Before I vote, one quick question. Do we have both a hero and heroine, or do we choose the gender we want? Aside from that, damn nice intro.

>>31424
Yes, you have both.

Hero:
[x] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
[x] Let’s go with the default.

Heroine:
[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Fajra Sierra)
[x] Uhh... default.

Not too fussed about the names, but not creative enough to come up with good write-ins.

>>31426
Addendum: I kinda like the name 'Steyr'.

Pic related.

[x] A little weird and flirtatious! (Default name: Kahr Jimenez)
[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Fajra Sierra)

I don't care about names, but a weird guy and a hot-blooded girl sounds like a good pair.

[x] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Fajra Sierra)

>>31428
But not Kahr or Barett?

Hero:
[x] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
[x] Let’s go with the default.

Heroine:
[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Fajra Sierra)
[x] Uhh... default.

Yet to see a Mecha central story, so lets see where it will lead.

Hero:
[x] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
[x] Let’s go with the default.

Heroine:
[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Fajra Sierra)
[x] Uhh... default.

Also, dat BGM.

Hero
[x] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
Heroine
[x] Shy and quiet...
[x] Alright, let me think...(Anything but fucking Erma, I don't give a shit, not like this is going to win anyways.)

Cool hero with a hotblooded heroine? No thank you; I can already see how that would play out.

[X] Hot-blooded! (Kamina)
[X] Hot-blooded! (Yoko Littner)

WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!

[X] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
[X] A little weird and flirtatious! (Default name: Yoshiko Sumitomo)

Kyosuke and Excellen expies. You know you want them.

[x] A little weird and flirtatious! (Default name: Kahr Jimenez)
[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Fajra Sierra)

Hero
-[X] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Akira Inagaki)
-[X] Let’s go with the default.

Heroine
-[X] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Irinushka Izhevsk)
-[X] Uhh... default.

I hope we can choose a rigged robot like Granteed. Get Double Ace before everyone

[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Akira Inagaki)
Solve problems by yelling.
[x] Shy and quiet... (Default name: Erma Geipel)

[x] Hot-blooded! (Default name: Akira Inagaki)
The Hero had better get a mech that is powered by hot-blooded yelling and courage like GaoGaiGar

[x] A little weird and flirtatious! (Default name: Yoshiko Sumitomo) Because there can never be enough Excellen type characters

[x] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
[x] A little weird and flirtatious! (Default name: Yoshiko Sumitomo)

Great mix; just ask Kyosuke and Excellen.

[X] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Steyr Stoeger)
[X] A little weird and flirtatious! (Default name: Yoshiko Sumitomo)

>>31454
The guy sounds more like the Beowulf offshoot of Kyosuke to me. Not that that's bad, of course.

HERO: Steyr Stoeger (Cool and nihilistic.)
HEROINE: Fajra Sierra (Hot-blooded!)
----

?????"
April 2, 118 F.E.
09:00 AM

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTUCWhmptZE

A woman seated at a desk stares listlessly out the window nearby, her arms resting on top of the wooden surface before her. She wears an expression of boredom, though the way her index finger, the nail painted in a light pinkish color, drums on the desk with a steady yet rapid pace betrays her tense anticipation.

“What was the date again?” she wonders out aloud.
“It’s the second of April, ma’am.”

The woman shifts around in her chair, turning from the window to the direction of the door leading out of the room, which had quietly opened and shut without drawing her notice during the time she spent glancing at the outside scenery. A second woman stands in front of the magnificent double doors, her form straight and impeccable.

“You seem quite anxious, Ms. President,” she comments.
“You can tell?” the first woman asks, smirking as she folds her hands together, supporting her elbows over the top of the desk. “...It’s about time.”
“Yes,” the second woman says, her eyes narrowing slightly. “If what you said is correct, then the Earth will soon become engulfed in another conflict.”
“Do you doubt me?”
“Not at all, ma’am.”

The first woman closes her eyes, her smirk hidden behind her folded hands. Her eyelids flutter open again, and she begins to speak with a much more prompt, business-like tone.

“Have you contacted them?”
The second woman nods, “Yes, we’ve managed to successfully open a line of communication with the group.”
“How does it look like it’ll turn out?”
“There won’t be any problems.”
“Good,” the first woman says, unfolding her hands and rubbing them together, almost eagerly. “The GDA will be in for some tough times, very soon.”
“And you would know that best, wouldn’t you, ma’am?”

She giggles at this, folding her hands together again.

“Of course.”

----

Matute Base, Nevada
April 12, 118 F.E.
01:15 PM

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfWPoFb0_aI

“How are you feeling?” the voice of a man crackles out from the radio, sounding somewhat distorted but otherwise free of any static or interference. It’s one that I recognize very well, having worked with him for a couple of years now. “You didn’t eat too much for lunch, did you? Don’t want you throwing up in there.”
“I didn’t eat at all,” I say as I fasten myself to the seat.
“Ooh, that’s even worse, Lt. Steyr. We can’t have you passing out from hunger, either.”
“It won’t kill me. I’ll grab a bite after this is finished.”
“You’re so devoted to your work, Lieutenant,” the man on the other end of the radio says, in an almost irritatingly mocking way. “...but you know, this might be the last machine you get to test.”
“You think I’ll die?”
“No, I’m not lucky enough for that,” the man says jokingly, before continuing in that easygoing way of his. “What I mean is that pretty soon there won’t be any new fighters to test. Tanks have already been phased out in favor of the Combat Frames, and I’ve heard that they’ve already finished testing the new flight capable CFs.”
“So what?” I say indifferently.
“These babies will become obsolete in just a year or so,” the man calmly explains. “And then the CFs will dominate the skies.”
“Hmph,” I scoff, shaking my head. “I don’t understand what it is that people see in those things.”
“It’s a boy’s romance, Lieutenant. I’d kill for a chance to pilot one of those myself.”
“Then you shouldn’t have joined the air force.”

Finally, he goes silent, leaving my attention undivided as I perform the routine system check within the narrow cockpit of the F-36. Below me, several hands still remain by the plane, having finished arming it and now working on last minute adjustments to the engines. A minute or so passes before they finally move away from the plane. A crackle issues out from the radio in front of me before a voice is heard from it again.

“Alright, Lieutenant, you’re cleared for takeoff.”
“Everything checks out in here, as well,” I reply.

I grip the control stick with steady hands as the fighter’s thick windshields lower, seamlessly sealing the cockpit from the outside. In practiced motions that come naturally, I start up the engines and adjust the angles of the wings. I feel a slight jerk as the fighter begins rolling forward, gradually picking up in speed.

Steadily pulling back on the control stick, the nose of the plane begins to lift up into the air, the wheels leaving the ground. Ten feet. Twenty feet. The wheels rise up and fold into the jet itself, as it begins to ascend higher and higher. In heart of the machine itself, I experience slight nausea, feeling the Gs pushing down against my body as I pull higher and higher.

“Didn’t crash immediately following takeoff,” the voice on the radio crackles in again, sounding almost jovial. “We’re off to a good start, Lieutenant!”
“Cut the chatter and give me the instructions,” I say.
“Okay, okay,” the man says, snickering into the radio. “We’ll be going straight into combat testing today. We’ll release a few F-33 drones, armed with paint rounds and dummy missiles. Your job will be to shoot them down without getting marked for a hit. Sounds simple, right Lieutenant?”
“This machine is loaded with live rounds,” I say, keeping the control stick neutral now that I’ve gained some height. “Will it be alright to destroy the drones?”
“They were going to be scrapped, anyway, so it doesn’t matter if you mangle them or not,” the radio responds. “Anyway, three-on-one shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you. We’re releasing the drones now. Good luck, Lieutenant.”
“Roger that.”
“Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t be shy to show us some fancy flying.”
“Noted.”

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlQ7wAmEvKU

Catching a glimpse of the radar, I see three red dots at 6 o’clock, advancing forward in my direction. Not about to give them the chance to close in on me from behind, I turn the fighter on its side, pulling hard on the controls to change direction quickly. Ignoring the slight discomfort I feel from a sudden motion like that, my eyes narrow as three specks come into view.

Increasing the boost, I zoom toward the formation of drones. Aiming the nose of the fighter toward the center of the formation, the F-36’s targeting system locks onto the leader, marking it in a circular red cursor. Without a moment’s delay, I hit the secondary trigger on the control stick, and two missiles launch forward, leaving behind trails of smoke. The missiles ram straight into the body of the wing leader, exploding into a shower of flaming metal.

“One down, Lieutenant!” the radio crackles aloud. “Two more to go!”
“I said cut the chatter,” I say in an irritated voice.

The formation broken, I give chase to one of the drones still remaining. I maneuver behind it, tailing after the F-33. The drone attempts to shake me off, trying to fake me out by going straight into a dive before pulling up, but the difference in the maneuverability of the two machines is too great; nothing it does can throw me off at all. Its movement is predictable, as well, and as it tries to pull up, it unwittingly moves right into the alignment of the F-36’s guns.

“Bad move,” I mutter, squeezing the main trigger.

The rounds fired from the F-36 completely rip through the F-33, blowing off a wing and a good chunk of its rear booster and causing it to go up in smokes, hurtling down to the ground in a blaze.

Pulling away, I take a brief glance at the radar to track the third and the last of the target drones. It’s behind me? Damn, while I was taking down the second one, it seems to have caught onto my tail as well.

I’m still out of the maximum range of its missiles for now, but it’s only a matter of time before it closes in.

---

BATTLE LOG:
F-33 was shot down by F-36 (Steyr)
F-33 was shot down by F-36 (Steyr)

---

[ ] Use the superior mobility of your fighter to break away and shoot it down.
[ ] Your missiles’ maximum range is greater than its. Fire the rear missiles.

[x] Your missiles’ maximum range is greater than its. Fire the rear missiles.

If our missiles will take care of it, there is no need for fancy flying.

[x] Use the superior mobility of your fighter to break away and shoot it down.

A little longer dogfight, but as long as we don't get hit.

[x] Your missiles’ maximum range is greater than its. Fire the rear missiles.

Oh boy. I could see either one of these options going very, very, badly.

[x] Use the superior mobility of your fighter to break away and shoot it down.

They asked for fancy flying.

[X] Use the superior mobility of your fighter to break away and shoot it down.

[X] Use the superior mobility of your fighter to break away and shoot it down.

>She wears an expression of boredom, though the way her index finger, the nail painted in a light pinkish color, drums on the desk with a steady yet rapid pace betrays her tense anticipation.
>The first woman closes her eyes, her smirk hidden behind her folded hands.
Hello antagonist Yukari.

>Yukari with Granzon

fuck.

>>31499
You rang?

[x] Use the superior mobility of your fighter to break away and shoot it down.
----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlQ7wAmEvKU

No, I don’t need to be overly concerned here. The F-36’s capabilities far outstrip the outdated specs of the F-33. As long as I keep a cool head, the drone won’t have the chance to lock its target onto me. Increasing the output of the boosters, I maintain a steady rate of acceleration to slowdown the narrowing gap between the two fighters. At this rate of speed, it’ll be ten seconds before the F-36 enters the range of the missiles. So, I’ll need to break away during that time.

“Having trouble, Lieutenant?” the voice from the radio taunts me.

Of course not.

Bracing myself, I pull hard on the control stick, lifting up the nose of the plane. At the same time, I lower the output of the thrusters. The ground below me turns into the sky, and the sky turns into the ground as the fighter turns upside-down. Trying not to feel too disoriented, I continue to pull back on the control stick, keeping the movement of the plane smooth and consistent.

The F-33 that was tailing me continues to fly straight ahead, unable to react to my maneuver. Our positions are now reversed, with me on the tail of the drone. Detecting me behind it, the F-33 attempts to break away, just like the one from earlier. Moving into position, I squeeze the main trigger and let loose the guns. The rounds land squarely on the body of the plane, ripping it to pieces and sending it down.

---

BATTLE LOG:
F-33 was shot down by F-36 (Steyr)

---

“All targets destroyed,” I report.
“Great job, Lt. Steyr! You really are something, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say that. It was three outdated machines against a member of the new generation of fighter jets. The result would be obvious.”
“So how does the machine handle? Any problems, Lieutenant?”
“It’s a bit shaky,” I reply with a frown, shifting in my seat. “The cockpit feels too loose, and there’s too much disorienting movement during high speed maneuvers. But I have to admit, it really feels like it can turn on a dime.”
“Yeah, the guy who did the basic movements testing said the same thing, too. There weren’t any problems with the targeting or the weapons systems were there?”
“None that I could see.”
“Alright, well, that should be good for today then, Lieutenant. I’m granting you permission to return to base.”
“Roger tha...”

As I begin to turn the plane around toward the base, I suddenly feel myself freezing up, stopping in the middle of my words. My head feels blank, and for a moment, I’m unable to focus my thoughts clearly. Instead, my body seems to act on its own, as my gaze directs itself out the window shield, my head turning to look at the side of the plane.

“Lieutenant? What’s wrong?”
“The left engine,” I reply blankly, unable to keep my eyes away from the side of the plane. Still unable to think clearly, I stammer out whatever comes to mind, “There’s something... there’s something wrong with the left engine.”
“What?” the voice on the radio sounds confused. “Are you sure, Lieutenant? We’re not seeing anything here--”

Bang!

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buOBWm6vnao

“Lieutenant!”

An explosion rocks the side of the fighter, knocking me back to my senses. Immediately, my thoughts feel clear again, and I’m able to immediately grasp the situation I’m in, even as the plane begins spinning wildly out of control. Gritting my teeth, I keep a firm grasp on the control stick, trying to regain control, but it’s no good. One of the engines has blown out, taking a wing with it. I can’t get this thing to balance...!

“I’m punching out!”

Activating the emergency ejection system, I confirm that I’m safely secured to my seat before the windshield blows off from the aircraft. Immediately I can feel the fierce wind whipping around my body. Keeping my composure, I launch the seat from the doomed fighter, sent flying up into the air as the F-36 continues to spiral out of control. Gripping a strap at the bottom of my seat, I yank at it with all my might, deploying the parachute.

Floating down safely from the sky, I watch as the F-36 crashes on the ground, landing at an angle just below the nose of the plane and grinding across the barren earth until it finally comes to a stop. When I’ve reached the ground, I immediately unsecure myself from the seat, feeling glad to be standing on land again. I take off my helmet, tossing it to the ground and running a hand through my hair, heaving a sigh.

“Still alive, Lieutenant?” the voice now comes from my earpiece.
Pressing a button on the side of the earpiece to speak into it, I say, “Unfortunately for you, yes.”
“Hahaha,” he laughs, before continuing in a more serious tone of voice. “But that’s amazing, Lieutenant. You detected a fault in the engine when none of us could. It was like you could see the future or something. I guess you professionals really are in a different class.”
I scoff. “Just send someone to pick me up.”
“Roger that, Lieutenant.”

Lifting my finger from the earpiece, I look over at the wrecked F-36, placing a hand in my pocket as I step just a few paces closer to it. Well, sometimes things like these happen; after all, we are flying unstable, untested equipment. It would be no surprise if someone died on one of these tests, so I’m not shaken up about the crashed prototype...

But, why did I know what would happen to the engine? The machine was flying perfectly just a moment before the disaster occurred, so there was no way I could determine that from a simple analysis of the machine’s performance. Was it simply just intuition, a lucky guess, or...

Could it be that?

Psychodriver..."

----

?????"
April 13, 118 F.E.
02:00 PM

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqjbQKeg4yM

A woman dressed sharply in military attire glances down at her desk, upon which lies a single page of a paper, upon which the profile of a man is written, included along with a photograph of the man in question. She walks over to the desk, reaching out and placing a single, pointed finger on the photograph, sliding it closer to herself as she glances down at it.

“So, this is Subject #6...” she mutters.

“Yes,” a man opposite her replies in a prompt and clear tone of voice. “Lieutenant Steyr Stoeger, a test pilot in the GDA Air Force. Yesterday, during the testing of the prototype F-36 assault fighter, he displayed a limited form of precognition. He may be a likely candidate.”

“What a pleasant surprise,” the woman says in a dull tone of voice, plopping down in a seat, “Another candidate who isn’t a complete greenhorn when it comes to military procedures. Alright, send a dispatch to bring him in for testing. If the results yield positive, transfer him to the Far East Base.”

“Understood.”

----

Far East Base, Japan
April 19, 118 F.E.
12:15 PM

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NtzR56lP2Y

And all because of that single comment I made during that flight testing, I ended up being shipped out here to the Far East Base.

After the failed testing of the F-36, it seems the fact that I was able to detect the disaster before it actually occurred appears to have spread outside our base. It attracted the attention of the higher-ups in the GDA army who considered me a likely candidate as a “psychodriver,” or at least, that was what I was told. Only a few days later, GDA officials paid me a visit in order to take me in for testing, and I was classified as a level 3 psychodriver.

Straightening the collar on my new uniform, I walk up to doors leading into the reception area, and they slide apart to accept me. Stepping inside the air-conditioned base, I breathe in the sterile air of the installation, before letting it out in a heavy sigh. Shaking my head, I continue forward toward the reception desk, where there appears to be some kind of altercation.

“No admittance without proper identification,” a stone-faced receptionist says, chewing gum with an expression of boredom.
“I just forgot it this time! Look, just call Captain Whiterock. She can vouch for me!”
“No admittance without proper identification. If you forgot it, then go back and get it.”
“If I do that, I’m going to be late for squad practice and I’ll never be able to hear the end of it!”
“No admittance without proper identification.”
“Ugh!”

The girl who appears to have left behind her ID turns away from the reception desk, fuming furiously. I catch a glimpse of her face as she stomps away angrily while muttering curses under her breath, and what surprises me most is her apparent age. She can’t be any older than fourteen, at most.

“Since when are kids allowed to run around in an installation like this?” I ask the receptionist as I step forward up to the desk, sliding my ID card toward her.
“That was no kid,” the receptionist says, taking the ID card from me for just a moment before sliding it back toward me. “Lt. Stoeger... No, I suppose now you’re Ensign Stoeger. Welcome to the Far East Base.”
“Thanks,” I say grimly, pocketing my ID card. “And what did you mean by that just now, anyway?”
“Mean by what?” the receptionist asks dully, before raising her eyebrows in understanding. “Oh, you mean that girl. You mean they haven’t told you yet?”
“What was I supposed to be told?”
“Hah,” she sneers, looking at me with a somewhat patronizing gaze. “Well, you’ll see. Anyway, the instructions left for you were to head to room C-2. Head straight down the left hallway and take a right at the first fork. Just keep going straight after that and you’ll find it eventually.”
“Right,” I say, feeling somewhat soured.

I turn away from the reception desk, approaching the sliding doors to the left of the reception desk.

“Hey, Ensign Stoeger,” the receptionist calls out to me, and I turn to look to her again. “I’m Millia. Let’s get along, ‘kay?”

Snorting, I respond with a brief salute before heading into the hallway.

----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf8QbnLLRKE

Following the directions the receptionist gave to me, it’s not long before I’m standing just a few feet short of a door marked as ‘C-2.’ Unlike the last two doors, this one is armored with a thick layer of metal, and opens on prompt rather than detection. Reaching out, I press the button next to the door, and it immediately slides open, allowing me to step into the room.

Immediately, I feel two pairs of eyes staring at me.

The room isn’t a very spacious one, likely because it’s probably only used as a lounge to hold about half a dozen people or so. There are uncomfortable looking benches on either sides of the room, with a wide, metallic table jutting up from the floor between them. Two uniformed girls are already seated at the benches, on opposite ends of the room, a brunette and a blonde. Both of them look young, though not quite as young as the girl I saw earlier. I’d guess them to be around 16 or 17.

“Oh, um...” the blonde is the first to speak up, her voice tense and nervous. “Are you our commanding officer?”
“No.”

She seems to shrink back in her seat slightly, dropping silent again. The brunette lowers her head and keeps quiet; apparently, the question she had in mind was already asked by the other girl. I feel slight relief at the knowledge that neither of these girls appear to be the C.O. I’m to be placed under, though I still feel worried at how young they seem.

Moving to the side of the door, I lean against the wall, folding my arms together with an expression of brooding. Honestly, what is with this base? There was a kid stomping around the facility like it was a playground, the receptionist seems to be holding some information back from me, and it looks like these girls--almost certainly teenagers--are going to be placed with me under a C.O. we haven’t even seen the face of. It’s put me in a bad mood.

“H-hey, um...” the blonde speaks up again, “You’re... a psychodriver, right?”

[ ] “So what if I am?”
[ ] Keep silent.

[x] Keep silent.

No need to be rude, and no need for an idiotic write-in here, guys. She'll simply take our silence as an affirmative and ask her question, providing the same effect as any ham-fisted shit you can come up with.

>Youtube. Youtube everywhere
I appreciate what you are doing here writer person, but you do not need background music for every gogdamn scene shift.

[x] Keep silent.

[x] "Yes."

Fuck keeping silent and fuck that choice. This is in-character too.

[X] "Apparently"

[X] "Why do you ask?"

[x] "Affirmitive"

[X] Keep silent.

Not in a mood to talk.

>Lt. Stoeger... No, I suppose now you’re Ensign Stoeger.
>GDA army
Since when does an army use naval ranks?

> Since when does an army use naval ranks?
Since 28 F.E.

[x] "Yes"

>>31509
I concur

[x]Keep Silent

Have to keep up the cool guy image.

>>31507
Noted. Even I thought it was a bit excessive. I’ll try to limit the number of links.

[x] Keep silent.
----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf8QbnLLRKE

Not in the mood to respond, and with too much to brood over in my mind already, I pointedly look away from the girl, staring instead at the wall to the side. Honestly, what’s going on here? I understand that the GDA is gathering “candidates” and testing them to see if they have psychic powers, but from what I’ve been told, it seems they’re putting together some kind of a Psychodriver Corps.

“Um...”

It’s already ridiculous enough that they’ve transferred me from one branch of the military to another, but even if these girls are psychodrivers, are they going to be okay? I might be overthinking things here, but they look like they’re civvies. Did they even go through the enlistment process and the basic training, or did the GDA just toss them a rank insignia and a uniform based on whether or not they have the potential? If that’s really the case, that’s incredibly nonstandard, and furthermore it’s an irresponsible--

“E-excuse me!”
“Be quiet,” I snap irritably, coldly glaring at the girl. She cringes back in her seat, and the girl on the other side of the room looks at me with a mildly annoyed gaze. Cursing at myself for losing my composure, I massage the bridge of my nose and sigh. “...Sorry. I was trying to hear myself think.”
“Oh, well...” the blonde says, looking down at her knees. “I’m sorry for bothering you, but, um, I asked if you were a psychodriver.”
“Yes, I am,” I say, lowering my hand and folding my arms together again, forgetting my foul mood for the moment. “Classified as a level 3 psychodriver, whatever that’s supposed to mean.”
“Ah,” the girl looks to me with a wide grin, and turns to the other one, “That’s the same as you, Renko.”
“...To be honest,” the other girl finally begins to speak, “I’m not sure I really buy into this whole ‘psychodriver’ thing.”
“Why not?” the other girl asks, her eyes widened in wonder.
“The tests that we had to go through all seemed really, well, um...”
“Idiotic?” I offer.
“Yeah, that,” she says, snorting. “Telling us to guess which card is going to be drawn next and then making us try to bend spoons with our thoughts. How were we supposed to take all of that seriously?”
The blonde frowns. “You had a 60% accuracy rate with the cards, didn’t you?”
“That could have been a coincidence,” the other girl says stubbornly.
“Oh, you’re just being narrow,” the blonde says with a pout. “It’s not like psychodrivers are a recent phenomenon. They’ve existed since over a century ago. It’s just that they’ve been kept out of the public’s view until the last decade.”
“You seem to know a bit about them,” I remark.
“Of course!” she says excitedly. “Don’t you find it interesting that there are humans with psychic powers?”
“I’d like to deny that they exist.”
“Geez,” she pouts again, sinking back in her seat with a confounded expression. “You two are both psychodrivers too, you know. How can you not believe in something when you are one of them?”

