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Strike Witches:Afrika2 Chapter2

2009-06-25T03:45:24Z

210.0.215.157:

Who in the world could have sent so much... whatever was in those crates. But before that, was it really supposed to be delivered to me?

Muttering a swearword or two under my breath, I approached the mountain of supplies, when I saw a large group of troops in desert uniforms covering them fully from the sun, all standing in formation in orderly ranks, even in the blazing heat. Ah, that uniform design meant they were definitely from the Fuso Imperial Army.

This being the desert, they should've at least gotten under some shade, for crying out loud. Otherwise all they're asking for is heatstroke. Or actually, if they were just on standby, the officers should've just let them all rest... what kind of a bumbling fool did they have for a commanding officer?

"Who goes there!"

As I neared the troops, a sentry's voice challenged me.

With all due respect, but soldiers in the Fuso Imperial Army really are sticklers for rules, and simply refuse to adapt to different situations. Of course, I was wrapped from head to toe to get out of the sun so I doubt anybody could have recognized me, but ''they'' were the ones who had called me here after all.

I was somewhat irritated, but it was about then that I realized that perhaps I had completely lost any feeling for being in the military. Promising myself to get back into that mood before I made any further mistakes, I took off the scarf and goggles I had gotten accustomed to wearing.

Next, I showed the sentry the letter that I had only just received from Imperial Army headquarters.

The sentry stared at the letter and me with a suspicious look on his face, but after several seconds, he saluted with sudden excitement, apparently satisfied. I returned his salute. The sentry then mumbled something about calling his superior, and darted back to the main formation of troops.

The sentry had only just reached the formation, and a senior sergeant of middling height and build stepped out of ranks. An air of command surrounded the sergeant, who started walking towards my position.

Maybe one of the sergeant mechanics.

"Madam, we are the Fuso Imperial Army African Expeditionary Force Independent Flight Squadron , also known as the ''Sa-Tai''! This soldier is the Chief Mechanic Sergeant of the squadron, Hino Tamotsu Souchou, reporting for duty!"

Wow, what a long introduction. But, of course there was no way this sergeant could be in overall command, right?

I looked about, but didn't see anyone that resembled an officer of any sort.

"We have been awaiting your arrival, Madam. To be honest, we were worrying over how best to establish contact with your person, Madam."

The sergeant continued, but I was still puzzling over the circumstances. Suddenly, another voice piped in from somewhere nearby.

"It is truly an honor to meet you, Katou Oneesama, the Lightning of the Fuso Sea!"

Hm, wait, what? It was just a little girl's voice. But, the only person I could see was the sergeant standing in front of me.

"I had heard that you were heavily injured and retired, but are you well enough to be re-instated so soon, Madam?"

I was wondering if I had only imagined the voice, but apparently not. This time I identified the source as coming from near my feet, and I looked down, where a lumpy desert uniform stared straight back at me.

This?

Looking more closely, the lump seemed to be moving.

"Umm... and you are?"

The lump moved again, and at last I could see a face and a small hand.

The elegent face and small hand of a young girl peeked out from the uniform, looking completely out of place in the desert. The uniform seemed to be several sizes too large, covering the girl within its folds... or perhaps to put it better, wasn't the girl several sizes too small?

"Yes, Madam, I am Inagaki Mami Gunsou of the Fuso Imperial Army African Expeditionary Force Independent Flight Squadron!"

The girl saluted with her small hand. I returned the salute, and took a good look at the tiny girl. I doubted she was even 120 cm tall. Her hair was cut neatly up to her shoulders, shaped like a bowl, and her large eyes and smooth skin made her look like a Fuso doll.

Or maybe some kind of ''kokeshi'' doll?

But honestly, what was the Imperial Army thinking, sending a girl as young as this as part of the African Expeditionary Force?

Now that I knew who I was talking to, I bent down at the knees to speak to the girl on the same level.

"You're a witch, too?"

The girl immediately put on a serious expression, and spoke in a clear and determined voice.

"Yes, Oneesama, I was ordered to report under your command!"

