddenly spinning that caused the stunned reaction from Emily.
The next blow promises to be even more extreme, as Koujirou lifts his sword in both hands and brutally chops down like an executioner. Emily manages to somehow interpose her own lance and the two blades clashing sends her onto a meteoric course directly for the ground. However, she had left a gift for Koujirou before he struck.
A quartet of XHEAP missiles float in the air next to Koujirou, expressed from Emily's storage just before she had been sent plummeting. Koujirou freezes for a moment, then ignoring the missiles, which Emily had not the time to warm up before deploying, he begins chasing Emily.
Emily regains control of her flight and continues flying directly downwards, away from Koujirou. She fires a shot from her particle cannon, Koujirou snaps to the side and dodges the beam– allowing it to hit Emily's secondary target. An XHEAP missile instantly detonates upon its warhead being pierced by the high energy particle beam, and the sympathetic reaction sets off the rest. Koujirou's measured charge leading with his hypervelocity cannon becomes a completely uncontrolled tumble towards Emily as the explosions buffet him.
Emily crashes down into the top of a highrise and raises her plasma projector. Electricity crackles around the rails, setting alight the dust swirling around her for a brief instant before a blinding pillar of reactor fed plasma thunders up to meet Koujirou.
Koujirou again displays that strange sudden burst of skill that sometimes comes over him and instantly rights himself from his wild tumble. He almost delicately shifts to the side and stabs his sword into the massive wave of plasma as it roars harmlessly by. With his thrusters bright with stolen energy, he essentially rides down Emily's attack in an absurdly showy spiral, cutting the attack into a helix behind him.
To your side, Meyer slaps both hands over her face and groans loudly. Leonhart broadcasts a second of completely blank audio. You tilt your head in considerable confusion as you try to justify what that stunt gained Koujirou.
Emily halts her plasma attack and ignites her melee halberd, swinging upwards to meet Koujirou. However, his sword is still in its unusual absorb energy mode and the blade simply cuts through Emily's own melee halberd, siphoning away its plasma as it does so. Gracefully, Koujirou swings his sword, depositing the collected plasma in front of Emily. For a brief moment, it remains stable in the air, a trail of plasma following along the path of Koujirou's cut.
Koujirou sheaths his sword and turns around.
The trail of plasma explodes.
>>Victor: Rokusabe Koujirou
As the scenery settles back into what you've begun to label the 'intermission setting' of the flat and uninteresting plains, you stand and look down towards where your flight are waiting together on the stands.
Koujirou is standing at the edge of his preparation platform, waving up at the rest of the flight. Sandra, Yukari and Setsuna politely wave back, Sandra with her usual smile while Setsuna and Yukari sport exasperated frowns. Shuri doesn't look happy at all. The golden armoured Valkyrie twirls one finger in the air then draws a slow slash, an obvious reference to Koujirou's manoeuvres at the end of the last round. Shuri then clenches a fist so hard there is a small pop from the sonic boom of her fingers closing, and choosing to further underline the gesture, she shakes her fist threateningly.
Koujirou baulks and sheepishly shuffles, before spreading his arms in an expressive shrug.
You blow out your own sigh at that. Koujirou wouldn't try something so inefficient in an actual battle against Antagonists would he?
This time, Flight review of the match is filled with uncertainty. Shuri and you both sat out after writing a quick, five hundred word summation of your respective viewpoints. It had been difficult, but you managed to present a balanced viewpoint of the entire match without dedicating more than one hundred words on that bizarre move at the end of the match.
As you wait for Sandra and Setsuna to collate the report, you think about the moments before the ending moves. Specifically the close-in moves that Koujirou had used to force Emily back before the blow that had thrown her towards the ground. Yukari had explained to you that it was some Asian martial arts thing. Koujirou had attempted to demonstrate it on you, but then he got all grabby and you had gently but insistently picked him up and thrown him to the other side of the room. You idly wonder if such a thing would be of any use to you, before shelving the thought. Initial simulations disparaged the idea, your physical capabilities are too disconnected from your body to make use of such techniques. If you have something in melee range and your Impeller is otherwise occupied, forcing you to directly use your frame… you probably would cut a swath into your target with your melee halberd and then invade the target with Durga and destroy it from the inside.
Koujirou and Emily step up for their handshake and you compose yourself, discarding some idle thoughts and focusing back onto the coming match. The strange architecture of the Antagonists grows from the walls as the simulator shifts the scenery into the arena for the third round and both contestants spawn.
Your fellow caster however, continues to be distracted.
"Oh for goodness sakes, spare me," Meyer sighs, rubbing her eyes.
"What is it?" you query.
"There's a lot of analysis from other flights which can be summarised as 'Koujirou is so cool, I want to do that thing he did at the end!' and drivel along those lines. My red pen is going to see some work today," groused Meyer, before she perks up and shoots you a sly grin, "Actually, it's all Cereza's responsibility to use the red pen, I got to play good cop this year."
Instructor Leonhart makes an incomprehensible noise of complaint at that, but doesn't object.
You go back to watching the match as events proceed along very, very quickly.
Emily appears to like how she'd played this last time around in her match against Milia and already, XHEAP missiles are plunging into the various side tunnels off the main construction hub. Emily didn't bother setting up a sensor net as she tried to do last time, simply flying directly into the primary chamber at best speed, XHEAPs already loaded. She's looking for a fight in the most chaotic environment possible.
Explosions rock the arena and again, the chaotic yet somehow graceful Antagonist architecture begins collapsing on itself everywhere around Emily. Koujirou, still in a side tunnel when Emily began her rampage, tentatively pokes his head into the main chamber, taking in what exactly all the noise is about.
For a silent moment, he watches the streaks of light flash across the chambers and shambolic collapse of much of the central chamber, before coming to an abrupt decision. He braces himself and fires a long stream of hyper velocity cannon rounds into the central reactor, then flees.
The entire complex seems to lurch– and the central reactor explodes, with Emily nearly directly above it.
>>Victor: Rokusabe Koujirou
>>Fifth set, victory by Cadet Rokusabe Koujirou three rounds to zero
You raise an eyebrow. What a practical and direct way to finish the match, this is one of the shortest rounds so far.
The arena resets to the intermission setting and Koujirou and Emily materialise on the ready stage.
Emily stumbles and falls to her knees while Koujirou tumbles gracelessly down with a big sigh, the tension draining out of his body as he lies there, staring at the sky.
For a few seconds both cadets simply stay where they are, neither bothering to move.
Koujirou leaps to his feet with a gusty sigh, walking towards Emily, "Hey Emily, good matches–"
Emily smashes the floor with her fists. Shards of marble hiss and ricochet across the platform.
You don't really recall moving, but all of a sudden you're standing just to the side of Koujirou, a few tiny flecks of marble bouncing off your Impeller. To your side, Leonhart has unclasped her hands from behind her back and rests them at her sides, but has otherwise taken no action.
"I am. An idiot," Emily declares resolutely at the ground. Standing up, she turns to face Koujirou, "I can't believe I didn't think that you could just blow the reactor from under my feet while I was trying to set up."
"Ah well, you did give me the idea," chuckles Koujirou, then he throws a startled look at you as he bumps into you, "Oh, hello Anna."
You nod in reply as Emily's gaze sharpens at Koujirou's attempted modesty.
"That doesn't make things better for me," she sighs with a pout, "Can't believe I let that happen to me, damn it…"
"Well hey, still, that second round was a spectacle," muses Koujirou as he and Emily retract their frames and shake hands again, "Do you think Setsuna would be impressed with that?"
Emily hangs onto Koujirou's hand, sharp incredulity etched across her face. She raises her left hand up in front of Koujirou and smartly raps him on the forehead twice.
"Ow! Hey! What's that for?"
"Hm, strange, it doesn't sound hollow."
You breath out and relax as Koujirou chases after Emily off the stage, still rubbing at his forehead and demanding answers as the girl completely ignores him.
XxXxXxXxXx
"For our sixth set, would Cadet Masaya Setsuna from Flight One and Cadet Syifa Wulandari from Flight Two please make your way to the staging platform where Instructor Leonhart is waiting."
You drum your fingers on your knees before you clamp down on the habit. While you had been worried about Koujirou possibly doing something dumb in his matches against Emily, you are fairly sure that you could have mitigated any true physical damage against Koujirou. However, you are worried about Setsuna on a more… personal level. Koujirou largely took his defeats in stride, but Setsuna isn't someone who kept moving along like that. She gets upset and obsesses over her own faults; she's somewhat of a perfectionist you suppose.
The two shake hands and deploy their Valkyrie frames, red and gold facing off against deep purple and black. Neither contestant says anything at all, waiting silently for the round to begin.
When Setsuna loses – and you are certain that Setsuna will lose if Syifa put any serious effort in at all – you're not sure how well Setsuna will recover from the defeat. Your mind, unbidden, retrieves the reports detailing the effects of success and failure in a public arena and the overall long term effects. Setsuna's own psych profile had been amended by the Instructors as being 'resilient and stubborn, not particularly given to influence by social pressure', but you still worried for the small girl.
You shake your head. You… weren't the best counsellor, but you'll do your best! And Yukari would too, so would Sandra and Koujirou would try to make things better and succeed maybe. Setsuna will be fine.
The first round starts and, immediately, Syifa repeats the same course of action she takes at the start of rounds on open arenas, ascending at full thrust directly for orbit. Sandra had attempted to intercept with particle beams, but Syifa had enough Impeller that the one strike that hit, she could absorb. Setsuna, knowing Syifa's habit, went far further.
Two dozen XHEAP missiles launched, an impressive six on active guidance, with the rest set on contact fuses and fired for hopeful direct impacts. There is almost no chance that the dumb fire missiles would hit, but the threat that they are under active guidance missiles forces Syifa to pay attention to each of them.
Syifa does not bother reacting at first, breaking into the thermosphere and continuing to accelerate, the lack of air resistance now allowing the cadet to continue picking up speed without serious strain on her Impeller. While the distance between the two Valkyries is still nearly a thousand kilometers, Syifa's ascent allowed the two to gain direct line of sight on each other. The XHEAP missiles break through the first 20km of atmosphere faster than the Valkyrie does and arc up to meet her, now nearly unrestricted in range once they are past the densest part of the atmosphere.
Syifa arcs sharply away, taking a wild evasive route. As soon as she sees which XHEAP missiles correct their course, she begins firing disciplined volleys of laser and particle intercepting fire. Even at a quarter charge, the particle cannon is powerful enough to detonate the XHEAP missiles with direct hits and while the combat laser couldn't burn through the warhead cap on the missiles, striking them obliquely would blind their guidance reception systems located on the tails of the missiles. Setsuna adapts, unperturbed by the destruction of her guided missiles, switching her guidance lasers onto other missiles, redirecting them at Syifa. However, the other cadet reacts just as smoothly, attacking the now actively guided missiles without any hesitation.
It takes barely half a minute for all twenty four missiles to be destroyed or sent well off course– but Setsuna already has another wave of two dozen on their way before the last of the first wave are destroyed.
Syifa continues destroying the missiles as she closes– but Setsuna launches another wave of twenty four, and Syifa is forced to come to a stop at a distance of four hundred kilometers from the other cadet, unable to intercept the constant barrage of missiles quickly enough to risk closing further. Syifa's Impeller flickers as she brushes against several clouds of exotic matter miasma released by the destroyed XHEAP missiles, the debris fields continuing on their last trajectories even as their containers are destroyed.
Setsuna continues launching XHEAP missiles in a constant barrage; out of curiosity, you enquire on her loadout requisition for these matches. Setsuna had completely scorned drones aside from decoys, cruise missiles and standard mid-range missiles, arguing that such weapons are useless in a duel against a Enlisted rating Valkyrie. She had doubled down on XHEAP missiles, loading a massive arsenal of one hundred and forty four XHEAPs, with a pair of decoys as her sole other deployable equipment. That is the regulation limit for the most XHEAP missiles a non Ace rank Valkyrie could carry into battle and you can see Sandra had needed to exchange a very extended series of messages with Instructor Leonhart to allow Setsuna such a loadout. Even then, Setsuna needed to compromise, she originally wanted the maximum deployment allowance of two hundred and sixty XHEAP missiles, a privilege only certain Aces enjoyed, but that request was rejected outright.
Even with such a loadout… you're not certain of Setsuna's plan in this scenario. Syifa had taken minor damage from the miasma she was running into, the lack of atmosphere allowing the damaging debris to propagate at the speeds of the missiles at their time of destruction, but Setsuna is already on her fifth wave of two dozen missiles. Once Setsuna fired her next and final wave–
Setsuna deploys a decoy, leaving a dozen XHEAP missiles to heat up next to it, and lashes herself onto a pair of XHEAP missiles with Impeller whips to fly off after the missiles.
You lean forwards in interest.
Syifa's sensor systems are degraded from the exotic energy miasma and she doesn't appear to catch onto Setsuna's ruse. As the decoy stays in one location for too long with the XHEAP missiles next to it, Syifa snaps a shot from her particle cannon down at the decoy. At half charge, the particle beam barely reaches the surface as a coherent stream. The decoy is annihilated, and one of the missiles that Setsuna left on fail-deadly trigger explodes; throwing up a huge plume of rock and flaming dust. Adding ot the confusion of the ground, powdery snow is thrown into the air the as the explosions trigger avalanches in the surrounding mountainsides.
Syifa doesn't immediately follow up, with her particle cannon depleted for the moment, she pulls into a hard turn and changes course, away from the latest wave of XHEAP missiles, left on their ballistic courses by Setsuna as she closes in. Once she confirms that the missiles should be missing her by a few kilometers or so, Syifa begins moving again to where she had last seen Setsuna.
You feel a smile take over your face, this is pretty smart of Setsuna. Hanging behind a pair of XHEAP missiles, Setsuna waits until Syifa is barely ten kilometers away and redirects the other, formerly wild missiles.
It is a near perfect ambush, but Syifa reacts near perfectly in turn, emergency thrusters pushing her on a route first away, then directly at Setsuna. The XHEAP missiles don't turn to follow. Setsuna can't direct something with receptors on its tail to point its nose at herself without losing control over the missiles.
Setsuna still has the pair of missiles she is hanging onto and she all but throws them at Syifa along with a burst of plasma bolts, but the other cadet unleashes a enormous attack of reactor tapped plasma in response. The XHEAP missiles may have been all but immune to standard plasma attacks, but this is beyond their limits. Both missiles detonate, disrupting the plasma stream. Syifa swoops in, a particle cannon shot spitting sparks as a harsh white line smashes into Setsuna.
Setsuna is barely able to mitigate some of the damage shaping her outer Impeller layer into a angled plane, deflecting some of the energy off rather than directly absorbing it all. She uses her own fully charged reactor and replies with her own reactor charged plasma attack– but cuts it short before it dumps the full load of her reactor and drops a decoy, flying in at maximum thrust after her attack.
Syifa executes a lazy dodge and is scuffed by the plasma beam. Combat lasers streak towards Setsuna's decoy and blast it to pieces. Setsuna herself zooms into zero range of Syifa and a crackling spear of plasma cleaves forward towards Syifa. Syifa barely draws her own melee halberd in time to slap away the attack, pushing her body out of the main line of the attack using the explosion of plasma the brief moment of contact causes.
Setsuna continues closing the distance, changing the arrangement of her melee halberd and kicking at Syifa, releasing a slash of plasma. The other cadet twists around the attack and lashes out with a reverse spinning elbow straight into Setsuna's helmet as the two come into direct melee range.
Setsuna is sent tumbling away by the blow and jerks to a stop as the Impeller whip tethering her to Syifa snaps taut. Syifa swipes at the Impeller whip coiled around her missile pods with her halberd, but neither weapon system seriously damages the other.
Setsuna realigns herself and a glow builds as the remaining half of her reactor charge is channelled into her plasma casters.
Your fists clench in concern. This close, a plasma attack of that magnitude would deal essentially the same damage to both cadets, so Setsuna must be gambling on Syifa having dropped low enough in Impeller for her to be declared the victor and the round to end before the reflected energy reaches her.
Syifa sees the attack coming and tethered to Setsuna as she is, cannot dodge. She reaches out with a hand– and you sigh, slumping in your seat slightly. In the end, this is the result your simulations declared most probable after all. You don't really have the time to cast on exactly what is going on in English to the audience, so you prepare a post mortem speech on the match, as you doubt anyone in the audience can see what Syifa just did aside from Shuri and maybe Yukari.