Well, that is why I did say I’d like to. But, unfortunately for me, after that undeniably supernatural experience back at Matute Base, it’s become wholly impossible for me to do that. The other girl, the one whose name seems to be ‘Renko,’ probably feels the same way as well, wearing a look of resignation as she slumps back in her seat.

“Since you were sent here, that means we’ll probably be placed in the same squad, so I think some introductions should be in order,” the blonde speaks up again. She places a hand over her chest. “I’m Maeriberry Hearn.”
“Renko Usami,” the brunette says.
I look over their rank insignias before introducing myself to them, “Ens. Steyr Stoeger, former Flight Lieutenant of the GDA United Air Force.”
“You were a pilot?” Pvt. Hearn asks excitedly. “So that means you’ve already got a headstart on us!”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I say, shaking my head lightly. “I’ve seen the inside of a CF-01 before. It’s nothing like the cockpit of a fighter plane.”
“Oh. I guess that would be true, since they’re different, after all,” she says embarrassedly, her face growing slightly redder. Dropping into silence for a few seconds, she glances toward me, seeming a bit concerned. “Um, if you want you can go ahead and sit down...”
“I’m fine with standing,” I say, waving my hand in dismissal. “I get restless if I have to sit down for too long.”
Pvt. Usami looks up from the table, casting her gaze at the door next to me before looking down at her wristwatch. “Just how long are they going to make us wait, anyway? We’ve been waiting for twenty-seven minutes and thirteen seconds past the appointed ti--”

----

----

The door slides open, drawing everyone’s attention. Through the open door, in walks a woman dressed in the same uniform we’re all garbed in, though hers is also decorated with golden shoulders, marking her as a particularly high ranking commissioned officer even before taking her insignia into account. She has long, lavender hair, tied into a ponytail behind her head, and a beret rests on top of it.

By far the most striking feature about her, however, are the long and floppy white rabbit ears bouncing around with each step.

She looks about the room while giving off an imposing, “no nonsense” aura about her (in spite of those ridiculous-looking ears) and folds her arms behind her back, standing at attention while ignoring the shocked look from the girls, although I imagine that my expression can’t be too much different from theirs.

“Everyone’s here, then,” the rabbit-eared woman says, looking satisfied. She then looks over to me, casting a glare in my direction with her deep red eyes. “Would you care to sit down, Ens. Stoeger?”

Though not intimidated, I decide not to argue and walk over to the bench on the left, taking a seat next to Pvt. Hearn with my elbows resting on top of my knees, my hands folded together as I look up to the still-standing woman, observing her carefully. So, she will be our commanding officer, then? Judging from the insignia on her lapel, she appears to be a Major...

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9djVaKVNVk

“First things first, I am Maj. Udongein,” she begins, walking over to the table and placing her palm down on its surface. “You may refer to me as Major, Maj. Udongein, or ‘Sir.’ You will not refer to me by anything else. Is that clear enough?”
“Oh, Major,” Pvt. Hearn raises a hand. “Can we shorten it to--”
“The answer is no. And this isn’t a classroom; put your hand down.”
She lowers her hand dejectedly.
“Next, you all know your purpose in coming to this base, is that correct?”
Pvt. Hearn moves to raise her hand again before catching herself in the act, awkwardly transitioning into clearing her throat instead, “Um, we’re going to be piloting robots, right? Robots built specifically for use by--”
“Combat Frames, Pvt. Hearn,” Maj. Udongein interrupts, leaning closer toward the girl. “They’re called CFs.”
“But they’re robots, aren’t the--”
“Combat Frames.”
Pvt. Usami speaks up next, probably to spare the other girl from further embarrassment, “We’re here to test pilot newly developed Combat Frames designed for psychodrivers, and to develop the skills and powers to use them to their maximum potential along the way.”
Maj. Udongein nods. “That’s correct. And starting from today, I will be your commanding officer and instructor, and my purpose here will be to ensure that you will be ready to handle those machines, both as a pilot and as a psychodriver.”
“A question, Major,” I say.
She turns to me. “Yes? What is it, Ens. Stoeger?”
“What will be the methods used to develop our abilities as psychodrivers?”
Pvt. Hearn eagerly pipes up, “Are we going to do spiritual training like meditating in a waterfall?”
Thankfully, the Major appears to ignore her completely. “That’s a good question, Ensign. While many aspects of a psychodriver have yet to be completely understood, studies have shown that the abilities appear to develop through repeated use. Therefore, you three will be placed in simulated combat situations.”
“I see,” I say with a nod, folding my arms together as I lean back against the bench. “So it’s killing two birds with one stone; by going through these battle simulations, we will be able to develop both our piloting skills as well as greater control over our abilities.”
“I’m glad you understand, Ensign,” the Major says, nodding. “Of course, it won’t be done with virtual simulation alone. Once you’ve grasped the basics of piloting a CF using the simulator, you’ll be placed in real training exercises, against drones armed with live rounds.”
Pvt. Usami chips in with an expression of concern, “Won’t that be dangerous?”
“Of course it’ll be dangerous. Accidents can happen. That’s why if you don’t want to die, you’ll have to do your best.”

I take a brief glance beside me to catch a glimpse of Pvt. Hearn’s face, before darting my eyes back over to Pvt. Usami. Both of them look a little worried now. They’re definitely kids. Most likely, they were civilians with no military experience prior to being recruited for this project. Now that they know that participation in this project could be dangerous, will they back out of it? Are they even allowed to do so at this point?

“You’re quite lucky, Ensign,” Maj. Udongein says, looking over to me. “You were a test pilot until just recently, correct? That means you already have experience in this field.”
“Oh, but the cockpit of a CF is totally different from the inside of a fighter, right?” Pvt. Hearn immediately says, repeating what I said to her before. “Sooo... that means he’s not really that far ahead of us, right?”
“That’s not what I meant. Being a test pilot is a risky occupation, and it means he already knows what it’s like to gamble with his life. Can you say you’ve ever put your life on the line for something, Pvt. Hearn?”
“W-well,” she says, looking down at her lap and glowing red. “One time I snuck onto a rollercoaster ride even though I wasn’t tall enough... does that count?”
Pvt. Usami lets out a cough, although it’s obvious that she was trying to hide a laugh. Myself, I can’t tell if this girl is being serious or not.
The Major seems a lot less amused, however, scowling in dissatisfaction. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, then just go home.”
The girl glows even redder. “I-I’m sorry...”

It seems every time she opens her mouth she does so to put her foot in it. Honestly, even I’m beginning to pity her a bit.

“I’ve already sent for the instruction manuals for the CF you will be piloting to be delivered to your quarters,” Maj. Udongein continues, slamming a hand on the table for emphasis, causing Pvt. Hearn to jump up in fright. “Study it. I want you to memorize its contents by tomorrow. Familiarize yourself with the layout of this base as well. Tomorrow, we will hold our first simulation. Is that understood?”
Pvt. Usami nods quietly, while the other girl does it a bit more weakly, seemingly afraid to say anything now. I nod as well, and satisfied, the Major draws away from the table, folding her arms behind her back again.
“Good,” she says, her tone marginally softer than before, though still not losing its professional edge. “You are dismissed. You may spend the remaining day as you wish, although I recommend that you do so preparing for tomorrow.”

I stand up from my seat, raising my hand in a salute. Pvt. Usami, following my lead, stands up and salutes as well, and Pvt. Hearn soon follows our examples, glancing at us nervously to make sure she’s got it right. Maj. Udongein acknowledges our gestures with a nod, and turns away from the room, opening the sliding door and stepping out.

“Haah,” Pvt. Hearn exhales heavily, slumping back into her seat. She looks tuckered out, at least mentally.
Pvt. Usami sits back down as well, looking over to the girl with concern. “...Mary, wouldn’t it be better to quit? I don’t think you’re really cut out for this.”
“N-no!” she replies hotly, forgetting her exhaustion and leaning forward. “I’m not going to give up! I’ll really take this seriously, so...”

Well, she’s got passion, I’ll give her that.

[ ] Ask her why she’s so insistent.
[ ] Seek out the Major; is it really alright to allow those two in this?
[ ] Mind your own business and follow the Major’s advice.

[x] Seek out the Major; is it really alright to allow those two in this?

[x] Ask her why she’s so insistent.
-[x] While exploring the base with them.

Bringing in so many kids... they must be desperate. The Major's probably pissed off enough already without someone pestering her about it.

[x] Mind your own business and follow the Major’s advice.

We can't afford to coddle them. They need to learn that this shit is serious business on their own, or they will fuck up when it's time.

In fact, by quietly doing what we are instructed to do, we are already setting an example. Merri and Renko already look up to us as an experienced person, so if we go about reading our books, they will take that as an example of what sort of conduct to follow. Provided, of course, they aren't complete retards.

[X] Ask her why she’s so insistent.

Let's see how they handle the combat simulations before bringing our concerns to the Major.

[x] Mind your own business and follow the Major’s advice.

Doing is better than talking.
Be a cool guy.

[x] Mind your own business and follow the Major’s advice.

[x] Mind your own business and follow the Major’s advice.

[X] Ask her why she’s so insistent.

Being a cool type doesn't mean one can't show some concern, just not anything too open, such as Rai on some level early on.

>>31546
being a nihilist on the other hand...

>>31548
the "nihilist" part isn't exactly used well with most types of leads. Early OG1 Rai was the closest while Kyosuke and Yuuki have soft spots in their seemingly cold facades.

[x] Mind your own business and follow the Major’s advice.

We got a robot to study and hallways to explore.

Called. Expect an update tomorrow.

Some slight adjustments to formatting, to make it a bit easier to follow.

[x] Mind your own business and follow the Major’s advice.
----

Turning away from the pair, I quietly begin to stride toward the door leading out of the room, pressing the switch on the wall to allow it to slide open. I hear a small ‘ah’ behind me as I step out of the lounge and into the hallway, and some small shuffling of footsteps following after me, though I pay it no mind, turning to one side and continuing to walk until I hear a voice calling after me.

“Mr. Steyr, wait!”

Looking back, I see Pvt. Hearn hurrying along after me, her brown-haired friend following her at her own pace, not looking to concerned. Before the blonde girl has the chance to speak again, I decide to get in a word of mine own first, “Ensign, or Ens. Stoeger.”

She looks confused. “Um...?”

“Don’t call me Mr. Steyr.”

“Oh,” Pvt. Hearn says, looking down at her feet, although she appears to quickly recover, casting her gaze up at me again. “W-would it be alright to just call you Steyr? I mean, since we’re going to be on the same squad, it seems kind of unfriendly to call you Ensign...”

“We’re not here to be friendly with each other,” is my immediate response, while turning away. I pointedly ignore the hurtful look, beginning to walk on ahead before coming to a stop just a few steps later. Massaging the bridge of my nose again, I let out a small sigh before adding, “Although, I suppose it would be alright, as long as it’s not within the Major’s presence.”

“Oh! Um, thank you, Mr. Steyr... I mean, Steyr.”

Normally, I’d prefer maintaining an air of professionalism in your interactions, but that’s not really something I can expect from these kids, and it’s important to maintain good relations between members of the same squad. I understand that, so even if it does bother me just a little, I don’t have a choice but to bear with it.

I can afford to be a just a little lax on them.

“Where were you going?” Pvt. Hearn asks from behind me, her footsteps catching up to mine.

“I’m going to look around this base a bit,” I reply, continuing to walk on ahead without bothering to turn back to reply. “The structure seems similar to the one I was stationed at in Nevada. These bases were probably both constructed after the standardization of military facilities. The building’s interior seems familiar as well, although I imagine that the hangar’s been modified to hold CFs rather than fighters.”

“That’s lucky then, isn’t it? That’s really convenient!”

“No, it’s not,” I reply.

“Huh, why not?”

It’s not me who answers her, but her friend, Pvt. Usami. “Because if the layouts are too similar, then in the case that of an enemy invasion of the base, familiarity with just one base can mean familiarity with all of them. They’d know exactly where the vital points of the base are, where the chokepoints are, and all of that.”

I nod. “That’s right.”

Pvt. Hearn seems puzzled. “Oh, so then why did the GDA army standardize military facilities, then?”

“Ease of construction, mostly,” I say, folding my arms together. “And, the GDA doesn’t really believe that there is any merit in combat at the personal level anymore. They’ve been getting more and more reliant on military equipment and weapons rather than soldiers. There was a rumor going around a while back at my old base, that the military was developing a highly advanced A.I. system to replace pilots.”

Pvt. Hearn hurries forward a few steps to keep up with my stride. “But don’t combat drones exist already?”

I scoff, waving my hand up and down in dismissal. “Yes, but they’re exactly that: drones. Even an amateur can outperform the current, primitive standard military A.I. algorithms. That’s why they’re used for training and testing purposes instead of actual combat use.”

Pvt. Usami speaks up from behind the two of us, “But they’re still relying on us, right?”

“Right,” I nod, a bitter smile growing on my face. “They’re testing if us ‘freaks’ are worth using or not.”

“Y-you don’t have to say it like that...” Pvt. Hearn says with a frown.

----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NtzR56lP2Y

Walking in through open doors, I step into a spacious area, the ceiling placed much higher than the rest of the installation. My footsteps echo and reverberate throughout the wide area while I continue to move forward in the dim lighting around me.

“Oh, wow!” Pvt. Hearn looks around excitedly, like a kid at a toy store. “So this is the hangar...”

“So it seems,” I reply, taking a look around for myself as well.

The hangar appears to be bustling with activity up ahead, as people dressed in jumpsuits run about, scurrying along. Looking away from the mechanics, I instead turn to observe what those mechanics are working so hard doing maintenance on: the Combat Frames.

Currently, it appears that they’re servicing a model I’ve never seen before. It stands tall, about 19 meters in height, with a humanoid appearance. Its head is shaped like a knight’s helmet, with a single horn pointing up and curving back. Where its eyes should be, there is a protective visor, covering the extremely sensitive camera sensors. Its shoulders are broad and curved, with exhaust ports to release built up heat. Two rounded fins stick out diagonally from its back, giving off the appearance of small wings.

“It looks kind of like a knight, doesn’t it?” Pvt. Hearn remarks.

“A crusader, huh?” I say, looking at the large cross motif painted on its front chest armor.

“Right on the mark!”

I turn around, and see one of the mechanics walking over to the three of us while fanning herself with her cap. She’s short in stature and has her aqua hair tied in twin pigtails, while also wearing a friendly, almost goofy-looking grin on her face, despite the dark color of grime staining her otherwise pale cheeks.

“That’s the CF-10,” she says, almost proudly as she points an arm in the direction of the nearest Frame. “The Kreuzritter Mark II. It’s a cutting edge Frame, you know. It’s no Wanze, I can tell you that.”

“Kreuzritter...” I repeat after her, looking back up at the Frame.

“You guys must be new here,” the mechanic says, placing her cap back on top of her head. “Well, you’re lucky. Everyone who’s assigned to this base is issued with a CF-08, 09, or a 10. You guys are getting the best MP units the GDA has to offer at the moment.”

“MP?” Pvt. Hearn says, confused.

“Mass Production,” the mechanic replies, turning to the girl with a smile. “The Kreuzritter MK II is slated to replace the aging CF-01 Wanze as the GDA’s mainstay. It and its variants have been in testing for a while now, but mass production didn’t begin until about a month or so back, so the Wanze hasn’t been phased out yet...”

Pvt. Usami steps forward. “So we’ll be using these?”

“Yup,” the mechanic nods.

“You mentioned something about variants,” I say, folding my arms.

“Oh, right,” she says, turning to me again. “There are a limited number of frames that were produced with specific strengths, but they were considered too overspecialized for production on large scale. The close combat oriented CF-08 Type-S, and the range oriented CF-09 Type-R. Even though they haven’t been mass produced, the few that were constructed are still being issued to pilots.”

Hm... so these are the Frames we’ll be issued? I should ask a few questions about...

[ ] CF-08 Kreuzritter Type-S
[ ] CF-09 Kreuzritter Type-R
[ ] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II

(This choice will affect your mech progression throughout the story.)

[x] CF-09 Kreuzritter Type-R

In other words, close-combat, ranged, or mass-produced general piece of shit? Okay.

>I can afford to be a just a little lax on them.
I don't want these dumb kids to get the wrong impression though!

[x] CF-08 Kreuzritter Type-S

might as well run with the Kyosuke spirit full burst.

I think because we're psychodrivers, we'll end up with Type-TTs instead of whatever we pick here.

[X] CF-08 Kreuzritter Type-S
inb4 kick attack that makes the pilot hot-blooded

>>31641
>mass-produced general piece of shit?
Or it could be a challenge mode? Prove you're a badass like Kai who can beat super units with a mass production unit.

[X] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II

Mass Production go!

[X] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II

Kreuzritter Kick go!

[X] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II

Badass Normal go!

[X] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II

So do we get the Ultimate Kreuzritter Kick?

>(This choice will affect your mech progression throughout the story.)

Save the Super for our heroine.

[x] CF-08 Kreuzritter Type-S

The alt's a great super buster, this'll probably be the same.

[x] CF-08 Kreuzritter Type-S

Guys.

R stands for 'Real'.

S stands for 'Super'.

[x] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II

Obvious Hybrid is obvious. And Hybrids are the coolest. Isn't that right, Alteisen?

Overspecialization is boring anyway. Piloting a Hybrid will get us all kinds of action.

>>31670
The Alt is not a MP model at all; too expensive/good to be one. Now if it was the Mk III I'd be more willing to believe it.

>>31671
The Type S and the Type R are grunt suits, too, just specialized ones. These are obviously going to be used just until the protagonist gets his upgrade, like with the Gespenst Type S/Gespenst Type R to Grungust/Huckebein in 4/F/F Final.

Even Kyosuke started in the MK II M before moving into the Alteisen.

[X] CF-09 Kreuzritter Type-R

>>31672
the S and R are higher end prototypes.

>>31671
>(This choice will affect your mech progression throughout the story.)

Kyosuke didn't start out with the Alt straight away, either.

>>31677
It'd still be hard mode compared to the other two choices as if the Mk II MP is the same as the Gespenst Variant, it's very lackluster. Now if it's more like a Hucky Mk II M, then it might not be so bad.

Do these robots shoot danmaku? I don't want to go anywhere near robots that don't shoot danmaku.

Waiting on a tie-breaker.

>>31695
Here you go.

[X] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II

>>31696
Called. Writing will commence shortly.

PILOT INFO

----
Steyr Stoeger
----

STATS:
Melee: A
Range: A
Hit: B
Evade: A
Defense: B-
Maneuver: B+

SKILLS:
Telekinesis (Level 3/5)
Command (Level 1/3)
Focus

SPIRITS:
Accel (4)
Focus (12)
Alert (8)
Strike (12)
Valor (36)
Zeal (56)

----
Maeriberry (Mary) Hearn
----

STATS:
Melee: B
Range: B+
Hit: C
Evade: B
Defense: A
Maneuver: C

SKILLS:
Telekinesis (Level 5/9)
Defense Support (Level 1/4)
Fortune

Spirits:
Strike (20)
Invincibility (10)
Trust (25)
Assail (20)
Valor (35)
Love (60)

----
Renko Usami
----

STATS:
Melee: C
Range: A-
Hit: A
Evade: A
Defense: D
Maneuver: B

SKILLS:
Telekinesis (Level 3/7)
Hit & Away
Predict

SPIRITS:
Focus (10)
Gain (10)
Strike (15)
Valor (40)
Alert (10)
Soul (60)

----

Don't pay too much attention to this. It's just for fun for anyone familiar with SRW games. Update will come later.

[x] CF-10 Kreuzritter MK II
----

Turning my gaze back to the eager-to-help mechanic, I decide to voice a question, “So, exactly what can this new MP unit do? I’ve heard that air-capable Frames have already come out of the testing phase... is this the unit they were talking about?”

“Oh, I guess news gets out fast,” the mechanic says, adjusting the brim of her cap with her gloved hand. “Yeah, the CF-10 is capable of limited atmospheric flight. The boosters aren’t strong enough to carry it too far up, so it’ll be a while before CFs have true aerial supremacy, but it’s still an improvement from land-based machines like the Wanze. Of course, it comes at a reduced operating time, but still...”

“And what about its weapons?”

“It’s got vulcans built into its chest,” she says, pointing up at the Frame. “You can’t see it now, but part of the chest plate opens up to fire directly in front of the Frame. For melee, it’s got an arm-mounted beam sword, and it can use standard CF-sized weaponry, like a machinegun, or a bazooka.”

“I see,” I say, nodding. “The Wanze had modular limbs for swapping out weapons before a sortie, but I suppose that’s not necessary in this case.”

“No need to exchange the arms when you’ve got actual hands to hold guns with, eh?” the mechanic says, wriggling her fingers with a laugh.

“Hey, but...” Pvt. Hearn places herself into the conversation, looking inquisitively to the mechanic. “Aren’t those earlier models stronger prototypes? Wouldn’t it be better to just build a bunch of those instead of these general purpose mechs?”

I fold my arms together. “The best quality in a soldier is the ability to adapt to any and all situations, and a general purpose Frame with the same ability can be far more reliable and flexible than a unit specialized for one purpose.”

“He’s right,” the mechanic says, nodding sagely. “Sometimes, having just the right, balanced mix of qualities can be a good thing. You know, ‘jack-of-all-trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than a master of one,’ that sorta thing.”

“Of course, that’s not to say a squad can’t be diverse,” I say, looking around at the other Frames that look similar to the MK II. “...I suppose the specialized types will be issued out depending on performance of individual pilots?”

“Something like that, yeah,” the mechanic nods, and extends her hand out for a shake. “So, I’m guessing you’ll have your first actual session with these Frames soon, right? Well, since you’re all new here, I’ll be the first to wish you all luck. I’m Nitori. Nitori Kawashiro.”

I take her hand and give it a brief shake. “Ens. Steyr Stoeger.”

The mechanic Kawashiro turns to the other two, taking their names and handshakes as well, before adjusting the brim of her cap again as she turns back to me. “Well, as much as I’d like to relax for a bit, there’s a lot of final tune-up work to be done before these Frames are ready for use.”

“I understand, we won’t keep you from your duties.”

“Well then, later~!”

As the mechanic girl runs off to rejoin her colleagues in their work, Pvt. Usami speaks up, breaking the silence she’s left the three of us in. “She seems pretty easygoing, doesn’t she? I’m glad there are people like that here.”

