>Episode 1: Capture The Experimental!

>Long ago, there was an Event that changed the world.
>The Earth’s people were almost completely destroyed, but some survived and tried to recreate the world as they remembered. Though, now the world is only a shattered mirror-image of itself.
>The year is 0105 of the After Event calendar.

>”Alright! Move those containers up to deck three!” a female voice echoes from the tall wolf in the rumbling large hangar as I step forward on the metal floor to check up on our other pilots
>”What should we do with containers B-10 to B-20?” a mechanic comes up to her with a clipboard in hand, probably having a list of shipments on it
>”You can just move them to deck two. Those containers are foodstuff, right?” she asks and I look around to see one of the hangar cranes pick up a blue-painted container with big white letters reading G-06 on the side
>I walk to the door on the right and touch the panel next to the door to open it
>”Y’all ready?” I look around to the female fox prepping herself with warm clothes, the human guy doing the same and the female lynx spacing out
>”Aya, we’re about to launch and you’re dozing off?” I walk to her and she twirls on her heel in her jeans and jacket to face me with her swiping away her large brown bangs in front of her face
>”Sorry, I’m a bit excited…I’ll go get ready.” she shyly rubs the back of her neck before leaving the changing room and I look to the two other people
>”Rauli, look out for her.” I tap the man’s shoulder as he exits while tying his dark-red hair up and he gives a quick thumbs-up
>”So, we’re pretty much just gonna go steal a convoy for a experimental Aegis unit?” The mature brunette vixen tightens her gloves and stands up from the bench
>”Yeah. We launch an assault on the railway tracks, steal the target and then return to ship.” I turn around and we exit the room to go on stand-by
>”Roger that.” She pats my head and walks off towards her Aegis, painted red as requested by her and she once drunkenly said she wanted it red because it’s said to go three times as fast if painted red
>Aegis, humanoid combat vehicles that saw huge amount of use in the Event a hundred years ago (and are still in use to this day) and there have been many one-off units that were developed alongside the mass-production models
>Our organization, the Sine Nomine Sunt or SNS for short, obtained four of these one-off units and this land-ship, the Flavero, from a few of our backers
>There have almost been no new developments in Aegis production until now, when we found out that a new Aegis unit would be rolled out for field testing today
>I get myself in front of my Aegis, code-named Ghost because of the dark-grey color-scheme and cloak meant for stealth, though the cloak is mostly just for show
>A mechanic drives up to me with a crane and I jump on it to be raised to the cockpit
>”Hey, wait! Here’s your food, sir!” A cheerful female cat bumbles to me and hands me a warm disposable lunch box and a bottle of Dr.Pepper
>”Thanks as always!” I say as I press the button to raise the crane and step off it once it reaches the Aegis’s open cockpit hatch
>Crouch in through the opening and into the comfortable reaches of the controls as I plant my feet firmly on the pedals and put the lunch box into the small container under the seat
>There’s also a first-aid kit and a manual for the Aegis in the different crevice under the seat
>I start up the warm-up procedures for the mecha and open up the soda bottle, this ship seems to always serve Dr.Pepper...Wonder why
>The sour cherry taste fills my mouth as I fiddle with the radio above me, tuning it to play music like I always do; putting some jazz playing
>A loud ding snaps my attention and I stop tuning to listen
>”Alright, we’ll be beginning the operation shortly!” the rough female voice yells past the speakers on the ship before the back of the hangar opens to let us launch while the mechanics scramble out of the way
>I quickly take a bulky headset from behind the seat and put it on
>”Rauli, remember to keep cool, ‘kay?” I pull the mic a bit closer to that my teammates can hear me more clearly
>I see his Aegis, painted black with white highlights, pass and I see Rauli giving me a thumbs-up before closing his hatch
>”Got it. Rauli, Tsurugi, launching.” he says as the thrusters on the Aegis’s back light up and push the mecha forward from the moving land-ship and to the snowy tundra
>”Aya, Triple-A, launching.” I look at the left-side monitor, seeing the form of the behemoth-like Aegis unit meant for artillery launching off and I turn to the red-colored medium sized one and it’s cockpit hatch open to reveal Vera before closing
>”All good. Vera, Rose, going out.” She launches like a comet and I follow suit
>”Anon, Ghost, launching.” I say and lean back in my by the force of the thrust before landing and starting to walk to the target location
>We enter a three-two formation with my unit in the lead
>I take out the box from underneath the seat and peer in, the shape of a hamburger gracing it's presence to my eyes I start eating it midst the small shakes of the mecha’s steps
>”Hey, where are we going after this mission?” Aya asks through the radio, her voice sounding a bit distorted
>”I think we’re going to Ghara.” Vera responds and I drink a bit of soda before eating more of the burger
>”Oh. Can we go shopping once there?” the lynx asks as I finish eating and put the box back under the seat
>”Yeah, but let’s just concentrate on the mission now, we’re about to reach the rails.” I switch the monitor to medium magnification and see the train rails under the afternoon sky
>”Let’s all get into position. Train is due to arrive in about 30 minutes.” I lay the Aegis down in the snow and use the thrusters and verniers to cloak the mecha in snow
>The others seem to do the same and confirm they’re ready
>We wait, the others eating or drinking while they have the chance
>I continue staring at the monitor as I rub my neck a little, am I being tense now?