Setsuna fires– and her plasma impacts an extended portion of Syifa's Impeller placed just ahead of her plasma casters. The stream meets the unyielding surface bare centimeters away from Setsuna's frame and explodes.
>>Victor: Syifa Wulandari
You feel your lips press together in a sympathetic grimace as the simulator resets into the intermission setting. Setsuna stumbles and falls to one knee on her preparation platform, looking stunned. She looks around frantically before what happened becomes apparent and her face twist, blotching red in anger. She stands and glares in Syifa's direction.
The other cadet cooly stands at her own preparation platform, the field completely empty. She had not spent a single deployable in the match after all.
In contrast with Setsuna's near snarl, Syifa simply looks… bored. She glances to the side where the rest of Flight Two waited and nodded politely in acknowledgement of their cheers, waving once, then turns back to stare at Setsuna, waiting.
You could practically feel Setsuna's frustration as the small girl whirls around and begins reloading her expended munitions in preparation for the next round.
As you explain to the audience exactly what had happened at the end there at Meyer's prodding, you see Yukari doing the same for Koujirou and Sandra, leaning over the two and animatedly gesturing at a replay.
You've already submitted your analysis of the match.
…
You feel a little… lonely.
XxXxXxXxXx
Round Two, and Syifa once again ascends for orbit right at the start of the round.
By taking the highest ground everytime, she can trivialise the relatively complex environment on the surface.
Setsuna rushes for the city center while Syifa is still blinded by her plasma sheath, and places a physical decoy on the roof of the highest skyscraper still standing. Rather than gain distance from the decoy, Setsuna walks a few meters until she is the shadow of a dilapidated satellite dish array, expresses some camo net from her storage and wraps it around herself.
Then, she simply sits down and watches the sky.
You're not sure what to make of this. Some form of deception?
Setsuna and Syifa are now simply waiting for the other to make a move.
Syifa is floating in low geosynchronous orbit, her Impeller allowing her to keep position without igniting her engines, watching vigilantly for any signs of Setsuna in the ruined city hundreds of kilometers below.
Setsuna sits, placidly leaning against a utility pole, head thrown back to watch the sky, unconcerned with the passage of time.
You and Meyer fill the time with banter, but as topics run dry as the minutes pass, you two stray further and further away from topical discussion. By the time a move from Syifa snaps your attention back to your commentary, you and Meyer are for whatever reason discussing the downsides of air conditioning and weather control in Arcologies.
The sandstorm is again approaching the city, the looming wall of dust soon ready to smother the city in darkness, breaking any direct observation of the city to and from orbit.
Syifa descends.
Powerful active scans sweeps the city as she hovers fifty or so kilometers above the city.
Almost immediately, she notices the decoy Setsuna left in the open on the roof, but Syifa discerns its nature just as quickly and discards it from notice.
Is this Setsuna's plan? You shake your head as Syifa continues to carelessly descend. Setsuna, shielded from view by both the satellite dishes and her camouflage netting, slowly stands.
The city is now full of movement, the gusty winds preceding the howling gale of the main sandstorm sweeping through the artificial canyons between the buildings. It tugs at buildings and shrubs, pulls at windows, kicking up swathes of debris and dust. The sensor environment rapidly degrades and can only get worse.
Setsuna's inner layer of Impeller darkens, turning opaque and you see the shapes of XHEAP missiles expressing out. Her Impeller control is not quite perfect enough to completely hide the missiles, but Setsuna takes the mundane and practical solution of simply leaving her camo net over her Impeller. You doubt that anyone else watching can see exactly what she is doing, aside from Leonhart with her omniscience field of view in her subspace.
Syifa descends to twenty kilometers, brazenly leaving all her energy weapons charged and unhooded by Impeller in deliberate provocation. In an alpha strike trade between the two frames, it's almost certain that Syifa would win, but Setsuna takes the gamble regardless.
She walks out of cover raises both plasma casters and a unleashes a double stream of reactor charged plasma at Syifa, who is nearly directly overhead.
Rather than dodging, Syifa immediately replies with her own full power plasma caster strike. The two opposing beams collide with a huge fireball, blowing the dust clear from the air and shattering what glass had remained intact across the city.
Setsuna ascends firing her XHEAP missiles, at the same time contorting her Impeller into a tunnel of some kind- wait, this is an absorption technique? You perk up in interest, it looks like Setsuna is trying to copy what Koujirou's sword did.
Syifa fires a full powered particle cannon beam at Setsuna as her missiles clear and at close range, the beam hits Setsuna head on almost immediately.
"Yes!"
You cheer out loud, jumping in your seat slightly as Setsuna manages to completely absorb the attack with her Impeller.
It isn't as efficient as Koujirou's technique, leaving her Impeller layer ragged, but Setsuna's plasma casters glowed with new energy as her XHEAP missiles roared in for their target–
Syifa's frame ignites as she accelerates in one direction, then back, the same dodge she used in the first round against Setsuna. This time however, Setsuna has spread her XHEAP missiles and Syifa isn't able to clear them all. One manages a direct strike on her frame and Syifa tumbles away, smoking. It takes her a mere second to recover and lasers reach out from her frame as she continues her charge, striking Setsuna.
Setsuna unleashes her stored plasma in a final attack.
You gauge the intensity of the attack and sigh slightly.
It just… didn't feel right that Setsuna would try so hard, and yet still lose.
Syifa flies through the plasma beam, boring a turning right through the attack and slashes at Setsuna with her melee halberd. Setsuna raises her own, but fails to block as Syifa twists the attack onto another angle, rotating her entire frame to strike past it. Setsuna tumbles back– and Syifa slams into her, bulling through Setsuna's outer layer of Impeller and grabbing the smaller girl's arm, wrenching open her guard. She raises her axe like weapon, unflinching as a desperate kick and VML rounds from Setsuna are completely turned away by her own Impeller.
You close your eyes.
You didn't want to watch the end.
>>Victor: Syifa Wulandari
XxXxXxXxXx
This time, during the intermission Setsuna doesn't look angry or surprised, simply resigned. She stared morosely at her own feet.
You weren't supposed to do this, but… you open a private channel.
"Hey Setsuna, uh, you can do it, there's still hope."
Setsuna shoots a startled glance up at you.
"We're not supposed to talk– you better not get me in trouble– thanks, Anna."
You throw a slightly uneasy look at Instructor Meyer, but she waves it off with a slight smile.
Setsuna flicks you a thumbs up and shakes her head roughly, sending her twintails flapping in the air, then slaps her cheeks once decisively and huffing out a breath. With renewed energy in her step, Setsuna expresses Kousenjoubi again and turns around to reload her expended munitions.
XxXxXxXxXx
It's the third round within the Antagonist fabrication complex and both Valkyries have reached the central chamber. However, neither Valkyrie appears eager to cross over the main reactor located in the middle of the chamber.
Setsuna is busy at one side of the chamber, setting up elaborate traps with her Impeller whips, keeping a wary eye out for Syifa.
The huge columns scattered across the chamber and holding up the ceiling, combined with the thick miasma prevent either Valkyrie from getting a direct line of sight, providing enough cover for either to sneak across the entire chamber if they are careful.
So of course, Syifa does none of that. A particle stream smashes into the central reactor, and again, as in every nearly every round before this one, it detonates. Violent convulsions wrack the chamber as plasma and molten construction material gush from below and the ceiling collapses from above.
Setsuna glances at the commotion, but doesn't seem too perturbed even as searing plasma continues erupting from the destroyed central reactor. The central chamber is large enough that Setsuna is actually mostly insulated from the ongoing eruption even as the middle sections suffer an apocalypse. Whatever Setsuna's plans are, the rise in the ambient temperatures of around two hundred degrees celsius in her area apparently don't disrupt them.
With no reaction from Setsuna and the eruption from the main reactor dying down, Syifa makes an exaggerated shrug and begins moving across the chamber, casually dodging drips of molten rock from the ceiling and wild streams of material from severed conduits.
Setsuna notes Syifa approach and emerges from her cover, bold as brass, her own energy weapons fully charged and her melee halberd glowing, held out in naginta form, thrust directly at Syifa.
Syifa stops and dubiously stares at Setsuna, but when Setsuna makes no other move after a dozen tense seconds, Syifa appears to accept the challenge. Rather than use her superiority in frame-equipped long range weaponry, Syifa stows her energy weapons into their rest positions, ignites her own melee halberd and charges in.
Syifa is fully confident in winning in close range battle regardless of what Setsuna had been planning to do.
Setsuna changes the form of her melee halberd as Syifa closes, claws and extra plates covering her gauntlets while spurs and spikes cover her lower legs. Her Impeller compresses and intensifies and suddenly you are worried about energy leakage again.
Still, you choose to trust in Instructor Leonhart and anxiously watch on as the two Valkyries crash into each other.
Syifa starts with a thrust, shaping the head of her weapon into a lance. Setsuna turns her body and shoves downwards with a rotation of her shoulder, containment fields in her arms palming the stab down and away. Setuna's response in the form of a shovel like stab with her other arm is deflected as Syifa draws back her weapon, allowing her own containment field to block the claws of plasma from Setsuna.
Syifa doesn't retreat for long, resetting her posture and charging in with a series of overhead swings and wide slashes. Setsuna dodges several, then casts her Impeller whip forward: it hooks Syifa's axe, but the other cadet spins the weapon, flaring her Impeller and pushing the coils away. Setsuna charges while Syifa is busy and manages to hook Syifa's frame with her Impeller whips instead, looping a coil around Syifa's waist. Syifa grabs at it, but being a component channeling Setsuna's own Impeller, the wires slide away, then lash back, Impeller charged momentum allowing the threads to smash into Syifa far harder than their physical mass and speed should allow.
As Syifa reels, Setsuna closes and lands a clean slash across Syifa's flank, plasma biting deeply into Syifa's Impeller, but the butt of Syifa's melee halberd comes around and smashes Setsuna hard on the shoulder in response. The blow should have been more severe, but Setsuna managed to use the Impeller whip to push the two apart in time.
Setsuna gains some advantage in the control of distance and relative speed with the whip, forcing Syifa along at her pace, but even so, Syifa manages a counter for every blow Setsuna makes. It is also clearly taxing on the Impeller layer used to control the whip. As soon as that layer of Impeller is depleted, the Impeller whip will be nothing but a line of metal alloys and carbon.
Syifa knows this too and swells her Impeller, white sparks crackling against the whip coiled around her as the two fields clash.
Setsuna leans back and sets full power to thrusters in response. Her wake smashes directly into Syifa, dragging her along and threatening to burn off her face if she doesn't respond, forcing her away from focusing on the Impeller whip.
Syifa weathers the burn for a few moments, then sets her own thrusters to pull against Setsuna. Setsuna, despite having the more powerful thrusters, allows her Impeller whip to spool out, lengthening the distance between the two cadets.
You gulp in anticipation; you can see what Setsuna is trying to do, but… it's not going to work.
Syifa has just barely recovered from the blinding plasma being forced into her face when she looks up at what Setsuna is doing and freezes. Setsuna has connected her end of the Impeller whip to an Antagonist power conduit and Syifa, while blinded, has gotten tangled in some of the now loose metal wires Setsuna had set up earlier, connected to the other end of the conduit.
Untold watts of electricity flow through the Impeller whips, through Syifa and into the other end of the severed conduit. The light of ionising air is blinding and Setsuna covers her face, squinting–
The particle cannon shot takes Setsuna straight in the chest. Wreathed in an electrical firestorm, but unharmed by it, Syifa mercilessly blasts Setsuna with another full power particle cannon beam, unmindful of the component damage the cannon suffers from firing two shots so rapidly.
You fight the urge to look away and continue watching. Syifa is using Impeller property management: superconductivity. With her Impeller flawlessly translating the electricity across, Syifa isn't being harmed at all by the huge volumes of power. With a hiss, the now mundane Impeller whips break, melting under the load despite their carbon nanotube cores and breaking the circuit.
Setsuna, Impeller flickering at its last tenth of integrity, slowly crawls from the crater where she had crashed. She glares at Syifa, but can do little else.
Syifa doesn't deliver the coup de grace immediately, instead glancing around, contemplative.
It's a very long dozen seconds in the arena as the two cadets stare at each other. Syifa and Setsuna, the spectators, you and Meyer, you all hold your collective breaths.
"Well? Get it over with," Setsuna snaps.
Syifa breaks eye contact and lowers her plasma caster.
"Instructor Leonhart. I forfeit this set."
What?
"Cadet Wulandari, confirm your intentions. You are choosing to forfeit the entire set?"
"Yes Instructor. I choose to forfeit the entire set."
>>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
>>Sixth set, victory by Cadet Masaya Setsuna zero rounds to two through forfeit
XxXxXxXxXx
The arena resets back into its intermission setting and a dull roar of noise fills the arena as chatter sweeps across the stands.
"What?" "Wait, why'd Syifa forfeit?" "Do we have to come in on Friday and watch Coke Zero and Setsuna have it out for finals?" "Everyone knows Syifa's better than either Koujirou or Setsuna, even though those two are pretty damn talented." "Yeah, what's even the point of watching the runner ups?" "Watching runner ups, huh? Tell me, who's the most talented vanguard in our squadron- no, our entire first year wing." "Huh? The Dawn Herald, the Golden Ace of course." "So…" "Uh, so?" "Repeat your question to me, but slowly." "Oh. Right, yeah I can see why she's cbf." "I just noticed, but why's no one here watching today?" "Yah, there was tons more people on Monday." "Why would they come, they know that neither of our Aces are fighting for it." "Yeah, watching Anna and Shuri have a contest over the crown would have been awesome." "I don't get the forfeit, but those Japanese kung fu moves are so cool. I wonder if we can learn that kinda martial arts." "Japanese kung fu?" "Oh chill Meifeng." "You can fly ten times faster than sound, take a tank shot straight in the face and you want to learn how to whack someone with your arms or a stick?" "It worked pretty well on both Claire and Emily didn't it?" "C'mon, can you say you can match against either Syifa or Setsuna if they got close to you?" "Well, them be good points I guess." "So Emily, what did you think of Koujirou? Claire said he was really cool." "Curb your thirst, we meet him in class everyday. Also, I wouldn't. He's denser than an Ace's Impeller." "Oooooh…" "Poor Setsuna."
Setsuna finally stands up and approaches Syifa, her face tight with anger as you filter away the chatter from the stands. Syifa doesn't look happy either, she's glaring into the stands, staring at Shuri. The Ace herself… is sleeping? You're not sure, her eyes are closed behind her visor, but the rhythm of her breathing doesn't suggest she's actually sleeping. She simply doesn't appear to be paying any attention to the proceedings.
Syifa reaches out, inviting a handshake. Setsuna keeps her waiting.
"Why?" Setsuna demands blunty.
"You actually want… this, don't you?" asks Syifa, with a broad sweep across the stands, "I don't. Not really."
There's a moment of silence between the two cadets. Syifa's hand still hovers in midair, waiting.
"I mean, what are we doing Setsuna? Really. We know who's the best Vanguard in our Squadron, hell the entire year. You better than most, " Syifa says, shaking her head.
Setsuna stays silent, fuming.
Syifa withdraws her hand and turns away, walking for the stands.
"Well, congratulations on winning the Vanguard tournament, unless you throw matches in the finals I guess."
XxXxXxXxXx
Setsuna holes herself up in a simulator for the rest of Wednesday.
Thursday is tense. Setsuna is snappish the whole day. Her bad mood clearly infects Koujirou, the usually cheerful boy silent and downcast for most of the day.
In the evening, Setsuna is missing for dinner. You locate her on the Academy maps, but find Setsuna crying into Yukari's shoulder when you arrive at the deserted biome. You dither a little, then back away.
You're not sure what to do.
XxXxXxXxXx
It's Friday morning and you are heading for the large scale simulators again, readying to cast the finals of the Vanguard tournament.
"So, what's your excuse?"
"Sorry, my excuse for what?" you ask, taken off guard by the sudden question from the third year cadet that had been shadowing you for the last few corridors.
Cadet Javeria Malik, her tag identifies her as. Tall and slender, a razor straight fringe of raven hair cut across her olive skinned face just above the brows, she appeared to be a girl formed out of nothing but sharp angles. You look up your interaction history with her, and feel a slight jolt of surprise. You'd met her, after that… simulation about Alaska you had run with the whole flight, you'd forgotten about that encounter entirely. However, aside from that one off, you have never spoken to her.