“She seemed a bit young to be working as a mechanic here,” I say, frowning.

“Maybe she’s just talented,” Pvt. Hearn says.

I’m not so sure it’s like that. Leaving these two psychodrivers aside, some of the people I’ve met in this base all seem too young for their positions, including Major Udongein, who seemed to be in her early twenties at the highest estimate, despite holding such a high rank. Given that the receptionist seemed to be holding back something on me, and the remark she made about the kid I saw earlier, this base might actually be...

“Is something wrong, Steyr?” Pvt. Hearn asks, jolting me from my thoughts. “You sighed all of a sudden.”

“Ah...” I shake my head. “No, it’s nothing. I just had the thought that I might have gotten involved in something very troublesome.”

She looks at me, confused.

“Don’t worry about it,” I say, my tone a bit more firm now.

“Okay...”

----

“Your quarters are over there,” I say, slowing the pace of my walk to a stop and pointing at a hallway. “Don’t expect any fancy accommodations, and I’d recommend that you get right to memorizing that instruction manual. Meals are served at the cafeteria at 6 PM. They won’t announce it or anything, so if you don’t want to starve, be there on time.”

“What about you, Steyr?” Pvt. Hearn asks, looking over my shoulder at the hallway I’m pointing at.

“Mine are separate from yours,” I say, lowering my hand. “For obvious reasons.”

“Won’t that be lonely?”

“Don’t be stupid. And, I’ll probably be staying with other pilots or psychodriver candidates that have been assigned to this base, anyway. It’s not as if they would give me a room for me to use by myself.”

“Oh, I guess you’re right.”

“If that’s all, I’ll be going,” I say, turning away from then and beginning to walk in the direction leading to my own assigned quarters.

“See you at dinner, then.”

Still walking on, I raise two fingers in a half-hearted wave. Turning the corner, I finally feel myself free from the presence of the two girls, which leaves me with a feeling of small relief. After having spent years around professionals just wanting to get their daily duties done, it’s been a bit nerve-wracking to spend time with civilian greenhorns like this. Letting my feet lead me to my room, I arrive at the door, and slide it open.

There’s no one else inside.

----

Lowering her raised hand, Mary turns to her friend, letting out a sigh of relief before speaking in an exhausted voice. “...Geez, it’s kind of scary to be around him. I feel like he’s going to bite my head off if I make a mistake somewhere.”

Renko shrugs her shoulders. “He’s different from us. He was already a soldier before he entered this project.”

“Well, he’s less scary than the Major... And it’s kind of reassuring to have someone with experience on our team, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know about that,” Renko says, frowning. “It makes me feel pressured, like I’m going to start wondering if I’m dragging his performance down or wasting his time or something. I’d actually feel a lot more confident if he was like us instead.”

“Oh, I guess there’s that. But I don’t think you should really worry about that,” Mary says optimistically. “I mean, everyone has to start somewhere, right? That’s why we have to hurry up and get good so we won’t be a burden.”

“You’re just happy because you get to pilot a robot,” her friend replies with a sly grin.

Mary’s face flushes. “I-is that such a bad thing?”

“Well, if you don’t want to fall flat on your face the first time you get in one, we’d better go ahead and study that manual.”

----

Far East Base, Japan
April 20, 118 F.E.
10:15 AM

KREUZRITTER MK II

SPECIFICATIONS:

HEIGHT: 19.2 M
WEIGHT: 45.2 T
MODEL ID: CF-10 “MASS PRODUCTION MODEL COMBAT FRAME”

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

CHEST VULCANS: STATUS... OK!
BEAM SABER: STATUS... OK!
BEAM RIFLE: STATUS... OK!

PLEASE PROCEED WITH THE MOVEMENT CONFIGURATIONS AND LAUNCH PREPARATIONS.

Placing my hands on the keyboard before me, I quickly type in the standard movement configuration settings. Without this step, the Frame won’t even be able to stand up, much less walk and fight. The OS of the Kreuzritter is, naturally, much more advanced than that of the Wanze, allowing for faster, more human-like movements. More experienced pilots can create custom movement patterns, but since I’m just starting out, it’s best to keep to the basics.

LOADING DATA, PLEASE WAIT WARMLY...

GENERATING VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS...

The screen displaying the text gradually lights up, and the scenery I see next is that of a virtual landscape. A non-descript, grassy plain, with no terrain variations to speak of. A simple map for what I assume will be a simple exercise. Gripping the controls, I gently move them to the left, and with a whirring sound, the screen pans to the left as well. Good. It seems I haven’t screwed up the configs. It’s turning as it should.

“Oh wow, this looks really neat!” a distorted voice comes from the radio. It’s Pvt. Hearn’s without a doubt. “Everything looks so real! Is this really just a virtual simulation?”

Turning around, I see another Kreuzritter standing next to mine, and a second Kreuzritter just behind that one. The cursor floating above the first one’s head reads A-2, the call sign given to Pvt. Hearn for the duration of this exercise. Mine is A-2, while Pvt. Usami’s is A-3. Although it’s nice to be able to see who’s who in this simulation, unfortunately we won’t be that fortunate during a real battle.

“Everyone has entered the simulation, then?” Maj. Udongein’s voice crackles over the radio. “Then let’s begin the exercise.”

“What kind of exercise will it be, Major?” I ask, pressing a button to speak on the open channel.

“It will be a simple battle exercise. I will generate several squadrons of Type-63 Arndruk tanks. Your mission is to destroy them all within the time limit I will set. That should be simple enough.”

A battle..."Already?

“Major,” I say, concerned. “We’ve yet to undergo even basic movement and targeting exercises. I don’t think we’re ready for a--”

“I’m generating the tanks now. You have ten minutes to destroy them all. Godspeed.”

Damn it, she’s expecting too much out of us.

Looking at the radar present within the simulator cockpit, I see that several clumps of red dots have been instantiated. The closest ones appear to already be moving in on our position here. She wasn’t joking after all. It might be a bit abrupt, but if we want to make any kind of decent showing here, we’ll have to prove that the time we spent pouring over the instruction manual wasn’t a waste.

“A-2, A-3. We’re closing in toward the squadron approaching from 12 o’clock. I’ll take point, the two of you cover my side, and remember not to break formation. Ready your beam rifles, and be prepared to switch on the targeting system once the enemy units enter visual range. Is that clear?”

“R-roger!”

“Affirmative.”

Switching off the channel, I point the Kreuzritter in the northern direction, its large hands reaching toward its back for the beam rifle mounted there. Gun firmly held in hand, the Frame begins to lumber forward, the cockpit jerking with every step taken. It’s a lot more movement than I’m used to in a fighter, and it’ll probably be worse in the real thing, but it’s just something I’ll have to bear.

“Ah--!?” Pvt. Hearn’s panicked voice is suddenly heard from the radio.

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa_pn80BES8

The sound of something heavy crashing to the ground comes from behind, and I jerk on the controls the quickly turn my machine around. The sight of a Kreuzritter lying on its front on the grass fills my screen, and the cursor pointing down to it reads “A-2.” The machine’s legs continue moving about, swinging erratically into the air. The Kreuzritter next to it, labeled “A-3,” stops, and turns to look at it as well.

“A-2,” I say, flicking on the channel again. “What’s wrong?”

“I-it won’t move right! Everything’s all backwards!”

Damn it. She must have screwed up.

“Major. It seems Pvt. Hearn has made a mistake in the movement configuration of her machine. She won’t be able to fight like this. Requesting permission to abort the current mission.”

“Request denied,” Maj. Udongein immediately replies. “You will carry on the mission.”

“Oh come on!” Pvt. Usami cries out, frustratedly.

“Major,” I say again, gritting my teeth. “She’ll only be a hindrance, with her Kreuzritter in a state like this.”

“Deal with it.”

Glancing at the radar, I see that the enemy tank squadrons are still approaching us. Maj. Udongein really isn’t giving us a break of any sort at all, and while I don’t want to coddle these two, I think her methods are insane.

“A-2. You’re going to have the reboot the OS and re-enter the movement configuration settings again, do you think you can do that?”

“I’ll... I’ll give it a try!”

...Of course, there’s no guarantee that she can accomplish it before those tanks start firing on us, or that it’ll be a success this time. It could fall over again immediately after starting up. Meanwhile, the time limit that the Major’s imposed on us is silently ticking away. If the tanks get to us while A-2 is vulnerable, then trying cover her will endanger A-3 and myself as well. In this situation, it might be more prudent to simply soldier on ahead without A-2, which would then leave her completely defenseless.


----

BATTLE LOG:
Enemy reinforcements appeared.
Kreuzritter MK II (Mary) has been disabled.

----

[ ] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.
[ ] Hold this position and defend A-2.

[X] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.

We should try to engage the closing tanks before they get in range of Mary. We'll be able to evade attacks at us, and maybe that will draw the others towards us instead of her.

[x] Hold this position and defend A-2.

Nobody gets left behind, no matter how useless they appear to be. We'll just have to do our best to defend this position while Merri's stupid ass puts in the OS correctly. The reprimands can come after the exercise is complete.

[x] Hold this position and defend A-2.

I guess we're Rai at the moment and Mary's Ryusei.

[X] Instruct A-3 to hold position.
[X] Intercept and draw fire away from the others.
--[X] If A-2 had successfully reconfigured her OS, attempt a pincer movement against the targets.

While we're also new to CFs, we at least had experience in combat and apparently have some limited precognitive abilities. That should keep us from being blasted this early into the simulation.

Once Mary's back up, well, tanks can't fire on two opposite directions.

>>31741
You place to much faith in their abilities. Steyr is admittedly not used to the mech, and would be vastly outnumbered in that scenario, and relying on Merry for a pincer attack is laughable. She's nearly useless, and is completely green.

[X] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.

The best defense is a good offense.

[X] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.

>>31742
Don't be too quick to completely dismiss things, though that guy's vote was a bit too optimistic.

>>31743
Using cliched lines like that make your point seem hollow.

Odds are Reisen'll end up betraying the GDA as she's actually a Lunagater

>>31746
Like I'm going to waste time paraphrasing a well-known saying.

[X] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.

>>31742
Well, neither of both given options sat well with me, so I was just trying to do something about it. I would gladly switch vote when something better came up, but for now I'll stick with my choices even if no one else does.

>>31749
I don't understand this attitude. If you don't like the given options, and the author doesn't put write-in for a choice, you just have to deal with it.

>>31750
If the writer hasn't said anything about whether write-ins are encouraged or not, you just have to deal with it.

If the enemy approaches from one direction:
----> [x] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.

If the enemy approaches from all directions:
----> [x] Hold this position and defend A-2.

[X] Hold this position and defend A-2.

Yeah, it may well cost us some time, but in the current situation our entire group is composed of greenhorns on some level. We have two civvies who just joined, and Steyr, who has no experience in mech combat. Even if it costs us a bit immediately, having Mary up and running improves our chances of success on this mission exponentially. Every single bit of firepower counts in the long run.

Plus, this is a simulation, and Steyr has already commented on the importance of keeping good relations between squad members. We probably don't want to leave Mary with the impression that she is totally expendable, and we probably don't want Renko to see us being quite that cold at the moment. It will have an ugly effect on morale.

Either way, Mary does need a lecture after this on the fact that screwing up in battle can, and often does, mean death. And not necessarily just yours.

>>31750

... but write-ins have always implicitly been an option. Implicitly encouraged, even. From day one. There is a reason that the stories in which write-ins are not appreciated always states this explicitly at the outset: write-ins being unwelcome is simply not the norm. Your stance on this is kind of strange.

>>31753
You're wrong. If it was implicitly understood that a write-in was always encouraged, than there would be no need for authors to always put it as an option. The fact they do actually proves it is the opposite. Write-ins are not always encouraged, and should only be done when the option is presented, otherwise you run the risk of stupid shit derailing the story. You need look no further than Random Anon for evidence of this.

>>31754
>If it was implicitly understood that a write-in was always encouraged, than there would be no need for authors to always put it as an option.

My turn to say you're wrong.

There isn't a need for authors to always list it as an option, and they often don't list it, even when it is. Because it is understood that it is generally an open option. A lot of the first stories to start up on THP said right at the start that write-ins were always encouraged, and never listed "write-in" as an option. Because it was always an option. Eventually we dropped saying anything at all at the opening a story because it was understood that write-ins were always an option unless otherwise stated. This has been the norm for ages.

Furthermore, as one of the writefags here, I can tell you exactly the same thing that any number of other writefags have said before: readers can often surprise you with options you never would have thought of giving, and this is a good thing.

>>31756
>A lot of the first stories to start up on THP said right at the start that write-ins were always encouraged

My turn to disagree.

That is solely because the first stories were directionless, with no plot to speak of. A write-in in those days was often times just another silly direction to move in, in a silly little story about wandering around Gensokyo. Their were no repercussions to speak of, so a write-in was always encouraged.

As stories shift focus onto more plot-driven directions, a write-in is not always viable, or wanted. Hence, the writers still adding write-in to the option list.

>>31757

I still find myself in disagreement with you on this one. Even back in the day we had stories with specific goals in mind, or long term consequences for decisions made by the readers. Write-ins are still a wonderful way to determine how to approach a situation, and enhance the interactive element of the story by giving the audience more involvement, and more freedom. In addition, as I said, the readers can offer surprising and inspiring opportunities that a writefag would not otherwise see.

Also remember that this is an organic form of writing. When a write-in is unwanted, a writefag can simply say as much, and this has happened many times in the past for individual choices, and a handful of times for stories as a whole. When a proposed write-in is simply unworkable, a writefag can out and out say that, as well.

Essentially, what I suppose I am saying is that it is both the norm for write-ins to be acceptable at all times, and better for stories on the whole. Write-ins being unwanted or unworkable are situations that crop up comparatively infrequently, and it is easier to indicate those situations than it is to mark every situation in which write-ins are acceptable.

That said, I feel that we are taking this thread off track, and I would rather not drag that out. Especially since this is rather tangential to the story itself. If you want to talk about this further, I would appreciate it if you made a thread over in /words/ or something like that, so that we don't drag this out any longer in this thread.

So, there going to be any perspective switches to this "heroine" or what?

Also, she should specialize in real robots. Supers suck.

To clarify, write-ins are always welcome. If there's one that's potentially story-derailing and/or I can't rein it in, I'll say so, so don't worry about it too much, and show me how creative you can get.

>>31759
You'll have to be just a bit more patient.

>>31753
>bad impressions
It's all in how you present it. I view taking the fight to the enemy as buying Mary time to recover, since I think she'll mess up again if she's under fire. Once she's up, Steyr and Renko can fall back to regroup.

[x]Break to the side and flank the tanks.
[x]Instruct Pvt.Usami to hold the position.

We want to draw fire away from them, while not getting in their crossfire.

They're newbies, I don't trust their aim.

[x] That thing where the guy distracts the tanks and Renko covers Mary.

The default choices seem to be a choice between succeeding the mission within the time limit, but potentially losing Mary... Or defending her and failing the mission.

This vote that a few others are going for would be an attempt at succeeding at both points, but of course splitting one's forces carries the risk of both failing. However, isn't that still a moral victory? And who knows, they might get lucky.

>>31758
>a thread over in /words/ or something
Done.

Okay, we have 4 votes for "Advance" and 4 votes for "Hold Position" if you count >>31752. There's also 3 votes for having Steyr advance while Renko holds position. I need either a tie-breaker or two votes for the write-in option.

[X] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.

[x] Keep advancing forward along with A-3.
----

“A-3, we’re advancing forward,” I speak into the radio.

“Eh?” Pvt. Usami’s voice crackles out from the receiver, sounding confused and almost angry. “But Ensi--I mean, A-1, A-2 hasn’t yet reconfigured her movements. We can’t abandon her here. She won’t be able to defend herself!”

“Don’t worry about that,” I say to her, keeping the tone of my voice calm and level. “If we stuck around to defend A-2, we’ll only end up surrounded from multiple directions, and then it won’t just be her who won’t be able to defend themselves. We’ll move on ahead, and deal with squadron after squadron, and head them off before they can fire on A-2.”

“Well...” she replies, still sounding unconfident.

“No time to be indecisive,” I mutter, turning the machine back around to the north. “Now come on!”

Pushing forward, my Kreuzritter leans forward before the thrusters at its back accelerate it forward. Its feet leave the ground, hovering just a meter above the ground as it flies forward, gliding across the sea of grass beneath it. I hear a stifled groan on the radio before the signature on the radar indicating A-3 begins to move as well, following after mine. Looking to the side, I see A-3’s Kreuzritter flying alongside mine.

“I hadn’t made up my decision yet,” she bitterly says. “Couldn’t you wait a little?”

“You were taking too long,” I say, snorting. “An important quality in a soldier is the ability to make snap judgments and decisions. Hesitation can get you killed.”

“Yes, yes,” she retorts with a sigh. “You don’t have to lecture me.”

“Alright, I won’t,” I say, grinning slightly. “...Now, let’s see if you’ve paid attention to the manual.”

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlQ7wAmEvKU

My grip on the controls tightens as the first of the tanks enter into visual range on my screen, in a squad of four. The Type-63 Arndruk, equipped with an electrical generator capable of 72 hours of operation. Its main cannon has been recorded to be able to accurately hit a target as far as 3500 meters away. Of course, in terms of maneuverability, this new Frame is capable of flying circles around it. My Kreuzritter raises its beam rifle, leveling it toward the approaching tanks as the machine continues to hover above the ground.

“Target in sight,” I mutter.

The targeting reticule seeks out a target, pointing at the tank leading the charge against us. The cursor affixes itself to the Arndruk, changing colors from a cool blue to red. At once, I immediately squeeze the fire trigger, and the beam rifle lets loose a howl as it fires off a barrage. The pale beams soar toward their target faster than the eye can follow; the first two hit the grass beside the tank, leaving scorch marks, while the third hits its mark dead on, piercing straight through the armor and impaling it through the front and back. Its reactor critically damaged, the Arndruk pushes forward just a few more meters before exploding in a shower of burnt shrapnel.

Deciding it wouldn’t be a good idea to take a moment to celebrate my first kill, I pull on the controls. The Kreuzritter’s boosters shut off for just an instant, during which its foot kicks off the ground, moving to the side as the thrusters open up once again, allowing the Kreuzritter to hover around to the side in an attempt to begin circling around the squadron of tanks. If I keep moving, even if I draw their fire, they won’t be able to hit me.

“A-3, strafe around!” I speak into the radio again. “If you keep going straight at them, you’ll only be presenting yourself as an easy target.”

“I know that!”

Looking at the screen, A-3’s Kreuzritter begins circling around the Arndruks in a similar manner to mine, its beam rifle extended forward to fire. It opens fire on the tanks, multiple times, but none of them hit. It’s no good. She’s being too impatient. She needs to allow the machine to properly align its aim in accordance with the direction it’s moving in before firing, or the shots won’t go where she wants them to at all.

“You’re being too hasty, A-3,” I say calmly, taking aim. “Let the targeting system confirm a lock on the target before firing.”

My Kreuzritter opens fire again, two precise shots striking a second Arndruk and blowing it to pieces.

“I said don’t lecture me!”

Her Kreuzritter thrusts its rifle forward, firing three shots toward the tanks. One just glances off the ground, scorching the earth, but the other two strike their targets perfectly, one blowing off the top of an Arndruk and causing it to go up in flames while the other pierces through the treads, effectively disabling it. Even I have to admit, that was some very good shooting, though whether it was due to natural talent, her psychic abilities, or simple luck is something I don’t know.

“One squadron eliminated,” I say, glancing at the radar again. “Two more remain. One’s approaching from a three o’clock direction, and there’s another one at seven o’clock gunning for A-2.”

“We have to go help Ma--I mean, A-2, then!”

“Alright. Then, we’ll intercept the southwestern enemies. Let’s get moving.”

Turning the Kreuzritter around, I shift the boost to full, and the Frame flies forward at its maximum speed, A-3’s Kreuzritter following after it. The shaking and the rattling of the cockpit can be rough, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m worried about Pvt. Usami, though. I hope she has the stomach to last through this without vomiting in her seat.

“Urgh...”

...At the least, I hope she can hold it in until the simulation’s over.

We manage to reach the second set of tanks before A-2 enters their firing range. Slowing down the acceleration as my machine enters their range, and thus draws their attention, I break off to the side again. Their turrets slowly turn in the direction of my speeding Frame, unable to keep up with the Kreuzritter’s mobility. They fire off their cannons, but the shells fly harmlessly through the air, unable to hit their target. The difference in machines is too much. Aiming the beam rifle, I fire off two shots, each striking their respective targets and destroying them.

“Whoa!”

Pvt. Usami’s surprised cry comes through the radio, drawing my attention to her Kreuzritter. Its left shoulder is smoking, having sustained a hit from a shell, and having been struck in the middle of a charge, it’s been thrown off its balance. Even so, the damage appears minimum; a part of the shoulder guard has been broken off, but the arm appears fully functional. The damaged Frame struggles to regain its balance, while shells from the advancing tanks continue to fly past it.

“Why you... ugh...”

Undaunted by the damage it’s sustained, A-3’s Kreuzritter remains standing now, aiming closely at the tank. Now that it’s not moving at a high speed, the beam rifle shots are quick and precise, striking the two remaining tanks directly in the center. The pilot of the machine, however, appears to be just about at her limit.

“Um, Mr. Steyr?”

“A-2,” I mutter. “Did you finish reconfiguring the OS?”

“I-I think it’s working now.”

“Good. Now, stay where you are, we’ll regroup and tackle the last squad--”

“Um, they’re already firing at me, though.”

Gritting my teeth, I look at the radar. The signature representing A-2 remains still while the red signatures northeast of us advance toward it, closing the distance between them.

“Well start moving,” I speak into the radio harshly. “You’re a sitting duck if you just stand there.”

“A-ah, right! Um, so to move, you need to--Ahhh!”[/i]

“A-2, come in. What happened?”

“I, uh, well,” she stammers. “It just moved forward all of a sudden, and--and it just kinda sorta landed on top of one of them. It’s all crushed now.”

I hear a groan on the radio from A-3.

Well, that’s certainly one way to take a tank out using a Frame.

“Um, to use the rifle, you have to set the BM select to gunfight, and then...Ahh!”

...I have the sneaking suspicion that she’s reading the instruction manual in there.

“A-3, we’re heading to support A-2.”

”R-roger,” Pvt. Usami weakly responds.

----

BATTLE LOG:
Arndruk x 2 was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Steyr)
Arndruk x 2 was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Renko)
Arndruk x 2 was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Steyr)
Arndruk x 2 was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Renko)
Kreuzritter MK II (Mary) has recovered.
Arndruk was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Mary)
Arndruk x 2 was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Steyr)
Arndruk was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Renko)

----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NtzR56lP2Y

Feeling an unbearably heavy weight on my shoulders, I lift myself up from my seat, groping around for the switch to open the door out of the simulator. Bright light greets me as the door slides open, and weakly, I step outside. I heave a sigh as I press a button to allow the door the close again, and take a few more steps. The simulator opposite mine opens as well, and from it emerges Pvt. Usami, looking extremely pale and weak-kneed, struggling to remain standing under her own power.

“Ugh...” she groans, leaning against the simulator’s exterior for support. “That was... that was really rough. All that moving around -- I thought I was gonna throw up... I think I still need a toilet, or a bag, or something...”