Oneesama, huh? Maybe she was from some upper-class girls' academy somewhere. I can't say I'm completely unfamiliar with witches who say the same thing. In any case, the girl seemed to be from some well-off upper-class family.

"So who's in command of this squadron, then?"

The girl looked up at Hino Souchou standing beside her, with a troubled expression. From the way she looked like she was ready to burst into tears, the uncertainty I had about her age deepened. I wondered if she was even 10 years old yet.

With the gunsou's gaze on him, Hino Souchou also seemed to have trouble answering.

"What seems to be the problem, Souchou?"

I stood up straight and questioned him more firmly, as if I were giving an order. Standing up, the difference in height between me and Hino Souchou wasn't all that great.

The senior sergeant stood to attention, straightening like a rod, and answered promptly.

"Madam, their whereabouts are unknown."

"Their whereabouts are unknown."

"Yes, Madam. We originally began our journey under the command of a Tai-i, along with a Chuu-i and a Shou-i, but they debarked at Gibraltar, and we were ordered to depart as we were."

"Gibraltar?"

"Yes, Madam. We were ordered to make best speed to Tobruk, and place ourselves under the command of Katou Tai-i, Madam."

What do you mean, they debarked at Gibraltar? Wait, what did he just say?

"Hmm... wait, Tai-I?"

"Forgive this soldier's tardiness, Madam. We were given this set of orders upon departure."

He presented a document file he had been holding clamped under his arm. Opening it, I found a thin envelope inside. The envelope was sealed and covered with official markings, on the front, only my name was written where normally there would be an address.

As I flipped through the contents, I found official orders re-instating me as an officer with the rank of Tai-i, and...... W-Wait, what do you mean, hereby ordered to take command of this Independent Flight Squadron!?

Well, I did submit a request to be re-instated, but what I had expected was a training post back in Fuso. I never wrote that I wanted to be put in command of a squadron fighting on the very front lines.

I rubbed at my temple unknowingly.

I have to say that I did have a bad feeling about it all when I was told to stay in Tobruk instead of returning to Fuso shortly after submitting my application.

But, how could the Imperial Army have just redeployed a squadron just like that? After all, I only handed in my re-instatement request a month ago. Don't tell me they sent it that quickly?

"Are there any other orders?"

Resigned to my fate, I asked the sergeant hopefully.

"Negative, Madam."

Oh boy, what was the Army thinking. I'll have to remember to ask them.

Well, since I had been reinstated, orders were orders, so I didn't have much of a choice except to follow them. Oh, then, the first order of business should be to get the troops under some shade.

"Souchou."

I turned towards him with a bearing appropriate to an officer giving an order to a subordinate.

"Yes, Madam!"

The mechanic sergeant immediately snapped to attention, unmoving.

"As per these orders from the Imperial Army, I will hereby take command of this squadron. Now, arrange for the troops rest under shade. After that is done, bring me an inventory of our supplies."

"Understood, Madam."

I watched the sergeant begin ordering the rest of the unit into the shadows made by the piles of supplies, then waved Inagaki Gunsou to meet me in a shady nook nearby.

"Yes, what is it, ma'-, I mean, what are your orders, Madam?"

I smiled at the nervous-looking sergeant to help her relax.

"You don't need to speak so formally with me."

"But, Madam-"

"That's enough, I'm in command from here on out, so my orders are paramount."

"Yes, ma'am, I understand."

Now, where do I start...

Maybe her age.

"By the way, how old are you? You look rather young."

"Yes, ma'am, I am 12 years old."

Oh, so she wasn't still in the single digits. I was a bit relieved that the manpower shortage wasn't that bad yet.

"So if you're 12, then you've already completed training?"

"Yes ma'am, I've completed all of the on-base basic training, but because of my size I was never assigned to any unit."

Well, that's not hard to believe.

Even with a Striker unit, a bit of height makes everything more convenient. Witches with particularly useful skills would usually be assigned to a squadron as soon as possible without regard to height, but it was the usual Army practice to assign the rest of the witches starting with the most physically suitable ones.