>A reflection of light flashes in the distance and I look to it with max magnification, spotting the grey train
>”Show time.” I press one of the buttons on the right side lever to activate the sights for the railgun, loading it with a metal spike
>”Three...two...one.” I press the upper button and the cockpit shakes as the spike launches from the gun in a flash, throwing up snow
>The spike hit the rails in front of the train and it flies off to the side before thumping down on it’s side on the snowy ground
>”Let’s go!” I raise the mecha up and use the legs and back thrusters to jump up to close the distance fast with Vera and Rauli right behind me and quickly raise the volume on the radio for the music to be hearable, but not too loud
>I land on top of the train’s side and use the mecha’s left hand to open the door by ripping it off
>No experimental in this one, just a one-horned and one-eyed, mass-produced Aegis-type, the Kale
>I jump off and shoot a spike into the Kale, smoke coming up as the whole car seems to jump up for a moment before crashing down
>A warning siren blares from the speaker to my left and I see another Kale aiming it’s rifle at me and soon after, it’s head blows up and it falls down on the ground
>”Thanks, Aya!” I say quickly and jump onto next train, Vera and Rauli having checked theirs, now only three left
>”No problem! Let’s show these bastards what real fire-power is!” she yells out and I see her giving more concentrated fire, she always has been a bit excitable
>I rip the door off the train car and the white frame of an Aegis shows on the monitor
>”Target found! Now, let’s...The hell!?” I see the white Aegis move and raise itself clumsily
>I switch my comms to the outer speakers and place the railgun’s tip in front of the white one’s abdomen where cockpit is
>”Hey, pilot! Get out of that unit or I’m blowing you to bits!” I yell, this shit did not go as planned
>”D-don’t shoot! I’m...on your side!” a scared female voice yells back and stands the Aegis up, is she for real?
>”Leader, enemy reinforcements coming!” Rauli yells and I turn to the right side monitor to see his Aegis using it’s 10m sword to cut down a Kale and in the distance, a squad of Kales and tanks are coming this way
>”Oh boy. Hey, can you hear me, white Aegis pilot?” I turn my railgun to the left and shoot a Kale trying to get out of it's train car, it’s head disappearing and body falling back into the car with muffled thud
>”Y-Yes.” she sounds like a teen, the hell is she doing at the controls of a experimental Aegis?
>”Follow me if you want to live.” I remember that being a line in a movie, but I cast that thought off as I signal Vera and Rauli to follow as I and the girl start running to Aya’s location
>”Can you move?” I ask while firing off a few rounds from my 90mm submachine gun to a nearby Kale, disabling it’s mono-eye sensor and toppling it
>”Y-yes. I can manage.”
>”Mission done, not as planned, but done! Let’s bail!” I shoot at the incoming squad with the railgun and manage to split a Kale in half, it doesn’t seem like it’ll blow up though
>”Okay!” Aya fires off two rounds from the 240mm cannons on her Aegis’s back
>”We’ll run to the rendezvous, don’t fall behind!” I yell and we start running to north as I turn off the music
>...
>After reaching the ruins of what appears to be an old village, I look to the white Aegis again and notice that it has eye-like sensors instead of a visor-type like the rest of us
>”Let’s rest up, I’ll launch a flare and then we’ll wait for the ship to pick us up.” I make my mecha kneel down on one knee in front of a small,still-standing and snow-covered building
>I pick up the coat and knit cap from behind the seat and put them on before exiting into the cold from the warmth of my cockpit
>”Rollcall, Aya.” I say as I lower myself onto the ground using a hook in the mecha’s cockpit hatch and see the other’s Aegis units kneeling as well
>”Here.” she walks up to me wearing a coat knit cap as well, we have it as standard to have a coat and knit cap behind the seats since we live here in the cold north
>”Rauli.” I check my wrist-watch for the time and see the man himself walk up in the coat and knit cap combo
>”Here.” he gives a quick wave and enters the small building with a box of rations in hand
>”And last but not least, Ve-” I get interrupted by a chop to my head
>”Here. So, who’s the pilot of the experimental?” the vixen asks as she adjusts her knit cap
>”Don’t know. Sounded like a girl.”