More browsing however reveals an unpleasant surprise and you feel an intense dislike of the senior cadet form. Academy video records and incidents reports show that Javeria is a trouble maker, making a habit of inciting trouble with other Ace and Elite ranking cadets.
-Don't mingle with those types, Anna. They're miserable people who are only happy when other people are unhappy-
Having been a factor in the disintegration of all four Flights she had been assigned to, Javeria is a without a Flight of fellow cadets; none of them willing to put up with her, putting her in the strange position as a solo element, partnered on demand as the combat situation demands. Disciplinary action appeared ineffective so far; just this year alone, she had already accumulated four warnings and a week long suspension of Valkyrie frame privileges due to incidents with–
You shift your stance, Impeller thickening, Durga's components just barely held back from extending out into existence.
–your Flight, Shuri and Yukari in particular. Shuri had been unresponsive to Javeria's provocations, simply documenting them and filing complaints with the Instructors, so Javeria had instead turned her attentions to the other members of your Flight-
"What do you want?" You demand before Javeria can answer your previous question.
-If the adults can't do anything, you will-
The other Ace smiles, appearing unconcerned.
"Already said, didn't I? Why aren't you in that competition for Vanguards? Shuri, I can comp, she'd never liked that stuff deep down. Who knows why she's letting all that hidden stuff to the surface now, but well, I don't know you. So… what's your excuse?"
You glower down at her, utterly unconvinced at her innocent explanation.
"I was not asked to, I did not want to participate. The competition is purely voluntary. Javeria Malik, what is your issue with my Flight?"
She continues looking unperturbed, resting her chin in the cup of a palm, still sporting that annoying smile.
"Still part of that Flight, huh? Doesn't really feel like it, and you weren't asked to? The Instructors didn't give you the spiel about our civic responsibility to provide an example and target for our peers?"
"That was not my question," you stonewall her attempted dodge.
"I didn't answer; would be a terrible shame to destroy any illusions you have about the nature of this academy's instruction staff," Javeria lackadaisically replies.
You continue glaring, but your thoughts whirl. From her incident record, Javeria has a propensity to distort the truth and outright lie to incite disputes. She appears to be trying to sow discord between you and the Instructors right now. She is not a reliable source for her own motives.
You turn away and commlink to Instructor Meyer, there's some strange noise at first, but you brush past the weak interference in moments.
>>"Instructor Meyer, do you have time to talk?"
>>"Anna, what's up?"
>>"Are you familiar with the third year cadet named Javeria Malik?"
>Stand by.
Barely after you start talking, a pair of teleports form next to you.
Instructor Vivas steps out of a teleport a little behind you and Instructor Meyer teleports to your side. Vivas immediately mutes the air with her Impeller and steers Javeria around away from you with a firm hand on her shoulder. Despite yourself, you are curious and extend your Impeller into the floor and walls to listen through the vibrations in the metal.
"Anna," Instructor Meyer greets you, "Sorry for the interruption, but I felt like it would be better to talk face to face."
"Valkyrie Malik. You are aware of the penalties for subverting the Academy's monitoring system."
"Well, I was going to get curious about the one you all try to keep me away from eventually… I had barely got a line off to her last time, and really now–"
Instructor Vivas' shoulders shift minutely and abruptly the walls are silenced too, the Instructor's Impeller insistently nudging yours away as it forms a sphere around the two Valkyries.
"I understand," you embarrassedly reply to instructor Meyer as Instructor Vivas gives you a sidelong look.
"I'll… Well, Javeria Malik. I know about her, pretty much every Instructor does. She's… a problematic cadet– oh you've already accessed the incident records. Yes, she's a hellion," Instructor Meyer bluntly assesses.
You sharply nod in reply, you agree completely.
"She has been harassing members of my flight, and when I asked her why, she replied that it would, uh…" You take a moment to search for words, "damage your reputations."
Meyer breathed in deeply and held it for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut with a grimace.
With a guilty and surreptitious glance to each side, she started to reply, "That's probably true, Anna. We don't direct Malik to do anything, but we could take more action against her."
Instructor Meyer's eyes shift down and away for a second. "We basically allow her to do what she does because it actually helps Valkyries get out of a rut or even progress faster in combat ability."
You open your mouth to refute the words, but the speed at which you can access and analyse data damns the retort and you swallow your words. Personality variability in the idol model. Personalities not predisposed to ambition and intense emotion often fail to form personal rivalries or goals. Presence of a personally relatable antagonistic figure motivates such Valkyries. Presence of both in close proximity or even one individual massively more effective. Multiple studies, multiple sources.
A highlight of the data that you analysed, Yukari's own growth spiking back into a meteoric rise from relative stagnancy after Javeria… 'met' Koujirou and Setsuna. You shake your head silently; this… is a bridge too far.
"How can you keep her away– contain the damage she does?" you demand as you try to think of other ways to help.
"Malik does it herself," Meyer answers with a sigh, "She says that she had the same role as a cadet within the Pakistani Valkyrie Corps: sniff out the ones who need her brand of 'counselling' and poke them for a while until they get better, or– or… we have their studies to corroborate– Of course you've already read the breadth of them… and well– it works. None of us like it, but she went over us to Jingwei and De Vries, and they both stamped an okay on it."
"There has to be a better way."
Meyer slowly shakes her head.
"If we found another way, I'd be first in line to demand it be implemented instead of this demented game of torture. We might… we're not military, really."
Meyer pauses. You shift uneasily at the sudden change in subject.
"I think… we, the Instructors, might be… happy about people like 'cadet' Malik. Doing what they do to help the people our normal regime can't. We try for the carrot and stick, but we… limp wrist the stick. None of us, here at least, really have the heart. Cereza has a hard enough time just trying to be mean already, Jane, Deepika… me. From what conventional military instruction looks like, we're already too soft and forgiving, but none of us–"
Meyer abruptly shakes her head.
"Sorry about that, Anna. What Malik said… I– we're not perfect or all knowing, and we can't even really bring ourselves to do what we objectively know is best for some of our cadets, so we let her do it instead."
Your mind grinds to a halt at that admission.
"This sucks."
The words burst out from you.
"The– the– the competitions, fighting against each other, fine, but even then, here, people still need to go through–"
You cut yourself off and swallow thickly, feeling a sudden heat behind your eyes. You look down– then swing your head up as you realise that wouldn't work and blink furiously until the tears go away.
-Why are you such a bully?-
Because… we had to… it's what we needed to do, but it didn't work…
"It's… done with the best of intentions. As long as the intent is good…" you recite.
Meyer steps closer to you, reaching out, but you rebuff her with your Impeller, taking a step back shaking your head.
"No I– I understand. For cadets, before they enter the battlefield, before anything else, focus on combat capabilities. As long as they live, as long as we win."
Meyer is silent, staring up searchingly at you, and you avert your eyes. The silence stretches on and on.
"… When we win," Meyer promises quietly.
XxXxXxXxXx
You should feel happy that somehow, last night or this morning, Setsuna and Koujirou managed to both cheer up, but your recent discovery of Javeria Malik leaves an unpleasant taste.
Speak of the devil, so she appears. Her unwelcome arrival into the simulator just as you are sitting down almost causes you to leap from the commentary desk to demand her exit, but Shuri preempts you.
Ignoring the questions from your other flightmates, Shuri springs from her seat and intercepts Javeria.
"Malik. It's been ages. Let's talk about boundaries."
"Oh, what's this? Suddenly acknowledging my existence Shuri? Pity that I'm not here for you today–"
"I insist. We'll talk."
"As high handed as ever, Golden Ace, but I must refuse."
"I am not asking."
Shuri drags the other Ace away from the stands and forcibly ejects both of them from the simulator.
As you turn back to the arena, you notice Instructor Meyer holding onto your arm.
You smile awkwardly at her, and lie. "I'm okay."
She bites her lip slightly, but nods and draws back.
XxXxXxXxXx
You feel unenthused about the final day of the competition, but clamp down on it and concentrate more on casting than thinking about the day. The sheer flood of words you provide the audience at any prompt due to all the unused mental resources you have at your disposal forces Meyer to laughingly reign you in several times.
Koujirou and Setsuna appeared to have come to an agreement for no particular drone play or longer ranged standoff tactics. Half of it, you're sure, is that neither are particularly capable of such tactics, neither cadet having combat laser systems or a particle cannon, and the other half is that neither of the two particularly enjoy the more methodical push and pull of long range standoff tactics.
Of course, in the first round, as soon as Koujirou saw Setsuna and charged in, Setsuna planted a full half century of XHEAP missiles into his face. Hypervelocity cannon fire intercepted three, Murakumo dealt with another three explosions and the retaliatory attack is enough to strike down another, but the rest smashed into Koujirou head on.
>>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
"Setsu…"
"What? I fired them at fifty. That's close ranged enough."
While Setsuna did not manage to gain permission to again use nearly one hundred and forty four XHEAP missiles, she still did carry the standard sixty four, and when she volley fired them all, well– Koujirou didn't have much of a chance in the open air and firmly locked onto.
In the second round, Koujirou doesn't rush in keeping a moderate speed and approaching the city at an angle– and Setsuna rushes in and again blasts his face again with a half century of XHEAP missiles. Once again, despite his best efforts, the sheer volume of missiles, along with the unusually high number of missiles that Setsuna can directly control, sends Koujirou crashing out of the round.
>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
There is a distinctly pissed off note in Koujirou voice as the two talk before the third round starts.
"You know… this isn't going to work in the next three rounds."
"Nuh-uh Koji, you don't know this won't work on round five, none of us have seen how it plays out."
Setsuna sticks out her tongue at Koujirou, again loading up on her expended XHEAP missiles.
Koujirou grunts in annoyed acknowledgement, but composes himself and waits calmly for the next round.
The third round is considerably more sedate. Koujirou calmly waits near one of the entrances to the central chamber and when Setsuna fires a probing set of missiles at him, Koujirou instantly sets off the central reactor. The explosions completely wipes out the first twenty four missiles Setsuna fires at him, and Koujirou takes the opportunity to close in on Setsuna– except breaks off the approach and dodges into a side tunnel after sniping another four missiles away from Setsuna.
A surreal game of whack of mole follows, as Koujirou, pushing his Impeller and frame to their limits, constantly shoots in and out of the central chamber, harassing Setsuna with hypervelocity cannon fire at every pass.
The Antagonist fabrication complex rapidly degrades into a far worse condition than even Milia and Emily's destructive bought left it in as Setsuna closes tunnels with XHEAP missiles and Koujirou creatively collapses parts of the ceiling on Setsuna with his own rather neglected missiles.
Finally, Koujirou manages to use a pillar of fire as cover and blindside Setsuna, pushing into close combat range. Setsuna snaps on her melee halberd, turning to face Koujirou with a high guard– and Koujirou blasts her with his hypervelocity cannon, pushing her right into the sea of gaseous metals and burning exotic materials where the central reactor used to be. Setsuna climbs out of the inferno, Impeller flickering, only for Koujirou to fire another sustained burst, pushing her right back into the raging hellscape.
"Sorry Setsu, but long live the King."
>>Victor: Rokusabe Koujirou
"... okay, maybe I earned that one, but really, Lion King?"
"Gotta appreciate the classics, Setsu."
The fourth round begins, the first fourth round since the very first set of the tournament and by near instant mutual agreement, both Valkyrie cadets descend and land on on top of the residential tower.
This time, Koujirou doesn't seem interested in rusing Setsuna, bringing up Murakumo, pointing the blade directly at Setsuna and folding his hypervelocity cannon into its rest mode.
Setsuna takes a moment longer, but she also folds away her plasma casters and VMLs. Again, the extra plating appears over her forearms and lower legs.
The two cadets are still, squaring off, then both explode into motion; jet powered charges bringing the two into melee range almost instantly.
Plasma meets plasma as Koujirou swings down hard, whilst Setsuna crosses her arms; taking the blow across her claws. She doesn't bother resisting the strike, folding under it instead and kicking hard at his torso.
Koujirou easily backs away from the attack and chops sharply at Setsuna. Blasting into a twirl, Setsuna also avoids the counter. With no point of contact with the ground, she would be an easy target if either of the contests here were mundane humans, but with her Impeller grabbing at the air and the building, Setsuna converts the spin into a thruster boosted axe kick. The attack is telegraphed and Koujirou deftly side steps it, sweeping Murakumo into a sharp uppercut. Setsuna raises her other leg and blocks the blow on her shin, the two melee halberds contacting with a crack of exploding plasma. The concrete tiles across the roof are blown away and fires gutter beneath the feet of the two Valkyries.
Setsuna slashes sharply with her left arm and Koujirou ducks it, but Setsuna's right follows the rotation and punches Koujirou hard across the temple. Koujirou steps quickly back and jabs in retaliation, but Setsuna catches it again on her forearm, the bracer mounted melee halberd turning away the attack.
Despite Murakumo's significantly more powerful plasma output and total plasma output yield, when the two are in arm's reach like so, Setsuna's greater number of attack and defense hardpoints allows her an advantage in trading. Koujirou is forced back, slashes and swipes cutting explosive fissures into the roof of the residential tower, the formly smooth concrete dome now well and truly on fire.
Koujirou shifts his grip and the air around his left hand glows, moments later extending into a second copy of Murakumo. Tapping the blades together, Koujirou draws plasma from one halberd into the other, kickstarting the ignition process and skipping the charge up period. With this, he launches himself back at Setsuna.
Koujirou uses one sword used for wider swings and slashes, the other for shorter, sharper stabs and guarding. Setsuna however, doesn't back down even as she begins taking nicks. She is after all, the more experienced Valkyrie of the two with a naturally more powerful Impeller.
Koujirou locks Setsuna's arms with a block and places his second sword across his chest, bulling forwards. Coils spring around him, and suddenly Koujirou finds his right arm bound across his chest by an Impeller whip. Setsuna draws back a few meters, changes her melee halberd into its naginata form and charges, swinging hard for a decapitating strike.
Koujirou tries to move only to find the Impeller whip nearly completely rigid, more like a band of solid steel than a cable. Thrusters on the back of one of his Murakumo light up and Koujirou lets the sword go. It tumbes through the air, but Setsuna doesn't flinch. The sword strikes her, releasing its contained plasma in an undirected explosion and too late Koujirou realises his mistake.
The plasma washes over him as the roof collapses, snarling at his Impeller. With the sword hitting Setsuna side on, and focusers not aligned, the plasma released in all directions. This close Koujirou suffered nearly as much damage from the backlash as Setsuna. With her naturally stronger Impeller–
Setsuna emerges from the flames, descending at Koujirou, her naginata still raised for the killing blow. Koujirou ignites his thrusters at full power, but with the unyielding Impeller whip connecting the two, he simply drags Setsuna along. Murakumo opens into its absorption and redirection mode, but with the Impeller whip coiled across his entire body, he can't bring it into position in time–
Setsuna cuts down.
>>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
>>Seventh and Final set, victory by Cadet Masaya Setsuna three rounds to one
>>Congratulations to Cadet Masaya Setsuna for winning the 58PI First Year Valkyrie Cadet Wing, Squadron Four, Vanguard Tournament.
"Congratulations on not throwing, huh? Fuck you, Syifa."
XxXxXxXxXx
The award ceremony is simple. Instructor Leonhart and Meyer hand over a small golden medal to Setsuna and a silver badge to Koujirou.
Despite being somewhat moody immediately after her victory, Setsuna perks up when she discovers her medal is pure, elemental gold. Koujirou takes his defeat in good humour on the face of it, but when not talking to anyone, he falls into a pensive silence, clearly wondering how he could have performed better.
Your Flight has a quiet lunch in Yukari's room in celebration. Shuri returns during lunch, but aside from a short yet genuine congratulations to Setsuna, doesn't elaborate on what she had been doing during the finals.
You don't ask, glad that she had kept that third year away from the arena.
You're glad it's all over.
It wasn't… terrible, but maybe casting at big, public events aren't really your thing.
XxXxXxXxXx
I hear this is apparently a good idea: Please wait for 24 hours until after this update is posted to cast your votes. I will probably post a notice opening votes then. *Tries something with that fancy time button in RTE.*
Don't vote until time shown below please.
Vote options
The timeskip will be for a duration of 7 weeks for a total of 50 actionable days, ending at the start of week 14, the start of the second semester. The next section of decompressed story arc will be the "The Enemy of All Mankind" arc. Each day in a timeskip allocates 10 points to spend. 50 days allows for 500 points to allocate to skills and actions.
Skills:
[] Timeskip Activities.
-[] Train skills
--[] Write in.