"But, why did you choose to come to Africa?"

And, a wide smile appeared on the girl's face.

"I've always admired Witches. I was fascinated by Fuso Sea witches I saw in the movies. "Tomoe-Gozen" Anabuki Tomoko Shou-i, "The Fuso Sea Falcon" Katoh Takeko Shou-i, and of course the other Katou, "The Lightning of the Fuso Sea" Katou Keiko Shou-i."

I had completely forgotten about those nicknames. Lightning should have been Tomoko's nickname instead of mine anyway, she was always calling herself "White Lightning Anabuki" after all.

It had been years since then, and we had all been promoted and gone our separate ways, but memories of when were all lieutenants together started coming back.

Everyone started calling Takeko and me Fuji and Higashi to tell the two Katous apart. I think it was around that time that I met Tomoko too... Tomoko and her blazing white scarf, with "Courageous Anabuki" scrawled at one end in her awful handwriting.

She was very insecure, so she used to say that she'd go to pieces if she didn't do things like that. I wonder if she ever stopped being so uncertain about herself?

Cameras, an essential part of my work now, were also originally one of Takeko's hobbies. I learned everything I know about their use from her. She preferred Contax, and I remember she laughed when she saw that I had bought a Leica. Something about the rangefinder of a Contax being much better than a Leica. They were also well known for having a faster shutter speed too, but just how much of a difference would there be between 1/1000 and 1/1250?

Well, I have to admit, the Biogon lenses for Contax cameras were extremely clear, excellent lenses all in all.

Afterwards, both Takeko and Tomoko were deployed to Europe. I always thought that Takeko would have been a better match for Suomus though. She was born in and grew up in a cold climate, and she was good at skiing, so she probably could have gotten used to Suomus in no time at all.

Strike Witches:Afrika Chapter4

2008-09-22T00:19:30Z

210.0.215.157:

Oberleutnant Rall's words played across my mind as I walked, and before I knew it, I was on the outskirts of Tobruk Fortress. Oberleutnant Marseille and her squadron were not far now.

I looked across the desert, and saw a lone Witch alight from a car, and begin walking this way. She was wearing a Karlslander Luftwaffe uniform. Could she be a member of Marseille's squadron?

When I asked her, she told me that she was in fact Marseille's wingman. What a stroke of luck.

I most definitely wanted to talk to her.

I gathered my journalistic composure, ready to find out how the people around Marseille thought of her, and anything else I might find out, with the end goal of meeting Marseille herself.

The girl's name was Raisa Pöttgen, a leutnant. She was still a young and playful girl, recently graduated from Officer Cadet School by my guess.

"Tina? Yeah, it can be really hard to stay on her tail sometimes."

When I asked who Tina was, she told me it was Oberleutnant Marseille's pet name. Most likely because of the Tina in Justina.

"Tina doesn't fight the way the rest of us think is normal, you see. Normally, we go at full speed when we're flying. But she'll reduce her throttle almost to the point where the engine stalls, and she'll even lower her landing gear to increase air resistence, all in order to get the tightest turning radius possible."

Leutnant Raisa showed me what she meant by imitating Marseille with her hands. It was much easier to see how Marseille flew with her practical example. It wasn't something that could be put into words.

"She doesn't try to hit-and-run, but instead outmaneuvers her target in a battle of position. She'll get close to her target, then lower her own altitude to aim at the Neuroi from behind and under it. After all, a lot of small Neuroi craft have their core around their abdomen."

She held her left hand up, representing the Neuroi in front, then twisted her right hand in a sharp turning dive ending up behind the left. Then, she hit her left hand with her right.

"That's how she always takes down those Neuroi with just one burst. After that, she'll push her throttle to the max again, and charge right through the enemy formation looking for her next prey. The way she fights makes her look like an air battle calculator or something."

Leutnant Raisa explained the details of Marseille's tactics, a smile on her face the entire time. However, a wingman often had the tough job of confirming whether and where the Neuroi was shot down, all while following the lead pilot to drive off any approaching enemies, and keeping an eye on how the situation was developing. It probably was not a simple task to follow Marseille's lead, considering all the acrobatic maneuvering I was just told about.