>”A girl?” she walks up to the kneeling white mecha and the cockpit hatch opens
>Out steps a shy-looking canine anthro, long blonde hair hanging free and eyes carefully looking at us
>”Excuse me, but who are you people?” she speaks with a formal tongue and I notice her clothes, a closed jacket and cargo pants
>”We’re just some pirates.” I wave my hand around, carefully choosing the veil of words
>”Pirates? Is that why you came to attack the train?” she carefully steps down without using the hook
>”Yeah, we came to steal that Aegis of yours.” I point to the mecha
>”So, why were you piloting it?” Vera demands and crosses her arms
>”I...was trying to escape. They took me prisoner and put me on that train. I managed to get away and went into the cockpit to hide, but I got scared when you attacked and I just moved it.” she shiveringly steps forward and I give my coat to her
>”Let’s get inside.” the brisk cold creeps on my skin since I’m only wearing a long-sleeve and jeans and I walk calmly into the building with the women behind me
>”I got the fireplace set up. Surprised this building is still standing.” Rauli sits in front of the fireplace and snacks on a ration bar, they taste like dried meat with a bit of spice added to them, but I’m not sure what the kitchen folk actually make these with
>We go to the fireplace and sit down after getting ourselves rations bars
>”So, let’s do introductions! I’m Anonymous, though everyone just calls me Anon.” I cheerfully say and turn to the blonde-haired canine
>”Anon? That’s a weird name.” she responds and swipes some of her hair off her shoulder as she sits down with a ration bar in paw
>”If I had a ration bar for every time people said that...I’d have a lot of rations bars.” I bite into my ration bar and the dried taste never changes
>”Is it my turn? I’m Aya Leinonen. What’s your name?” the long-haired lynx waves to the canine
>”I’m...Jenna Helenius.” she smiles back and starts eating her ration bar
>”That’s a pretty name. I’m gonna go out on watch.” I say out and stand up
>”Oh, and uh...Thank you for saving me.” her voice seems to catch me off-guard for a moment
>”No worries.” I say and exit the building. her rescue wasn’t even in my mind when we were escaping, but I’m glad things turned out this way
>I forgot that she still has my jacket, but I just go to my Aegis and climb to the cockpit for warmth since the heater plus the generator heat warm it up pretty well
>”Wonder if the Flavero is on it’s way here?” I ponder to myself after closing the hatch and tuning the radio to our private frequency and put on the headset
>”This is the Flavero, come in Ghost.” the communications officer’s voice comes out a bit scratchy, but that’s a given with these makeshift radios
>”This is Ghost, we got the target and a special guest.”
>”Roger that. We’re en route to your location. You’ve all got warm cocoa and a comfy bed ready for your successful mission.” he chimes out and I chuckle in response
>”Add a bag of candy to that and I’m sold.”
>”I’ve delivered the usual party-size to your room.” he responds with an official tone
>”Thanks, we’ll be waiting. Ghost out.” I take off the headset and sigh
>”I should catch up on that one comic when I get back.” I open the hatch and exit the mech for a moment to inform the others that our ride’s arriving before I run back to go on watch
>...
>We soon find ourselves back at the ship and I open the hatch of the cockpit again and see the orange-colored hanger unfold to my eyes with a big white kneeling mecha in the middle of it, since we only have space for four Aegis units
>”Alright, who are you?” asks the uniformed black-haired female wolf with her arms crossed and I descend down from my Aegis, noticing some security staff members with rifles ready
>”I-I’m Jenna Helenius.” the dog answers back with a bit of fear in her voice
>”What were you doing in the cockpit of that experimental unit? And why were you on that train?” the wolf continues her questioning with a small tap of her feet and I walk to my squad members standing next to her
>”I was captured and I tried to hide from those people by going inside this robot.” Jenna points to said mecha
>”Then why were you able to control it? You obviously haven’t had any military training.”
>”I...don’t know. I just controlled it.” Jenna answers back shyly, the captain’s pressure must be getting to her
>”What do you mean you don’t-” the wolf tries to step forward, but I go in front of her towering body
>”Hey, no need to get mad. She was a big help in securing the target.” I try to negotiate and she crosses her arms again
>”But now she knows about us.”
>”Uhh...excuse me? I would like to serve here as a crew member. To pay you all back for saving me.” Jenna interjects and we all pretty much turn to her wide-eyed
>”What?” the captain asks and she seems as shocked as me
>”Please let me join your crew! I don’t have anything, but I’ll do my best!” the blonde dog bows and I’m sorta starting to take a liking to her
>”Why not? It’s always nice to have more people here. And we can't really let her go since now she knows about us.” I shrug and step aside
>”...Very well, you’ll be assigned to the cleaning crew. You’ll start your work tomorrow at 0600. Am I understood?” the captain flicks her hair a little
>”Y-Yes, Ma’am!” Jenna bows and says the accursed word
>I freeze on the spot and consider running away for a moment before the captain just calmly walks up the Jenna and shakes her paw
>”Welcome to the crew. And DON’T call me ma’am.” she says with a freezy voice and I shiver at the memory where she gave me a correction for calling her that
>”Ah, yes.” the dog stutters out and shakes paws
>”Alright. Hey Yuri! Show her around, will you?” the captain manages to switch her tone completely to a more friendly one within seconds
>Yuri, our feline lunch deliverer, taps her way to us cheerfully
>”Hello! I’m Yuri Honkanen!” she salutes and drags Jenna along to show her around the ship
>”Now that that’s done with...Get to work on maintenance of the Aegis units and then get some rest! You’ve earned it!” she yells and we all scatter to work on our units with the mechanics

>Episode 2: Ambush in the tundra!