Activities
-[] Volunteer again for Sandra's UNHCR reconstruction activities.
Benefits: General uptick in UN economic power. Long term benefits to human population.
Cost: 21 days - 210 points
-[] Work with the crafting elective class for revised HPP prototype.
Benefits: Completion returns fifth HPP. Uptick in UN Valkyries combat power. Crafting Class will continue working on HPP prototypes regardless of your participation.
Cost: 110 days - 1100 points. (Cannot be completed in timeskip, will be added to long term projects if selected.)
-[] Attend Instructor training sessions.
Benefits: Unlocks and trains certain group skills. May train Wave Force.
Cost: 7 days - 70 points.
-[] Attend general Flight training sessions.
Benefits: Unlocks and trains certain group skills. May train Target Rich Environment. May train Wave Force.
Cost: 7 days - 70 points.
How do you spend your time during the holidays?
14 days total.
[] Holiday Activity
-[] Flight world tour: Visit the homelands of everyone as a flight. An around the world tour of India, Siberia, South Africa, Japan and Canada- maybe not Canada. No? Not India either?
-12 days.
-[] Spend time with:
--[] Koujirou: I guess it all came down to me not being able to stop those missiles in the earlier rounds, clearly I need help with long range things. Gimme a hand?
-2 days.
--[] Yukari and Setsuna: Say Anna, what do you do in your time off? What do you say about dressing up a little, how about your room? Do you have enough furniture?
-2 days.
--[] Sandra: Greetings Anna, while we have become closer as a Flight in the past month, but I don't feel as if we've gotten to truly know each other as people, or maybe even this country. What do you say to a short trip around Australia?
-2 days.
-[] Write in activities? (Subject to veto if time allocated doesn't match activity specified)
Each time skip week allows for 1 visit to an elective class. Select five or continue down the list.
[] Continue down the list for next 5 elective classes
[] Write in specific elective classes to visit.
XxXxXxXxXx
Postscript: If you notice any particularly glaring error; comment at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vqQeCHs8lE4ynLzX-RFb-k2jSKoibwLi7G5nFex5qcs/edit
Big thanks to; Guessmyname, Alfa290, Octol, Alphaleph, Tayta Malikai and AlphaDelta.
XxXxXxXxXx
North American Survivor Settlement (Enclosed), Site 26.
Site coordinates: [Redacted]
North American Enclosed settlement number twenty six (NA-E26) is the twenty sixth and most recent uncontacted settlement to be discovered on the North American continent.
- Overview and history
- Structural summary
- Structural specifics
- Population and notable residents
- Current status
1. The exact history of E26 is unclear. Contact with the settlement was reestablished by the United Nations at coordinates [Redacted], on the 7th of November, 57 PI local time. Historical record and soil composition analysis suggests the primary habitats and population of the settlement had moved at least once from their original location. Survivor testimony has been reticent on this subject. Several candidates for an original settlement have been identified, but at present no investigation is ongoing to determine which, if any, singular Pre-Impact site the majority of the former population of E26 originated from. At time of contact, the settlement had been under recent attack from Antagonists; the UN first contact team only had a short while to explore the settlement for survivors before it was no longer possible to do so.
2. The settlement was a Valkyrie constructed, self sufficient, enclosed and fortified arcology, arranged around two primary residential complexes recessed at an average of 38 meters below ground, one of a radius of approximately 300 meters and the other approximately 120 meters in radius. Much like E16 and E21, E26 appears to have organically grown from the parent settlement under pressure from Antagonists, and displays the same signs of haste in that the ceiling is undecorated and has a median clearance of only seven meters from street level. Between the two primary habitats is a strip of food production and minor manufacturing sites. The fortification of E26 was formidable, consisting of well disguised and unusually sophisticated batteries of laser and particle weaponry (See [Plasma aperture design proposal XTKB-1] and [Electron acceleration chamber design proposal XRS-1]. Despite the technological sophistication of the system, partial study found that the defence system appeared to be insufficiently powered, with some power connections traced to dead ends with no source of incoming energy.
3. The residential structures, streets, and layout of the twin settlements remained essentially unchanged from pre-Impact construction styles, despite having been moved at some point. While unified in architectural era, the two different living spaces show significant differences in style. The smaller residential area consists of larger permanent housing structures in a condensed urban layout, and the larger residential sprawl consists of originally temporary residences but converted over time to more permanent use. Though heavily repurposed, there was an identifiable refinery and the remains of industrial vehicles within the larger residential area. There was significant damage to both residential areas upon recontact, but of significantly different natures. The smaller partition of the residential tower was attacked by energy weapons while the larger residential area showed widespread signs of fire damage. Peculiarly, while the larger residential area has been repaired , the smaller showed no signs of repair and had been partially flooded upon discovery.
4. Best estimates project that E26 had a productive capacity to support a comfortable population of approximately nine hundred, and infrastructure for the habitation for a comfortable population of approximately two thousand. However, total residences included in both residential sectors indicate an original population in excess of six thousand at peak. This is supported by the large volumes of human remains and survivor testimony.
5. E26 is no longer extant, refer [Detected Bohr/Einstein Exotic Wave Force Actualisation event no.4; 'First direct observation of Static Wave Force Manipulation'].
>>Condensed report forwarded for personal perusal by Undersecretary of Humanitarian Affairs A.M. Cambridge as per UNHCR executive directive 651.2. The settlement was a Valkyrie constructed, self sufficient, enclosed and fortified arcology, arranged around two primary residential complexes recessed at an average of 38 meters below ground, one of a radius of approximately 300 meters and the other approximately 120 meters in radius. Much like E16 and E21, E26 appears to have organically grown from the parent settlement under pressure from Antagonists, and displays the same signs of haste in that the ceiling is undecorated and has a median clearance of only seven meters from street level. Between the two primary habitats is a strip of food production and minor manufacturing sites. The fortification of E26 was formidable, consisting of well disguised and unusually sophisticated batteries of laser and particle weaponry (See [Plasma aperture design proposal XTKB-1] and [Electron acceleration chamber design proposal XRS-1]. Despite the technological sophistication of the system, partial study found that the defence system appeared to be insufficiently powered, with some power connections traced to dead ends with no source of incoming energy.
3. The residential structures, streets, and layout of the twin settlements remained essentially unchanged from pre-Impact construction styles, despite having been moved at some point. While unified in architectural era, the two different living spaces show significant differences in style. The smaller residential area consists of larger permanent housing structures in a condensed urban layout, and the larger residential sprawl consists of originally temporary residences but converted over time to more permanent use. Though heavily repurposed, there was an identifiable refinery and the remains of industrial vehicles within the larger residential area. There was significant damage to both residential areas upon recontact, but of significantly different natures. The smaller partition of the residential tower was attacked by energy weapons while the larger residential area showed widespread signs of fire damage. Peculiarly, while the larger residential area has been repaired , the smaller showed no signs of repair and had been partially flooded upon discovery.
4. Best estimates project that E26 had a productive capacity to support a comfortable population of approximately nine hundred, and infrastructure for the habitation for a comfortable population of approximately two thousand. However, total residences included in both residential sectors indicate an original population in excess of six thousand at peak. This is supported by the large volumes of human remains and survivor testimony.
5. E26 is no longer extant, refer [Detected Bohr/Einstein Exotic Wave Force Actualisation event no.4; 'First direct observation of Static Wave Force Manipulation'].
XxXxXxXxXx
"Does the Undersecretary really read everything? Like, everything?"
"Nah, not everything, just everything about the camps and other towns and stuff."
"So uh– everything then."
"…Yeah, far as I can tell, yeah. Once she got her hands on a Valk core, pretty much yep."
"Wow, the overuse penalties must be killer."
"Probably… but you know… wait, I shouldn't say, never mind."
"You always do this. Just freaking tell me."
"It's just rumours y'know… and you didn't hear it from me, but the Undersecretary, you've seen how she looks right?"
"If you're going to have a wank about how she looks again–"
"No! No, but you've seen the Secretary General, her dad, right? And here's a pic of her mom."
"Do I want to know why you have a pic of the wife of the big boss?"
"It's the bloody net, man! This is the last damn time I try to lead you through– look, the Undersecretary. She doesn't look much like them does she?"
"So she might be adopted, wouldn't be the first, and fits with what the big boss always says to do."
"No but… look, couple years, or ten or something back, something big went down in Public Order in, like, Copenhagen."
"Copenhagen is under thirty feet of AGs."
"Siberia then, somewhere north, whatever. The thing is… uh…"
"Yeah?"
"There's lotta of rumours around that, some disturbing shit, but they say that they were trying to make artificial Valkyries or something. Humans who are guaranteed to be able to use Valk cores. The Undersecretary is one of them."
"Oh really? That'd be pretty amazing. I hope there's a couple more where she came from then."
"Yeah. Would help us a ton, ay? Anyways, did you hear what Hischer been up to with the allocation system in the east? You won't bloody believe this…"
–Conversation overheard at a pub.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Well, it shouldn't really surprise you that I'm going to focus on how you can defeat Cadet Wulandari," Professor (temporary) Yukari announced, pacing next to her lectern. To her side, Associate Professor (temporary) Sandra sat, politely waiting to interject with any helpful knowledge.
The entire flight was in attendance for this quick review. Koujirou and Setsuna sat alert and attentive at the front of the classroom, while Shuri waited passively two rows behind. A few chairs to the side of the other Ace, Anna had awkwardly folded her long frame into a seat.
"You've both already completed your reviews of her matches against Cadet Cambridge, correct? With her most recent performance in mind, give me a summary of Cadet Wulandari. Koujirou?"
"Uh, right! Her style against other Valkyries is as close to conventional anti-High Level AG combat, to the extent that such solo styles exist: an aggressive approach front-loaded with missiles for medium and close range energy combat, leveraging superior Impeller strength and power generation to destroy the target in a minimum amount of time."
"Mmm… Setsuna?"
"Cadet Wulandari uses a textbook approach to combat against inferior opposition. With full confidence in superior power density and durability, she closes and... well, bludgeons the opposition to death with whichever weapon so happens to be charged at the time."
"You are both correct. Cadet Wulandari can be summarised in one word: predictable. Yes, it's very predictable what she will do, and it's very predictable that she will win against either of you while doing it."
Yukari dropped the bomb casually, but neither Koujirou nor Setsuna batted an eye. Koujirou dipped his head in acknowledgement and Setsuna leaned forwards, silent.
"That said, let's review what exactly went down in the battle against Sandra. Koujirou, did you notice any habits that you could possibly exploit and how you would do so?"
Koujirou nodded and answered, tone businesslike, "Syifa has enough Impeller and engine power to make for a low orbital route as her first action in every round, seeding sensor drones on her way up. However, with the plasma sheath, she is blind for the first minute of ascent. Since she starts on the same ascension route every time, it's possible to intercept her and close to intercept."
Yukari wrote down the suggestion and flicked it off to float on the holo projector with a sharp nod.
"Good, and you Setsuna?"
"Cadet Wulandari is too willing to trade her Impeller integrity against her opponent, relying on her greater flat field volume. Twice, Sandra managed to draw her into trading alpha strikes with reactor-tapped plasma projectors while Sandra had reactor charge advantage. Cadet Wulandari is careless in her damage mitigation, so it might be possible to lure her into a series of trades where she loses more Impeller than she wishes to."
Yukari again nodded and flicked the suggestion off to float on the holo projector.
"Before we go any further you two, have a look at these two suggestions, the first ones to come to your minds," Yukari said, waving at the two bullet points, "How would you describe these tactics?"
The first year pair paused at this, trading an uncertain glance. Setsuna shrugged a shoulder and Koujirou minutely shook his head.
"Ask," Shuri grunted from behind them.
"Uh, we're not sure," Setsuna peeped up first.
"Desperation."
Yukari's one word reply was flat. She waved a hand, and statistical chances of success appeared. The magnitude of red across the results screen spoke for itself, the percentages practically sneering at the chances of either of the two plans succeeding. A smaller screen floated to the side, running more variations of the plans through a simulation, and the percentages of successful runs only shrank.
"For us, desperation is not such a negative trait," Yukari continued. "Grasping at straws might find a hidden thread of silk, able to carry you up."
"You will, of course, need more than a single tactic in a best of five series," Yukari shrugged, quickly bringing Koujirou and Setsuna back down to Earth.
With a clap, their surroundings dissolved, revealing the simulator's default setting: the dusty red dirt surrounding Perth.
Nue's subdued grey and green replaced Yukari's cadet whites.
"So then, we've analysed Syifa quite extensively. Together, we will be playing the part of Cadet Wulandari in today's exercises. Take this time to find another two strings. Setsuna, you're against me first."
Sandra, politely silent until that point, stood. Albion's red, blue and white plates slammed into place around her.
"I admit to feeling some frustration at my poor performance the other day. Thus, don't feel any obligation to show me undue courtesy. Have at you, Koujirou."
As the four other cadets erupted into the air for their starting positions, Shuri folded her arms behind her head and stretched back into a shrub, ignoring the thorns sliding off her Impeller. In perfect contrast at her side, Anna squirmed in place, wringing her hands anxiously and looking back and forth between the two pairs before gingerly sitting down on a rock, hugging her knees to her chest.
XxXxXxXxXx
Wednesday comes far too quickly for your tastes. You sit in the air, idly bouncing on your Impeller, watching anxiously at the spectacle playing out below.
Koujirou had drawn first today against Flight Three's leader Emily Hartman-Kenzler.
The two are currently shaking hands, but as Koujirou made to withdraw, Emily hangs on.
"So uh, Koujirou, what's Setsuna's deal? She made an utter mess out of Josie," Emily asks conversationally, still grasping Koujirou hand tightly, "Before you ask, it def wasn't accidental or anything. She went out there to make a point. Josie sure got it and, well, s'not really fun having a roommate who's all weepy."
"Um, was she?" Koujirou replies, "I don't know, really. She's hard to understand sometimes."
"She was trying to show off to you, wasn't she?" Emily asked, a suspicious slant to her mouth, "Were you impressed?"
"Oh! Oh yeah, that sounds like her," Koujirou laughs with a look of sudden comprehension, "Yeah I reckon she could have been trying to show me up, she's really competitive like that. We'll, I'll make sure to match up today."
"No, that's not–"
"Anyways Emily, good luck, no hard feelings no matter how these matches go, alright?"
"Yeah, sure… no hard feelings, on my part."
Instructor Meyer's head makes an audible bonk as she tilts forwards into the command consoles. You keep an eye on her, but you know from her physiology that such an impact could not have hurt her.
"Why is a boy in my damn class? I can't deal with this. I never had a boyfriend of my own anyway…"
Thankfully for her, Instructor Meyer had not been broadcasting when she made that particular confession, but the topic itself draws some heat to your cheeks as the scene changes to the first alpine arena.
"What do you think Anna, how do we deal with that level of denseness from Koujirou?" Instructor Meyer asks, turning her head to look at you, still leaning against the console.
The two of you had already started casting, but there is a noticeable delay in your response as you scramble to come up with an answer to the rhetorical question, allocating more and more mental resources to it. Surely Instructor Meyer isn't expecting you of all people to have an answer ready for that??? You– you didn't play around with the boys, you weren't that kind of girl!
"I– I don't know what you are talking about, if a b-boy is interested in someone, he'll let them know," you state firmly.
Yes. Firmly, you needed to quash any uncertainty about your character right now–
"What if a girl is interested in a boy, how does she let them know?"
"I– I dunno? She'd– she would have to– um, tell him?"
Meyer is now looking at you with a small smile and you unconsciously scoot a little bit away from the older woman.
"So… why don't you tell Koujirou you like him?"
You blink at that, thrown off the rails by the suggestion.
"Koujirou? Um, I'm not. Interested in Koujirou, I mean."
Why would the Instructor have that idea? You two are friends and comrades, but you're pretty sure Koujirou isn't interested in you. He has Setsuna after all.
Meyer raises an eyebrow, but leans forward a little in interest, "Oh really? Well, why not?"
You hem and haw, it felt a little mean to talk about Koujirou like this, but well, you had to dismiss any mistaken impressions the Instructor had.
"He's well, not really manly," you respond haltingly, "He's too… pretty, really. And short. And thin. Also he's not interested in me, I don't think."
"So you like your men big, hairy and lusty? That's something we have in common," Instructor Meyer grins at you.
"No!?" you squeak, flapping your hands to bat the suggestion away, "I– I– I'm only here to cast the competitions! No more talking about boyfriends!"