Not to mention the sheer number of kills her wingman must have to confirm.

I asked what she thought about her own role as Marseille's wingman, and she beamed a wide smile.

"You have no idea how hard it is just to keep up with her. But you know, jobs as wonderful as flying with the world's top ace and protecting her back are really rare. And besides, I'm one of her fans. For all of us, everyone here in Africa, she's our idol, our star of hope. To be alone in the wide sky together with her, a position that wonderful is something anyone in the world would yearn for. Even if I were told that I could be relieved, I would definitely refuse."

I could see what she meant. It was a mission where the joys outweighed the hardships.

Even work as hard as being her wingman was enjoyable for her. I wanted to meet Oberleutnant Marseille more than ever now.

Saying she had to go take care of business to take care of in Tobruk, I took several photographs of Leutnant Raisa, and continued heading towards the base. After having heard so many stories about Marseille, I wanted to meet her as soon as possible, and I naturally began walking faster.

The Witches' base was on a hill slightly removed from Tobruk. The barracks for the members seemed to be in a valley nearby. As I headed there, I saw several signposts dotted about the road. Every single one of them was mounted on the sparse vegetation around the base, nailed to trees, or hanging off of shrubs; they were attached in all sorts of ways, but every one of them pointed in one direction.

As I walked up to one of them to take a closer look, I saw a simple message written there. "The World's Best Fighter Squadron." That told me all I needed to know about the team's morale.

Then, I noticed one signpost that was especially large. A long pillar, with several arrow-shaped signposts pointing in every direction attached to it.

Tripoli - 200 km. Alexandria - 600 km. Berlin - 2400 km. London 3000 km... and the last sign, which I read out, unthinkingly.

"Tokyo - 10000 km."

I see, so other people from Fuso have been here as well. It might be 10000 km away in a straight line, but in actual fact it took many times that going by sea. It could have been a bit shorter if the Suez Canal could still be used, but that area was firmly under Neuroi control.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Strike_Witches:Afrika_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Strike_Witches|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Strike_Witches:Afrika_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Strike Witches:Volume1 Chapter2

2008-09-03T03:16:39Z

210.0.215.157:

Suomus was a small country in Northern Europe with a population of 4 million.

In terms of territory it was a bit smaller than the Fuso Empire.

This huge territory, when compared to the relatively small population, was made up mostly of forests of pines and other conifers. It was also particularly famous for its many lakes. Those lakes would freeze over during the winter season, and would be used as temporary landing fields. That was one reason why Kauhava Air Force Base, which had invited volunteer troops from several countries, had been built beside several beautiful lakes.

After five long months at sea, the ''Awamaru'' had docked at the military harbor in Brest, Gallia. Tomoko and Haruka had then boarded a transport plane, and had arrived at Kauhava Air Force Base at last.

As soon as they stepped off of the Karlsländer transport plane, they were shivering from the biting cold.

“Brrrrr, brrrr.”

Haruka hugged herself tightly, as she shuffled her feet. The two of them were draped in heavy military issue coats, but the coats did little to help.

It was November 10, well into autumn. However, Kauhava Air Force Base was already completely enveloped in a wintery façade, a world of snow as far as the eye could see.

Tomoko sighed, a frosty cloud forming, as she looked over the place which would be her battlefield.

“A country of snow, huh……”

“Shou-i, it’s cold, but the snow is pretty, isn’t it.”

Haruka, her cheeks as red as apples, murmured happily, even as she shivered. Tomoko scooped up a bit of the snow near her feet, and studied it.

“I wonder if the magic engine of the Ki-27 can handle this.”

“Wow…… I was really impressed by the southern seas when I first saw them after joining the Navy, but this country is just as amazing…… I’m happy I came.”

Haruka looked at Tomoko, a wide smile on her face. She was hoping that the person she idolized would be sharing her thoughts, but……

“I wonder if I’ll be able to get the same performance as stated in the specifications in this extreme cold.”