I’m feeling rather faint myself, though for different reasons.

“Ahh...” Pvt. Hearn approaches from a third of the simulators, located right next to Renko’s. Just as I suspected, she’s carrying the incredibly thick manual for the Kreuzritter under her arm. “That was actually kind of fun. It was a bit scary, though. I didn’t know what to do when those tanks started shooting at me.”

“So you jumped on one,” Pvt. Usami says, still looking sick. “Are you a videogame character?”

“Ahaha...”

She’s silenced as a stern set of footsteps draw near. Maj. Udongein approaches us with an unreadable expression on her face, stopping punctually in front of the three of us. With a swift movement of the hand, she snatches the manual out of Pvt. Hearn’s arm before she can react, lifting and hitting her lightly on the head with it, drawing a soft gasp from her.

“I told you to memorize it,” the Major says, shoving the manual back into her arms. “Not read it while you’re in the middle of a battle.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Pvt. Hearn says, looking down.

“Don’t do it again,” she says with a scowl. Her expression lightens up, however, when she turns her attention to me and Pvt. Usami. “Putting aside the Private, the two of you performed beyond expectations, especially considering the circumstances.”

“Thank you, Major,” I say, keeping silent about a few of my concerns about those ‘circumstances,’ at least for now.

Pvt. Usami just bows her head lightly in response.

“You’re free to spend the rest of the day as you wish,” she says, looking marginally more content. “Except for you, Pvt. Hearn. You’ll be writing a written apology for acting outside of your orders and for sneaking into this simulator room without authorization last night.”

Pvt. Hearn winces, before nodding subserviently. So that’s when she snuck in the manual.

“We’ll be having another go in the simulator tomorrow,” Maj. Udongein says, turning to leave the room. “Be ready for it.”

Now that our first session has ended, I should...

[ ] Pursue after the Major and question her about her extreme methods.
[ ] Admonish Pvt. Hearn.
[ ] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.

[x] Admonish Pvt. Hearn.

Merri, why are you so damn stupid. She needs to get her shit together and take this seriously. At least Renko isn't useless, so she'll be fine on her own.

[X] Admonish Pvt. Hearn.

For her own sake, as well as ours, she needs it. Someone has to remind her that failure in battle can mean death, and not necessarily just hers. Her failures could just as easily mean our death... or Renko's death.

No need to be rude or nasty about it. Just firm. As long as she understands the weight of the situation, that's enough.

[X] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.

Before she hurls onto someone. Also, Mary already got chewed out by the Major, so there's no sense in twisting the knife.

[x] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.

I like this Renko and wish to see more of her.

[x] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.

[X] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.

[x] Pursue after the Major and question her about her extreme methods.

Politely, though.

[X] Admonish Pvt. Hearn.

She's early game Ryusei, she needs the "this is war" epiphany.

[X] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.

[X] Admonish Pvt. Hearn.

>>31820
Ryusei didn't get that epiphany until the live-fire exercise that turned into a real battle. Oh, and Tenzan treating it like a video game.

Jumping on Hearn for making a mistake when we were just shown a conversation where she says she's afraid we'll jump on her for making a mistake seems like a bit of a dumb move. Just sayin.

>>31833
Sometimes people need to go out of their comfort zone to improve themselves. Clearly, just being afraid of getting scolded didn't stop her from being a dumbfuck.

>>31834
like you'd do any better if tossed into a mech with only a hint of how to do things?

Maribel strikes me more akin to Ryoto, high TK readings, but not too much of a fighting instinct (until OG2 at least)

Renko seems more akin to say, a few @ originals; general talent but lower TK

[x] Pursue after the Major and question her about her extreme methods.

I'm not saying there should be too much coddling, but such a on the spot manner seems biased against those without experience or talent. (Even in OG1, Ryusei had a bit of experience before that simulator stage) If Maribel had time to get used to things, she wouldn't have made that blunder.

>>31840
Not to give merit to your idiotic argument, but yes, I could in fact, do better. Namely because I would have read the goddamn manual instead of sneaking into unauthorized areas just so you could try and cheese your way through a life or death simulation.

Merri's a fucking moron either way you slice it, and needs to get her shit together.

>>31840
>(Even in OG1, Ryusei had a bit of experience before that simulator stage)
If by experience you mean knowledge of a mecha video game and a Melligot attack. He didn't even get a manual for that trial by fire, and quickly learned piloting a Gespenst wasn't like said video game.

>>31846
Please say Mary instead of Merri. Thanks.

>>31846
What? Did you not read the update properly? All three were tossed into things without time to read to read it or get used to things. I wasn't under the impression that going into the hanger was off limits.

>>31855
Your reading comprehension is shit.
They were instructed to read the manual in a previous update, and everyone stressed that this was important in the comments that followed.

>I wasn't under the impression that going into the hanger was off limits.

>You’ll be writing a written apology for acting outside of your orders and for sneaking into this simulator room without authorization last night.

Derp.

>>31856
I stand corrected, You however are still a needledick prick who thinks he knows it all

[X] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.

Called. Update coming tomorrow.

>>31859
Hooray!

>>31891
The update has been stolen by terrorists.

Actually, it's just been delayed to tomorrow. Sorry.

[x] Help Pvt. Usami to the restroom.
----

Although I have a great many things I want to say to Pvt. Hearn at the moment, the Major’s already outlined the main point I wanted to get across to her, namely that there will be no tolerance for incompetence brought on by ignorance or refusal to acknowledge one’s duties. Though she looks plenty crushed already, I still feel that the truth of what lies ahead of us hasn’t quite sunk in with her yet, so although it’s never a pleasant job, I’ll have to make sure she understands what exactly she’s in for. I’ll keep it simple and concise this time, though.

“Hearn,” I call out to her, to get her attention. “Imagine what might have happened if that was a real battlefield, and you made a careless mistake like that. Don’t answer me right away; think about it while you’re writing your apology. Just give some good thought to what it means when you make a mistake in the middle of a life and death situation.”

She responds with a vague, slow nod. Moving past her, I turn to face Pvt. Usami, who hasn’t left from her spot beside the simulator pod. Her face still looks pale, and it looks like if she tries to speak, she just might end up hurling out the contents of her breakfast.

“Do you need a shoulder?” I ask her.

She looks up, and then shakes her head, straightening her knees with some effort as she tries to take a step away from the pod, though it’s obvious that she still feels nauseated. I don’t blame her. I was like that myself when I first flew. I got over it, and eventually, she will, as well, so it won’t be a lasting problem.

“Do you need to go to the restroom?”

Pvt. Usami pauses to think about it, and then weakly nods.

“And do you know how to get there?”

She shakes her head.

“Well, I do,” I say, having memorized the layout of the base. “Follow me.”

----

Arms crossed and with my back leaning against the wall, I stand beside the entrance to the women’s restroom. Since Pvt. Usami was in no mood to talk -- lest she lose control of her stomach -- the short trip there was uneventful and quiet, though it’s not something I’m disappointed about.

Waiting in silence, I glance in the direction of the restroom door when I hear it open, expecting to see Usami. Instead, a girl with messy red hair steps out instead, our glances meeting just for a brief moment. She takes a step back in surprise, flinching, and then gives me a sharp glare before walking away hastily in the opposite direction without a word. I’m not sure what that was supposed to be about, and I don’t think I particularly care, either.

A few minutes later, Pvt. Usami finally emerges from the restroom, her hands still a bit moist, not yet completely dried. She wipes them on the front of her uniform as she takes a step out, and I note that some color appears to have returned to her face.

“Thanks,” she says, her throat sounding a bit raspy. She takes a moment to clear it before continuing. “...It’s going to be that rough next time too, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It’ll get rougher, too, especially when we start actual training. And if you can’t handle it, you’ll just have to bear with it until you can.”

“I can handle it,” she says with grim confidence. “...I’m still not sure if Mary can, though. She says she’s up for it, but, well, you saw how it was like today.”

“...We were all inexperienced to some degree today,” I begin, slipping my hands into my pockets with a sigh. “But it was most obvious with her. As she is now, she’s not even cut out to be a test pilot, much less a real soldier. I don’t agree with the Major’s methods as they are now, but it might be that extreme measures may have to be taken in order for someone like Pvt. Hearn to wake up and realize this isn’t a game.”

“The Major...” Pvt. Usami says, folding her arms together as she goes into deep thought, remaining silent for several seconds. “Maybe she was testing our abilities..."I mean, our supposed abilities as psychodrivers. We did do pretty well for our first time in the simulator, didn’t we? None of us were shot down.”

“Our psychic powers, is it...” I say, snorting. Even now I find it hard to believe that I’m supposedly a psychic, but it seems now that the expectations my superiors have of me have jumped quite high because of it. “Do you think it was because of that, that we did well?”

“I guess I don’t really have a way of knowing,” she says, shrugging.

----

Far East Base, Japan
April 20, 118 F.E.
1:05 PM

A wrapped bread held in my hand, I leave the cafeteria, out into the hallway leading to the rest of the base. I think I hear someone yelling in frustration somewhere behind me, but whoever it is, I don’t see their face, as I don’t particularly care enough to look back and see. Stopping at a vending machine along the way, I grimace at the price of a single bottle of water before pushing in the coins anyway, reaching down to grab my prize.

The bottle of water held between my arm and side, I begin tearing the wrapper off the loaf of bread. It’s a curry bread. I don’t really like curry bread, but I’ve never been picky about my food, and I’m not about to start. I stuff one end of it into my mouth while uncapping the bottle in my hands.

“Oh? Hey, Lieutenant!”

Tearing off a piece, I chew it thoroughly before washing it down with water.

“Oh come on, Lieutenant, don’t ignore me!”

There’s an annoying fly buzzing around behind me. It’s a very familiar fly. I’m not quite sure how it managed to fly over an ocean to follow me here.

[ ] Ignore it and hope it goes away.
[ ] Turn around to decide whether to swat it or not.

[x] Ignore it and hope it goes away.

Is this our hotblooded heroine triumphantly making her stage entrance? Well, she'll have to try damn hard while we're outright ignoring her!

[X] Turn around to decide whether to swat it or not.

I'm betting it's that guy. Of course, it could be some woman who hasn't appeared yet. Hell, are we the only male in the base?

[X] Turn around to decide whether to swat it or not.

[X] Turn around to decide whether to swat it or not.

[X] Turn around to decide whether to swat it or not.

[X] Turn around to decide whether to swat it or not.

[x] Ignore it and hope it goes away.

[x] Ignore it and hope it goes away.

[x] Turn around to decide whether to swat it or not.
----

Sighing as I lower the hand holding the bread, I turn around to see a man with a tall and lanky frame standing behind me, wearing a cheerful expression and a red bandana around his head. As I thought, it seems somehow he managed to follow me to this base, although I can pretty much guess at the reason for his transfer. Still, I might as well make sure.

“What are you doing here, Jimenez?” I ask, not looking too amused or very happy to see him again at all. “And what’s with that headband?”

“Oh, this?” he says, holding a part of the fabric between his thumb and forefinger. “Well, thought it’d be appropriate, considering my career change.”

“Don’t tell me you...”

“Yup,” he says with a nod, pumping a fist out. “I’m gonna be serving as a pilot alongside you from now on, Lt. Steyr. I finally get to pilot a mech, just like I’ve always wanted. Though, since you’re still above me, I’ll have to depend on you quite a bit.”

“Well, congratulations on making it. I can’t say I expected you to be transferred into the army as well,” I say, pausing to take a brief drink from my bottle of water. “It seems the structure of the GDA’s military branches is undergoing quite a bit of reform at the moment.”

“Anyway, doesn’t this headband look good?” he says, adjusting it on his head. “Makes me feel like I’m a real hero.”

“Don’t be a kid, Jimenez.”

“Oh gimme a break, Lieutenant,” he says with a grin, obviously in quite a good mood at the moment.

Shrugging my shoulders, I turn around once again and begin walking again. Kahr Jimenez, the radio operator with whom I’ve worked with for several years in the air force, follow alongside me, looking boyishly eager as he cracks his knuckles and stretches his fingers. It’s obvious to me that he’s excited about his new post here, and while that sort of enthusiasm is commendable, I’m worried that he might just get a little overeager about things and make some dumb mistake. Thankfully, though, I don’t need to babysit him, too. He knows enough not to mess up too badly.

“By the way,” I casually bring up as I continue to walk, “I’m not a Lieutenant anymore. It’s Ens. Steyr now.”

“Oh, right, sorry Ensign,” he says, snapping his head to my direction. “It’s a bit confusing, isn’t it, going from one branch of the military to the next. That’s not a standard procedure at all, I don’t think.”

“If you’re talking about standard procedures, I’m afraid there’s very little of that to be found at this base,” I reply, taking a bite out of my curry bread and taking time to wash it down before continuing to speak again. “At least, that’s the impression I’ve got, based on my brief time here.”

“Well, can’t say that’s entirely surprising,” Jimenez says, reaching up and folding his arms behind his head. “Ever since the development of the CF-01 Wanze, the GDA army’s structure’s been changing radically. About two or three years after the Wanze was adopted, they dissolved the navy and integrated its officers into the army, didn’t they?”

“Yes, because the Wanze is capable of underwater combat,” I reply, nodding along. “They’ve stopped the production of gunships and combat submarines in favors of large sea carriers packed with Wanze units.”

“Are CFs really that much better than ships and submarines?”

“It’s a cost-to-performance ratio. Believe it or not, current technology allows the Wanze to be produced and maintained at a lower cost than most multi-manned ships or submarines. It’s true that they perform at only 70% of the standard performance underwater rather than on land, but apparently that’s enough to function at a feasible level of combat.”

“Huh,” Jimenez folds his arms together. “...And I guess with those new Crusaders coming along, I guess old conventional weapons just won’t have a place. I guess it won’t be long before the air force is dissolved as well. Maybe the GDA’s trying to go for a centralized military?”

I shrug in response. “...Well, our job isn’t to worry about that. We’re just here to make sure the development of psychodriver weapons go along smoothly.”

“Oh, right, the psychodriver thing,” he says, looking up at the ceiling. “It’s kinda hard to believe, ain’t it, Lieu--er, I mean, Ens. Steyr?”

“I suppose,” I nod once again.

“Speaking of which,” Jimenez begins, suddenly wearing a devious expression. “Oh man, I think we’re the only male pilots at this base, Lieutenant. I haven’t seen a single guy wearing one of our uniforms. Everyone else with the same uniform seems to be a cute girl.”

“So it seems.”

“Even my commanding officer is quite attractive, you know?” he says, his grin growing wider. “Major Hakurei, was it? She looks pretty young, but it seems she’s already a veteran. She’s got this strange sort of allure, if you know what I mean. A sort of detached outlook to everything, like she’s got no attachments to anything. I don’t mind working under her.”

“Just be sure not to be accused of sexual harassment.”

“Ah geez, you’ve got no faith in me, Ens. Steyr,” he says, winking once as he points at himself with a thumb. “I’m the hero, the noble knight on a horse. It would be vulgar for a knight in shining armor to do something shameful toward a lady, would it not?”

“Whatever you say, Don Quixote.”

“Don who?”

Well, I suppose that is an old one.

“We’re still not a full squad yet. There’s me, and there’s this Russian chick, but apparently they haven’t found a third candidate yet, so we won’t be able to do full team exercises for a while, so that’s a bit of a bummer. It gives me some time to get closer to a few of the ladies here though. Once work starts it’s going to be pretty grueling, right, Ensign?”

Once again, I shrug my shoulders.

“...As always, you’re a bit too quiet.”

“And you’re a bit too loud.”

----

Part two of the update coming tomorrow.

Jimenez really makes me thing of SMT: Strange Journey

>[ ] A little weird and flirtatious! (Default name: Kahr Jimenez)

Huh. This is based on a strategy RPG, so I guess that at some point, we'll be commanding all eight hero(ine) types.

>>32003
maybe, but I think the main character is the main one we control.

I wonder if Reisen's tough act is to cover up her doubts about being good only for her sex appeal

Hey Gepenst.

I am loving the fuck out of this story despite not really caring much for SRW at all, so I guess that's a good sign.

I have one little request, though: Stop using the abbreviated ranks, especially in the middle of dialogue. It just looks really, really off, somehow. And I'm sure somebody will argue that there's no problem with "Mr." or "Dr." but trust me, it just looks really strange and out of place.

Besides, wouldn't most people generally stick with using just the rank or their name at any given time? To use both seems to rank with referring to someone by their full name in terms of 'technically okay but socially awkward.'

Maybe I'm the only one who's bothered by this, or maybe someone can back me up here, but that's my sole request.

Well, aside from "Maeriberry". Seriously, what the fuck.

>>32010
>Stop using the abbreviated ranks, especially in the middle of dialogue. It just looks really, really off, somehow.
I'm fine with the abbreviated ranks, but that's probably because I mentally read them as the full rank.

>Besides, wouldn't most people generally stick with using just the rank or their name at any given time?
When on-duty, you address higher-ups as rank plus name or sir/ma'am (NCOs may take offense at the latter), unless they allow you to use just their rank. Off-duty, it's whatever people are comfortable with.

>>32010
Thanks for the comments, and sure, if it bothers you, I can drop the abbreviations. The (rank) (name) will stand, though, as >>32019 explained.

----

Fajra’s Side

Far East Base, Japan
April 19, F.E.
8:20 AM

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrv58Aimh7U

The hardest part about waking up is actually gathering up the effort to do it. For me, it’s a gradual process. I’ve never really sprung up from my bed, not even when I’ve had a nightmare about something scary. Instead, I just seem to drift out of sleep, and before I know it, I’m conscious, but without the desire to move my body at all. There’s probably some medical explanation for it, but I was an Engineering Major, so I wouldn’t know about that.

Anyway, so that’s why even though I actually woke up a few minutes ago, I’m still lying comfortably in my bed, completely oblivious of the time. I just don’t want to get up at all, right now. Of course, that’s how I feel almost every morning, but today I have a cheap excuse good reason for it. Yesterday was an intense battle. It was a fight in which I laid down my life on the line to win. It was an incredible battle that lasted several hours!

It was all just a simulation, though. But still, because of the heart and soul I poured into that practice session, I’m completely exhausted today. Even if it was just a simulation, though, that doesn’t mean I’m not experienced. I may be young, but I’m still a very experienced, very talented CF pilot!

...well, actually, I’m just the mechanic who’s taken a liking to sneaking into the simulator room every once in a while to have a go.

Shivering, I finally manage to pluck up the motivation to get myself up and going. If I’m late, I’ll end up getting chewed out, and a lecture on timeliness by the chief mechanic isn’t something I really want to hear when I’m feeling cranky. Suppressing a yawn as I kick the blanket around me, I slip out of my bed, and standing up, stretch my arms toward the ceiling.

I turn to look out the window--well, there isn’t actually a window, since this is a military installation, after all, but I’m looking at that place in a bedroom where there would normally be a window--and put on a smile to start the day off with. Another day of cleaning, assembling, and maintaining a bunch of CFs I’ll never get to use!

Maybe I should have just applied as a pilot instead.

----

Stepping out of my room, which I’m not sharing with anyone at the moment, I reach up to my head and pat my hair down with my hand. No matter how much I try to get it to stay down, it never seems to stop gravitating toward the sky. Even when I used hairspray to try to tame it, it just wouldn’t give up, and it also made mom and a few other people think I’d gone punk or something. Nowadays, I usually don’t bother, but for some reason I feel a bit self-conscious today.

Walking through the hallway, my destination being the hangar, I see a short figure approaching from the opposite direction. Deciding to be friendly, I raise a hand up high and call out without even bothering to match the face to a name.

“Hello! Good morning, isn’t it--ghhk!”

I bite my tongue in the middle of the greeting, doubling back when I see who it is.

“Hello,” the figure says quietly, continuing to approach. “Good morning.”

“Um, uh...” I stutter out.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, no, it’s nothing!” I hurriedly say in a panic, shaking my head furiously.

She gives me a look of puzzlement before walking past me, and I turn around to watch her until she turns a corner, moving out of my sight. I let out a sigh of relief, my tense heart beating at a rapid pace. Geez, that was just so pathetic of me, completely losing my head like that. But, I’m not the only one to blame here. Seriously, I don’t know how high ranking she is, but does she really have to carry that katana around everywhere? It makes me feel so nervous, just being around her, like she’s just gonna cut me down at any moment or something...

Anyway, taking my mind off that weirdo officer, I hurry on ahead toward the hangar.

----

12:20 PM

The morning’s work finished earlier than usual, so I took the time to head out into the city for lunch, since the lunch schedule didn’t list anything I really liked for today. So I went into the local bakery and bought myself some bread and chocolate milk. Having finished those up, I’m returning to the base to enjoy some time by myself before the afternoon shift starts.

As I approach the sliding doors leading into the installation, though, it opens by itself, and a girl stomps out of it, totally furious. Surprised, I watch as she walks past me before entering the building. Walking straight forward to the receptionist’s desk, I look toward Ms. Millia and speak to her.

“Was that Cirno just now?” I ask her. “She seems mad about something.”

“Oh, I didn’t give her admittance because she forgot her ID again,” Ms. Millia answers me with a dull voice.

“That seems to happen often,” I note.

“She probably left it in her other pants pocket again,” the woman says with a snort, brushing her hair out of her face. “It’s always one forgetful thing or another with that girl.”

“You could have just let her in.”

“I could’ve,” she says without concern. “But she called me an old hag last week, so I didn’t.”

Ms. Millia’s always so mean-spirited.

“Hey, uh.”

An unfamiliar male voice comes from behind, so out of curiosity, I turn around. A tall man with tanned skin stands there with one hand in his pocket, a bright red headband wrapped around his head. He looks a little confused and out of place, and he’s directly staring in the direction of the two of us as he approaches, rubbing the back of his head.

“Hey, could the pretty young lady by the desk help me out here a bit?” he says with a silly looking grin.

[ ] Well, sure you could.
[ ] He means the receptionist, right?

[x] He means the receptionist, right?

Modesty is a virtue, or something.

[x] He means the receptionist, right?

[X] He means the receptionist, right?

>Steyr arrives after 12:15, watches Cirno stomp off
>Cirno leaves the building at 12:20 when Fajra shows up
Timeline seems a little off, unless Cirno decided to fume in the reception area for three minutes.

[X] He means the receptionist, right?

[x] He means the receptionist, right?

>>32028
The times displayed are approximate. For the sake of convenience the minutes are always given out as multiples of five.

[x] He means the receptionist, right?

Interesting...

Can I share my hypothesis on what she'll bring to the table or just wait and see?

May as well share it

[x] Well, sure you could.

For shits and giggles, c'mon.

>Fajra switch
Ah, so we're alternating between sides? I both liked and hated that about these kinds of games. Liked, because you got a better picture of what was going on, and hated because it meant going through the game at half-speed. I'm cool with it here, though.

Alright, called. Expect an update soon, later today.

>>32093
...or today.

>>32112
...or tomorrow?

[x] He means the receptionist, right?
----

As the silly looking man with his equally silly headband begins to approach, I take a few steps back, leaving his path toward Ms. Millia unimpeded. If he needs help with something, then it’s only common sense that he would want to talk to the receptionist. I watch him as he walks up to the desk, and stare as he turns his face toward me with a smile, giving me a brief wink before turning to face the other woman. Standing to the side, I watch their conversation.