"Aww alright."
XxXxXxXxXx
"Shuri, it may be my imagination, but I feel like the commentary has been growing rather… awkward."
"Don't look at the caster's box, Sandra."
"Must you always arouse my curiosity so, Shuri? Well this time, I shall not look over."
"Gotcha."
"Shuri!"
XxXxXxXxXx
With a cough, you turn the majority of your attention back to the competition, just in time for you to declare the end of the first round and for Meyer to announce the break in the rounds. Mountains, glaciers and forests melt away back into the default flat plains, and the next assessment for the squadron is given out. This time, there are no individual assessments in the form of written analysis, rather, assessments by entire flights. These reports are purely reflections after the match, rather than one prediction and one review. You send in a response of your own, only to find that Shuri had already covered all salient points.
Huffing in irritation, you retract your original report and work on expanding on points with your own analysis only to find Shuri doing the same. A brief edit war occurs as the two of you revise points to be more and more detailed, adding alternative points of view and arguments for and against those points.
Sandra however cuts you and Shuri off as she locks editing permissions with the note that the reply is meant to be only two thousand words with a five percent margin of error. It was not supposed to be two hundred thousand words and rapidly increasing.
Down below, Setsuna boggles at her datapad before tossing it back into storage with an exasperated huff. Sandra quickly accosts the other girl before she can fall into a sulk and the two begin to edit the report down to something manageable. Of course, neither Meyer nor Leonhart would have any issues reading and digesting the report in seconds, but it's a bad habit to form since it would confound normal humans and… probably most Valkyries cadets wouldn't have an easy time either.
You look on sheepishly as Setsuna sits hunched, her hands bunched in her twintails as she blankly watches her datapad auto-scroll through the pages upon pages of text and diagrams you and Shuri had created. You'd written around one hundred and thirty thousand words and Shuri ninety thousand in the fifteen or so seconds you two had had. You're not at all sure when the two of you would have stopped if all five minutes had been allowed.
Despite their best efforts, Sandra and Setsuna are only able to cut the word count to ninety thousand before the deadline arrives. Shuri and you both wrote in a laconic style that's basically impossible to compress, so Sandra had resorted to outright deleting the speculative scenarios and much of the for and against arguments you and Shuri had written.
Sending off a contrite apology to the rest of your Flight, you focus back onto the match as the second round begins.
Just like the last round, Koujirou and Emily both burn for altitude and then, upon spotting each other, directly for each other, gaining speed. A bright pair of exhaust pillars spiking up from the dusty buildings and curving for intercept.
With their direct approach, there isn't any room for antics with drones or sensor play. The highest airspeed at which a drone can be deployed, even the tough hunter killers, is a little above one and a half kilometer per second. Koujirou and Emily have both surpassed that speed and are still accelerating.
In the last round, it had been a similarly straightforward approach until Emily had fired a particle cannon at one hundred kilometers out. Koujirou had absorbed the attack with his melee halberd in response and used the energy to form a plasma booster, rapidly closing distance at much higher speeds than he'd ever displayed before. It had honestly been a remarkable display of Impeller strength and coherence that he'd managed to pull the manoeuvre off. Of course, if that had been the limit of what Koujirou had in store, Emily's follow up XHEAP missiles would have struck him from the sky. Somehow, Koujirou had managed to also absorb the explosions from the powerful missiles and redirect all that energy back at Emily.
All these details had been idling in your mind, but it's only now that you properly digest it. You entertain a faint suspicion that that Meyer sometimes segues onto topics that are incredibly distracting on purpose, but that didn't really fit the Instructor's character in your opinion.
Again, Emily takes the direct intercept route and her particle cannon crackles with energy, but she holds fire, leaving the energy weapon charged as a silent warning. With a white glow, interceptor missiles begin expressing themselves from her storage, until her frame is practically bristling with the short range missiles from both racks and hardpoints.
Again, Koujirou flies out to meet her head-on.
As they close on each other, tension rises in your throat and your commentary grows terse. Simulations run through your mind, straining to find any possible points of failure in the simulator and cut them off before they can eventuate. However the simulator is nearly perfect in theory and practice, the only blindspot being a Valkyrie allowing damage through Impeller unmitigated–
Koujirou takes several interceptor missiles strikes directly and you feel a breath of relief sigh out when all the damage is directly offset by his Impeller. It looked like he isn't trying anything dumb. Just yet, anyway.
This round, Emily has apparently sworn off higher energy weaponry and is determined to grind Koujirou down through a thousand cuts. Interceptor missiles and VML slugs erupt towards Koujirou, who can only respond every so often with a molten stream of HVC rounds.
Emily plays it very carefully however, staying at the outer edges of Koujirou's maximum effective range and constantly accelerating away, using their relative air velocity to shorten his range and increase her own reaction time. Kandakara has more numerous and powerful thrusters on a lighter frame, but being forced into constant manoeuvring by Emily prevents him from making proper use of his acceleration advantage.
You analyse the likely outcomes and find yourself identifying no likely winner in the current situation. It's a contest that could swing either way. Koujirou's offensive power output is far greater than Emily's now that she isn't using her energy weaponry, but emergency thrusters fling the cadet to the side every time Koujirou fires, allowing her to dodge the immensely powerful direct fire weapon, often by bare meters. Even getting winged by the stream will knock her off balance, and in the time she would take to recover, Koujirou could close into melee range with VMAX thrust. For Koujirou, even though Emily is not doing massive damage to his Impeller in chunks, the relatively minor impacts from VML rounds and missiles still adds up quickly. Once his Impeller is weakened past a certain point, Emily could choose to daringly close in and begin trading Impeller unevenly in Koujirou's favour, yet still win thanks to his deficit.
The tipping point is close and you watch, still tense with worry that Koujirou would do something dumb with his Impeller in order to win and get hurt because of it. As the tipping point towards a likely victory approaches closer and closer, you only grow more and more worried.
"Hey, Anna," Instructor Meyer pats you on the arm gently, "You're worried about Cadet Rokusabe, right? Don't worry, we've seen his simulator records. Cereza's already on watch for that sort of thing."
>Explain further.
Your reply is terse and sent through high density comms, most of your attention raptly watching the soon to end battle. Projections place a fifty percent chance that the match will end within twenty seconds, additionally twenty-five percent expect a conclusion within the next twelve seconds. Watching the energy levels and direction of thrust from the two cadet Valkyries, the placement of weaponry and state of Impeller fields, you carefully adjust your simulated scenarios. Koujirou doing something stupid is a state that achieves peak probability at either seven or thirteen seconds from now.
>Cereza is watching from a closed off space just to their side like we are. She's ready for any possible dangerous energy leak.
The Instructor decides to reciprocate and speaks through comms as well, saving a lot of time.
>We did review our simulator practices, especially after that boy got himself hurt. In this kind of setting, even though the simulator delivers the blunted energy equivalent of any piercing attack, there would still be a non negligible possibility of death if a simulated attack is passed through an Impeller, especially if the field is kept below fifteen centimeters in thickness from vitals. The Higgs impulse wave wouldn't degrade into imaginary force fast enough in such cases.
Instructor Meyer sends you junk data? No, it's an… abstract virtual expression of worry? You suppose that this is the equivalent of an emoji in high density comms.
>So, Cereza is concentrating right now on watching for any attacks that are passing Impeller fields when they should not be.
That reminds you… you spare a bit of concentration to enquire on what Instructor Leonhart is doing right now. You view the information the simulator returns to you with some bemusement. Instructor Leonhart is floating in a subspace, completely empty aside from a refracted scene as the simulator projects down the battle between the cadets from the main arena. She can watch the battle in real time from her subspace, in fact, she is slightly ahead of you and Instructor Meyer, since she has less light speed delay to factor in.
So Instructor Leonhart would be the one to react against any shenanigans. You relax somewhat, but still hover a metaphorical finger over the eject button, ready to send either cadet into a safe space the instant something silly occurs.
>There's a pretty high chance Cadet Rokusabe will do something silly around three seconds from now, right? We did a little pattern analysis and we think that's around when anything will probably happen.
You send back a surprised affirmative, then take a moment to think.
>The Instructors also expected Koujirou to attempt allowing partial damage through his Impeller?
Meyer sends back a laugh and Leonhart answers in her stead.
>He is our student after all. A nice boy, but almost a little too determined in some aspects.
Almost too determined. There is such a state? Then again, you think about the utter recklessness of some of Koujirou's suggestions during lessons with a mental wince; you concur and wryly send your agreement. Then, after a moment considering yesterday's practice sessions, you amend the sentiment, but leave it unvoiced. You're not really sure the lessons stuck deeply enough for Koujirou to actually heed them in battle.
Three seconds pass in silence, at least on the direct communications line. Instructor Meyer and you are still talking up a storm through the commentary as the action grows frenetic. Emily is no longer flying away from Koujirou and now slowly allowing the distance to drop, her energy weapons now charging. The instant in time you mentally labeled 'Peak Koujirou #1' passes without incident.
You can see Koujirou's face screwing up in a grimace of frustration as his Impeller dips lower and lower, and yet he is unable to hit Emily a single time with his own hypervelocity cannon in return.
Emily continues patiently leading Koujirou around the arena, keeping a steady twelve-to-fourteen kilometers of distance between the two of them. The time you labelled Peak Koujirou #2' approaches as Koujirou's Impeller begins dropping to dangerously low levels.
Defying your expectations however, Koujirou visibly calms down, the frustrated furrows in his brows smoothing out into nearly calm and contemplative mask.
Koujirou inverts his course and, smashing through the thin cloud of interceptor missiles behind him, rapidly flies away from Emily. Emily hesitates instead of immediately chasing, enough for Koujirou to escape her immediate range. He steadies out at a distance of fifty or so kilometers; well out of the effective engagement envelope of VMLs and interceptor missiles against a Valkyrie frame like Kandakara. There, he hovers and begins deploying a screen of drones.
Emily finally gives chase once she realises that Koujirou had not been setting up a trap, then abruptly changes plans; rising and snapping off a shot from her still charged particle cannon. Koujirou jerks aside just in time, losing two recently deployed drones, but avoiding the brunt of the attack.
With that, the balance of the battle is reset.
Emily hovers, deploying her own drones, changing her missile loadout and recharging her particle cannon, whereas Koujirou regenerates his Impeller and continues deploying drones.
Emily's actions are sharp with irritation and she begins a cautious approach towards Koujirou, clearly off put by the other cadet's choice to disengage rather than continue chasing. Both Valkyries are now surrounded by a deathball of drones and missiles, and despite it being the safer, more conventional tactic when operating as a solo unit, this isn't the preferred style of either combatant here.
You jump up and down a little, pumping your fist in silent celebration, before slamming yourself back down into your seat and politely folding your hands across your knees as Meyer throws an inquisitive glance your way. Inside however, you are still brimming with excitement.
Koujirou is being sensible. Koujirou is being sensible.
Yukari and Sandra had both talked themselves to exhaustion trying to teach him, and it actually stuck.
You calm yourself quickly and assess their current situation as the part of you casting prods for it, noting that Emily is making a wary advance, keeping her formation subsonic.
You review the disposition in force and note the significant disparity in favour of Emily in munition throw weight. Most of that advantage was a result of– you switch gears and simply pass on your conclusions to your caster personality.
>"She still holds a powerful advantage in this matchup, wielding the longer ranged frame weaponry, ready to destroy Koujirou's drone force at range."
>"What are Koujirou's choices here? He's just stuck again isn't he?"
>"We have to keep a close eye on the ranges, Emily has to leave the protection of her own drone force to deliver effective fire against Koujirou's drones past his intercepting fire, however, if she gets too close, Koujirou can charge her down."
>"Then, what if Emily brings her own drone force closer?"
>"That only allows Koujirou more opportunity to force the confrontation with his own drone swarm."
>"But that's exactly what Emily is doing, she's moving her entire force up behind her."
>"The dust storm is closing in. Emily will want to use her drones while she still can. She is willing to attempt to outfight Koujirou in a direct confrontation."
Part of you continues chatting away with Meyer as the rest of you carefully watches the deployment patterns of the two cadets. Koujirou has formed a rough spearhead assault formation, with hunter killers at the fore, cruiser missiles arching up high, missile sleds at the rear and sensor drones scattered to the sides. Emily leads a less conservative stormfront formation, cruise missiles upfront, with hunter killers and missile sleds in a broad wing behind them.
Again, the simulated scenarios you run through your head come up frustratingly indecisive, you can't predict with any certainty how this clash will end.
The dust storm now looms over the arena, a wall of dust streaked through with lightning stretching fifteen kilometers into the air. It's shadow raced out ahead of the wall to cover the entire city and its outskirts.
The leading elements of the two forces collide.
Missiles streak across the sky as Emily and Koujirou both spend their first actions directing intercepting and disrupting fire toward each other's missile waves. Explosions erupt as drones and missiles are spent, the exchange rate heavily in Emily's favour as nearly all of her weapon systems speak their fury. Plasma and railgun rounds scar the skies, drones and missiles fall detonate and shower the ground below with debris in response.
She is only allowed a short grace to fire unimpeded, then Emily is forced back as Koujirou approaches, barely dodging the leading blast of hypervelocity rounds. Retreating back into her own waves of drones, she changes targets to Koujirou, occasionally redirecting fire to swat a hostile missile.
This time, Koujirou is determined to catch Emily in melee. As his own hunter killers begin engaging Emily's in direct fire, Koujirou focuses, ignoring a strike from one of Emily's cruise missiles and exploding forwards at maximum speed. Emily makes for an emergency burn, trying to dodge, but unlike a stream of hypervelocity cannon rounds, Koujirou can redirect.
Koujirou slams into Emily. The explosion of plasma as their melee halberds clash destroys the hasty minefield Emily had been attempting to deploy, filling the air with even more explosions as Koujirou forces Emily back.
Koujirou does another one of his weird fancy arm movements and with a flourish, Emily is suddenly being dragged after her melee halberd as the Impeller over her helmet smacks into Koujirou's rising knee. You run the motion through your head a few times, considering the move, he'd manipulated their centers of mass and axis of thrust, then locked the two melee halberds in such a way that he could drag Emily around.
Emily is flipped backwards by the force, nearly losing her grip on her melee halberd.
You lean forwards in concern; the melee blow had transferred a lot of energy directly into Emily's Impeller. A moment later however, you relax minutely, the energy had been neutralised before really affecting her body and it's only disorientation at suddenly spinning that caused the stunned reaction from Emily.
The next blow promises to be even more extreme, as Koujirou lifts his sword in both hands and brutally chops down like an executioner. Emily manages to somehow interpose her own lance and the two blades clashing sends her onto a meteoric course directly for the ground. However, she had left a gift for Koujirou before he struck.
A quartet of XHEAP missiles float in the air next to Koujirou, expressed from Emily's storage just before she had been sent plummeting. Koujirou freezes for a moment, then ignoring the missiles, which Emily had not the time to warm up before deploying, he begins chasing Emily.
Emily regains control of her flight and continues flying directly downwards, away from Koujirou. She fires a shot from her particle cannon, Koujirou snaps to the side and dodges the beam– allowing it to hit Emily's secondary target. An XHEAP missile instantly detonates upon its warhead being pierced by the high energy particle beam, and the sympathetic reaction sets off the rest. Koujirou's measured charge leading with his hypervelocity cannon becomes a completely uncontrolled tumble towards Emily as the explosions buffet him.
Emily crashes down into the top of a highrise and raises her plasma projector. Electricity crackles around the rails, setting alight the dust swirling around her for a brief instant before a blinding pillar of reactor fed plasma thunders up to meet Koujirou.
Koujirou again displays that strange sudden burst of skill that sometimes comes over him and instantly rights himself from his wild tumble. He almost delicately shifts to the side and stabs his sword into the massive wave of plasma as it roars harmlessly by. With his thrusters bright with stolen energy, he essentially rides down Emily's attack in an absurdly showy spiral, cutting the attack into a helix behind him.
To your side, Meyer slaps both hands over her face and groans loudly. Leonhart broadcasts a second of completely blank audio. You tilt your head in considerable confusion as you try to justify what that stunt gained Koujirou.
Emily halts her plasma attack and ignites her melee halberd, swinging upwards to meet Koujirou. However, his sword is still in its unusual absorb energy mode and the blade simply cuts through Emily's own melee halberd, siphoning away its plasma as it does so. Gracefully, Koujirou swings his sword, depositing the collected plasma in front of Emily. For a brief moment, it remains stable in the air, a trail of plasma following along the path of Koujirou's cut.