Haruka sighed softly. It seemed as if Tomoko did not feel anything at all, even with such a beautiful snowy landscape in front of her.

A snowmobile painted in white camouflage colors pushed its way through the snow to where the two were standing. The door opened, and an intelligent looking woman wearing glasses stepped out of the vehicle.

She turned to face Tomoko, and saluted.

“Welcome to Kauhava Air Force Base. I am Flight Lieutenant Häkkinen, one of the command staff at the base.”

As soon as Haruka heard ‘Flight Lieutenant’, she immediately stood to attention and saluted.

“Fu-Fu-Fu-Fuso Imperial Navy, Flight Sergeant Sakomizu Haruka!”

Next, Tomoko saluted as well, with feigned politeness. Although Häkkinen had a higher rank, there was a touch of arrogance in Tomoko’s actions.

“Fuso Imperial Army, Pilot Officer Anabuki Tomoko.”

F/L Häkkinen’s eyebrow raised slightly at the name.

“We welcome the arrival of an ace like yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Tomoko expressed her gratitude, a touch of hostility etched into her words.

The snowmobile rumbled off, and brought Tomoko on a shaky journey to the briefing room.

It was a dilapidated building, what looked like a former warehouse. Inside were two kerosene stoves, and a number of chairs surrounding them.

There was a large blackboard at the front, and desks which looked like ones that might be found at school. On the blackboard, a message was written in both Suomish and Britannian, which said ‘Suomus Independent Air Squadron Command Center’. Tomoko, having received officer training, and Haruka, being a Navy pilot, were both able to read those words easily. It seemed as if the language that would be used would be Britannian.

“Our squadron commander is late, isn’t she.”

Haruka mumbled to herself in her seat. Her raccoon-dog familiar was sitting near by. Next to her, Tomoko was looking bored with her elbows on the desk, a frown set on her face.

The squadron commander of the squadron in the Suomus Air Force that Tomoko and Haruka were assigned to was supposed to be coming any second.

“Don’t you wonder what kind of person our commander is going to be? I hope she isn’t scary.”

However, Tomoko did not reply. She seemed to be somewhat irritated.

Three more young girls were sitting together with them. All of them were Westerners.

Each of them had a different kind of familiar with them, and they were all waiting for the squadron commander in their own way.

Haruka had placed herself as close to the firewood stove as possible. To her right, a young blonde girl was reading a book silently. She was dressed in a Karlsländer Air Force uniform, and a badger was sitting in her lap. Probably her familiar.

She was slightly younger than Haruka. What could she be reading?

Haruka craned her neck around to try and read as well, her interest piqued. However, she gave up when saw that it was written in Karlslaendisch.

“What are you reading?” She tried to ask, but received no answer. The girl had all of her attention on the book, the bright blue eyes behind her glasses never straying from the pages. Haruka’s curiosity increased, and as soon as she tried to repeat her question louder, the badger in the girl’s lap glared at her. Its eyes were telling her not to disturb its master.

Next to the girl with glasses, another girl with splendid golden hair was sitting. She had golden hair just like the young Karlsländer girl, but this girl’s hair reached nearly down to her waist. She was holding a bottle with some black liquid in it. She had been gulping down that drink happily for a while.

Though she was still a young girl, she had a particularly voluminous body. She was wearing a sharp Liberian Navy dress uniform, but her chest looked uncomfortably tight. On her head, there was an animal that Haruka had never seen before. It was covered in brown fur, except for its face which was white. Its tail was striped in black and brown fur.

With astonishment written over her face, Haruka look at what was most likely the Liberian girl’s familiar. As the girl noticed Haruka’s gaze, she beamed a brilliant smile like a Hollywood star. She leaned forward as Haruka returned her smile.

“Hey y’all, where’re you from?”

She spoke in Britannian but with a strange accent.

“The Fuso Empire,” Haruka answered. The girl looked puzzled, still smiling widely.

"Where? Where is that?"

“The Far East, I guess you would say?”