>”Alright, start by walking and then going into a run.” the Flavero’s communications officer, Erik,  says through the radio
>”Roger that.” I respond and put on music for background noise
>Five days have passed since the capture of the experimental and we found out quite a lot
>It’s code-name is Clarimonde and our mechanics disassembled and reassembled the mecha in four days during which they found out that it is even more powerful than what any of us expected
>A more powerful and more compact fusion reactor than any Aegis before, a newer and simpler control system allowing even the most amateur pilots to fight like pros, a 360° panoramic cockpit, compared to the more cluttered cockpit layouts of our Aegis units with three large monitors, and there is apparently a new type of AI-assisted computer that collects and uses data based on pilot input and enemy observation and fighting to improve the unit’s efficiency 
>Shit’s advanced, I’ll tell you that
>And it’s got a new type of weapon: a sword of plasma that can cut through any metal easily and the mechanics coined this weapon the beam saber
>The madmen in mechanic crew have already started trying to submit beam weaponry designs to some of our R&D facilities, which mostly just disguise themselves as normal factory making everyday stuff while making equipment for us
>I still can’t believe how good this unit actually is, I feel so empowered while sitting here
>”Alright, now deploy the beam saber.” Erik commands and I stop the unit and place my finger on the LED touch-screen, flicking to a weapons menu
>There are only two options right now, the beam saber and 60mm vulcans on the unit’s head
>I tap the beam saber option and it deploys the weapon from the backpack and the unit raises it’s right arm to grab it and pulls it out
>”Alright, try activating the beam itself.”
>”I’ll put it at…” I look at the small monitor on the right and use my right index finger to pull the electronic slider from 100% to 10%
>”...10% capacity.”
>”Do it at 30%!” the male voice of our chief mechanic yells and I put the slider at 30%
>”Okay Dean, let’s see what this beam saber can do.” I press leftmost of the three red buttons on the right control stick and the beam extends suddenly from the hilt with a magnificent pinkish glow because of the specific particles used
>”Okay, readings stable and all that. Try cutting down a tree.” he says casually and I hear him snacking on something, a Snickers?
>”What am I, a lumberjack? Will do.” I slash at a nearby tree and the part where I cut seems to disappears and the top part of the tree falls down on the snow
>We perform a few more tests with the beam saber and the unit in general, and as the sun turns to afternoon, the tests end and I return to ship
>I kneel the unit down on the hangar floor and turn it off, the front console folding down and hatch opening
>”Good job! We got a hefty amount of testing data, go rest up!” Dean yells from below and I descend to in front of his slightly chubby form
>”Okay, I’ll leave the techy stuff to you pros.”
>”Thanks. Why do you think no pursuing force has been deployed against us? We did steal their newest unit.” he asks as he look over some stuff on his clipboard in his hand
>”Because they can’t find us. We strike fast while putting the enemy in disarray and the bail like the wind.” I walk off towards the hangar door and towards the recreational area which is pretty much the cafeteria and a lounge combined into one big space, thus most of us just call it the living room
>The door opens and the cheerful chatter of resting crew members sound out
>”Oh hello, Anon! Would you like the usual?” Vera asks behind the counter and I see her handing a freshly-made chicken sandwich to a mechanic
>”Yeah, thanks.” I wave and she starts preparing the food with a slight tightening of her head covering and I notice her ponytailed, chocolate colored hair
>She always helps around the kitchen whenever she isn’t doing any piloting and some of the crew members that eat here sometimes accidentally call her mom, maybe it’s because how she pretty much acts like one to most of us
>I walk up to the counter, take a Dr.Pepper from the nearby fridge and hand a ten euro bill to the cashier as Vera prepares a onion-flavored baguette
>”Thanks for your patronage, Ace pilot!” the guy behind the counter says as I look to his amber eyes
>”Flattering as always, I see.” I chuckle and go sit down at a nearby empty table
>The crew lunches are given for free, but there is also a menu where you can buy special baked goods like pies, croissants, pizzas and etc. freshly made right here in the living room’s kitchen
>”Good afternoon. Are you finished with testing of the unit?” Jenna sits herself down opposite of me and I see her wearing our ship’s cleaning crew jumper with her long-blonde hair tied in a messy bun, she’s probably on break
>She always has someone keeping an eye on her, most of the time it being Yuri and I see the small feline staring at us from a distance while sipping on some juice
>”Yep. That unit is pretty amazing, it’s so advanced I would probably believe if someone said it was from the future.” I drink a bit of the Dr.Pepper and glance at some of the ship’s gunners getting up from their table and leaving the room
>”How are you getting used to working on the ship?” I ask her and she hmms and I take notice of her brownish and white fur
>”Well...It’s okay, I guess. Most people here seem trusting, but they still keep their distance a bit.” she sighs and twirls a loose bang with her fingers
>”Well, that’s a certain. You’re suspected of being a spy for the NMMPA.”