Koujirou sheaths his sword and turns around.
The trail of plasma explodes.
>>Victor: Rokusabe Koujirou
As the scenery settles back into what you've begun to label the 'intermission setting' of the flat and uninteresting plains, you stand and look down towards where your flight are waiting together on the stands.
Koujirou is standing at the edge of his preparation platform, waving up at the rest of the flight. Sandra, Yukari and Setsuna politely wave back, Sandra with her usual smile while Setsuna and Yukari sport exasperated frowns. Shuri doesn't look happy at all. The golden armoured Valkyrie twirls one finger in the air then draws a slow slash, an obvious reference to Koujirou's manoeuvres at the end of the last round. Shuri then clenches a fist so hard there is a small pop from the sonic boom of her fingers closing, and choosing to further underline the gesture, she shakes her fist threateningly.
Koujirou baulks and sheepishly shuffles, before spreading his arms in an expressive shrug.
You blow out your own sigh at that. Koujirou wouldn't try something so inefficient in an actual battle against Antagonists would he?
This time, Flight review of the match is filled with uncertainty. Shuri and you both sat out after writing a quick, five hundred word summation of your respective viewpoints. It had been difficult, but you managed to present a balanced viewpoint of the entire match without dedicating more than one hundred words on that bizarre move at the end of the match.
As you wait for Sandra and Setsuna to collate the report, you think about the moments before the ending moves. Specifically the close-in moves that Koujirou had used to force Emily back before the blow that had thrown her towards the ground. Yukari had explained to you that it was some Asian martial arts thing. Koujirou had attempted to demonstrate it on you, but then he got all grabby and you had gently but insistently picked him up and thrown him to the other side of the room. You idly wonder if such a thing would be of any use to you, before shelving the thought. Initial simulations disparaged the idea, your physical capabilities are too disconnected from your body to make use of such techniques. If you have something in melee range and your Impeller is otherwise occupied, forcing you to directly use your frame… you probably would cut a swath into your target with your melee halberd and then invade the target with Durga and destroy it from the inside.
Koujirou and Emily step up for their handshake and you compose yourself, discarding some idle thoughts and focusing back onto the coming match. The strange architecture of the Antagonists grows from the walls as the simulator shifts the scenery into the arena for the third round and both contestants spawn.
Your fellow caster however, continues to be distracted.
"Oh for goodness sakes, spare me," Meyer sighs, rubbing her eyes.
"What is it?" you query.
"There's a lot of analysis from other flights which can be summarised as 'Koujirou is so cool, I want to do that thing he did at the end!' and drivel along those lines. My red pen is going to see some work today," groused Meyer, before she perks up and shoots you a sly grin, "Actually, it's all Cereza's responsibility to use the red pen, I got to play good cop this year."
Instructor Leonhart makes an incomprehensible noise of complaint at that, but doesn't object.
You go back to watching the match as events proceed along very, very quickly.
Emily appears to like how she'd played this last time around in her match against Milia and already, XHEAP missiles are plunging into the various side tunnels off the main construction hub. Emily didn't bother setting up a sensor net as she tried to do last time, simply flying directly into the primary chamber at best speed, XHEAPs already loaded. She's looking for a fight in the most chaotic environment possible.
Explosions rock the arena and again, the chaotic yet somehow graceful Antagonist architecture begins collapsing on itself everywhere around Emily. Koujirou, still in a side tunnel when Emily began her rampage, tentatively pokes his head into the main chamber, taking in what exactly all the noise is about.
For a silent moment, he watches the streaks of light flash across the chambers and shambolic collapse of much of the central chamber, before coming to an abrupt decision. He braces himself and fires a long stream of hyper velocity cannon rounds into the central reactor, then flees.
The entire complex seems to lurch– and the central reactor explodes, with Emily nearly directly above it.
>>Victor: Rokusabe Koujirou
>>Fifth set, victory by Cadet Rokusabe Koujirou three rounds to zero
You raise an eyebrow. What a practical and direct way to finish the match, this is one of the shortest rounds so far.
The arena resets to the intermission setting and Koujirou and Emily materialise on the ready stage.
Emily stumbles and falls to her knees while Koujirou tumbles gracelessly down with a big sigh, the tension draining out of his body as he lies there, staring at the sky.
For a few seconds both cadets simply stay where they are, neither bothering to move.
Koujirou leaps to his feet with a gusty sigh, walking towards Emily, "Hey Emily, good matches–"
Emily smashes the floor with her fists. Shards of marble hiss and ricochet across the platform.
You don't really recall moving, but all of a sudden you're standing just to the side of Koujirou, a few tiny flecks of marble bouncing off your Impeller. To your side, Leonhart has unclasped her hands from behind her back and rests them at her sides, but has otherwise taken no action.
"I am. An idiot," Emily declares resolutely at the ground. Standing up, she turns to face Koujirou, "I can't believe I didn't think that you could just blow the reactor from under my feet while I was trying to set up."
"Ah well, you did give me the idea," chuckles Koujirou, then he throws a startled look at you as he bumps into you, "Oh, hello Anna."
You nod in reply as Emily's gaze sharpens at Koujirou's attempted modesty.
"That doesn't make things better for me," she sighs with a pout, "Can't believe I let that happen to me, damn it…"
"Well hey, still, that second round was a spectacle," muses Koujirou as he and Emily retract their frames and shake hands again, "Do you think Setsuna would be impressed with that?"
Emily hangs onto Koujirou's hand, sharp incredulity etched across her face. She raises her left hand up in front of Koujirou and smartly raps him on the forehead twice.
"Ow! Hey! What's that for?"
"Hm, strange, it doesn't sound hollow."
You breath out and relax as Koujirou chases after Emily off the stage, still rubbing at his forehead and demanding answers as the girl completely ignores him.
XxXxXxXxXx
"For our sixth set, would Cadet Masaya Setsuna from Flight One and Cadet Syifa Wulandari from Flight Two please make your way to the staging platform where Instructor Leonhart is waiting."
You drum your fingers on your knees before you clamp down on the habit. While you had been worried about Koujirou possibly doing something dumb in his matches against Emily, you are fairly sure that you could have mitigated any true physical damage against Koujirou. However, you are worried about Setsuna on a more… personal level. Koujirou largely took his defeats in stride, but Setsuna isn't someone who kept moving along like that. She gets upset and obsesses over her own faults; she's somewhat of a perfectionist you suppose.
The two shake hands and deploy their Valkyrie frames, red and gold facing off against deep purple and black. Neither contestant says anything at all, waiting silently for the round to begin.
When Setsuna loses – and you are certain that Setsuna will lose if Syifa put any serious effort in at all – you're not sure how well Setsuna will recover from the defeat. Your mind, unbidden, retrieves the reports detailing the effects of success and failure in a public arena and the overall long term effects. Setsuna's own psych profile had been amended by the Instructors as being 'resilient and stubborn, not particularly given to influence by social pressure', but you still worried for the small girl.
You shake your head. You… weren't the best counsellor, but you'll do your best! And Yukari would too, so would Sandra and Koujirou would try to make things better and succeed maybe. Setsuna will be fine.
The first round starts and, immediately, Syifa repeats the same course of action she takes at the start of rounds on open arenas, ascending at full thrust directly for orbit. Sandra had attempted to intercept with particle beams, but Syifa had enough Impeller that the one strike that hit, she could absorb. Setsuna, knowing Syifa's habit, went far further.
Two dozen XHEAP missiles launched, an impressive six on active guidance, with the rest set on contact fuses and fired for hopeful direct impacts. There is almost no chance that the dumb fire missiles would hit, but the threat that they are under active guidance missiles forces Syifa to pay attention to each of them.
Syifa does not bother reacting at first, breaking into the thermosphere and continuing to accelerate, the lack of air resistance now allowing the cadet to continue picking up speed without serious strain on her Impeller. While the distance between the two Valkyries is still nearly a thousand kilometers, Syifa's ascent allowed the two to gain direct line of sight on each other. The XHEAP missiles break through the first 20km of atmosphere faster than the Valkyrie does and arc up to meet her, now nearly unrestricted in range once they are past the densest part of the atmosphere.
Syifa arcs sharply away, taking a wild evasive route. As soon as she sees which XHEAP missiles correct their course, she begins firing disciplined volleys of laser and particle intercepting fire. Even at a quarter charge, the particle cannon is powerful enough to detonate the XHEAP missiles with direct hits and while the combat laser couldn't burn through the warhead cap on the missiles, striking them obliquely would blind their guidance reception systems located on the tails of the missiles. Setsuna adapts, unperturbed by the destruction of her guided missiles, switching her guidance lasers onto other missiles, redirecting them at Syifa. However, the other cadet reacts just as smoothly, attacking the now actively guided missiles without any hesitation.
It takes barely half a minute for all twenty four missiles to be destroyed or sent well off course– but Setsuna already has another wave of two dozen on their way before the last of the first wave are destroyed.
Syifa continues destroying the missiles as she closes– but Setsuna launches another wave of twenty four, and Syifa is forced to come to a stop at a distance of four hundred kilometers from the other cadet, unable to intercept the constant barrage of missiles quickly enough to risk closing further. Syifa's Impeller flickers as she brushes against several clouds of exotic matter miasma released by the destroyed XHEAP missiles, the debris fields continuing on their last trajectories even as their containers are destroyed.
Setsuna continues launching XHEAP missiles in a constant barrage; out of curiosity, you enquire on her loadout requisition for these matches. Setsuna had completely scorned drones aside from decoys, cruise missiles and standard mid-range missiles, arguing that such weapons are useless in a duel against a Enlisted rating Valkyrie. She had doubled down on XHEAP missiles, loading a massive arsenal of one hundred and forty four XHEAPs, with a pair of decoys as her sole other deployable equipment. That is the regulation limit for the most XHEAP missiles a non Ace rank Valkyrie could carry into battle and you can see Sandra had needed to exchange a very extended series of messages with Instructor Leonhart to allow Setsuna such a loadout. Even then, Setsuna needed to compromise, she originally wanted the maximum deployment allowance of two hundred and sixty XHEAP missiles, a privilege only certain Aces enjoyed, but that request was rejected outright.
Even with such a loadout… you're not certain of Setsuna's plan in this scenario. Syifa had taken minor damage from the miasma she was running into, the lack of atmosphere allowing the damaging debris to propagate at the speeds of the missiles at their time of destruction, but Setsuna is already on her fifth wave of two dozen missiles. Once Setsuna fired her next and final wave–
Setsuna deploys a decoy, leaving a dozen XHEAP missiles to heat up next to it, and lashes herself onto a pair of XHEAP missiles with Impeller whips to fly off after the missiles.
You lean forwards in interest.
Syifa's sensor systems are degraded from the exotic energy miasma and she doesn't appear to catch onto Setsuna's ruse. As the decoy stays in one location for too long with the XHEAP missiles next to it, Syifa snaps a shot from her particle cannon down at the decoy. At half charge, the particle beam barely reaches the surface as a coherent stream. The decoy is annihilated, and one of the missiles that Setsuna left on fail-deadly trigger explodes; throwing up a huge plume of rock and flaming dust. Adding ot the confusion of the ground, powdery snow is thrown into the air the as the explosions trigger avalanches in the surrounding mountainsides.
Syifa doesn't immediately follow up, with her particle cannon depleted for the moment, she pulls into a hard turn and changes course, away from the latest wave of XHEAP missiles, left on their ballistic courses by Setsuna as she closes in. Once she confirms that the missiles should be missing her by a few kilometers or so, Syifa begins moving again to where she had last seen Setsuna.
You feel a smile take over your face, this is pretty smart of Setsuna. Hanging behind a pair of XHEAP missiles, Setsuna waits until Syifa is barely ten kilometers away and redirects the other, formerly wild missiles.
It is a near perfect ambush, but Syifa reacts near perfectly in turn, emergency thrusters pushing her on a route first away, then directly at Setsuna. The XHEAP missiles don't turn to follow. Setsuna can't direct something with receptors on its tail to point its nose at herself without losing control over the missiles.
Setsuna still has the pair of missiles she is hanging onto and she all but throws them at Syifa along with a burst of plasma bolts, but the other cadet unleashes a enormous attack of reactor tapped plasma in response. The XHEAP missiles may have been all but immune to standard plasma attacks, but this is beyond their limits. Both missiles detonate, disrupting the plasma stream. Syifa swoops in, a particle cannon shot spitting sparks as a harsh white line smashes into Setsuna.
Setsuna is barely able to mitigate some of the damage shaping her outer Impeller layer into a angled plane, deflecting some of the energy off rather than directly absorbing it all. She uses her own fully charged reactor and replies with her own reactor charged plasma attack– but cuts it short before it dumps the full load of her reactor and drops a decoy, flying in at maximum thrust after her attack.
Syifa executes a lazy dodge and is scuffed by the plasma beam. Combat lasers streak towards Setsuna's decoy and blast it to pieces. Setsuna herself zooms into zero range of Syifa and a crackling spear of plasma cleaves forward towards Syifa. Syifa barely draws her own melee halberd in time to slap away the attack, pushing her body out of the main line of the attack using the explosion of plasma the brief moment of contact causes.
Setsuna continues closing the distance, changing the arrangement of her melee halberd and kicking at Syifa, releasing a slash of plasma. The other cadet twists around the attack and lashes out with a reverse spinning elbow straight into Setsuna's helmet as the two come into direct melee range.
Setsuna is sent tumbling away by the blow and jerks to a stop as the Impeller whip tethering her to Syifa snaps taut. Syifa swipes at the Impeller whip coiled around her missile pods with her halberd, but neither weapon system seriously damages the other.
Setsuna realigns herself and a glow builds as the remaining half of her reactor charge is channelled into her plasma casters.
Your fists clench in concern. This close, a plasma attack of that magnitude would deal essentially the same damage to both cadets, so Setsuna must be gambling on Syifa having dropped low enough in Impeller for her to be declared the victor and the round to end before the reflected energy reaches her.
Syifa sees the attack coming and tethered to Setsuna as she is, cannot dodge. She reaches out with a hand– and you sigh, slumping in your seat slightly. In the end, this is the result your simulations declared most probable after all. You don't really have the time to cast on exactly what is going on in English to the audience, so you prepare a post mortem speech on the match, as you doubt anyone in the audience can see what Syifa just did aside from Shuri and maybe Yukari.
Setsuna fires– and her plasma impacts an extended portion of Syifa's Impeller placed just ahead of her plasma casters. The stream meets the unyielding surface bare centimeters away from Setsuna's frame and explodes.
>>Victor: Syifa Wulandari
You feel your lips press together in a sympathetic grimace as the simulator resets into the intermission setting. Setsuna stumbles and falls to one knee on her preparation platform, looking stunned. She looks around frantically before what happened becomes apparent and her face twist, blotching red in anger. She stands and glares in Syifa's direction.
The other cadet cooly stands at her own preparation platform, the field completely empty. She had not spent a single deployable in the match after all.
In contrast with Setsuna's near snarl, Syifa simply looks… bored. She glances to the side where the rest of Flight Two waited and nodded politely in acknowledgement of their cheers, waving once, then turns back to stare at Setsuna, waiting.
You could practically feel Setsuna's frustration as the small girl whirls around and begins reloading her expended munitions in preparation for the next round.
As you explain to the audience exactly what had happened at the end there at Meyer's prodding, you see Yukari doing the same for Koujirou and Sandra, leaning over the two and animatedly gesturing at a replay.
You've already submitted your analysis of the match.
…
You feel a little… lonely.
XxXxXxXxXx
Round Two, and Syifa once again ascends for orbit right at the start of the round.
By taking the highest ground everytime, she can trivialise the relatively complex environment on the surface.
Setsuna rushes for the city center while Syifa is still blinded by her plasma sheath, and places a physical decoy on the roof of the highest skyscraper still standing. Rather than gain distance from the decoy, Setsuna walks a few meters until she is the shadow of a dilapidated satellite dish array, expresses some camo net from her storage and wraps it around herself.
Then, she simply sits down and watches the sky.
You're not sure what to make of this. Some form of deception?
Setsuna and Syifa are now simply waiting for the other to make a move.
Syifa is floating in low geosynchronous orbit, her Impeller allowing her to keep position without igniting her engines, watching vigilantly for any signs of Setsuna in the ruined city hundreds of kilometers below.
Setsuna sits, placidly leaning against a utility pole, head thrown back to watch the sky, unconcerned with the passage of time.