“Hi,” the man begins, digging into the pocket on his breast and withdrawing an ID card. “I’ve been transferred to this base just today.”

Ms. Millia takes the card from him, placing it on the desk and sliding it toward her, stopping it with a finger and looking over it before looking something up on the computer screen sitting next to her. “You’re another candidate, huh?”

“Yup,” he says, looking proud.

Candidate?

I wonder what they’re talking about. Is he here to test pilot some kind of new Combat Frame model or something? With an expression of interest, I lean just a little closer toward the man, bearing my weight on the front of my feet and letting out a low hum as I look over him again. He doesn’t really seem special, or high ranking like the commissioned officers I’ve ran into during my time here. He doesn’t have those fancy shoulder things that high-rankers do...

“Oh, looks like you’ve been assigned under Major Hakurei,” Ms. Millia notes, pausing to blow a bubble with her gum, sucking it back and chewing on it for a bit again before continuing, “Seems there isn’t a meeting for you to attend today though.”

“Huh,” the man raises his brows, adjusting his headband. “That seems a bit strange. The flight over here was eighteen hours, at least, and they’re not even gonna meet with me?”

The receptionist just shrugs her shoulders.

“What am I to do then...”

“Just take a look around inside the base or something. Ah.”

Ms. Millia suddenly stops, and then turns her head to glance at me, the man in front of her following her gaze and staring at me as well.

“Hey Sierra, why don’t you show him around?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, now there’s a good idea,” the man says brightly, “A tour of this base would be a lot less lonely if I was accompanied by a lovely girl like you.”

I look over his easygoing, smiling face with a slight frown. He’s one of those, right? A womanizer? The kind of guy who’d hit on anything as long as you put it in a skirt first. I don’t find him very charming, though. Maybe he’s just not very good at it?

What’s up with that headband, anyway? It’s so weird. I’ve never seen anyone else here wearing that kind of headband before. I wonder if it’s some kind of special symbol. Like, maybe he’s in some kind of special government task force or something, and all members from it wear a headband like that. Ms. Millia did just call him a “candidate” for something, right? I need to know more about that!

“Well, okay,” I say with a nod. “I guess I can show him around a little.”

“Great,” Ms. Millia replies in a dull voice, already taking her attention off us and staring back at the computer screen. “Have a great time you two.”

Getting old must be a terrible thing. It makes you such a boring person.

I look back at the man, who merely smiles at me, making me feel slightly anxious as I turn my back to him. He’s not gonna shoot me in the back or anything for knowing too much, is he? It would be terrible if he did. All I’d be guilty of would be being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it would all be because I went to buy bread! I don’t want to die over bread! Well, of course, that’s not very likely, but it’s fun to think about.

Anyway, I walk through the doors leading deeper into the complex, and the man with the silly headband follows after me. Passing through the sliding doors and into the hallways leading into the rest of the building, the man begins walking at my side. Turning my head, I pluck up the courage to begin speaking to him.

“Hey, um,” I start, nearly biting my tongue. “So what was that ‘candidate’ stuff about? Is it something you can tell me?”

“Huh? Oh, that,” the man says, tugging down on his headband again. “You know about psychodrivers, right?”

“I think I’ve heard of it,” I say, concentrating. “They’re like... psychics, right? Humans with psychic powers and stuff.”

“To put it basically, yeah,” he says, before pointing a thumb at himself. “They say I’m one of ‘em. That’s what they meant by candidate.”

“So you’re a psychic?” I say, my eyes wide with surprise. With almost child-like enthusiasm, I lean forward excitedly. “Okay, so what am I thinking of right now?”

“Hmm, you’re thinking of...” he says, stopping in place and closing one eye in concentration. He raises a hand to my forehead, just barely touching the surface of my skin with the tip of a finger. He begins humming in a mystical sort of way, “...how cool and handsome the guy in front of you is, am I right?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Oh,” he says, dropping the entire pretense and shrugging his shoulders. “I guess it doesn’t work like that then.”

“You’re weird.”

“By the way, Lady Sierra, I don’t believe I’ve given you my name?” he says with a wink, extending out a hand for a shake. “It’s Jimenez. Kahr Jimenez.”

“You’re not gonna zap my brain with your psychic powers, are you?” I say, staring down at his hand with suspicion.

“Oh no, you’ve found me out!” he says, chuckling.

Taking his hand, I give it a shake. “I’m Fajra. I’m a mechanic here.”

“Yeah, I thought that was what you were,” Kahr says, looking down at my jumpsuit. “Well then, Fajra, can you show me to the hangar?”

“Sure.” I let go of his hand. “Just follow me.”

----

“Whoa. So this is the GDA’s new mass production Frame?”

“Yeah, looks pretty cool, doesn’t it?” I say with a bright smile, looking up at the Frame in question.

The machine stands tall, the point of its helmet-like head proudly sticking up in the air. Since it was just recently assembled together, it hasn’t been out in the field yet, so its armor is still pristine and shining. The front of its torso boldly displays a red cross in the center. I’ve heard that this Frame is supposed to resemble a knight from the medieval era, many hundreds of years ago, and I think that they did pretty well in that respect!

“So that’s the machine I’ll be piloting, huh?” Kahr muses to himself.

That catches my attention. “You’re a pilot?”

“Well yeah,” he says, placing a hand at his waist. “That’s why they brought me here.”

“Oh, are you an ‘ace’?!” I ask, child-like enthusiasm flaring up again. “How many have you shot down? Do you have like a nickname, like the ‘Crimson Nightmare,’ or the ‘Lightning Baron’ or something like that?”

“Whoa, whoa,” he says, holding up his hands. “Calm down there. First of all, I’m just now starting a career as a pilot, and second of all, you can’t be an ace if there’s no war going on, right?”

“Oh,” I say, feeling slightly embarrassed. “...So you’re a rookie, then?”

“Everyone has to start somewhere,” he says, shrugging. “Before I got transferred here, I was just a radio operator for the air force.”

“Huh?” I blink, confused. “So how come you’re a pilot now, then?”

“It’s ‘cuz I’m a psychodriver candidate,” he says, pocketing his hands, “The GDA is looking to test some new technology that depends on our abilities or something like that. Anyway, normally, transferring from one military branch to another is impossible, but since psychodrivers aren’t exactly common they were willing to overlook it, I guess.”

“Hm. So, as long as they’re a psychodriver, anyone can become a pilot?” I ask, sounding almost hopeful now.

“Well sure, I guess,” Kahr replies with a shrug.

I wonder if I might be a psychodriver, too? Maybe I should try to bend spoons or something later.

“Anyway, I’ve had a good look at the new Crusader,” Kahr says, moving toward the hangar doors. “So let’s take a look around the rest of the base, shall we?”

“Okay,” I nod.

----

11:30 PM

The machine doors slide open, and I take a single, careful step into the room, peeking around the wall. The ceiling lights are very, very dimly lit, enough only to light up the room just enough to be able to see anything. Cautiously, I step further into the room, looking around. I nearly jump when I hear the doors sliding shut behind me, feeling my heart thump against the palm pressed to my chest. If I got caught, I wonder if I’d get fired..."

Tip-toeing my way further into the room, despite being quite sure that there’s no one else in here beside myself, I make my way toward the large pods situated at the center of the room. There are four of them in total, shaped like eggs on their sides, each of them facing one another diagonally. Continuing to sneak my way over to those pods, I reach out and touch the outside of one of them, feeling the smooth metal surface against my skin. Sliding my fingers over to a button, I press it, and stand back as a crack in the pod reveals itself to be the opening to a door, which shifts to the side with a mechanical hum.

Climbing up inside, I stop briefly when I see something sitting on top of the simulator’s seat, and reach over to hold it in my hand. It looks like a volume of a book, thick and heavy. The cover has no title, but sifting through it, it becomes apparent that it’s the instruction manual to a CF... more specifically, for the Kreuzritter MK II. What in the world is this doing here?

I plop down into the seat, with the instruction manual sitting on top of my lap. Maybe this is a sign, or something? When I snuck into this room before, I could only pilot a simulated Wanze, but with this manual, I could try out the Crusader as well. Heck, maybe someone noticed me sneaking into this place all the time and they left me this manual! Thinking like that, I can’t help but squeal just a bit, giving a small pump with my fist.

Opening up the manual, I place a finger down on the page over a lineart of the Kreuzritter, reading in the dim light of the simulator interior. My finger hovers over a line art of the Kreuzritter...

*Shunk!*

“What the...” I say out aloud.

The simulator’s door suddenly slides shut of its own accord. I stare at it in shock. I haven’t touched anything. I hadn’t pressed the button to close it, so why on Earth did it just shut itself? Feeling nervous, I press the button to open the door. There’s no response. The door doesn’t move at all. My heart pounding now, I press it again, and again. Still, there’s no response. I think... I think I’m stuck in here.

“H-hey!” I say, beginning to pound on the door. “Hey, is anybody out there!" Hello! The door won’t open up!”

There’s no response outside.

“Ah...!?”

The screen in front of me suddenly lights up, and I lift my arm to shield my eyes from its bright glow. The screen displays a wireframe of the Kreuzritter, but even though I’m not selecting anything, the simulator appears to navigate through its own menu without any input from me. What’s... what’s going on?

“If anyone’s out there, let me out of here!” I yell, pounding on the door again.

The simulator suddenly gives a jerk, and I let out a small shriek. Groaning, I reach back, and secure myself to the seat. Ugh, I think I might be being punished for sneaking in. But still, whoever’s doing this... they don’t need to lock me in like this.

Focusing my attention on the screen in front of me, I note that the screen seems to be filling itself with lines and lines of commands now; even without me doing anything, the simulator’s entering all the default movement configurations and everything. Or rather, the person who’s subjecting me to this is doing it all for me! What are they trying to pull..."

I’m staring at a plain landscape now, a grassy field with no hills or obstacles to speak of. It looks like a simulation’s begun now. I didn’t pay much attention, but I think I’m supposed to be in a Kreuzritter MK II. Nervously, I stare at the controls in front of me, and then look back up at the screen. It seems whoever took the time to set this all up for me doesn’t have any intention to play through the simulation for me as well.

“Oh, an enemy...” I say, looking at a red dot that just appeared on the radar.

There’s a single red dot to the northeast, about five hundred meters away. Judging by the number indicating its distance from me, and how it’s counting down, it’s moving toward me as well. Its ID code is CF-01... so it’s a Wanze. The simulator’s generated a Wanze.

Biting my lip, I look back up at the screen. Since it’s a flat field, I can already see the Wanze approaching me... I guess I’m supposed to fight it? But even though I have some experience with the Wanze itself, I’ve never controlled a Crusader before. I do have the instruction manual for it with me, but even I know better than to be reading it in the middle of a fight! What should I do?

[ ] Maybe you should still try to study up a bit first.
[ ] Forget that, just charge ahead!

[X] Forget that, just charge ahead!

No time to look at the book, just hope the controls are similar to the Wanze's.

[x] Forget that, just charge ahead!

Who needs manuals when you have HOT BLOOD!

[x] Maybe you should still try to study up a bit first.

This shit isn't like the Wanze, guys. She needs to configure the movement controls before trying to fight.

[x] Forget that, just charge ahead!

There's no time to try and figure this shit out. We'll just have to trust in our instincts and pray its enough.

>>32146
>even without me doing anything, the simulator’s entering all the default movement configurations and everything.

How the hell do people miss these sorts of things?

[x] Forget that, just charge ahead!

Hot-blooded mechanic girl. Nice.

I AM THE WRENCH THAT THWACKS EVIL.

[X] Forget that, just charge ahead!
[x]Wall
[x]Focus

[X] Forget that, just charge ahead!

I wonder if her antics are what the major assumes to be Mary's antics or not.

>>32156
Mary must have broken in or else she wouldn't have the manual

>>32157
dunno as the update said Fajra/whoever found the manual in the seat of the simulator.

>>32161
>“Except for you, Pvt. Hearn. You’ll be writing a written apology for acting outside of your orders and for sneaking into this simulator room without authorization last night.”
>Pvt. Hearn winces, before nodding subserviently. So that’s when she snuck in the manual.
That reaction is practically admitting she snuck the manual in, and the timeframe seems right. She probably did it right before going to bed.

>>32150
Damn you, now I have Land Crasher stuck in my head.

[x] Forget that, just charge ahead!
----

“Alright, fine...” I mutter under my breath, shoving the thick volume out of my lap. With shaking hands, I grab hold of the controls, feeling the touch of their cool surface on my palms. I take a deep breath to try to relax myself, closing my eyes briefly to clear my head. Opening them again to look at the screen before me, my eyes narrow at the approaching figure in the distance. “If you’re gonna bring it, then bring it!”

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGHwR8UprWs

I thrust the controls forward, and almost immediately the machine begins to move, the thrusters at its back flaring up with intensity, driving the Frame forward. Gritting my teeth, I feel my body being pushed back, slamming me against the seat. Fighting for control even as the machine continues to accelerate, wincing with one eye shut, I keep my focus on the Wanze in front of me.

Compared to the sleek and streamlined body of the Kreuzritter, its shape is very bulky and rough. A rectangular frame sits on top of thick and segmented legs, with a small head almost completely comprised of a single rounded visor with a myriad of camera units crammed inside of it, giving it the impression that it’s got dozens of eyes; its arms, narrow and thin, end in a gatling gun on one arm and a heated cutter in the other, lacking hands and digits; a large cannon rests on top of one shoulder, the round barrel folded to the back when not being aimed.

As I approach, its folding cannon slowly lifts itself up, the whole Frame nearly tipping over as the barrel drops to its front. Its feet, ending in sharp talon-like toes, dig themselves into the ground, bracing itself as it swings that menacing cannon in my direction. I take a sharp breath as the Wanze’s cannon fires at me with a crashing roar, shifting the controls to the side with all my might. The Kreuzritter takes quick evasive action, the round launched at me hitting only the ground with tremendous force behind it.

“I--I dodged it,” I mutter to myself, almost taking my focus off the enemy for a second.

Shaking my head, I grit my teeth once again, pushing forward even further. The Kreuzritter charges forward, its thrusters working at maximum output. The Wanze slowly turns to realign its cannon toward me, but I won’t let that thing fire again! The Kreuzritter continues to fly forward, its feet hovering above the ground as it moves full force at the Wanze, closing the distance between us faster than it can aim any of its weapons!

“Gooooooo!”

The Kreuzritter rams straight into the Wanze, full-body-tackling it with enough impact to completely sweep it off its feet! Knocked up into the air, my machine continues to fly into it with its arms wrapped around the other machine, even as it crashes on its back against the ground, dragged against the ground as the Kreuzritter lands on top of it with its thrusters still flaring at max level, leaving a huge trail of dirt as it continues to press the Wanze against the earth, eventually slowing to a stop as the boosters shut off.

“Ugh...” I groan, feeling nauseous from all the shaking. Quick to return my attention to the Wanze lying beneath my Kreuzritter, I mutter to myself, “Did I get it?”

The Wanze’s composite eyes look up at me, the dozens of cameras behind its visor glowing red. Pinned to the ground beneath the Kreuzritter, it makes no attempts to crawl out or push it off it. Instead, it raises one of its arm -- the one equipped with the gatling gun, and points it straight up. Ugh, it’s not attempting to escape, it’s trying to fire at me at point-blank!

“Like I’d let you!” I yell, tugging on the controls.

Before the Wanze can let loose its bullets, the Kreuzritter draws back its fist. Just as the gatling gun’s barrel begins opening fire, the fist of my machine comes crashing down hard on its face, shattering its visor with a single punch. The Wanze’s arm swings wildly out of control, drawn away from my machine from the impact of my punch, the bullets flying into the air instead of into my armor.

“Deyaaagh!”

Not stopping there, the Kreuzritter draws back its other fist, swinging it wildly down below itself, crashing it into the Wanze’s main body and impacting the surface of its armor, caving it in. Pulling back, the Kreuzritter punches it with its right hand, and then with its left! Right, left, right, left, and a hard right to finish it off! The repeated punches continue bashing into the front of the Wanze, eventually breaking through the metal and exposing its internals, black smoke beginning to billow out as the glowing camera units in its visor gradually lose their light, the entire Frame ceasing to function.

Did... did that do it? I punched it until it stopped moving, so that’s probably enough, right?

The Kreuzritter stands up, stumbling back slightly. I look down at the defeated Wanze, completely still with wisps of black smoke coming out from its exposed circuits. For some reason, I’m breathing hard, and I can feel a bead of sweat running down my face. I wipe my brow with a sleeve as I relax in my seat, resting my head against it with a sigh. Well, that wasn’t too hard. The controls were similar enough to the Wanze, enough to move and punch, anyway.

...Honestly, that was a real mess. Looking at the status screen for my machine, the Frame’s arms are highlighted in red, showing that they’ve taken some damage as a result of the punches. It’s not meant to do that, after all, and really I should have used its actual weapons, but at the moment I just sort of lost myself and did whatever came to mind. I’ve assembled a few of these things, so I really should have known better!

Anyway, I’ve destroyed this one, so maybe I’ll be able to get out now..."

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqqPEcQd9j0

I hear a sudden beep from my radar, and I quickly turn my head to look at it. Two new red dots have appeared further to the northeast, around 300 meters from me, situated about fifty meters from one another. Clicking my tongue, I look back up at the screen, and see the two figures in the distance, facing me. Two more Wanzes have been generated by the simulator. So I gotta take them down as well? Isn’t one enough, for a beginner like me? Ah, well, no time to complain!

I can’t take them down the same way I did the last one, though. The Kreuzritter’s built strong, but it’s not so strong that it’s invincible. If I try to punch it as hard as I did the last one, it’s only going to end up wrecking the arms.

So, let’s see, weapons on this thing... weapons, weapons, I know this thing has weapons, so what were they again..."Oh, right, there should be a standard issue beam rifle at its back, and there’s a saber in the right forearm as well. The chest is also equipped with twin vulcans. Those last two are only viable at close range, and the rifle is the Kreuzritter’s only ranged weapon at the moment, so I gotta decide how I’m going to approach those two...

[ ] Shoot down them from afar with the rifle.
[ ] Get in their face with the sword and vulcans!

----

BATTLE LOG:
Wanze was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Fajra)

----

[x] Get in their face with the sword and vulcans!

[x] Shoot down them from afar with the rifle.

>the Frame’s arms are highlighted in red, showing that they’ve taken some damage as a result of the punches. It’s not meant to do that, after all
You are not Elzam. Also, you had weapons you could have used, he didn't.

[X] Shoot down them from afar with the rifle.

With damaged arms, I don't think we should risk mêlée.

[x] Shoot down them from afar with the rifle.

[x] Shoot down them from afar with the rifle.

Closing into melee range while the enemy fires upon you is a quick way to die.

>>32195
The Mk II R used a tackle; that and its frame was generally sturdier than most. I think the arms can melee with a sword, though charging in again would be too risky

[X] Shoot down them from afar with the rifle.

Also in SRWs, it's better to wait for the enemy to come in so you can soften them up with long range fire before moving in for the kill.

[x] Shoot down them from afar with the rifle.

Learn to shoot while you still have time.

[x] Get in their face with the sword and vulcans!
hot blood gets will boosts from getting hit and attacking

>>32281
>Chest Vulcans
>Beam Sabre
>Beam Rifle
I don't see any weapons that require Will, do you? Also note that this is a real robot, not a super.

[x] Shoot them down from afar with the rifle.
----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGHwR8UprWs

I don’t think the odds will be with me if I charge in recklessly again, especially now that there are two of them to worry about instead of just one. If I try to rush one, the other might pick me off while I’m busy or distracted or something, and that’d be a really pathetic way to go out even if this is just a simulation. Although I’m not too confident about being able to operate the targeting system very well, especially if it’s a lot different from the Wanze I’m used to, I’m going to have to play it a bit safer!

The Kreuzritter lifts its foot, starting off with a slow step in the direction of the two Wanze Frames. The thrusters below its backpack and at the back of the knee begin to heat up, gradually warming up as the machine steps further. The Frame comes to a stop for just a brief moment, bracing itself as its boosters flare up, driving the machine forward and lifting its feet off the ground, hovering in the air just above it, the whole Frame flying through the air.

In the cockpit itself, with my clumsy fingers, I hurriedly switch the Frame’s BM select from the default “infight” setting to “gunfight.” It looks like the Kreuzritter’s default movement configurations aren’t too different from the Wanze, although I’ve heard from one of the other mechanics working on this thing that the new OS installed in this thing allows for much more complex movement patterns. Well, not that it matters for me; if it can run and gun, then that’s good enough for now!

The Kreuzritter retrieves the rifle hanging off its backpack module with its left hand. As it soars toward the duo of Wanzes, one of them lowers its folding cannon at me, firing without a moment’s hesitation. Quickly working the controls, the Kreuzritter makes a sharp veer to the side, the round fire from the Wanze’s cannon just barely missing my Frame and striking the ground again. I managed to dodge it again, but it was cutting it too close that time!

“Take this!” I cry out.

As soon as the targeting reticule on the screen hangs over a Wanze, I squeeze the trigger, and my Kreuzritter lets loose in a three-shot barrage with its beam rifle, its pale blasts cutting through the air toward its target. They sail on by the Wanze, though, not a single one of them managing to even graze it. It quickly returns fire with its cannon, forcing me to evade to the side once more, once again just barely managing to dodge the bullet.

“This is harder than I thought it would be...” I mutter to myself.

The Kreuzritter lifts its rifle once more, aiming it toward the Wanze that just attacked while flying in a straight line toward it. It’s not even a moving target; if I just give the computer some time to get a clear lock on it, I won’t miss again! Waiting until the targeting reticule glows red over the Wanze, I squeeze the trigger again, and the rifle lets out another three-shot burst toward its target.

One of the shots glances past its head, scorching the side of it, while the second just flies past it. The third and final shot, though, rips straight through the Wanze’s shoulder, piercing through the front and out its back, and the exposed internals of the machine quickly spark a small explosion, sending its arm flying off and knocking the main body to the dirt.

“I got it!” I say, laughing to myself. “I got--Huh?”

The targeting reticule suddenly moves away from the downed Wanze, pointing to the side while blinking in red and white. Looking closer to where its pointing at, my eyes widen in surprise as I realize that it’s pointing at a volley of missiles, all of them flying toward me! Taking a sharp breath, I squeeze the trigger, the Kreuzritter quickly raising its rifle again and shooting in the direction of the approaching missiles. The beams fly through the air, grazing several of them and causing them to explode, but it didn’t get all of them!

“Ugh!”

I grunt as two of the missiles that made it through slam against the Kreuzritter’s armor, the cockpit of the simulator shaking violently to simulate the impact of the missiles’ explosion. Wincing, I look up at the display of the Kreuzritter’s status, which displays the torso in red now. The armor rating’s dropped by 30%, but the damage won’t affect the machine’s performance. Still, one more hit like that and the armor probably won’t be able to take it.

“Why you...!” I spit out, thrusting the controls forward.