>”I’m not though, I’m against their war-provocational actions!” she raises her voice and body and slinks back as soon as some others turn to her
>”It’ll take some time before the crew will warm up to you. Not everyone has a good eye for people as the captain.” I drink a bit more of the soda
>”Yeah. Um...And I wanted to ask you something, why is your name Anonymous?” she ponders and sifts a little in her seat
>”Well…” I sigh and stare at the liquid in the bottle as I think of how to say what I’m about to say
>The ravish smell of a baguette takes me out of my mind and I see Vera pawing it to me
>”Here you go.” she says and I take the baguette and bite into it, it tastes like flavor heaven just bursted within my mouth and I momentarily lose all ability to think
>”Your food is always so good! Wish I could eat it all day!” I cheer and she seems to puff
>”Thanks. Hey Jenna, I think they need you to go wash the hangar.” Vera says and the canine next to her jumps up and walks off 
>”Ah, yes... Thank you.” Jenna exits the living room with Yuri on her tail and I look back to Vera
>”...You didn’t need to cover for me, y’know.” I say and take another bite out of my baguette
>”And you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” she sighs and her foxy tail swishes once
>”Thanks. Where are Rauli and Aya?” I eat more of my baguette and drink a good amount of the soda
>”Rauli is making music in his room and Aya’s doing maintenance on her Aegis.”
>”Hmm, I’ll go help her on the maintenance then. Rauli probably doesn’t want to be interrupted.” I get up with the baguette in my mouth and soda in hand before leaving for the hangar again
>”Is Aya here?” I ask a mechanic passing by while pushing a cart with some mechanical parts in it
>”She’s in the Triple-A, making adjustments to the targeting system.” he points to the big blue Aegis with it’s cockpit closed and I make my way under it’s intimidating form
>I go to the right foot and open a small panel on it
>I press for the hook to be lowered and it comes down slowly and I raise myself up after it comes down fully
>Then I step off the hook and onto the block between the mecha’s front-skirts and open yet another panel, this time to open the cockpit and it opens with a few hisses
>”Aya? You here?” I say before eating the last piece of the baguette and I see her, fiddling with a tablet and her ears flick at the sound of my voice
>”Hmm? Oh, hiyo!” she happily waves from the illuminated reaches of the cockpit and I wave back
>”Making adjustments, I hear?” I sit down and she goes back to tapping
>”Yep, the alignment is a bit messed up. I probably got a bit too trigger-happy in the last mission...” she sulks and I lean in to give her a few pats on the head
>”You did good though, like when you covered for me when that Kale was about to fire. So, thanks.” I smile and she just looks at me
>”Oh, uh...You did great too.” she brings the tablet to her face and I smile a bit
>”Do you need help or anything?” I ask and drink the last of the Dr.Pepper
>”...Nah. Could you come shopping with me once we reach Ghara?” she looks at me with her brown-colored eyes before turning them back to the tablet
>”Okay, I’ll ask the captain for permission when we arrive.” I stand up and unlatch the hook
>”Thanks. See you.” she waves with her paw and I wave back as I descend from the mecha
>After reaching ground, I make the hook roll back up and I start going back to my room
>I have to go past the living room and up the elevator to the third floor where pilot’s personal quarters are
>Pilots, the bridge crew and a few select individuals get personal quarters and engineers, cleaners and gunners are resigned to shared rooms with two rows of bunk beds and these rooms and the connected showers are divided by sex
>I turn towards my room, which is the first door on the left and that’s because I was one of the first members recruited...though more like adopted into SNS
>I unlock the door with my keycard and enter in
>Room kept generally clean and the small palm tree I got for decoration sits on the table opposite of the bed and I take off my jacket and drop it on the bed
>I remove my shoes and throw myself on the bed in the corner of the room, my eyes staring at the ceiling
>”Anonymous…” I sigh and lay myself better on the bed and turn on the radio
>The lyrics of After All by a old era singer name Donna Burke start coming along and I close my eyes to rest
>I imagine, a small house in a forest sitting lonely
>Green vines splattered all over, grown across the years
>That faint image fades as my eyes open to the dark-blue ceiling
>A knock comes on the door and I sit myself on the edge of the bed
>”It’s open.” I say and let out a breath
>The door’s small hiss comes as the metal frame slides to the left and I see the captain's familiar figure stand at the doorway with a bag in hand
>”Afternoon, I got drinks.” she steps in and sets the plastic bag on the bed, next to me and gets two cans of Dr.Pepper from the bag
>”Dr.Pepper again? You could get something else once in awhile. I know you’ve got a stash of fine wine in your quarters.” I take one from her paw as she sits down next to me
>Her black-hair seemingly blends into the room’s darkness as the door closes itself and we crack open the cans at the same time
>The only reasons she seems to come to my room is to vent some of her frustrations on me and to check up on me
>”Ah, damn it all.” she sighs and gulps a nice amount of the Dr.Pepper down
>”What’s troubling you now?” I chuckle and look at her scratching through her hair with her paw
>”The absolutely fuckwit of a younger cousin is asking me to do a deliver job for him and the pay is so fucking good!” she whines and drinks all the rest of her drink and goes to get another