You and Meyer fill the time with banter, but as topics run dry as the minutes pass, you two stray further and further away from topical discussion. By the time a move from Syifa snaps your attention back to your commentary, you and Meyer are for whatever reason discussing the downsides of air conditioning and weather control in Arcologies.
The sandstorm is again approaching the city, the looming wall of dust soon ready to smother the city in darkness, breaking any direct observation of the city to and from orbit.
Syifa descends.
Powerful active scans sweeps the city as she hovers fifty or so kilometers above the city.
Almost immediately, she notices the decoy Setsuna left in the open on the roof, but Syifa discerns its nature just as quickly and discards it from notice.
Is this Setsuna's plan? You shake your head as Syifa continues to carelessly descend. Setsuna, shielded from view by both the satellite dishes and her camouflage netting, slowly stands.
The city is now full of movement, the gusty winds preceding the howling gale of the main sandstorm sweeping through the artificial canyons between the buildings. It tugs at buildings and shrubs, pulls at windows, kicking up swathes of debris and dust. The sensor environment rapidly degrades and can only get worse.
Setsuna's inner layer of Impeller darkens, turning opaque and you see the shapes of XHEAP missiles expressing out. Her Impeller control is not quite perfect enough to completely hide the missiles, but Setsuna takes the mundane and practical solution of simply leaving her camo net over her Impeller. You doubt that anyone else watching can see exactly what she is doing, aside from Leonhart with her omniscience field of view in her subspace.
Syifa descends to twenty kilometers, brazenly leaving all her energy weapons charged and unhooded by Impeller in deliberate provocation. In an alpha strike trade between the two frames, it's almost certain that Syifa would win, but Setsuna takes the gamble regardless.
She walks out of cover raises both plasma casters and a unleashes a double stream of reactor charged plasma at Syifa, who is nearly directly overhead.
Rather than dodging, Syifa immediately replies with her own full power plasma caster strike. The two opposing beams collide with a huge fireball, blowing the dust clear from the air and shattering what glass had remained intact across the city.
Setsuna ascends firing her XHEAP missiles, at the same time contorting her Impeller into a tunnel of some kind- wait, this is an absorption technique? You perk up in interest, it looks like Setsuna is trying to copy what Koujirou's sword did.
Syifa fires a full powered particle cannon beam at Setsuna as her missiles clear and at close range, the beam hits Setsuna head on almost immediately.
"Yes!"
You cheer out loud, jumping in your seat slightly as Setsuna manages to completely absorb the attack with her Impeller.
It isn't as efficient as Koujirou's technique, leaving her Impeller layer ragged, but Setsuna's plasma casters glowed with new energy as her XHEAP missiles roared in for their target–
Syifa's frame ignites as she accelerates in one direction, then back, the same dodge she used in the first round against Setsuna. This time however, Setsuna has spread her XHEAP missiles and Syifa isn't able to clear them all. One manages a direct strike on her frame and Syifa tumbles away, smoking. It takes her a mere second to recover and lasers reach out from her frame as she continues her charge, striking Setsuna.
Setsuna unleashes her stored plasma in a final attack.
You gauge the intensity of the attack and sigh slightly.
It just… didn't feel right that Setsuna would try so hard, and yet still lose.
Syifa flies through the plasma beam, boring a turning right through the attack and slashes at Setsuna with her melee halberd. Setsuna raises her own, but fails to block as Syifa twists the attack onto another angle, rotating her entire frame to strike past it. Setsuna tumbles back– and Syifa slams into her, bulling through Setsuna's outer layer of Impeller and grabbing the smaller girl's arm, wrenching open her guard. She raises her axe like weapon, unflinching as a desperate kick and VML rounds from Setsuna are completely turned away by her own Impeller.
You close your eyes.
You didn't want to watch the end.
>>Victor: Syifa Wulandari
XxXxXxXxXx
This time, during the intermission Setsuna doesn't look angry or surprised, simply resigned. She stared morosely at her own feet.
You weren't supposed to do this, but… you open a private channel.
"Hey Setsuna, uh, you can do it, there's still hope."
Setsuna shoots a startled glance up at you.
"We're not supposed to talk– you better not get me in trouble– thanks, Anna."
You throw a slightly uneasy look at Instructor Meyer, but she waves it off with a slight smile.
Setsuna flicks you a thumbs up and shakes her head roughly, sending her twintails flapping in the air, then slaps her cheeks once decisively and huffing out a breath. With renewed energy in her step, Setsuna expresses Kousenjoubi again and turns around to reload her expended munitions.
XxXxXxXxXx
It's the third round within the Antagonist fabrication complex and both Valkyries have reached the central chamber. However, neither Valkyrie appears eager to cross over the main reactor located in the middle of the chamber.
Setsuna is busy at one side of the chamber, setting up elaborate traps with her Impeller whips, keeping a wary eye out for Syifa.
The huge columns scattered across the chamber and holding up the ceiling, combined with the thick miasma prevent either Valkyrie from getting a direct line of sight, providing enough cover for either to sneak across the entire chamber if they are careful.
So of course, Syifa does none of that. A particle stream smashes into the central reactor, and again, as in every nearly every round before this one, it detonates. Violent convulsions wrack the chamber as plasma and molten construction material gush from below and the ceiling collapses from above.
Setsuna glances at the commotion, but doesn't seem too perturbed even as searing plasma continues erupting from the destroyed central reactor. The central chamber is large enough that Setsuna is actually mostly insulated from the ongoing eruption even as the middle sections suffer an apocalypse. Whatever Setsuna's plans are, the rise in the ambient temperatures of around two hundred degrees celsius in her area apparently don't disrupt them.
With no reaction from Setsuna and the eruption from the main reactor dying down, Syifa makes an exaggerated shrug and begins moving across the chamber, casually dodging drips of molten rock from the ceiling and wild streams of material from severed conduits.
Setsuna notes Syifa approach and emerges from her cover, bold as brass, her own energy weapons fully charged and her melee halberd glowing, held out in naginta form, thrust directly at Syifa.
Syifa stops and dubiously stares at Setsuna, but when Setsuna makes no other move after a dozen tense seconds, Syifa appears to accept the challenge. Rather than use her superiority in frame-equipped long range weaponry, Syifa stows her energy weapons into their rest positions, ignites her own melee halberd and charges in.
Syifa is fully confident in winning in close range battle regardless of what Setsuna had been planning to do.
Setsuna changes the form of her melee halberd as Syifa closes, claws and extra plates covering her gauntlets while spurs and spikes cover her lower legs. Her Impeller compresses and intensifies and suddenly you are worried about energy leakage again.
Still, you choose to trust in Instructor Leonhart and anxiously watch on as the two Valkyries crash into each other.
Syifa starts with a thrust, shaping the head of her weapon into a lance. Setsuna turns her body and shoves downwards with a rotation of her shoulder, containment fields in her arms palming the stab down and away. Setuna's response in the form of a shovel like stab with her other arm is deflected as Syifa draws back her weapon, allowing her own containment field to block the claws of plasma from Setsuna.
Syifa doesn't retreat for long, resetting her posture and charging in with a series of overhead swings and wide slashes. Setsuna dodges several, then casts her Impeller whip forward: it hooks Syifa's axe, but the other cadet spins the weapon, flaring her Impeller and pushing the coils away. Setsuna charges while Syifa is busy and manages to hook Syifa's frame with her Impeller whips instead, looping a coil around Syifa's waist. Syifa grabs at it, but being a component channeling Setsuna's own Impeller, the wires slide away, then lash back, Impeller charged momentum allowing the threads to smash into Syifa far harder than their physical mass and speed should allow.
As Syifa reels, Setsuna closes and lands a clean slash across Syifa's flank, plasma biting deeply into Syifa's Impeller, but the butt of Syifa's melee halberd comes around and smashes Setsuna hard on the shoulder in response. The blow should have been more severe, but Setsuna managed to use the Impeller whip to push the two apart in time.
Setsuna gains some advantage in the control of distance and relative speed with the whip, forcing Syifa along at her pace, but even so, Syifa manages a counter for every blow Setsuna makes. It is also clearly taxing on the Impeller layer used to control the whip. As soon as that layer of Impeller is depleted, the Impeller whip will be nothing but a line of metal alloys and carbon.
Syifa knows this too and swells her Impeller, white sparks crackling against the whip coiled around her as the two fields clash.
Setsuna leans back and sets full power to thrusters in response. Her wake smashes directly into Syifa, dragging her along and threatening to burn off her face if she doesn't respond, forcing her away from focusing on the Impeller whip.
Syifa weathers the burn for a few moments, then sets her own thrusters to pull against Setsuna. Setsuna, despite having the more powerful thrusters, allows her Impeller whip to spool out, lengthening the distance between the two cadets.
You gulp in anticipation; you can see what Setsuna is trying to do, but… it's not going to work.
Syifa has just barely recovered from the blinding plasma being forced into her face when she looks up at what Setsuna is doing and freezes. Setsuna has connected her end of the Impeller whip to an Antagonist power conduit and Syifa, while blinded, has gotten tangled in some of the now loose metal wires Setsuna had set up earlier, connected to the other end of the conduit.
Untold watts of electricity flow through the Impeller whips, through Syifa and into the other end of the severed conduit. The light of ionising air is blinding and Setsuna covers her face, squinting–
The particle cannon shot takes Setsuna straight in the chest. Wreathed in an electrical firestorm, but unharmed by it, Syifa mercilessly blasts Setsuna with another full power particle cannon beam, unmindful of the component damage the cannon suffers from firing two shots so rapidly.
You fight the urge to look away and continue watching. Syifa is using Impeller property management: superconductivity. With her Impeller flawlessly translating the electricity across, Syifa isn't being harmed at all by the huge volumes of power. With a hiss, the now mundane Impeller whips break, melting under the load despite their carbon nanotube cores and breaking the circuit.
Setsuna, Impeller flickering at its last tenth of integrity, slowly crawls from the crater where she had crashed. She glares at Syifa, but can do little else.
Syifa doesn't deliver the coup de grace immediately, instead glancing around, contemplative.
It's a very long dozen seconds in the arena as the two cadets stare at each other. Syifa and Setsuna, the spectators, you and Meyer, you all hold your collective breaths.
"Well? Get it over with," Setsuna snaps.
Syifa breaks eye contact and lowers her plasma caster.
"Instructor Leonhart. I forfeit this set."
What?
"Cadet Wulandari, confirm your intentions. You are choosing to forfeit the entire set?"
"Yes Instructor. I choose to forfeit the entire set."
>>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
>>Sixth set, victory by Cadet Masaya Setsuna zero rounds to two through forfeit
XxXxXxXxXx
The arena resets back into its intermission setting and a dull roar of noise fills the arena as chatter sweeps across the stands.
"What?" "Wait, why'd Syifa forfeit?" "Do we have to come in on Friday and watch Coke Zero and Setsuna have it out for finals?" "Everyone knows Syifa's better than either Koujirou or Setsuna, even though those two are pretty damn talented." "Yeah, what's even the point of watching the runner ups?" "Watching runner ups, huh? Tell me, who's the most talented vanguard in our squadron- no, our entire first year wing." "Huh? The Dawn Herald, the Golden Ace of course." "So…" "Uh, so?" "Repeat your question to me, but slowly." "Oh. Right, yeah I can see why she's cbf." "I just noticed, but why's no one here watching today?" "Yah, there was tons more people on Monday." "Why would they come, they know that neither of our Aces are fighting for it." "Yeah, watching Anna and Shuri have a contest over the crown would have been awesome." "I don't get the forfeit, but those Japanese kung fu moves are so cool. I wonder if we can learn that kinda martial arts." "Japanese kung fu?" "Oh chill Meifeng." "You can fly ten times faster than sound, take a tank shot straight in the face and you want to learn how to whack someone with your arms or a stick?" "It worked pretty well on both Claire and Emily didn't it?" "C'mon, can you say you can match against either Syifa or Setsuna if they got close to you?" "Well, them be good points I guess." "So Emily, what did you think of Koujirou? Claire said he was really cool." "Curb your thirst, we meet him in class everyday. Also, I wouldn't. He's denser than an Ace's Impeller." "Oooooh…" "Poor Setsuna."
Setsuna finally stands up and approaches Syifa, her face tight with anger as you filter away the chatter from the stands. Syifa doesn't look happy either, she's glaring into the stands, staring at Shuri. The Ace herself… is sleeping? You're not sure, her eyes are closed behind her visor, but the rhythm of her breathing doesn't suggest she's actually sleeping. She simply doesn't appear to be paying any attention to the proceedings.
Syifa reaches out, inviting a handshake. Setsuna keeps her waiting.
"Why?" Setsuna demands blunty.
"You actually want… this, don't you?" asks Syifa, with a broad sweep across the stands, "I don't. Not really."
There's a moment of silence between the two cadets. Syifa's hand still hovers in midair, waiting.
"I mean, what are we doing Setsuna? Really. We know who's the best Vanguard in our Squadron, hell the entire year. You better than most, " Syifa says, shaking her head.
Setsuna stays silent, fuming.
Syifa withdraws her hand and turns away, walking for the stands.
"Well, congratulations on winning the Vanguard tournament, unless you throw matches in the finals I guess."
XxXxXxXxXx
Setsuna holes herself up in a simulator for the rest of Wednesday.
Thursday is tense. Setsuna is snappish the whole day. Her bad mood clearly infects Koujirou, the usually cheerful boy silent and downcast for most of the day.
In the evening, Setsuna is missing for dinner. You locate her on the Academy maps, but find Setsuna crying into Yukari's shoulder when you arrive at the deserted biome. You dither a little, then back away.
You're not sure what to do.
XxXxXxXxXx
It's Friday morning and you are heading for the large scale simulators again, readying to cast the finals of the Vanguard tournament.
"So, what's your excuse?"
"Sorry, my excuse for what?" you ask, taken off guard by the sudden question from the third year cadet that had been shadowing you for the last few corridors.
Cadet Javeria Malik, her tag identifies her as. Tall and slender, a razor straight fringe of raven hair cut across her olive skinned face just above the brows, she appeared to be a girl formed out of nothing but sharp angles. You look up your interaction history with her, and feel a slight jolt of surprise. You'd met her, after that… simulation about Alaska you had run with the whole flight, you'd forgotten about that encounter entirely. However, aside from that one off, you have never spoken to her.
More browsing however reveals an unpleasant surprise and you feel an intense dislike of the senior cadet form. Academy video records and incidents reports show that Javeria is a trouble maker, making a habit of inciting trouble with other Ace and Elite ranking cadets.
-Don't mingle with those types, Anna. They're miserable people who are only happy when other people are unhappy-
Having been a factor in the disintegration of all four Flights she had been assigned to, Javeria is a without a Flight of fellow cadets; none of them willing to put up with her, putting her in the strange position as a solo element, partnered on demand as the combat situation demands. Disciplinary action appeared ineffective so far; just this year alone, she had already accumulated four warnings and a week long suspension of Valkyrie frame privileges due to incidents with–
You shift your stance, Impeller thickening, Durga's components just barely held back from extending out into existence.
–your Flight, Shuri and Yukari in particular. Shuri had been unresponsive to Javeria's provocations, simply documenting them and filing complaints with the Instructors, so Javeria had instead turned her attentions to the other members of your Flight-
"What do you want?" You demand before Javeria can answer your previous question.
-If the adults can't do anything, you will-
The other Ace smiles, appearing unconcerned.
"Already said, didn't I? Why aren't you in that competition for Vanguards? Shuri, I can comp, she'd never liked that stuff deep down. Who knows why she's letting all that hidden stuff to the surface now, but well, I don't know you. So… what's your excuse?"
You glower down at her, utterly unconvinced at her innocent explanation.
"I was not asked to, I did not want to participate. The competition is purely voluntary. Javeria Malik, what is your issue with my Flight?"
She continues looking unperturbed, resting her chin in the cup of a palm, still sporting that annoying smile.
"Still part of that Flight, huh? Doesn't really feel like it, and you weren't asked to? The Instructors didn't give you the spiel about our civic responsibility to provide an example and target for our peers?"
"That was not my question," you stonewall her attempted dodge.
"I didn't answer; would be a terrible shame to destroy any illusions you have about the nature of this academy's instruction staff," Javeria lackadaisically replies.
You continue glaring, but your thoughts whirl. From her incident record, Javeria has a propensity to distort the truth and outright lie to incite disputes. She appears to be trying to sow discord between you and the Instructors right now. She is not a reliable source for her own motives.