The Wanze slowly lumbers toward me, its blocky feet lifting up and down, carrying the heavy Frame forward. On its back, instead of the standard 240mm cannon, the backpack’s equipped instead with a shoulder-mounted missile pod. Although it might not pack the punch or the speed of the cannon’s rounds, it’s got greater maximum range and homing capabilities, which is gonna make it a real pain to evade!

As I draw near it, the Wanze braces itself, leaning forward and pointing its missile launcher at me. The missiles fly out of the pod, soaring through the air while leaving white smoke trails behind themselves, all seeking me out as they fly. Shifting the boosters to the side, I try to strafe around the Wanze as the missiles pursue me. Locking the targeting reticule on them as they chase after me, I pull the trigger, and the Kreuzritter opens fire. This time, the shots manage to destroy them all in the air. The Wanze quickly releases another volley, though, and I shift the thrusters to the other side, shooting that volley down as well. Easy, when I’m not distracted! Now in range to hit it with the rifle, I aim at the remaining Wanze, ready to fire.

“This is it!” I cry, pulling the trigger.

Beep, beep.

“What...?”

I pull the trigger again, being answered only by that incessant beeping again. The rifle’s out of energy? Ugh, I must have wasted all of it on those missiles! I guess I’ll have to go in close anyway...

The Kreuzritter still continues its charge, however, discarding the rifle. As it moves in closer to the Wanze, it raises its right arm, beam particles shooting out of its upper forearm and forming into a triangular blade, flowing in its movement, almost as though its made of glowing liquid. The Wanze, apparently having spent all its missiles as well, raises its gatling gun and begins firing. Heedless of the incoming bullets, I continue the Kreuzritter’s charge forward. The bullets strike against the front of the armor, but even with it slightly damaged, at this range, they can only uselessly bounce off the Frame!

“Hyah!”

The Kreuzritter swings down with its arm as it draws near the Wanze, the super-hot blade slicing cleanly through the Wanze’s shoulder with a single stroke, instantly dismembering its gun arm. Stumbling back, it tries to raise its remaining arm, the metal blade at the end of it glowing orange as it heats itself up to cut through steel, but the Kreuzritter’s too fast for it! With a horizontal strike, the beam saber cut off the Wanze’s other arm at the elbow!

“And this is the finish!” I yell, pressing the secondary fire trigger.

Two compartments in the Kreuzritter’s chest opens up, revealing twin gatling vulcans. Whirring up for just half-a-second, the vulcans open fire directly in front of the Frame, at the now defenseless Wanze standing in front of it! Its bullets rip through the Wanze’s surface, easily able to puncture holes into the armor at a range like this. Being completely pulverized by the barrage of bullets, the Wanze rattles and shakes with every bullet being pounded into it, until finally the vulcans stop firing and it drops down to the ground, mauled almost beyond recognition.

At the same time, the screen in front of me begins to dim. It fizzles out a little, the graphics of the simulation becoming slightly wonky before the whole screen just turns into static, eventually shutting down into black. The light at the ceiling of the cockpit turns on again, dimly lighting the interior of the simulator. I stare listlessly at the empty screen for a minute or two before sinking back in my seat, letting out a sigh of relief, feeling my adrenalines crashing down now. The simulation’s over... that means I’ve passed whatever trial I was being put through, right?

*Shunk!*

I look to the side as the door leading into the simulator slides open by itself again. There’s no one waiting for me out there; it’s as empty as it was when I came in. Weakly, I begin to pick myself up from the seat when I remember the manual I tossed to the ground beneath my feet. With a blank mind, I reach down and pick it up, holding it in one arm and staring at the cover for a moment before remembering what I was doing and hopping out of the simulator, tossing the manual back onto the seat.

“Who needs manuals, anyway?” I mumble to myself, shutting the simulator behind me and heading toward the exit.

----

BATTLE LOG:
Wanze was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Fajra)
Wanze was shot down by Kreuzritter MK II (Fajra)


----

Control Room, Far East Base, Japan
12:00 AM

“And... testing of subject #8 concluded.”

A bereted woman with a deadpan expression says to herself, watching the young mechanic leave the simulator room on a security cam feed displayed just above the terminal where she’s seated. Picking up a pen from the desk in front of her, she begins writing on an official document, muttering to herself.

“The Kreuzritter MK II suffered only 20% to critical damage. Subject displayed abilities above the average performance of pilots with similar levels of experience. Assessment of abilities rank at 30, 20, 25, and 15. Further surveillance of the subject may be needed to determine whether she is fit to serve or not, however, it would be prudent to begin preparing her transfer.”

She lets the pen rest on the desk again, looking down at her writing before nodding with a look of satisfaction. Standing up from her chair, she stretches her arms toward the ceiling, letting out a small yawn as she does so, before stepping away from the terminal, moving in the direction of the door leading out of the room. As she does so, she mutters to herself again.

“...Does she really need to yell like that in there, though?”

----

Far East Base, Japan
April 20, F.E.
10:45 AM

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrv58Aimh7U

I feel a sudden, sharp pain jolting me awake, and blearily, I open my eyes. Everything in front of me looks like an indistinguishable, gray blur, and it takes a few seconds for my body to catch up with my consciousness and awaken. But soon enough, my vision focuses -- and so does the pain! Waking, I notice the forefinger and thumb pinching and twisting at one of my cheeks!

“Ow, hey!” I say out loud, tugging free and turning angrily. “What’s with you!?”

The offending digits turn out to belong to Nitori, an engineer who’s been here a bit longer than me. Lowering her hand, the blue-haired girl straightens the cap on her head with the other while speaking in an easygoing, casual tone of voice, “You told me to pinch you awake if I caught you dozing off.”

“Oh,” I say, rubbing my cheek. “Did I say that?”

“Yep.”

“Oh... sorry,” I say while shaking my head to clear up my thoughts.

Because of what happened last night, I wasn’t able to sleep at all. Kept tossing and turning it my bed, sweating bullets about what was going to happen to me now that someone knew about me sneaking into the simulator all the time. Nothing unusual happened so far today, though, aside from me being more tired out than usual, but that’s only “so far.” I don’t think I’ll be able to relax for the rest of the day...

Trying to remember what I was doing before I nodded off, I look down at the spanner I’m holding in my hand, and at the exposed circuits of the Kreuzritter arm in front of me, picking my head back up only when I feel Nitori nudging me in the side with her elbow. I look up at her, and she points in the direction of the hangar entrance.

“There’s someone suspicious here,” she says.

I follow her finger, and see a woman with golden hair that reaches past her shoulders standing there. She’s tall, with long and slender legs along with an enviable figure. She doesn’t seem to be wearing a military uniform, and even has a pair of sunglasses on, even though the hangar isn’t exactly the most brightly lit place here. She stands there with her arms folded together, only watching over the rest of the room without saying anything...

[ ] Go see what she wants.
[ ] Just ignore her and keep working.

[X] Just ignore her and keep working.
-[X] "If it's really bothering you, call the MPs."

Until proven otherwise, this is SEP.

[x] Go see what she wants.

Question is how come Fajia sneaks in and gets off scot free and when Mary does it, she gets chewed the hell out.

>>32290
because Mary fucked up in the combat drill?

[X] Go see what she wants.

[X] Just ignore her and keep working.

>>32290
She also placed the manual for reading DURING the drill there as opposed to before the drill.
And she still screwed up.

>>32287
>reticule
This is a kind of purse. You're looking for "reticle."
(Despite what you might think, they're not interchangeable, and the former isn't 'just a British spelling,' which was what even I thought until recently.)

[x] Just ignore her and keep working.
-[x] "If it's really bothering you, call the MPs."

THEY'RE ONTO US

[x] Just ignore her and keep working.

[x] Just ignore her and keep working.

Tall blond, enviable figure? Go away Yukari!

[x] Just ignore her and keep working.
-[x] "If it's really bothering you, call the MPs."

[x] Go see what she wants.

>irina.jpg
>[ ] Cool and nihilistic. (Default name: Irinushka Izhevsk)
And here I thought it was Yukari.

[X] You’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as she says.
Brown hair? High Rank? Blunt and casual manner of speech? Yeah, let's not get on Reimu's bad side.

[X] You’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as she says.

Oh boy, Major Hakurei just got her. Here comes the conscription.

>>32297
Did not know that. Thank you.

[x] Just ignore her and keep working.
----

“Just ignore her,” I say without much interest, still absorbed in trying to remember where I had left off. Let’s see... I think I was tightening this last bolt here or something. Putting the spanner to it, I speak to Nitori with half-hearted attention, “And if it bothers you, then go ask what she wants.”

“No way,” she hurriedly says, getting back to tightening the bolts along with me, gripping her spanner nervously. “She looks like she’s hard to approach.”

“Really?” I say, looking up, and the back at the woman, who hasn’t budged an inch from her spot, continuing to watch over the rest of the hangar. Well, I guess she is kind of weird, wearing those shades indoors and all, but I don’t really get that kind of feeling from her...

More importantly, though, I’ve got another question on my mind.

“Hey,” I say, getting Nitori’s attention again, looking down at the Kreuzritter arm, which, instead of the usual dark black coloring, has been painted an industrial gray instead. “So how come this one has a different paintjob from the rest? I’ve never seen one like this before.”

“Oh, this?” Nitori says, clanging on the surface of the metal with her wrench. “This is gonna go in the Kreuzritter MK II Type TT.”

“Type TT?” I repeat, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “What the heck does that stand for?”

“It’s the Telekinesis Test Type,” she replies, although her tongue gets twisted in the middle and she ends up nearly biting it, “It’s going to be the first Combat Frame to be equipped with a Telekinetic Link System.”

“So it’s for the psychodriver test pilots, right?”

“Yeah,” she nods, speaking even as she continues her work. “The T-Link System can connect with the mind of its pilot, amplifying their psychic abilities to be able to use them on the scale of a Combat Frame.”

“What kind of abilities?”

“Like operating remote, wireless weaponry with telekinesis, or shaping raw psychic energy into weapons, or things like that.”

“Can psychodrivers really do things like that?” I say, awed.

“Yeah, the strongest psychodrivers in the past were able to do all that plus other things like telepathy and teleportation and theoretically, the T-Link System should be able to amplify those powers on a large enough scale that CFs can make use of those abilities, too, so the Type TT is being used for making final adjustments to the T-Link System’s tuning and once they get the data they need they’ll--”

“Too fast, too fast, information overload, augh,” I cut in with a groan, holding my head between my hands. “Could you go a little slower?”

“Sorry, I got a little excited,” she says with a happy-looking smile. “So, basically, it’s a prototype for testing psychodriver technology, and once they have the data, they’ll use it to make bigger and better toys for psychodrivers. They’ve only commissioned one of these, so they’ll probably pick the psychodriver with the strongest control over their abilities to test it.”

“It’s such a dull color, though,” I say with a frown, looking down at it.

So, this is going to be one of the machines that the psychodriver test pilots here will have to try out, huh? And it’s going to the strongest of ‘em that's going to be in it, too. I wonder if that guy I met yesterday, what’s-his-face, Jimenez, is going to be the one chosen to ride in this thing. Nah, probably not. It’s just a hunch, but I wouldn’t place my bets on that guy.

“Hey, what’s up?” Nitori asks as I begin to step away.

“Bathroom,” I call back to her.

I start toward the hangar entrance, walking past the other mechanics busily running about and carting parts and tools around everywhere. Just on a sidelong glance, I look at the woman who’s been standing near the entrance as I approach it. She’s been pacing about, with her arms still folded together in front of her. I awkwardly look away when her head turns in my direction, wanting to just walk past her.

“Wait a moment,” she calls out to me, in a calm voice.

I freeze, turning around to look at her again. With a puzzled face, I point at myself, as if to say “Me?” and she gives a slow nod in reply, approaching me with light steps. As she does so, she pinches the frame of her sunglasses between her thumb and forefinger, lowering them just a bit and revealing her clear green eyes.

“Um...” I start uneasily, turning fully to her now. “Can I help you?”

Putting her shades back on as she stops in front of me, she reaches into her lapel, at the same time extending a hand toward me and placing a hand at my cheek. Bewildered, I just stare at her in silence as she takes out a handkerchief, and I close my eyes in a wince as she begins wiping my face with it. I open my eyes as she withdraws her hand, the cloth in her hand now marked by dark smears from the grime on my face.

“T-thank you,” I manage to say, feeling my face heat up for some reason.

She merely gives a nod before folding up the dirtied handkerchief and slipping it back into the lapel of her jacket, moving away from me as she folds her arms together again, looking back into the hangar. Quickly, I hurry past her and out the hangar doors, my gaze lowered to the ground.

----

Shutting off the tap, and shaking the water out of my hands, I look up at the mirror, frowning as I look at my hair. It’s sticking up again. With my still wet hands, I try to pat it down, although I know it won’t really be of any use. The gravity of Earth could be a hundred times stronger and my hair would still find a way to somehow defy it! Sighing as I brush my fingers through it, I walk over to the hand dryer, flicking it on and rubbing my hands together in the hot air billowing out of it.

The door to the restroom unexpectedly opens, and I hear a hurried set of footsteps scrambling inside. Turning my head, I only manage to catch a brief glimpse of a girl with dark brown hair rushing into the restroom, hurrying into one of the stalls. Shortly after, I hear her begin to retch and heave horribly.

“Ergh...” a stifled groan comes out from the stall.

Is... is she okay?

Another heave answers the question to that. No. No, she definitely isn’t okay, and she probably won’t feel any better if I knock on the stall and ask her how she is. I flinch as the girl in the stall begins retching again, sounding like she’s almost gagging. Listening to her being sick like this is making me taste bile at the back of my own throat. If I’m here any longer, I think I’m going to be sick, too.

Although I feel a bit bad for the girl, I leave her in the stall, hurrying toward the bathroom exit. Opening the door, I leave through it and turn to the right and--

I freeze, nearly bumping into someone standing beside the door.

A man of average height and a lean build, with short golden hair. He’s leaning against the wall with his arms folded together, with a cold and detached expression on his face. His ice-cold blue eyes meet mine, and I feel a chill running throughout my body. My heart feels like it’s dropped from a great height and I take an involuntary step back. There’s... there’s something about this guy that I really don’t like, which I can’t really seem to put into words. Just looking at him makes me break out in goosebumps...

Suddenly feeling frustrated at him, I throw a sharp glance at him before turning around, hurrying away, turning one corner after next, not caring for where I’m headed. Who is he, anyway, and what was he doing outside the women’s restroom? Is he some kind of pervert or something? I let out a shiver, my heart still thumping in my chest. That’s the worst. Ugh, I really don’t like him, and I have no idea why.

“Hey, you,” a woman’s voice comes from behind.

I turn around, surprised that someone would call out to me like that. A woman with brown hair in military uniform walks up to me, carrying an armful of volumes and paper. The shoulders of her uniform are decorated with those fancy shoulder pads, showing her high rank, which seems at odds with the casual way she addressed me. Some of the books she’s carrying, I recognize from last night as manuals for the Kreuzritter...

“Yes...?” I answer, curious.

“You’re free, aren’t you?” she asks, not even waiting for an answer before continuing to speak, “Then take these and follow me.”

She shoves the things she’s carrying in my direction.

[ ] You have work to get back to.
[ ] You’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as she says.

[X] You’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as she says.

[x] You’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as she says.

[x] You have work to get back to.

No. Though she may be one of many mechanics, she is still integral to the maintenance of those CF's and simply cannot drop everything to follow the whims of the higher ups. There's a procedure to this shit.

Also, our main homeboy is an Aryan? I am a little surprised.

[X] You’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as she says.

I'm sure the higher up will get out of whatever trouble we might get into.

[x] You have work to get back to.

Aryan prettyboy over there is free. Give your bitch work to him.

>>32395
Looks like we are basically a combination of Rai(looks) and Kyousuke(backstory) with telekinesis power and even more serious business.
I wonder when a guy named Geheimnis Koch or similar appears telling us that he is NOT our brother.

[x] You have work to get back to.

Poor Renko.

[x] You’ll get in trouble if you don’t do as she says.
----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arGmc43t9Vo

On reflex, seeing the items shoved toward me, I hold up my arms, into which the uniformed woman dumps all of her stuff, my knees nearly buckling under the sudden added weight. Bringing the pile of things closer to myself, both to be able to hold it up easier and to take a better look at it, I see that the stack of paper on top of the books I’m carrying all seem to be documents written in hastily scrawled out, illegible handwriting.

“Um...” I make a hesitant noise, not sure what to think as I look back up to the woman, who’s stretching her arms with a look of small relief.

“What, don’t want to?” she asks me with an innocent enough tone of voice.

“No, that’s not it,” I say, feeling intimidated by her high rank. If I disobey her, there’s no telling what kind of trouble I’ll get into, especially after what happened last night, and being lectured by the chief mechanic over being late is preferable to getting on the bad side of a commissioned officer. “Where are we headed?”

“If you follow me, you’ll see, won’t you?” the woman replies dully.

Left unsatisfied by her answer, I grumble softly under my breath as the woman turns around, beginning to walk down the hallway. Hoisting up the things I’m carrying a bit higher, I follow after the woman, keeping myself just a couple paces behind her as I stare at the back of her head. Even though she’s got a high rank, she doesn’t appear to be much older than I am, if at all.

She stops along the way, turning to a vending machine to the side. She glances at its display, muttering something under her breath with a look of dissatisfaction as she digs around in her pocket, producing a single bill. She inserts it into the machine, presses a button to make her selection, and bends down to retrieve a can from it. Straightening up, she flicks the tab and takes a long drink.

“Pffhaaa~” she lets out a breath of relief, taking the can away from her mouth. “I needed that.”

...My arms are getting kind of tired.

“You want a drink?” the woman asks. “Oh wait, I guess you can’t take your hands off those, huh? Anyway, we’re going this way now, so try to keep up.”

She walks past me, in the direction opposite of where we were heading until now, casually sipping from her can as she does so. Making me carry all these heavy things and then dragging me here just for the vending machine... that’s just cruel. Abuse of authority is what it is! And offering me a drink only to take it away... this is totally just bullying, isn’t it?

Nevertheless, I keep the weeping inward, following after the officer without any (voiced) complaint. She makes no attempt at small talk as she continues to walk on, occasionally taking a drink from her soda can. Finally, when my arms feel like they’re about to fall off from continuing to carry this heavy load, she stops in front of a room, pressing the button at the side of it to allow the metal door to slide open before walking inside.

Following her inside, I take a brief glance around the room. It looks like some kind of a lounge, with two (uncomfortable looking) benches on either sides of the room with a single low metal table in the center. In one of the benches, I see the guy I ran into from yesterday sitting in it. He looks relaxed, kicking back with his hands behind his head and his feet up on the table. He’s still wearing that red headband around his head, only it’s been lowered over his eyes, like a blindfold. I think he might actually be sleeping.

“Wake up, Jimenez,” the officer says in a loud but not harsh voice.

The man grumbles, stirring a bit as his feet fall from the table. Sitting up as he pulls up his bandana up to his forehead again, he rubs at one eye before looking up with a slightly dazed expression on his face.

“Eh?” he mumbles, taking a few moments for his eyes to focus. He glances our way, his eyes lingering on me for just a moment with familiarity before moving on to the woman standing in front of me. A look of comprehension dawns over his face, and he stands up, at attention. “Oh! You must be the C.O., am I right? Man, am I lucky.”

The woman looks around the room, as if expecting to see someone else. When she doesn’t, she turns to Jimenez again to speak, “...There’s no one else here?”

“No ma’am,” he says, sitting back down. “I’ve been waiting by myself for a while now. Was starting to think I had the wrong room when I fell asleep.”

The woman scratches her head with a small look of frustration. “...I was hoping to get this over with as fast as I could, but oh well.” She pauses, turning to me and indicating me to come forward, “Just place all that stuff on the table. Put the paper and the manuals in different stacks.”

Finally.

I step forward and dump the load I’m carrying on the table, letting out a sigh of long-awaited relief. Wincing slightly as I massage one of my upper arms, I carefully lift the stack of paper from the pile of manuals on the bottom, placing it just next to it. I stand away from the table, and glance at the woman, awaiting her next instruction, but she just walks past me to face Jimenez, so, wanting to take a bit of a rest, I sit down on one of the benches.

“Anyway, might as well get the introduction out of the way,” the woman says, rubbing the back of her neck as she speaks, “I’m Major Reimu Hakurei. I don’t mind if you call me Reimu or anything, but some of the stiffer people might get on your case about it, so on duty I guess you’ll have to call me Major Hakurei or Major Reimu. And I’m going to be your instructor, or commanding officer, or whatever you’d like to call it.”

She... really doesn’t talk like a Major.

“Reimu, huh?” Jimenez says with a sly grin. “That’s a very fitting name, Major. It suits you very well.”

“You think so? I don’t really feel strongly about it either way,” Major Reimu says skeptically. She clears her throat, and then begins to speak once more, “So, go ahead and introduce yourself. Well, of course, I already know your name from the documents and everything, so this is really just formality.”

“It’s Kahr. Kahr Jimenez,” he says, and then points to his rank insignia, “Just recently acquired the rank of Private. Well, it’s in the same pay grade as the rank I held when I was with the air force, so, it’s not really much of change.”

“Right,” the Major nods. Folding her arms together, she looks around the room once again. “...And there should also be someone else waiting here, but it seems she’s...”

The door slides open again, drawing everyone’s attention to it. The woman I saw from earlier, hanging around in the hangar, steps inside, still wearing those shades over her eyes.

“...here,” Major Reimu finishes, turning to her. “You’re Izhevsk, right?”

Taking her shades off with one hand and folding it against her body, she lets it hang from her collar, silently nodding as she steps further inside. She spares a brief glance at Jimenez, and then at me, and moves to seat herself in the bench I’m in. I scoot over as she sits down, one leg hanging over the other with her head turned to stare at the Major.

“The talkative type, I see,” Major Reimu says with a dry voice. “Mind introducing yourself?”

She opens her mouth, her voice coming out with a thick accent to it, “Sergeant Irinushka Izhevsk, reporting in.”

“Don’t suppose you’d mind if I called you ‘Irina,’ would you?”

“That’s the way most people shorten it,” she replies.

Major Reimu reaches over to the documents I placed down on the table, sifting through the pages to find something. She places her finger on the surface of the paper, reading intently from it before opening her mouth, “...Looks like you already have field experience, too. You were sent in to suppress the terrorists during the December attacks?”

“That is correct.”

Oh, I remember hearing about that on the news last year. Some terrorists apparently used illegally modified Arbeiter Industrial Frames and killed a bunch of people before the GDA army stepped in to suppress them. The media coverage didn’t release a whole lot of info on the victims of the attack, but rumors are it was some sort of anti-youkai hate crime.

“That’s good,” Major Reimu nods, sifting through the rest of the documents and flattening the edges of the papers against herself when she finds the page she’s looking for. She looks over it for a few seconds before her gaze moves upward, and raising her voice, she speaks out to the room clearly, “So all of you know why you’re here, right?”

[ ] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.
[ ] Just stay quiet and listen. She might kick you out if you say anything.

Whoa, Reimu has a head the size of her torso.

[x] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

[X] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

[x] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

>apparently they haven’t found a third candidate yet
...
[X] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

[x] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

Honesty goes hand in hand with modesty.

[x] Just stay quiet and listen.