>She doesn't really get a chance to use vulgar language because of her position as captain of the ship and these visits of hers seem to keep her tongue in check
>”Isn’t that a good thing? Aren’t he and his “friends” always supplying us with a good stream of missions ever since SNS was formed?” I sip a bit of Dr.Pepper and she drops her behind on the bed, causing it to squeak underneath her weight
>”Yeah, but this mission has us going into NMMPA territory. That’s all I know now and I already can see this not going well.” she cracks the can open with a bit of anger and chug it down
>”That’s the Nordic Military Manufacturing and Production Association, right? What business do we have there?” I look at her taking off her jacket and throwing it on the bed
>”I don’t know. I’ll just have to ask him once we get to Ghara.” she drinks a lot of the soda and then she stretches her arms and lays down on the bed with bounce of her well-endowed breasts
>”Are we holding a market square when we arrive?” I ask before gulping down the last of the Dr.Pepper
>A mumbled “Yes” comes from the wolf lying down and she turns on her side with her legs folded up and her back facing me
>”Hey, what’s wrong?” I touch her and she flinches a little
>”Nothing, just thinking.”
>”About sad stuff again? I’m here, y’know.” I say gently and stroke her hair a bit and she then turns to me with dull eyes
>”I just...was I too hasty making Jenna a part of the crew? The crew seem so distrustful of her and I’m afraid that they’ll starts distrusting me.”
>”No, you weren’t. She’s just a girl who got caught up in something beyond her control and she wound up here.” I smile to her and she sit herself up
>”And even if everyone else hates you, I’ll still stay by your side, sis.”
>”Thanks.” she gives a pat on the head and stands up while putting her jacket back on
>”Now, let’s get back to work-” her words are interrupted by a sudden shaking that throws her off balance and she yelps
>I quickly catch her so that she doesn’t hit her head and she runs to the call monitor near the door and presses a button initiate communication with the bridge
>”Bridge, status report!” she yells as the image of Erik comes up on the monitor
>”Captain! It looks like a team of Kales! Two artillery type and two normal types!” Erik yells back and I run to the door open it after grabbing my jacket
>”I’m gonna go out in Ghost!” I yell to her and we exit the room together running
>”Alright, I’ll let you handle it!” she yells to me as she goes up the stairs up to the bridge and I run down the stairs to the first deck and then soon reach the hangar
>”Hey, is Ghost ready for launch!?” I look at the mechanics scrambling to get the machines ready as I hear more muffled booms outside
>”No yet! Two more minutes!” a mechanic yells to me and I look around to see the red Aegis with it’s sniper rifle and two 90mm submachine guns, standing by as the back door opens and the blasts from the artillery shake the ship again
>”Vera, Rose, launching!” she yells through the comms and then the mecha hops off, not too high to be sniped out of the sky, and then lands and she starts engaging the artillery types
>”Shit shit...Wait, the...Is the Clarimonde usable!?” I yell, asking anyone within hearing range
>”Yes, but it doesn’t have any armaments except the vulcans and beam saber!” Dean yells as he runs up to me
>”I’m going out in it. Can I use the Ghost’s railgun with it?” I zip up my jacket and run to the kneeling white mecha, moved to a corner to allow for more space in the hangar
>”Theoretically, yes.. The manipulators are similar, so you should be able to connect the weapon to the Clarimonde. Hey, wait!” he tries to yell as I climb into the cockpit and pull the seatbelts over me and proceed to start up the Aegis and put the headset on
>The screen slowly wakes and shows a 360° image of the hangar
>”Come on...Start up faster!” I curse under my breath and look around to see a screen pop up on the monitor, Dean with a headset on
>”Anon, pick up the railgun! It’s on your left! The locks should fit, so go for it! Vera’s taking some fire there and Aya and Rauli are going to help!” he yells and I see the said two hop off the back and into the storm of bullets and artillery fire
>”Okay! Hope this works!” I stand the mecha up and grab the railgun sitting in it’s container and I see the weapons menu getting an added option: ESM-X05 Railgun
>”Yes! Now for the new shield!” I swerve to the right and pick up the ballistic shield prototype from it’s container and it appears in the weapons menu as well as: bSh-01 B-Shield
>”Anon, Clarimonde, launching!” I say and accidentally press the thrust panels under my feet like I would with Ghost and I end going too high and I see one of the artillery Kales pointing it’s cannon straight at me, a small shield-shaped emblem catching my eye for a moment
>”Oh Fu-!” I say and bring up the scope for the railgun and fire, but nothing happens
>I look to the weapons menu and it hasn’t installed it fully yet, only at 45%
>”Fuck me!” I try to drop on the ground with a small boost to slow my descent and I land, but an artillery shot lands right next to me and the shield protects me even though I fall down from the blast
>”Well, at least the shield seems to be working!” I stand the mecha up and look around the battlefield, Aya and Rauli fighting the two normal types and Vera being pinned down by an artillery type
>”Vera! I’ll cover you!” I press forward and the mecha dashes towards the Kale and it turns it’s cannon at me, causing me to quickly switch to the vulcans and fire a barrage
>The Kale momentarily drops its guard and I hear a small ding and eletronic voice saying: “Weapon installation complete.”