“Oh! Next to Florida, right?”

“No.”

The girl laughed out a ‘Sorry!’, and offered the bottle she was holding to Haruka.

“Want to drink some cola?”

“Eh, no thanks,” Haruka said, as she turned down the Liberian’s offer.

Next to her was a girl with silver hair. She had a black motorcycle jacket on. A dog with a long body and short fur was sprawled by her feet. Haruka wondered if that strange looking dog was the girl’s familiar. The girl was pretty, but she looked troubled by something, her forehead covered in wrinkles. The girl left an impression that she was hard to get close to. She had been smoking cigarettes non-stop. The girl turned to face Haruka as she noticed her incessant staring.

Haruka dipped her head in greeting, but the girl went back to staring into the distance soon. Her attitude seemed to being saying that she had no interest in Haruka whatsoever.

“There are all sorts of people here, right?”

Haruka turned to face Tomoko again, but she had her gaze fixed to the front, while she grumbled to herself, deep in her own thoughts.

“Is something wrong?”

Tomoko chewed on her lip at the question. Haruka started in surprise at her behavior. She had never expected Tomoko, who was even known as Tomoe-Gozen of the Fuso Sea, to act in such a childish manner.

A blush crept up on Haruka’s cheeks, when suddenly Tomoko swung around to face her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Eh? No, um, nothing! Yes!”

She shook her head from side to side. She couldn’t tell the person she idolized that her chest was throbbing because of her. To have her chest throbbing because of another woman…… Haruka silently told herself off for being weird. It was a matter that she most definitely wanted to avoid.

“Oh,” Tomoko replied, and she promptly fell back into her own thoughts, her muttering starting up once again. Haruka looked up at Tomoko, a bit worried.

In any case, it was late. When would she get here? F/L Häkkinen had told them all just five minutes ago to wait for a little bit, while she brought the squadron commander over, but more than twenty minutes had already passed. It would have been an unbelievable situation in the Fuso Imperial Navy, where everything had to be done five minutes before.

Even though they had been made to wait in such a manner, nobody seemed to have noticed. Haruka thought to herself that she must have come to a place with some amazing people indeed.

''I wonder if something happened?'' As Haruka began to worry…… Bam! The door suddenly banged open.

A pretty young girl with golden hair so light it was nearly white came in, balancing a stack of paper. Somehow she had managed to open the door while carrying that bundle.

“Awah, awawawawawawa!”

She overbalanced, and tripped splendidly, the stack of paper she had been holding flying all over the briefing room.

“Hiaaaaaah!” She shouted miserably.

F/L Häkkinen entered the room right after the girl.

“What are you doing?”

She asked, as she stared down at the light haired girl on the floor.

“Both of my hands were full…… I thought I’d open the door a bit more, but I lost my balance, and……”

She stood up uneasily, and started to hurriedly pick up the scattered sheets of paper.

“Just leave the documents for now, please introduce yourself first.” The girl nodded in response to F/L Häkkinen.

She shuffled about on her feet for a bit, before suddenly standing bolt upright. She then scribbled something on the palm of her hand, and brought it to her mouth quickly. The girl seemed to be extremely nervous.

She took a deep breath, and stepped in front of the blackboard.

“Welcome to Suomus. Allow me to express our gratitude to you, volunteer soldiers from countries around the world, for coming from so far away to our aid. Eh, ummm, I am Flying Officer Elma Leivonen, and starting from today, I will be fighting together with you. And, so…… what do I say now?”

Embarrassed, her gaze dropped to the floor as she trailed off, and she took surreptitious glances at F/L Häkkinen, who waved her away, as if telling her to get on with her introduction.

“That is…… well, I’m still wracked by uncertainties about all this, but, well, I suppose I’m the squadron commander? The squadron commander of this Independent Volunteer Air Squadron, ah, which is the name of the squadron that all of you are assigned to. I wish we could have gotten a cuter name, though. Maybe the Penguin Squadron or something. Tehe.”

“Ahaahaa! Penguins can’t fly, I know!”