If she wanted us out, she'd have kicked us out already.

[x] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

[X] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

[x] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.

[x] Raise your hand. You have no idea why you’re here.
------

“Question. I’ve got a question,” I say, raising my hand with what’s probably a completely puzzled expression. I get that Jimenez must be here for the whole psychodriver trial thing, and that the Russian woman who entered just now must also be a psychodriver, but why am I here? It can’t be that... I’m a psychodriver candidate too? “I don’t really know why I’m here, actually, so could you tell me what’s going on? Oh, um, Major.”

Major Reimu turns to me, raising a brow. She looks at me for a bit, her hand at her waist as she stands there silently, which makes me feel like I’m in trouble or something... Finally, she opens her mouth, and speaks, “...Oh yeah. Who are you, anyway? You don’t look like an officer.”

“Huh?” I blurt out, taken back. “Um, I’m Fajra, and I’m one of the mechanics stationed to this base...”

“Oh, a mechanic, huh?” she says, looking over my jumpsuit and nodding with comprehension. “I see. I guess you would be a mechanic, dressed like that.”

She looks away now.

Confused, I raise my hand again, speaking to get her attention once more, “Uh, excuse me. You didn’t answer my question... Major.”

“Huh?” she turns inattentively. “Oh, right. Uh, well, I just wanted you to carry my things, so you’re free to go, I guess.”

...So that’s it? That was all?

I feel my heart sinking, deflating like a sad little balloon.

“Major,” Ms. Irina addresses her in that thick accented voice, her arms folded together across her lap, “She is supposed to be working at this moment. To send her away without an excuse as to why she was late would be irresponsible, no?”

“Oh, right, sorry,” Major Reimu says, not looking flustered or annoyed at all at being corrected by a subordinate. “I guess that was a bit thoughtless of me. Anyway, I’ll write up an excuse for you later, after this, so if you want you can just wait in here or outside.”

“Is it okay for me to be here?” I ask. Wouldn’t a project like this be like... a top military secret or something like that?”

“Sure, why not,” she says, shrugging. “If anything comes up, I’ll deal with it. Anyway, that line earlier was really just a rhetorical question, but now that everything’s really been cleared up, let’s go ahead and continue. So! The two of you,” she glances to Jimenez and Ms. Irina, “are to test pilot CFs designed for use by psychodrivers, and it’s my job to prepare you for it.”

“What kind of CFs, Major?” Jimenez asks, in a loud and confident voice.

“I dunno,” Major Reimu says inattentively, “Probably some remote TK-based weaponry or something like that. They’re still mostly in development, so we haven’t been given any details on their specifications. But for now, we’re going to work on developing basic piloting skills.”

“So if you’re our instructor, you must be pretty good?”

“I suppose so,” she says shamelessly. “Honestly, though, I wasn’t even supposed to take this job. Your instructor should have been Lieutenant Marisa Kirisame, but about two weeks ago she went A.W.O.L. to the moon or something, so they had to pass it off to me.”

“She deserted?” Ms. Irina asks.

“She won’t get shot for it,” the Major says with a shrug. “It’s not the first time she’s done it, either. She’s always stealing some prototype or another and going out on a joyride with it, and every time Brigadier General Kirisame and Lieutenant Colonel Rinnosuke have to cover her behind.”

Sounds like an interesting person, though I’d imagine that’s not someone I’d like to have as a C.O. I guess these guys lucked out, then.

“Hoo, boy,” Jimenez says, letting out a small whistle. “Must be nice to have connections in big places. I couldn’t even get away with taking a day off back in the air force.”

“Well, as unfortunate as that is,” Major Reimu replies, pausing to let out a small sigh for herself before continuing, “You’re not allowed to take a day off here, either. We’ll be doing some form of training everyday starting tomorrow, so you’d better prepare yourself for it.”

She walks over to the table, placing her palm on top of the cover of one of the manuals sitting on its surface. “Anyway, these are the manuals to the Crusaders you’ll be piloting. You know what those are, right? The GDA’s new mainstay mech.”

The Major lifts her hand away from the manuals, and Jimenez eagerly reaches over with his hand, grabbing one for himself. Ms. Irina, much more reserve, calmly leans forward, lifting the leftover manual from the table, flipping through the pages before setting it down next to herself on the bench. Major Reimu clears her throat so as to get everyone’s attention again.

“So yeah, study the manual, because we’re on a pretty packed schedule. The first simulation session will be held tomorrow morning, so be ready by then,” she says, never losing that lax, carefree tone to her voice, “We’ll probably start off with basic movement training, do some obstacle courses... Some light stuff to ease you in a bit.”

That seems reasonable enough.

“Well...” the Major says, rubbing the back of her neck again, seeming uncertain in what to say next. “That’s really all I have to say, so you’re dismissed. Ah, except for the mechanic; I have to write up a note for you first, right?”

“Ah, yes,” I say, standing up from the bench.

I see the other two making to leave the room, Ms. Irina being the first to move toward the door. She does so without so much as a backward glance at any of us, not speaking a word even to her new coworker, who stands up with his manual under his arm, winking in my direction before following the woman out, hurrying to catch up to her, probably. As for me, well, it’s about time I got back to work, sadly...

Just what was I expecting, anyway?

----

Far East Base, Japan
April 20, 118 F.E.
1:00 PM

Sighing, I walk into the cafeteria. Ever since the run-in I had earlier this morning with the Major, I’ve been feeling kind of bummed out. I know it was a bit unrealistic to hope for something, but even so I still feel really crummy. Plus, now that I know that me being called in by her had nothing to do with what happened yesterday, I’m back to worrying about what might be in store for me, later. I hope I won’t get fired, at least... They wouldn’t fire me, would they..."

I have one thing I’m looking forward to today, though. Every week this cafeteria follows a meal schedule, and today the selection of bread includes curry bread! It’s the only day that they give it, too, so I’ve been looking forward to today’s selection for a whole week now. Even though it’s just cheap bread, having some now would do a good job in cheering me up a little.

With that small comfort in mind, I take my place in the lunch line, grabbing a tray to serve myself with. Humming a song to myself, softly under my breath, I lean to the side, looking past the back of the guy I’m standing behind at the bread counter. I see my prize waiting for me just up ahead, and it looks like it’s the last one!

The line moves, and so do I, my eyes fixated on my target. Drawing near it, I reach out to grab hold of it--

“Huh?”

Just as the packaging is at my fingertips, the guy in front of me just reaches over and snatches it up out of my grasp. In shock, I look at the man as he walks away. That blonde hair... it’s the guy from earlier. He... he just-- he took the last bread! I was reaching for it! He snatched it up! I was reaching for it and he just took it away...!

“H-hey!” I yell after him.

Without even so much as a glance behind him, the guy just walks on ahead at a brisk pace, completely ignoring me. That’s... that’s so rude! Wait, he did that on purpose, didn’t he? He saw me reaching for it. He had to have, there’s no way someone could be so inattentive of other people! Silently seething, I break off from the line, walking without looking where I’m going while plotting ways to get back at the guy.

“Whoa--”

Predictably, I end up bumping into someone ahead. Knocked back, I manage to upright myself before I can fall over on my butt, looking up at the person I bumped into with the intent to apologize.

“Hey, what’s the hurry?” he says preemptively.

“Oh, Jimenez,” I say his name.

“What’s up? Your face is all flushed,” he asks with an easygoing smile, a pack of bread held in one hand. “Something up? Or have you already fallen for me?”

Brushing aside his advances, I shake my head. “No. It’s not really anything important. I guess I’m just a little upset.”

He raises an eyebrow in interest. “Upset? Over what?’

“Well...” I say, reluctant to share, although I end up spilling it anyway, “They were giving curry bread today, and there was only one left, and some jerk snatched it up just when I was about to grab it.”

Jimenez listens quietly, looking at me in silence when I finish. His mouth twitches a little, like he’s trying to suppress a smile.

“Don’t laugh,” I say, feeling my cheeks grow even warmer. “I was looking forward to it, okay? And I think he did it on purpose, too.”

“I doubt it. I think you’re taking it too personally,” he says, chuckling slightly. “Anyway, so you like curry bread, huh?”

“I love it.”

He lifts up the bread in his hand, dangling the end of the wrapping between his thumb and forefinger in front of my eyes. “Then here.”

“Huh?”

“It’s curry bread. I’m giving it to you.”

He drops it, and I cup my hands together to catch it before it falls to the ground. Inside the plastic wrapper is the curry bread I was looking forward to.

“How did you...?”

“It’s ‘cuz I’m a psychic, remember?” he says with a laugh, tapping his temple with a finger and winking. “Or I might have just happened to grab it earlier.”

“Ah... thanks,” I say, holding the wrapper with both hands, lowering my chin. Suddenly realizing something I should do, I reach into my pocket, attempting to fish out some change, “Oh, hold on, I’ll pay you, so...”

“It’s alright. I’m not selling it,” he says dismissively, turning toward the cafeteria exit. “More importantly, I think I saw someone familiar pass by, so I’ll catch you later, Fajra.”

“Ah, hey, wait a minute!” I call out to him in vain as he begins to hurry to the exit, holding a crumpled up bill in my hand.

Sighing, I shove my money back into my pocket, looking down at the bread he’s given me. I suppose I owe him a small favor now, huh? Feeling slightly better, I walk with a slight skip to my steps, heading toward the tables.

While looking around, seeking out the usual table I eat at, I catch a glimpse of a few people I’m familiar with. Ms. Irina is sitting alone at one table, her sunglasses on and a disposable coffee cup held in her hand. The brunette I saw going sick in the toilet is here as well, sitting together with a blonde girl of a similar age. And of course, at the table where I normally sit, I spot Nitori, along with a few other coworkers.

Where should I sit?

[ ] Go sit at Ms. Irina’s table. Maybe she could use the company.
[ ] Go sit with the two girls. Maybe you can make new friends.
[ ] Sit with your fellow mechanics.

[x] Go sit with the two girls. Maybe you can make new friends.

Can she keep refusing the call indefinitely? This is getting funny.

[x] Sit with your fellow mechanics.

Remember back in school, when those random people would be forced to sit next to you and your friends? Remember how you couldn't converse with your friends in your normal fashion, and how much you hated it? Let's not be that guy.

[X] Go sit at Ms. Irina’s table. Maybe she could use the company.

She's been nice to Fajra, so I don't think she would mind.

>Brigadier General Kirisame
Oh boy, Marisa's a military brat. Though letting her get away with that kind of crap borders on nepotism.

>>32754
That could be avoided by asking if it's okay to sit there. Like a normal person.

>>32757
a normal person would also find themselves unable to say no.

[x] Sit with your fellow mechanics.

[x] Sit with your fellow mechanics.

I am nobody special.

IGNORE ME

[x] Go sit with the two girls. Maybe you can make new friends.

[x] Sit with your fellow mechanics.
----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arGmc43t9Vo

Well of course, I’ll be sitting at my usual table. Although I do feel a bit curious about those girls, I wouldn’t really want to be imposing on them, especially since one of them was feeling sick earlier today. As for Ms. Irina, although she’s been pretty nice to me so far, I still get the feeling that she doesn’t really need or even want company. So, I’ll just be sitting with the other mechanics, as I always do.

Navigating through the rows of tables and passersby, I make my way over to the table where my fellow mechanics always gather together, placing my tray of top of the surface and taking a seat down on the bench. Sitting next to me is Nitori, holding a pickle slice in her mouth, with a jar full of the stuff in front of her.

“Don’t you ever get tired of pickles?” I ask, beginning to unwrap the bread held in my hand.

She munches on the slice held in her mouth, slowly slipping it in as she chews. Swallowing, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Nope. I don’t think I could get tired of them even if they were the only things I ate for a hundred years.”

“I think I’d die,” I say, sticking out a tongue in disgust.

“So how come you were late, anyway?” she asks, her hand reaching inside the jar in front of her for another slice of pickle. “The chief mechanic was really mad, you know. He was going on and on about how he was going to make you mop the entire hangar floor and wax all of the CFs.”

“Yikes,” I say, cringing at the thought. That hangar is huge. I’m glad Ms. Irina reminded Major Reimu to give me a note, or otherwise I might have died today. “Anyway, some officer just wanted me to carry something for her, and this and that happened and I ended up staying in for a meeting of hers.”

“Huh,” she says with a curious gleam to her eyes now. She leans forward, looking just a bit more eager now. “So what kinda meeting was it?”

“Oh, well, you know. Psychodriver stuff.”

“I see,” she says. “I can’t wait until they send those prototypes here. I wish they’d hurry up and send us the spec sheets already. Ooh, I wonder what they’re going to be like? They could get really creative with the way they use the T-Link System, you know? And I really want to see them in action too and...”

She really loves her job, doesn’t she?

----

Kakutasu Energy
May 4, F.E. 118
??:?? ??

An aged man sits in a well-furnished room, evidently placed at the top of a towering building, given that a sprawling, vast city can be seen out of the grand window behind his desk, as he watches over the scenery in his cushy, rotating chair. The man is well-dressed, in a creaseless brown suit, and his shoulders are wide and powerfully built. White gloves cover his hands, which remain still on the armrests of his chair.

There is a knock on the door of this man’s office, and when no answer is given after a few seconds, the handle turns and the door opens, a woman in her twenties stepping inside, her hands shoved in the pockets of her lab coat. She walks on over to the desk, reaching up to her head and mussing up her short purple hair.

“What’s up Mr. Chairman?” she asks out aloud. “You wanted to talk to me about something?”

The man in the chair doesn’t turn around, remaining seated in his chair while facing the window. When he speaks, his voice comes out in a deep, gravelly voice, which is accompanied by a mechanical, hollow ringing to it.

“How is the project progressing?”

“Ah, that,” the woman replies, shoving her hand back into her pocket. “The development side is progressing pretty smoothly. We have the data we need from the finished T-Link System prototype, and the experimental T-Link Burst System should be undergoing testing soon.”

“I see,” the old man says, nodding. “...And the psychodrivers?”

“Subject #1 proved to be an excellent candidate for testing of the T-Link System. It’s thanks to her that we were able to fine tune it,” she continues, pushing her spectacles up before continuing. “They’ll be using her to test the T-Link Burst System as well, and they expect no problems. Subject #6 and #8 have been achieving above-average scores. Subject #9 is still under close observation for now. The rest have been slowly progressing.”

“I see,” the man replies in a grim tone. “Things must be sped up. It won’t be long now...”

“Sir,” the woman says, in a much more serious voice now. “Do you really believe that a war will break out soon?”

“The signs have been there,” he says, finally turning his chair around, half of his face covered by a metal plate, his glowing red left eye trailing in the air as he turns around. The front of his neck is open and devoid of flesh, exposing wires of many colors, his vocal chords replaced with a machine that produces synthesized words. “...And we have the words of our informant.”

“That’s if that informant can be trusted,” the woman replies, sighing.

“Leaving that aside for now,” the old man suddenly switches the topic, wheeling himself closer to his desk, resting his forearms on its surface as he leans in closer. “How is my own private project progressing?”

“We’re at a bit of a dead end,” the woman says, shrugging.

“Hm, I see...” he says, breathing out deeply, as though sighing. “Very well. That’s all.”

----

----

Steyr’s side

Far East Base
May 5, F.E. 118
1:15 PM

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykoHdUsrJb8

It’s been roughly two weeks since our first training session, and thankfully, for the girls, we went back to cover the basics of CF combat, covering the basic maneuvers a CF can perform, as well as targeting practice. Thinking back on it now, the Major was most likely trying to punish Private Hearn when she forced us into sudden combat without proper training, considering her words after that session.

Since then, we’ve been progressing steadily in our training, and although Hearn’s performance leaves some room for improvement to say the least, we’re ready for our first practice session in the real thing. Sitting in the cockpit of a real Kreuzritter MK II now, there’s already a stark difference from the simulation to the real thing; the panoramic camera view allows for a near 360-degree range vision, compared to the frontal-only view from the inside of the simulator or a Wanze. Although the much wider range of vision is beneficial, it might also lead to a sensory overload, so that’s something to be careful of... Aside from that, there are a few visual differences in the controls, but those seem only superficial.

“This is Alpha 1,” I speak into the radio. “Everything checks out. Movement and weapons systems have been configured correctly.”

“Alpha 2,” Private Hearn’s distorted voice follows mine. “Um, same here.”

Private Usami’s voice comes next. “Alpha 3 here. I’m good to go, too.”

“Good,” radios the Major.

Looking to the left, I spot the Major’s own frame standing a few hundred meters away from ours, a Kreuzritter Type-R with its own custom colors, painted in dark purple with black trims. Mounted on the back is its variable-length beam rifle, a weapon issued to the Type-R which can be modified in the middle of combat to fight at mid-to-long range and boasting a higher power output than the standard issue beam rifle, although she won’t actually be participating in this exercise.

“Now,” Major Udongein starts, taking on an authoritative tone, “This is going to be much more different from what you’ve been experiencing in the simulator. Expect the Gs to be much harsher than what you’re used to, and don’t forget that you’re equipped with live ammo. If you screw up and end up hitting each other, it won’t just mean the end of the simulation, is that clear?”

That last remark was probably directed more to Private Hearn than the rest of us.

“Now, we’re going to--”

“Major! Major Udongein!” an unfamiliar voice suddenly cuts into the communication, sounding urgent and absolutely dismayed. “Major, there’s been an emergency!”

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCjqm_WdJwA

There’s a small moment of silence before the Major answers. “...What’s happened?”

“The pilot of the SR-0 suddenly started opening fire on her teammates in the middle of testing. She’s already shot down two Kreuzritter units, and she’s currently engaged with Major Hakurei! Major Udongein, we need you here as well!”

“Subject #1 is...?” she trails off, though she quickly responds. “Alright, I understand. The testing of the SR-0 was to take place at Site D, correct?”

“Yes, Major, please hurry!”

Major Udongein’s Kreuzritter R leans forward, the thrusters on its back beginning to warm up as it prepares to take off.

“Wait, Major,” I cut in before she can leave. “What are we to do?”

“If you value your life, then just stay here. This is a dangerous situation,” the Major replies in a cold tone. “I won’t stop you from following after me, but I won’t go out of my way to protect you, either. So if you don’t want to risk dying, then don’t move from this place. Is that understood?”

Before any of us can respond to that, the Kreuzritter takes off into the air, kicking off the earth beneath its feet, where its boosters carry it up higher into the sky, the bright blue flames at its back flashing brilliantly behind the giant humanoid Frame.

“H-hey, what’s going on?” Private Hearn’s voice comes through the radio in a panic. “Is there a real battle going on? Is somebody attacking us?”

“Sounded to me like a test pilot went rogue,” Private Usami replies.

“That’s unbelievable...” the girl says with a weak voice. “So then, Major Udongein’s gone to beat them? But, that SR-0 thing, that sounds like some kind of super prototype. That guy said it already took down two Kreuzritters. Shouldn’t we go help her out?”

“Don’t be daft, Mary,” Private Usami says in a dull voice. “There’s no way we could help, even if we went together. Just leave it to the people who actually know what they’re doing. I’m sure it’ll all be fine.”

“Well I think we should go,” Private Hearn says stubbornly. “Ste--Er, I mean, Ensign Steyr, what do you think we should do?”

[ ] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...
[ ] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.

[x] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...
Nobody rejects the call of the plot.

By the way, You forgot to give the villain a cat to stroke, that would have completed the picture.

[x] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...

Duh.

[X] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...

>>32847
I think Erich's playing the role of Dr. Zoldark: he wants Earth ready for a possible war and is willing to start a war of his own to get the complacent off their asses. More of a well-intentioned extremist than a "world domination" villain.

[x] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.
-[x] Which is why I'll be going alone.

Hearn will just get herself killed.

[X] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...

If this was a video game, we wouldn't even be given the option to refuse. And since this story was based on a video game series (two separate ones, in fact)...

I'm kind of worried about bringing Maribel and Renko into it though.

[x] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.
-[x] Which is why I'll be going alone.

[x] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.
-[x] Which is why I'll be going alone.

[x] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.

Cool as a cucumber. With Major Hakurei and Udongein there, there really is no need for some second rate rookies to come calling. I'm sure we'll hear about the results when Major Udongein comes back, anyways.

[X] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...

Show some initiative, even if we ended up only providing some covering fire.

[x] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.
-[x] Which is why I'll be going alone.

[x] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.

so is reisen rockin' the Gespenst-R expy?

[x] It’s better not to endanger yourselves.
-[x] Which is why I'll be going alone.

This will not be bad in any way whatsoever.

[X] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...

At the very least, if worse comes to worst, we can provide some kind of ranged support. Or visual data.

[x] The Major did say she wouldn’t stop you...
----

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCjqm_WdJwA

The question runs through my mind, as I drive myself to think quickly. Although what I would want is to stay behind as the Major suggested, even if I were to say that, I don’t think Private Hearn would quietly accept that decision. No, most likely she would press on regardless of whether we followed her or not.

As things are now, I technically don’t have any authority over her, and the one who does didn’t specifically order us not to follow her, so I can’t do much more than harshly warn against it. But, if Private Hearn does decide to rush on ahead without us and we have to chase after her, we’ll be unprepared if we end up in the combat zone that way. Although I don’t like it, approaching the combat zone together in an orderly fashion might be much more preferable to haphazardly stumbling into it, or leaving Private Hearn to fend for herself.

“Alright, we’ll go as well,” I say with a grave tone to my voice. “The both of you double-check to make sure your weapons systems are online and functioning properly. We’ll support Major Udongein’s unit from the rear. Try to stay away from the target as much as you can, you got that?”

“Wait, what?” Private Usami says in a shocked voice. “Ensign Steyr, I thought you had more sense than that! This is nuts, we’re just going to end up getting in the way.”

“Either double-check your weapons system or get out of that Frame,” I reply coldly, my eyes focused on the screen showing the Kreuzritter’s weapons display. The beam rifle checks out, the saber is functional, and the vulcans are ready to go as well. “And decide quickly what you’re going to do. We don’t have time.”

“Ergh...” Usami grunts, sounding conflicted. The fact that the hatch of her Kreuzritter doesn’t open, however, tells me which decision she’s made. “...Alright, everything’s in the green. This Kreuzritter’s at 100% functionality. I still say this is crazy, though.”

“You’ll just have to bear with the insanity for a bit,” I say with a scoff. “Private Hearn, are you ready?”

“J-just a sec,” she replies, silent for a few seconds, “Okay, I think it all checks out!”

“Good.” I grip the controls of my machine.

Keeping a close eye on the heat signature of Major Udongein’s Kreuzritter R, I turn my machine in the direction she’s approaching. Releasing the throttle, I grimace as the Gs push me against my seat, the boosters flaring up as my Kreuzritter lifts itself up from the ground, held up in the air by its thrusters. Slowly gaining altitude, I increase the output of the engines, fighting against the force holding my body back as I concentrate on keeping my grip on those controls.

“Let’s go!”

In a burst of speed, the thrusters flare brilliantly, carrying the machine upward into the sky.

----

Site D, Far East Base, Japan
1:10 PM

“Damn it, what the hell is she doing!?” a man curses to himself, sweat running down his brow as he stares at the screen before him.

The screen displays a burning wreckage of a Kreuzritter MK II, black smoke billowing out from its severely damaged torso as it lies on the ground motionless, sparks running wildly over its damaged body.