>”Go down!!” I slam the railgun against the Kale's cockpit and fire, splitting the mecha in half and it exploding moments later
>”Shit!” The Clarimonde's cockpit shakes wildly as the screen is filled with flame and my stomach cannot really take this amount of shaking
>”I feel sick…”
>”Anon! You alright!? Vera yells as she provides some cover for me as I reel back from the shock
>”Y-Yeah. Let’s destroy these motherfuckers!!” I yell and fire the railgun toward the other Artillery-type and the spike hits the cannon and the weapon blows up, taking the enemy mecha’s arms with it
>”Don’t get too fired up!” A few sparks whizz into the Kale and it topples over with smoke emanating out of it and it’s cockpit opens and a figure jumps out and starts booking it
>”Nice follow!” I raise the Clarimonde’s left arm to fistbump and a metallic clang marks the fistbump connect with Rose
>”No sweat!” she cheers back and we see Rauli’s and Aya’s units walking to us
>”We took out the two normal-types. Where the hell did they come from?” Rauli asks and something is giving me a bad feeling
>”I don’t know, but let’s just get back...Oh god.” I get a good look at the ship and see smoke coming out of the few holes that probably came from the artillery fire
>”I hope there aren’t that many injured as the last time…”
>...
>”Anon!” Jenna yells as I jump down from the Clarimonde’s cockpit and approach her
>”Jenna? What’s wrong?” I ask and notice people running around like they're searching for something or someone
>”One of the pilots entered the ship and we’re trying to find them, but I think I know who that pilot is.” she whispers and my eyes widen at this information
>”So, you really are a spy?” I smirk a little and she frowns with her ears perked
>No, I’m...I recognized the emblem on the Kales, they’re the Rosen Knights Squadron.”
>”flamboyant name, check. What’s next? The most handsome guy we’ve ever seen or heard of?”
>”Well, the leader of the squad is pretty ha- that’s not the point!” she angrily whispers back
>”So, what is?” I whisper back and check if anyone is hearing this
>”I think he’s here to…”
>”M’Lady Melissa!” a man’s voice yells and a slim wolf wearing a black NMMPA pilot suit appears from behind a bunch of containers
>Jenna gasps and ducks behind me
>”Freeze!” someone from security yells and points his rifle at the handsome, puffy magenta haired and bluish grey furred wolf
>”M’Lady! I’ve come to rescue you!” he yells in my direction and Jenna just slinks back further
>The man seems to ignore the rifles pointed at him and he walks to me with an intense stare
>I hold my hand up as to say to “don’t fire” to the security members
>”M’Lady, it’s not healthy for you to be with such dirty pe-” he chokes as he sees Jenna step out behind my back and she’s still wearing the cleaning crew jumpsuit
>”You bastard! What have you made M’Lady do!?” he tries to grab me by the collar of my jacket and I grip his left arm and turn around to throw him on the ground
>He groans and tries to get up, but I already have pistol pointed to his head
>”Arrest him and throw him in the brig!” the captain yells as she and her security team enter the hangar
>”M’Lady, what is the meaning of this?” the guy yells and tries to struggle as the security team cuff him and drag him away
>”I’m sorry Regus, I’m not going back home. Not until I’ve stopped my brother.”
>”M’lady!” he yells as he is dragged away and then the captain comes up to us with a hardy step
>”Alright, interrogation room, now.” she orders and Jenna and I follow her
>...
>”So, let me get this straight. You are Melissa Granfelt, the daughter of the aristocratic leader of NMMPA and the wolf that infiltrated us using the Kale squad as cover, is your servant? I didn’t think aristocracy survived in this world after all the wars.” the captain crosses her arms and leans back in the interrogation room chair, this conversation is probably being recorded right now and we haven’t used the interrogation room that many times, since we don’t take prisoners that often due to us wanting to maintain secrecy with our operations
>”It did. My family might try to say otherwise, but their leadership over the company is purely aristocratic. And now that my older brother is at the helm, things have gone downhill.”
>”Such as the Clarimonde?” I chime in as I lean on the wall next to the locked door
>”Yes, the Clarimonde was supposed to be a testbed unit for a new mass-production type Aegis that the NMMPA would sell all over the world to others parties and profit from the wars cause by such a power being for sale.”