“T-That’s right!”

F/O Elma brought her hand up to her mouth quickly, as if to say “Oh no!” She had probably not been joking, and had meant that seriously. Her shoulders slumped.

“What am I saying…… on the proud day our Independent Squadron is being established too…… sniff…”

Haruka watched as the poor squadron commander stood in front of them. She looked like the type who always had trouble and disappointment surrounding her. Haruka felt like the two of them were similar in a way.

F/O Elma suddenly forced herself to smile, as she tried to cheer herself up.

“And there we have it, I’ll be your, well, squadron commander, and um, err… let’s all do our very best to get along!”

She clenched two fists in front of her chest, bending forward at her waist.

Silence.

Nobody clapped, or responded in any way. Tomoko and the silver-haired girl stared at F/O Elma with cold eyes. The tiny Karlsländer girl with glasses had been reading her book the entire time, and the Liberian with the huge chest was humming and doing her nails.

F/O’s forced good cheer went to pieces in seconds, and she turned to F/L Häkkinen with tears in her eyes.

“Flight Lieutenant Häkkinen, I told you I can’t do it~~ Why did they ever choose me to be the squadron commander~~?”

F/L Häkkinen lifted her glasses, and answered coldly in a firm voice.

“There are no other witches available.”

“How could that be~~”

F/O Elma mumbled miserably, and her shoulders slumped. She was shaking lightly. Haruka began to worry that she was crying, but she was not.

“Optimism, optimism. Positive thinking, positive thinking.”

She mumbled that phrase over and over like a charm, and suddenly raised her face.

“Well then, introductions! Let’s try that!”

She seemed to have a very innocent personality.

“Then, let’s start from the left!”

The silver-haired girl stood up without a word, her footsteps echoing across the room.

“Britannian Air Force, Elizabeth Beurling. My rank is Pilot Officer.”

She spoke sourly, and sat down immediately after she was finished. In a troubled voice, F/O Elma tried to draw the girl out more.

“Umm, and……?”

“And what?”

“You know, we’re all going to be good friends, so we need to know more about you…… Err…… like the food you like. Or if you’re dating anyone, or bad habits or special skills.”
[[Image:SW_vol1c02_01.jpg|thumb|]]
F/O Elma began listing out all sorts of questions.

“Your Striker model?”

F/L Häkkinen prompted Beurling.

“The Hurricane.” Buerling answered simply.

“A good Striker.” F/L Häkkinen murmured in reply.

“Umm, well then, the next person, please!”

The girl with the huge chest beamed a huge smile, and stood up.

“I’m Katharine O’Hare, from the Liberian Navy! Nice meeting y’all!”

She began waving both hands merrily.

“My special skill is this!”

As she said that, Katharine drew a revolver from its holster at her waist. Holding it near her waist, she fanned the hammer with her left hand, firing round after round.

Everyone in the room dove to the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The loud report of the gunshots echoed out across the room.

“Oh! Don’t be frightened! Those are blanks! I use 'em for greetings!”

Katharine spun her revolver around her finger like in a Western, and put the gun back in her holster.

“There are large holes in the blackboard, however.” F/L Häkkinen answered as coolly as ever, as she fingered the bullet holes in the blackboard.

“Sorry! I must have made a mistake!”

Katharine answered in a sweet voice, and laughed happily.

“Er, errrr…… Next!”

Somewhat desperately, F/O Elma pointed to the Karlsländer girl sitting in the chair in the center, who looked like the youngest person in the group.

The girl firmly closed the book she had been reading, and placed it carefully into the bag at the side of her chair. Then, she took out a worn notebook from the bag.

Everyone there was watching her, wondering what the notebook was for. The girl raised the notebook up to eye level slowly.

“I am Flight Sergeant Ursula Hartmann, form the Karlsländer Air Force. The motto of all Karlsländer soldiers is ‘learn everything from your textbooks’. Therefore, I always act according to the guidelines set out in the ‘Karlsländer Air Force Curriculum’ I have here.”