And beside it, stands the culprit of the destruction. A towering white monstrosity standing at close to 35 meters in height, nearly double that of a standard Frame. It has a lean, almost predator like body type, with a slim waist but broad upper torso, with thin legs that seem hardly capable of supporting such weight. Its stance is slightly hunched over, like a primal savage, and its long, thick arms end in claw-like rows of blades. Its head ends with two antennae, protruding diagonally from the sides, like a pair of bullhorns.

The man freezes as the large, lumbering beast-like machine turns in his direction. His hands remained fixed on the controls of his Kreuzritter, and although he’s frightened out of his mind, he can’t seem to move his hands at all, not even to run away. The beast slowly takes a step toward him, and as it does so, parts of its external armor appears to segment themselves. The plates covering its body divide, lifting themselves up and locking into place, revealing material underneath the armor that glow a deep green. The material glows brighter, emitting what looks almost like fluid from those exposed parts, and the previously uncolored parts of the armor begin glowing in that same brilliant green light.

“W-what the hell is that...!?” the man wonders out aloud. Beside himself with fear, he’s finally able to break himself out of his panic-stricken immobilization, bringing up the targeting system and taking aim at the approaching beast. “D-damn monster!”

The Kreuzritter raises its beam rifle at the monstrosity, firing off a three-burst shot, but the beast simply raises its arm while continuing to slowly walk across the earth, and the green energy being exuded out from the exposed sections of its body gather together in front of it, forming a shield, and the beam rifle shots are extinguished against it, completely unable to penetrate the field of energy. Panicking again, the man takes wild shots at the machine, but they all have the same effect, the beams dissipating the moment they strike the green barrier in front of the behemoth.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” the man screams. “Stay away, dammit! Just stay the hell awa--”

The beast points its raised hand at the Kreuzritter futilely taking shots at it, a small hole opening up in its palm. It charges for just a moment, before letting a green streak of energy loose from the opening, which travels at lightning speed toward the other machine.

“Uwaaargh!”

The beam penetrates straight through the middle of the Kreuzritter’s torso, ripping through the frontal armor and the cockpit to burn through to its back. With a gaping hole in its body and its pilot dead, the Kreuzritter begins falling forward, before its generator undergoes critical failure and it explodes into bits before it can even hit the ground. The beast remains where it is, going silent as it lowers its arm, almost as if to bask in the pleasure of the kill.

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBKhqPwbxCg

Suddenly, it reacts, turning around with swiftness belied by its massive size. It raises its arm, attempting to put up its barrier again, but a metal whip lashes out from above, ripping through its unstable field and putting a gash in its arm. The beast tries to strike back with its claws, but its attacker nimbly spins its body around, shoving a foot out and kicking off of its face while powering its thrusters, making a hasty getaway.

The Frame lands on the ground, its feet skidding through the earth as it comes to a stop. A Kreuzritter MK II, painted primarily in red and white. A metal coil slithers into its forearm, where the beam saber is usually located on standard models; a heat rod, a versatile weapon that can be used as a cutting weapon when switched on or used to snare and entrap when switched off.

“Tsk,” its pilot makes a disgruntled noise. “I was hoping to take its arm off with that one. This is going to be a real pain in the neck.”

“Be careful, Major Hakurei,” a voice on the radio warns her. “The SR-0’s equipped with a TK Field. The power output of your beam rifle won’t be enough to penetrate it.”

“The armor’s no joke, either. The heat rod would have sliced cleanly through any other Frame. This thing is a monster, through and through,” she mutters back, not looking too concerned for herself despite the situation she’s in. “I don’t suppose I can expect backup, can I?”

“Major Udongein is close by. We’re contacting her now.”

“Udonge, huh? I guess she’ll do,” Major Hakurei replies, leaning forward as she concentrates on the SR-0. “Well, here goes nothing!”

Hakurei’s Kreuzritter charges forward, hovering in the air as it speeds toward the SR-0, which reacts by raising both hands and firing the mega beam launchers in its hands. Sliding through the air gracefully, the Red-White Crusader weaves in between the approaching beam projectiles. Shooting upward, the Kreuzritter lashes out with its arm. The heat rod shoots out of it, striking at the gash in the arm from its previous attack, deepening the wound. The SR-0 stumbles back, almost as if silently roaring in pain and anger.

It drives its hand forward, attempting to skewer the Frame with its blades. The Kreuzritter quickly contorts itself in midair, the claw whizzing past between its arm and torso. Taking this opportunity, the Kreuzritter thrusts itself away from the lumbering beast, landing on the ground again, still unscratched while having whittled some of the SR-0’s armor down.

“This is going to take a while,” Major Hakurei mutters to herself again.

If she can continue to outmaneuver the SR-0 and slowly whittle down its limbs, she’ll be able to disable it and it’ll be her win. On the other hand, if she takes any hits herself, it’s all over. It’s a difficult situation, but it doesn’t seem alarming to her in the least.

The SR-0 begins moving again, hunching itself forward as its legs begin to carry it forward, running full hurtle toward the Kreuzritter in front of it. Gritting her teeth, Major Hakurei pulls on the controls, and the Kreuzritter manages to move out of the way just in time as the SR-0 strikes down with its claw, crashing it into the earth it was standing on just a moment before. The SR-0 lifts its other hand and strikes again, pushing the Kreuzritter back as it’s forced to continue to evade its attacks, almost seeming like it’s about to overwhelm it--

“Providing support.”

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXrJgMGMOIo

A shot rings out from above, and a thick beam of energy swerves down from above, swooping down just above the Major’s Kreuzritter and curving up to hit the SR-0 in the face, striking against the TK field and causing a bright, colorful explosion of smoke. The Red-White Kreuzritter dashes back, away from the melee range of the SR-0 as it stumbles back, its head slightly charred but otherwise seemingly undamaged by the shot.

“About time,” Major Hakurei speaks, switching her radio frequency to the open channel. “Hey Udonge, you nearly hit me with that one! Can’t you be a bit more careful when providing support fire?”

“Only 10% damage to the head,” Major Udongein notes to herself, staring down at the SR-0 from above.

Her black-and-purple Kreuzritter R hangs in the air, far above where Major Hakurei and the SR-0 are. Its VLBR rests in its arm, the special attachment that augments the beam rifle’s maximum range and power affixed to its barrel. The SR-0, recognizing this new threat, raises its arm up, firing off a mega beam launcher.

“You won’t catch me.”

The Kreuzritter R reacts almost instantaneously, swerving to the side the moment its pilot sees the beam launcher pointed in its direction, easily dodging the beam. Aiming the long barrel of its VLBR down at the SR-0, it fires off a second beam. The beam strikes against the SR-0’s TK Field, struggling to pierce through it before collapsing into an explosion, throwing smoke around again but with minimal damage to the SR-0.

“This isn’t working out,” Major Hakurei says with a frown.

Major Udongein’s eyes are drawn to her radar, where she sees three heat signatures approaching from the direction she came from, her expression unreadable. Calculating the distance between them and the rate of speed they’re traveling at, she expects that they’ll arrive within three minutes, roughly.

“Major Hakurei,” she speaks into the radio. “If we can bypass the SR-0’s TK Field, we should then be able to disable it.”

“That’s easy to say, but,” she pauses to concentrate as her Kreuzritter weaves under another of the SR-0’s swings. “Got any plans?”

Major Udongein falls silent, recollecting the specs sheet of the SR-0. There are two ways to combat the TK Field.

One way would be the exploit a flaw within the TK Field itself; once it’s being actively produced, it can only shield one side of the machine. Forcing it to defend against a frontal attack would leave it vulnerable from the back, but there’s only a small window of opportunity for that.

The other way is a bit more risky; she can try to hit the T-Link System and damage it sufficiently, thereby terminating its functions, including the TK Field. But there’s the matter of the experimental Burst system... there’s no telling what might happen if the system is destroyed outright. Worst case scenario, it might cause an overwhelming explosion of psychic energy.

“Hey, Udonge, kind of waiting on an answer here!”

She makes up her mind, and for a moment, she glances over to the heat signatures again. It would be best if she could finish this before they get here, she thinks.

[ ] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.
[ ] Plan B: Have Hakurei distract the SR-0 while Udogein snipes the T-Link System.
[ ] Just hold out for now.

----

BATTLE LOG:

Kreuzritter MK II (GDA Soldier) was shot down by SR-0 (Subject #1)
Allied reinforcement arrives: Commander Kreuzritter MK II (Reimu)
Allied reinforcement (2) arrives: Commander Kreuzritter Type-R (Udongein)

----

MISSION OBJECTIVES:

Winning condition:
1. SR-0 reduced to below 50% HP.

Losing condition:
1. Any allied unit defeated.
2. SR-0 is destroyed.

Battle mastery requirement:
1. Winning condition achieved before allied reinforcements (3) arrive.

----

too much about it. Like I said before, most of this game-y stuff is just for fun for those already familiar with these games.

[x] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.

[x] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.

Shooting for battle mastery, here. The other plan only aims to disable the SR-0, while this plan tries for direct damage at all times. Thankfully, winning condition is only damage, and not total defeat. That we are on a time limit only serves to hasten the sense of urgency we have in reducing it's hp/armor/whatever. Also, if we explode the T-Link system and it causes a psychic chain reaction, it's all over.

[X] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.

[X] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.

Three turns with just two units to get BM? No problem. And plan B's risk of catastrophe is too great.

[X] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.

AltReimu is best Reimu.

[X] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.

[x] Plan A: Have Udongein fire at the SR-0 while Hakurei sneaks around to its unshielded back.
----

Brushing aside a lock of hair that has fallen over one of her eyes, Major Udongein decides on her method of attack, her eyes narrowed on the close zoom-in of the SR-0 displayed on the screen. Once again, Major Hakurei’s Kreuzritter is being pushed back by that machine’s ferocious attacks. Shifting the controls forward, she propels her Kreuzritter R closer into the battle, letting go of one of the control sticks to place it at a keyboard before her, her slender fingers expertly pressing on the keys with practiced motion.

Following the input motion data, the Kreuzritter R lowers its rifle, one of its hands moving to the tip of the gun. It grasps the top of the long-range attachment affixed to the barrel, swiftly folding it underneath it and completing the weapon’s transition to short-range mode, which offers a much faster rate of fire, though less power and range.

The dark Kreuzritter swoops in toward the ground, strafing around the SR-0 while firing shot after shot, circling around it as it continues the barrage. The SR-0 raises its arm, forming its eerie green barrier of psychic energy around it like a shield and following the movements of Major Udongein’s CF to block every shot fired against it, the beam rifle blasts striking futilely against the field.

“Thanks for the support,” Major Hakurei says on the radio, having escaped the pressure the SR-0 was placing on her. “Now, you got a plan to take this thing on or what?”

“I will draw its attention,” Major Udongein replies as she flies higher into the air, shifting to one side quickly to evade a countering particle cannon blast from the SR-0, dodging the beam by a hairsbreadth. “And when it is on the defensive and projecting its shield, I want you to attack it from behind, Major Hakurei. It won’t be able to use its TK field to defend against your attack then.”

“Alright, I got it.”

The Kreuzritter R begins flying in an erratic pattern, moving through the air in short bursts of its thrusters, from one side to the other, while retreating back. The SR-0, like a taunted animal, slowly takes a step toward it, raising its arms to fire bursts of power from its palms up into the air, which the Kreuzritter easily evades, aiming its rifle toward it and firing off a few shots of its own, dissipating against the SR-0’s barrier.

Keeping its aim on the large behemoth steady the Kreuzritter R advances forward, its figure “lying” on the current of the air as it spins around in midflight, continuing to fire at the SR-0. The SR-0 raises its arm in defense again, firing back with its other arm, the shot just barely grazing past the incoming Kreuzritter. Major Udongein winces slightly, her eyes glancing briefly at the status screen of the Kreuzritter. The left wing fin took 20% damage, just by being in close proximity with that particle cannon blast.

What frightening power, she thinks, but victory is already in sight.

“Gotcha!”

The red-white Kreuzritter charges at the SR-0 from behind at full speed, the entire frame rattling and shaking from the force of its thrusters as the air buffets against it. The SR-0 notices its attacker too late to react, only partially turning around before an elongated metal whip lashes out, its superheated surface ripping through the external steel layer of the beast, splitting through the side of its abdomen and breaching the armor.

Major Hakurei leans forward, shifting her grip on the control and thrusting one of the rods forward.

The Kreuzritter pulls back its left arm, the heat rod retracting back into the forearm as it does so. The SR-0 raises its claws, ready to deal a terrible blow to the CF responsible for the wound it’s received, but before it can, the Kreuzritter shoves the beam rifle held in its right arm forward, right into the gaping breach in the SR-0’s armor. Major Hakurei, remaining as calm as ever, pulls on the primary fire trigger on her controls, and the beam rifle fires off a burst of shots directly into the SR-0’s internals.

It freezes in place as the beams burn through its insides, piercing through to the other end, and the Kreuzritter pulls its rifle out from it, activating its forward thrusters and quickly soaring away. The movements of the SR-0 are wracked with spasms as its wound runs with discharges of sparks and small explosions, and its limb drop down as the monstrous Frame droops forward, going limp. The green glow of the exposed psycho-material appears to lose its light, and the beast returns to its natural white color.

Battle mastery earned.

“That did it,” Major Hakurei says, letting out a small breath of relief, speaking into the radio with a tone of authority. “Major Hakurei to base, we’ve disabled the target and we are now bringing it in. Please be ready to detain the pilot.”

“Wait,” Major Udongein cuts in, her eyes focused on the radar. The SR-0’s heat signature, which has shrunk considerably from before, appears to be gradually rising again. “Don’t get close, Major Hakurei. I’m getting abnormal readings from the SR-0.”

“What?” she replies, surprised. “It shouldn’t be able to move with the damage it’s susta--”

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa_pn80BES8

The SR-0 suddenly moves, its arms twitching, the claws grasping. It slowly straightens its back, and as it does so, its eyes, hidden behind the triangular black visor that covers its face, beginning to glow a sinister red. The plates underneath the external armor begin emitting that eerie green light once more, as it lifts a foot to take a step forward, turning its body toward the red-white Kreuzritter.

“No way...” Major Hakurei says in disbelief, gritting her teeth. “It’s not over yet?”

The SR-0 slowly raises its arms up to the air, before flinging them down with the palms facing to the sky, its face pointed straight up, almost as though it’s letting out a silent, bloody howl. The exposed green material underneath its armor glows an even brighter shade of green, almost blinding in its radiance. The overwhelming green energy flows out of those gaps in the armor like liquid, pouring forth and sending green wisps into the air surrounding it.

“The psycho energy output is approaching almost 60% over the estimated limit...” Major Udongein says quietly to herself. “Is this the Burst System in action?”

“Tsk,” Major Hakurei clicks her tongue, grabbing tightly onto the controls.

The red-white Kreuzritter raises its rifle, firing a shot toward the revived beast. But the bolt doesn’t even strike against its shield this time. Reacting quickly, almost instantly as the shot is fired, the beast leans forward, and in a burst of the green energy surrounding its body, it disappears completely from sight, the beam rifle shoot travelling through the air without hitting its mark.

“What the...?” Major Hakurei says, confused. She quickly looks to the radar when it begins beeping seeing a heat signature just behind her. “Guh, how did it--?!”

Pulling hard on the controls, she turns on her thrusters as fast as she can, and her Kreuzritter moves, propelling itself straight up into the air, just as the SR-0 behind it takes a swipe with its claw, missing catching the retreating CF by a meter or less. The Kreuzritter flips itself over in midflight, making its way to the lunging SR-0’s back and dropping down on it, the heat rod already extending itself from the forearm. The super heated rod strikes against the SR-0’s back, but it bounces off the armor without so much as putting a scratch on it, repelled by the thick field surrounding its entire body.

“...Teleportation,” Major Udongein notes, narrowing her eyes.

Her dark Kreuzritter swoops in once again, its rifle fixed on the SR-0 which now slowly lumbers about to face the red-white Kreuzritter retreating from it. The Kreuzritter moves its hand to the tip of the gun once more, unfolding the attachment from underneath the gun and fitting it over the barrel. Taking careful aim at the SR-0, the VLBR charges for a moment before it lets out a howl as a thick beam of energy shoots out from it, curving toward the ground. The powerful beam strikes against its barrier, struggling to break through it, although it splits apart and dissipates before its might.

“Oh great,” Major Hakurei says. “Can we do that thing again, with us attacking from both the front and the back?’

“Probably not,” the other replies. “The T-Link field’s output has increased as well. It seems to cover its entire body now.”

“Joy,” she says dryly. “...I should have called in sick today.”

----

Near Site D, Far East Base, Japan
1:25 PM

I grimace as I watch the active heat signatures drawing closer. One of them is from the Major, and presumably, the second one belongs to the Major Hakurei who is engaged with the target. The third, then, must belong to the SR-0. But, the signature’s grown in size, much bigger than it was when it first showed up on the radar. What could have happened? Has its reactor begun to go critical, or... well, I suppose I’ll know when I get there.

“Ugh...” Private Renko’s voice comes in through the transmission, sounding nauseous. “I don’t feel so good.”

“Now’s not the time to get motion sickness,” I say, keeping my eyes on the screen.

“No, that’s not it...” she replies, going silent for a moment. “It’s more like... I feel some kind of ‘pressure’ coming from up ahead, and it feels like it’s pushing against my body, and it’s not the Gs that’s doing it.”

“I feel it too,” Private Hearn eagerly speaks up. “It feels like... like there’s some kind of fountain up ahead, and it’s pushing out this incredible torrent of water.”

A pressure... a fountain up ahead? Narrowing my eyes, I try to focus on what my body is feeling. The rattling of the seat, the force of the Gs being exerted on my body, and... a small, tingling sensation in my head. It feels so faint that I can’t tell whether I’m imagining it or not, but, whatever this feeling is, I can definitely sense that it’s coming from the direction we’re headed. Like a ripple in the air. Could this phenomenon... be a sign of our powers?

Shaking my head, I turn my attention back to the radar. We’re getting near the signatures, and they should be entering visual range within...

“Ensign Steyr.”

A voice comes in through the transmission, and I immediately recognize it to belong to the Major.

“Switch to frequency 76.5.”

I do so, turning the dial on the radio.

Looking up at the screen, I’m able to see the Major’s Kreuzritter, flying in the air with its rifle in its hand. Lower, hovering just above the ground, there’s a Kreuzritter MK II, painted in primarily red and white, a beam rifle held in one hand and a strange, whip-like metallic rod extended out from where the standard-issue models have the built-in beam saber. A green giant stands off to the side, about a hundred meters away from the two crusaders, looking menacing in its stance and appearance.

“The situation is currently desperate, though not hopeless,” Major Udongein speaks into the transmission. “Listen, all of your weapons are useless against it. Its TK field will cancel out any attacks you attempt.”

“How are we supposed to stop it, then?” Private Renko asks.

“We fight defensively,” the Major replies immediately. “Currently, it’s running on the experimental T-Link Burst System, which boosts the capabilities of both the machine and the pilot through the use of psycho energy, but it was expected that neither of them would be able to withstand a long period of its use, and so we imposed a time limit on its use.”

“How long is the time limit?” I ask.

“Five minutes. After five minutes, it likely won’t be able to move,” she replies, quickly adding, “But we can’t just run from it. Site D is close to the main facility. If we just leave it be, the SR-0 might go on to destroy the base. We can’t let that happen.”

“Ugh,” Private Hearn’s distressed voice comes from the radio. “I can feel it... this pressure’s definitely coming from that thing. It’s making my head hurt...”

“Ensign,” radios Major Udongein, “Major Hakurei and I will attempt to keep it engaged at close-range. Keep your distance from it, and provide us with support fire. It won’t do any damage, but it might at least get some pressure off us. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” I reply.

“Good,” she says. “You’re in charge of commanding your teammates. Direct them well if you don’t want them to die.”

I look up at the screen, where the SR-0’s begun its assault on the red-white Kreuzritter. It swings with its clawed hands, wildly, like a frenzied animal. The Kreuzritter dodges in between its arms gracefully, raising its rifle and firing a shot with each pass, though the bolts bounce uselessly off the green aura surrounding the machine. That our first field practice would end up this deadly isn’t something I could have predicted, even with my so called psychic power. Snorting, I begin to push forward, ready to enter the fray, casting sideways glances at the Kreuzritters standing beside mine.

Before I move in, I’ll need to decide on our formation...

[ ] Instruct them to follow your moments closely. (Squad)
[ ] Instruct them to spread out and surround the target. (Individual)

----
BATTLE LOG:

SR-0 (Subject #1) has been disabled.
Battle mastery earned.
SR-0 (Subject #1) fully recovered.
Allied reinforcements appeared: Kreuzritter MK II (Steyr), Kreuzritter MK II (Mary), Kreuzritter MK II (Renko)
Mission objectives changed.

----

MISSION OBJECTIVES:

Winning conditions:
1. Survive for 5 turns.

Losing conditions:
1. Any allied unit defeated.

----

[X] Instruct them to follow your moments closely. (Squad)

Unless it's got a MAPW (which we haven't seen), it's better to stick together when fighting strong units to take advantage of any Support and Command skills the pilots have.

>Reisen and Turn A
I lol'd. Very appropriate match-up.

[♦] Instruct them to follow your moments closely.

They should also give evasion higher priority than actually hitting the SR-0. You can't provide cover if you're neutralized.

[x] Instruct them to follow your moments closely. (Squad)

It might have a chain attack too.

[x] Instruct them to spread out and surround the target. (Individual)

[x] Instruct them to spread out and surround the target. (Individual)

Massed fire isn't going to faze it. Staying together will just invite it to attack and inevitably kill the person that fucks up (Hearn).

[x] Instruct them to spread out and surround the target.

We can provide covering fire easier if we have all angles covered. Besides, since these shots aren't going to do anything, we might as well individually fire at will instead of just following Steyrs lead.

Is it possible to see what skills subject 1 has? Since in SRW after having a battle encounter, one can see all their information.

Basically if its unit has map attacks, chain attacks, etc.

>>33008
Well the battle isn't exactly over, now is it?

Also, this isn't a video game. We might not be able to conveniently see its information after all is said and done. That would be weird and out of place, wouldn't it? But hey, I'm not the author, so what the fuck do I know.

>>33009
They made the damn thing; it's not an unknown enemy. Reisen and Reimu should be able to request its capabilities, at the very least.

>>33010
True, but that doesn't allow us to have some sort of convenient glimpse of its skillset. We're in the heat of battle here. I highly doubt Udongein and Hakurei are terribly concerned about briefing us on this things moves, outside of the bare minimum. Which they have already done.

>>32995
>It might have a chain attack too.
Chain attacks only work at close range, we're supposed to keep our distance.

>>33020
depends on the SRW game, as in W and K, they can be done at a distance.

[X] Instruct them to follow your moments closely. (Squad)

>>33021
>W and K
>Multi-Combo and Multi-Target attacks

I really hated some of the bosses(like Feliny in K) in these W and K.

[X] Instruct them to spread out and surround the target. (Individual)

[X] Instruct them to spread out and surround the target. (Individual)

Multiple angles and whatnot.