You turn away and commlink to Instructor Meyer, there's some strange noise at first, but you brush past the weak interference in moments.
>>"Instructor Meyer, do you have time to talk?"
>>"Anna, what's up?"
>>"Are you familiar with the third year cadet named Javeria Malik?"
>Stand by.
Barely after you start talking, a pair of teleports form next to you.
Instructor Vivas steps out of a teleport a little behind you and Instructor Meyer teleports to your side. Vivas immediately mutes the air with her Impeller and steers Javeria around away from you with a firm hand on her shoulder. Despite yourself, you are curious and extend your Impeller into the floor and walls to listen through the vibrations in the metal.
"Anna," Instructor Meyer greets you, "Sorry for the interruption, but I felt like it would be better to talk face to face."
"Valkyrie Malik. You are aware of the penalties for subverting the Academy's monitoring system."
"Well, I was going to get curious about the one you all try to keep me away from eventually… I had barely got a line off to her last time, and really now–"
Instructor Vivas' shoulders shift minutely and abruptly the walls are silenced too, the Instructor's Impeller insistently nudging yours away as it forms a sphere around the two Valkyries.
"I understand," you embarrassedly reply to instructor Meyer as Instructor Vivas gives you a sidelong look.
"I'll… Well, Javeria Malik. I know about her, pretty much every Instructor does. She's… a problematic cadet– oh you've already accessed the incident records. Yes, she's a hellion," Instructor Meyer bluntly assesses.
You sharply nod in reply, you agree completely.
"She has been harassing members of my flight, and when I asked her why, she replied that it would, uh…" You take a moment to search for words, "damage your reputations."
Meyer breathed in deeply and held it for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut with a grimace.
With a guilty and surreptitious glance to each side, she started to reply, "That's probably true, Anna. We don't direct Malik to do anything, but we could take more action against her."
Instructor Meyer's eyes shift down and away for a second. "We basically allow her to do what she does because it actually helps Valkyries get out of a rut or even progress faster in combat ability."
You open your mouth to refute the words, but the speed at which you can access and analyse data damns the retort and you swallow your words. Personality variability in the idol model. Personalities not predisposed to ambition and intense emotion often fail to form personal rivalries or goals. Presence of a personally relatable antagonistic figure motivates such Valkyries. Presence of both in close proximity or even one individual massively more effective. Multiple studies, multiple sources.
A highlight of the data that you analysed, Yukari's own growth spiking back into a meteoric rise from relative stagnancy after Javeria… 'met' Koujirou and Setsuna. You shake your head silently; this… is a bridge too far.
"How can you keep her away– contain the damage she does?" you demand as you try to think of other ways to help.
"Malik does it herself," Meyer answers with a sigh, "She says that she had the same role as a cadet within the Pakistani Valkyrie Corps: sniff out the ones who need her brand of 'counselling' and poke them for a while until they get better, or– or… we have their studies to corroborate– Of course you've already read the breadth of them… and well– it works. None of us like it, but she went over us to Jingwei and De Vries, and they both stamped an okay on it."
"There has to be a better way."
Meyer slowly shakes her head.
"If we found another way, I'd be first in line to demand it be implemented instead of this demented game of torture. We might… we're not military, really."
Meyer pauses. You shift uneasily at the sudden change in subject.
"I think… we, the Instructors, might be… happy about people like 'cadet' Malik. Doing what they do to help the people our normal regime can't. We try for the carrot and stick, but we… limp wrist the stick. None of us, here at least, really have the heart. Cereza has a hard enough time just trying to be mean already, Jane, Deepika… me. From what conventional military instruction looks like, we're already too soft and forgiving, but none of us–"
Meyer abruptly shakes her head.
"Sorry about that, Anna. What Malik said… I– we're not perfect or all knowing, and we can't even really bring ourselves to do what we objectively know is best for some of our cadets, so we let her do it instead."
Your mind grinds to a halt at that admission.
"This sucks."
The words burst out from you.
"The– the– the competitions, fighting against each other, fine, but even then, here, people still need to go through–"
You cut yourself off and swallow thickly, feeling a sudden heat behind your eyes. You look down– then swing your head up as you realise that wouldn't work and blink furiously until the tears go away.
-Why are you such a bully?-
Because… we had to… it's what we needed to do, but it didn't work…
"It's… done with the best of intentions. As long as the intent is good…" you recite.
Meyer steps closer to you, reaching out, but you rebuff her with your Impeller, taking a step back shaking your head.
"No I– I understand. For cadets, before they enter the battlefield, before anything else, focus on combat capabilities. As long as they live, as long as we win."
Meyer is silent, staring up searchingly at you, and you avert your eyes. The silence stretches on and on.
"… When we win," Meyer promises quietly.
XxXxXxXxXx
You should feel happy that somehow, last night or this morning, Setsuna and Koujirou managed to both cheer up, but your recent discovery of Javeria Malik leaves an unpleasant taste.
Speak of the devil, so she appears. Her unwelcome arrival into the simulator just as you are sitting down almost causes you to leap from the commentary desk to demand her exit, but Shuri preempts you.
Ignoring the questions from your other flightmates, Shuri springs from her seat and intercepts Javeria.
"Malik. It's been ages. Let's talk about boundaries."
"Oh, what's this? Suddenly acknowledging my existence Shuri? Pity that I'm not here for you today–"
"I insist. We'll talk."
"As high handed as ever, Golden Ace, but I must refuse."
"I am not asking."
Shuri drags the other Ace away from the stands and forcibly ejects both of them from the simulator.
As you turn back to the arena, you notice Instructor Meyer holding onto your arm.
You smile awkwardly at her, and lie. "I'm okay."
She bites her lip slightly, but nods and draws back.
XxXxXxXxXx
You feel unenthused about the final day of the competition, but clamp down on it and concentrate more on casting than thinking about the day. The sheer flood of words you provide the audience at any prompt due to all the unused mental resources you have at your disposal forces Meyer to laughingly reign you in several times.
Koujirou and Setsuna appeared to have come to an agreement for no particular drone play or longer ranged standoff tactics. Half of it, you're sure, is that neither are particularly capable of such tactics, neither cadet having combat laser systems or a particle cannon, and the other half is that neither of the two particularly enjoy the more methodical push and pull of long range standoff tactics.
Of course, in the first round, as soon as Koujirou saw Setsuna and charged in, Setsuna planted a full half century of XHEAP missiles into his face. Hypervelocity cannon fire intercepted three, Murakumo dealt with another three explosions and the retaliatory attack is enough to strike down another, but the rest smashed into Koujirou head on.
>>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
"Setsu…"
"What? I fired them at fifty. That's close ranged enough."
While Setsuna did not manage to gain permission to again use nearly one hundred and forty four XHEAP missiles, she still did carry the standard sixty four, and when she volley fired them all, well– Koujirou didn't have much of a chance in the open air and firmly locked onto.
In the second round, Koujirou doesn't rush in keeping a moderate speed and approaching the city at an angle– and Setsuna rushes in and again blasts his face again with a half century of XHEAP missiles. Once again, despite his best efforts, the sheer volume of missiles, along with the unusually high number of missiles that Setsuna can directly control, sends Koujirou crashing out of the round.
>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
There is a distinctly pissed off note in Koujirou voice as the two talk before the third round starts.
"You know… this isn't going to work in the next three rounds."
"Nuh-uh Koji, you don't know this won't work on round five, none of us have seen how it plays out."
Setsuna sticks out her tongue at Koujirou, again loading up on her expended XHEAP missiles.
Koujirou grunts in annoyed acknowledgement, but composes himself and waits calmly for the next round.
The third round is considerably more sedate. Koujirou calmly waits near one of the entrances to the central chamber and when Setsuna fires a probing set of missiles at him, Koujirou instantly sets off the central reactor. The explosions completely wipes out the first twenty four missiles Setsuna fires at him, and Koujirou takes the opportunity to close in on Setsuna– except breaks off the approach and dodges into a side tunnel after sniping another four missiles away from Setsuna.
A surreal game of whack of mole follows, as Koujirou, pushing his Impeller and frame to their limits, constantly shoots in and out of the central chamber, harassing Setsuna with hypervelocity cannon fire at every pass.
The Antagonist fabrication complex rapidly degrades into a far worse condition than even Milia and Emily's destructive bought left it in as Setsuna closes tunnels with XHEAP missiles and Koujirou creatively collapses parts of the ceiling on Setsuna with his own rather neglected missiles.
Finally, Koujirou manages to use a pillar of fire as cover and blindside Setsuna, pushing into close combat range. Setsuna snaps on her melee halberd, turning to face Koujirou with a high guard– and Koujirou blasts her with his hypervelocity cannon, pushing her right into the sea of gaseous metals and burning exotic materials where the central reactor used to be. Setsuna climbs out of the inferno, Impeller flickering, only for Koujirou to fire another sustained burst, pushing her right back into the raging hellscape.
"Sorry Setsu, but long live the King."
>>Victor: Rokusabe Koujirou
"... okay, maybe I earned that one, but really, Lion King?"
"Gotta appreciate the classics, Setsu."
The fourth round begins, the first fourth round since the very first set of the tournament and by near instant mutual agreement, both Valkyrie cadets descend and land on on top of the residential tower.
This time, Koujirou doesn't seem interested in rusing Setsuna, bringing up Murakumo, pointing the blade directly at Setsuna and folding his hypervelocity cannon into its rest mode.
Setsuna takes a moment longer, but she also folds away her plasma casters and VMLs. Again, the extra plating appears over her forearms and lower legs.
The two cadets are still, squaring off, then both explode into motion; jet powered charges bringing the two into melee range almost instantly.
Plasma meets plasma as Koujirou swings down hard, whilst Setsuna crosses her arms; taking the blow across her claws. She doesn't bother resisting the strike, folding under it instead and kicking hard at his torso.
Koujirou easily backs away from the attack and chops sharply at Setsuna. Blasting into a twirl, Setsuna also avoids the counter. With no point of contact with the ground, she would be an easy target if either of the contests here were mundane humans, but with her Impeller grabbing at the air and the building, Setsuna converts the spin into a thruster boosted axe kick. The attack is telegraphed and Koujirou deftly side steps it, sweeping Murakumo into a sharp uppercut. Setsuna raises her other leg and blocks the blow on her shin, the two melee halberds contacting with a crack of exploding plasma. The concrete tiles across the roof are blown away and fires gutter beneath the feet of the two Valkyries.
Setsuna slashes sharply with her left arm and Koujirou ducks it, but Setsuna's right follows the rotation and punches Koujirou hard across the temple. Koujirou steps quickly back and jabs in retaliation, but Setsuna catches it again on her forearm, the bracer mounted melee halberd turning away the attack.
Despite Murakumo's significantly more powerful plasma output and total plasma output yield, when the two are in arm's reach like so, Setsuna's greater number of attack and defense hardpoints allows her an advantage in trading. Koujirou is forced back, slashes and swipes cutting explosive fissures into the roof of the residential tower, the formly smooth concrete dome now well and truly on fire.
Koujirou shifts his grip and the air around his left hand glows, moments later extending into a second copy of Murakumo. Tapping the blades together, Koujirou draws plasma from one halberd into the other, kickstarting the ignition process and skipping the charge up period. With this, he launches himself back at Setsuna.
Koujirou uses one sword used for wider swings and slashes, the other for shorter, sharper stabs and guarding. Setsuna however, doesn't back down even as she begins taking nicks. She is after all, the more experienced Valkyrie of the two with a naturally more powerful Impeller.
Koujirou locks Setsuna's arms with a block and places his second sword across his chest, bulling forwards. Coils spring around him, and suddenly Koujirou finds his right arm bound across his chest by an Impeller whip. Setsuna draws back a few meters, changes her melee halberd into its naginata form and charges, swinging hard for a decapitating strike.
Koujirou tries to move only to find the Impeller whip nearly completely rigid, more like a band of solid steel than a cable. Thrusters on the back of one of his Murakumo light up and Koujirou lets the sword go. It tumbes through the air, but Setsuna doesn't flinch. The sword strikes her, releasing its contained plasma in an undirected explosion and too late Koujirou realises his mistake.
The plasma washes over him as the roof collapses, snarling at his Impeller. With the sword hitting Setsuna side on, and focusers not aligned, the plasma released in all directions. This close Koujirou suffered nearly as much damage from the backlash as Setsuna. With her naturally stronger Impeller–
Setsuna emerges from the flames, descending at Koujirou, her naginata still raised for the killing blow. Koujirou ignites his thrusters at full power, but with the unyielding Impeller whip connecting the two, he simply drags Setsuna along. Murakumo opens into its absorption and redirection mode, but with the Impeller whip coiled across his entire body, he can't bring it into position in time–
Setsuna cuts down.
>>Victor: Masaya Setsuna
>>Seventh and Final set, victory by Cadet Masaya Setsuna three rounds to one
>>Congratulations to Cadet Masaya Setsuna for winning the 58PI First Year Valkyrie Cadet Wing, Squadron Four, Vanguard Tournament.
"Congratulations on not throwing, huh? Fuck you, Syifa."
XxXxXxXxXx
The award ceremony is simple. Instructor Leonhart and Meyer hand over a small golden medal to Setsuna and a silver badge to Koujirou.
Despite being somewhat moody immediately after her victory, Setsuna perks up when she discovers her medal is pure, elemental gold. Koujirou takes his defeat in good humour on the face of it, but when not talking to anyone, he falls into a pensive silence, clearly wondering how he could have performed better.
Your Flight has a quiet lunch in Yukari's room in celebration. Shuri returns during lunch, but aside from a short yet genuine congratulations to Setsuna, doesn't elaborate on what she had been doing during the finals.
You don't ask, glad that she had kept that third year away from the arena.
You're glad it's all over.
It wasn't… terrible, but maybe casting at big, public events aren't really your thing.
XxXxXxXxXx
I hear this is apparently a good idea: Please wait for 24 hours until after this update is posted to cast your votes. I will probably post a notice opening votes then. *Tries something with that fancy time button in RTE.*
Don't vote until time shown below please.
Vote options
The timeskip will be for a duration of 7 weeks for a total of 50 actionable days, ending at the start of week 14, the start of the second semester. The next section of decompressed story arc will be the "The Enemy of All Mankind" arc. Each day in a timeskip allocates 10 points to spend. 50 days allows for 500 points to allocate to skills and actions.
Skills:
[] Timeskip Activities.
-[] Train skills
--[] Write in.
Activities
-[] Volunteer again for Sandra's UNHCR reconstruction activities.
Benefits: General uptick in UN economic power. Long term benefits to human population.
Cost: 21 days - 210 points
-[] Work with the crafting elective class for revised HPP prototype.
Benefits: Completion returns fifth HPP. Uptick in UN Valkyries combat power. Crafting Class will continue working on HPP prototypes regardless of your participation.
Cost: 110 days - 1100 points. (Cannot be completed in timeskip, will be added to long term projects if selected.)
-[] Attend Instructor training sessions.
Benefits: Unlocks and trains certain group skills. May train Wave Force.
Cost: 7 days - 70 points.
-[] Attend general Flight training sessions.
Benefits: Unlocks and trains certain group skills. May train Target Rich Environment. May train Wave Force.
Cost: 7 days - 70 points.
How do you spend your time during the holidays?
14 days total.
[] Holiday Activity
-[] Flight world tour: Visit the homelands of everyone as a flight. An around the world tour of India, Siberia, South Africa, Japan and Canada- maybe not Canada. No? Not India either?
-12 days.
-[] Spend time with:
--[] Koujirou: I guess it all came down to me not being able to stop those missiles in the earlier rounds, clearly I need help with long range things. Gimme a hand?
-2 days.
--[] Yukari and Setsuna: Say Anna, what do you do in your time off? What do you say about dressing up a little, how about your room? Do you have enough furniture?
-2 days.
--[] Sandra: Greetings Anna, while we have become closer as a Flight in the past month, but I don't feel as if we've gotten to truly know each other as people, or maybe even this country. What do you say to a short trip around Australia?
-2 days.
-[] Write in activities? (Subject to veto if time allocated doesn't match activity specified)
Each time skip week allows for 1 visit to an elective class. Select five or continue down the list.
[] Continue down the list for next 5 elective classes
[] Write in specific elective classes to visit.
XxXxXxXxXx
Postscript: If you notice any particularly glaring error; comment at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vqQeCHs8lE4ynLzX-RFb-k2jSKoibwLi7G5nFex5qcs/edit
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