F/O Elma opened her mouth uncertainly into a wide 'O' as she watched the young girl.

“The Karlsländer Air Force Curriculum?”

“Yes.”

“But we’re in Suomus……”

Ursula answered, standing stock still.

“I am a soldier of the Karlsländer Air Force. That will not change, no matter if we are at the South Pole, or at the end of the sky. Therefore, Madam Commander, I would be pleased to allow you to peruse this.”

The girl handed the notebook to F/O Elma.

F/O Elma flipped through the pages quickly, but as it was all written in Karlslaendisch, she could never hope to read it. She sighed, and placed the book on top of the desk nearby.

She looked at the printouts scattered across the floor sadly. It was the Suomus Air Force curriculum, translated into Britannian, but she suspected the girl would never read it.

“Erm, then the next person, please.”

“Y-Yes, Ma’am!” Haruka stood up nervously.

“Fuso Imperial Navy, Flight Sergeant Sakomizu Haruka! My hobbies are, um, well, I’m not very good at it, but I like to make sweets. Dango…… I suppose you don’t know what that is. It’s a snack from the Fuso Empire, which is made up of rice flour and shaped into round balls like this. They are a bit chewy, and very good, so I think I can make some for all of you soon. Um, and then, I also do archery.”

After having said so much…… she finally noticed that F/O Elma was crying, tears streaming down her face.

“Did, did I say something wrong?”

“Of course not, I’m just so moved. There’s actually someone normal here……”

Haruka realized for the first time just how unbelievable the place she had come was.

On the other hand, Tomoko was……

Shaking in rage.

''What is this place?''

''They’re just a bunch of worthless fools. I’ll never be able to get back at the Karlsland troops by standing out here, not while I’m with this lot.''

''What can I do?''

''This has to change''

I ''will change this.''

These thoughts drifted across Tomoko’s mind.

First of all, she would have to train this group up, so that they could at least be of some use. ''I can’t have them getting in my way during a real battle,'' Tomoko thought to herself.

“Well then, would our last person……” As F/O Elma trailed off, Tomoko stood up briskly, her determination showing in her actions. She had to take the initiative right away.

“Fuso Imperial Army, Anabuki Tomoko. My specialty is dogfighting.”

''Even though we all came here to go to war, not a single one of them mentioned any combat proficiencies. That just annoys me to no end. We’re not here to play around!''

F/O Elma began clapping enthusiastically.

“Oh yes, Flight Lieutenant Anabuki here is an ace who shot down seven enemy craft over the Fuso Sea! It’s reassuring to have you here! I hope you can teach us from your experience!”

Tomoko replied to F/O Elma, who was beaming brightly.

“Then could I interpret that as you allowing me to be in charge of our training?”

F/O Elma started in surprise at the Tomoko’s seriousness. She turned to look at F/L Häkkinen worriedly.

“I don’t see why not. It seems she’s the only one with real combat experience after all.”

“Then, we’ll leave it to you.”

F/O Elma beamed at Tomoko once again.

“Well then, with the introductions over, it isn’t much, but we’ve prepared a small welcoming reception for you all.”

“Wow! When you say welcoming, I hope that means food and drinks!”

Katharine jumped up happily.

“We have it all arranged! Then, if you’ll all follow me this way……” F/O Elma said as she started to guide the group, when Tomoko stood up in front of her.

“Yes?”

“Let’s leave the welcoming reception for later.”

“Eh?”

“Do you think this is any time to be having a banquet, when we have no idea when the Neuroi might attack?”

F/O Elma stepped back quickly with a startled squeal under Tomoko’s glare. ''She’s scary.''

“B-But…… you’ve come all this way, so……”

“We came here to go to war. We came here to fight back against the Neuroi. And I came here to show the world what I can do.”

“But……” As F/O Elma shuffled about uncertainly, Tomoko glared at her again.

“You did say that you would leave training to me, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”

F/O Elma answered immediately, in a way that made it hard to tell just who the superior officer was.

“Then I’ll do as I see fit. Squadron, equip your Strikers and assemble at the airfield.”

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