“Then, let me go over the situation again.” In the Schwarzer Hasen operations room, Chifuyu opened a projection display. “Tatenashi will make her own way to England from Russia. The rest of us will split up, one group crossing by sea from Germany and the other by air from France.”
The assembled squad tilted their heads in confusion.
“If we focus our forces on one front, we’re too likely to get bogged down if hostilities break out again. Also, I’ve requisitioned new equipment from Dunois in France. Therefore... Ms. Yamada will lead Cecilia, Ling, and Houki in the sea crossing.”
More surprise.
“So Laura’s not taking the German route?” Ichika asked doubtfully.
“She’s already equipped with a heavy arms package for this operation. And besides—” Chifuyu looked at Laura and Charlotte. Charlotte’s face had gone pale when the word ‘Dunois’ came up. “I think you should be with her. You’re friends, right?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Laura’s response was loud and clear. Charlotte’s fists were still clenched, but at least she wasn’t trembling anymore.
“The French route will be me, Ichika, Laura and Charlotte, with Kanzashi as support. Once we take delivery from Dunois, we’ll use their corporate jet to travel to England. Any questions?”
As Chifuyu clapped a fist into her palm, Klarissa stepped forward forcefully.
“Lehrerin!”
“Call me ‘Ms. Orimura’! ...Wait, never mind, you’re not from IS Academy. That’s fine.”
“Are you sure this Ms. Yamada is qualified to command the German front? Perhaps I would be more appropriate?”
Ms. Yamada was surprised, but more bemused than angry.
“I suppose your IS Schwarzer Zwieg has been completed?”
“Yes! Final testing was completed a few days ago!”
“Very well. Perhaps we should see just who, between a German special forces IS pilot and an IS Academy instructor, is more qualified.”
The Schwarzer Hasen perked up at the idea of a mock battle.
“Ehh?! A battle already?!”
“And against an old lady, too!”
“Oh, it’s on!”
“Looks like she thinks she’s still got it!”
Soldiers or not, they were still teenage girls first. Klarissa silenced them.
“Nena! Falke! Matilda! Io!” The four came to attention as they heard their names. “I’ll see you in the brig later.”
A vein pulsed on Klarissa’s forehead, and the girls’ anger faded to embarrassed blushes.
“Well, you, er, certainly have a very unique squadron here!” Ms. Yamada laughed awkwardly, earning her another glare from Klarissa. One pointed directly at a chest even larger than hers.
“I... I won’t forgive this, you damned Milchkuh!” Watching her second-in-command’s glowering jealousy, Laura sighed again.
✦ ✦ ✦
The German IS special forces squad’s combat arena. Maya and Klarissa, clad in IS suits, stared each other down.
“Let’s do this.” Klarissa held out her hand, and Maya took it.
I’ll show her who has the upper hand here! Klarissa’s hopes of establishing dominance faded, and her face went white as she felt Maya’s grip. Gah! She’s a goddamn gorilla!
Maya had realized what was coming and put everything she had into that handshake. Klarissa’s grip was still intense enough to send a cold sweat down her back. The unofficial first round of the match was a draw.
“Aaaaand... Begin!” At Chifuyu’s call, Maya and Klarissa were enveloped in light as their IS opened.
“Here goes!” Yamada Maya’s Rafale Revive Special ‘Show Must Go On’ spread its Shattered Sky shield wings and took to the air.
“I won’t hold back!” Klarissa Harfouch’s IS Schwarzer Zwieg opened up around her, and the IS Academy students let out a surprised gasp. Unlike its sister IS, Laura’s Schwarzer Regen, it lived up to its name with a hedgehog-like coat of thorns. An array of wired blades dangled from its branches like fruits on the vine.
“Bring it!” Maya made the first move, entering a Circle Rondo strafe to establish distance.
“Just like a teacher to do everything by the book!”
Maya responded with fire from her American-made .45-caliber Full Time Bullet assault rifles, notable for their high rate of fire and 200-round magazine.
“Hmph. Take this!” Twenty wired blades arced and twisted toward Maya, writhing like snakes.
“Ugh!” Guns akimbo or not, 20 targets in the blink of an eye was a tall order, and Maya was tripped up. Once the wired blades had sunk their fangs in, just like a snake, they wouldn’t let go. They slammed her into the ground as another wave shot forward. And as they did, Klarissa steadied her .88-caliber Nacht Nacht railgun against her shoulder and drew a bead.
“It’s over!” The Nacht Nacht, an upgraded version of Laura’s railgun, could punch through an IS’ shields and armor in a single shot. But—
“I saw that coming!” Four of Maya’s Wired Tired shields snapped into the path of the shot.