>”And we put a wrench into his plans because we stole the Clarimonde? Are there any more units like it?” the captain lowers her crossed arms onto the table
>”Yes, about 9 more if I remember correctly. Regus would probably have more information because he was pretty close to me and my family.”
>”Hmm…We’ll keep you two in the brig for now. I was probably a bit too trusting of you, you’re a good liar though. You even fooled me with how clear you felt to me.” the captain laughs as she stands up
>”I...didn’t mean to lie, I just had to get away from my brother. I want to offer your company a job.” Jenna, or Melissa, stands up and determinedly looks at the captain
>”I want you to help take power away from my brother and help me reform the company’s current state.”
>”So, pretty much you want us to put you on the throne instead of you bro?” I ask and stand up straight
>”No, I want to dismantle the concept of aristocracy from the NMMPA and make into something that allows for more equal decision-making.”
>”So, a diplomacy.” the captain opens the door and we prepare to exit the room
>”Yes.” Jenna walks up to us and the guards at the door prepare to move
>”Hold.” the captain says while putting her paw up and the guards step back
>”Melissa, what will the payment for the job be?” she continues with a intimidating stare
>”I’ve already thought of that. I will offer you a abandoned military base for your organization as a pre-emptive mission reward.”
>”Pre-emptive?”
>”Yes, there is a military base near the border that was apparently built before the Event and it’s been abandoned ever since.” she states and I’m taken aback at how much she planned this
>”And you’re offering the base to us even though we haven’t completed the job? We could just get the base and then ditch you and walk away scott-free.” the captain shoots back and we start walking to the elevator
>”I want to offer that base to you because we will need to it to stop my brother.” Jenna responds as the elevator opens and we step in
>”Alright, then. Sine Nomine Sunt accepts your job offer, Melissa Granfelt.” the captain goes to shake paws and Jenna returns the gesture
>”Here’s to a fruitful business relationship.” she says while giving a quick wink
>”Yes, I hope so too.” the blonde canine smiles and we exit the elevator to the bridge to find where this military base resides and we’ll probably go there after resupplying at Ghara

>Episode 3: The Devil’s Downtown Dance! part 1

>Ghara, a city with a population of about 1356 people, with a 40/50 split between human and anthro residents and the town’s main income comes from their trading of various items, foodstuff, furniture, construction equipment, Aegis parts (and on the rare occasion, even whole units) and etc
>The town is also known for its fair share of crime and shady dealings, where we sometimes dabble in due to contracts
>I hum to myself in the living room as I sit a table, eating a basic pilot’s lunch which is pretty much just two sandwiches and a small can of Dr.Pepper, I swear to god that this is some kind of advertisement for a soda company
>A cheerful tap on the shoulder get my eyes to turn towards the source and Aya stands there with a disposable plate of two sandwiches and a can of Dr.Pepper
>She waves and sits down next to me, like she always does when we manage to get lunch at the same time
>The pilot’s lifestyle is pretty relaxed when not fighting, we just mostly help with maintaining the Aegis units, some testing when needed and some cleaning if the cleaning crew really need help
>And doing one of our most important duties, getting some R&R
>”So, we’re arriving in Ghara today, right?” Aya asks after eating a bite out of her sandwich, a few crumbs hanging behind on her lips
>”Yeah. You got some crumbs.” I point to my lips and she licks her own in response before eating more
>I finish eating my first sandwich and move to slowly sip the Dr.Pepper
>”Did you get the captain’s permission to go shopping?” she continues her questions with a full mouth and I internally cringe at the bad table manners
>”Don’t talk with your mouth full.”
>She eats the food in her mouth and looks at me with cheery eyes
>”Sorry, bad habit.” she giggles and continues eating her lunch
>”And yeah, I got the captain’s permission. She said we pretty much have a day-off since the market square will be held for the entirety of tomorrow.”
>The market square pretty much means an event where we set-up stalls for trading and allow other people to sell their stuff on those stalls for a small fee
>We’ve done it many times now and the “special show” later in the evening has always been the highlight of the event
>”Yes!” she grins and fistpumps, hitting her elbow on the edge of the table and wincing in response
>”Ow…” she whines and her short tail seems to droop a little
>I pat her a few times and she almost jumps at my touch
>”T-Thanks. Could you come to my room for a moment after we eat? I want to tie your hair.” she points loosely at my messy hair weaving down my head to my shoulders
>”Hmm, okay.” I twirl a few loose side-bangs and then finish eating my second sandwich
>She seems to finish eating and we stand up with cans in hand/paw and we step to exit after waving a quick “Thanks for the food!” to Vera and the kitchen crew
>The hallways of the ship, like the rest of the ship, are painted with a bluish-white paint on the walls and floor, the ceiling having metal grates instead of painted sections, and the overall feel of the halls is that of purring car
>”How’s the maintenance on Triple-A doing?” I ask as we step into the elevator and I press the third button from the bottom and the doors close before the elevator starts to rise
>”It’s doing fine, I got the alignment fixed.”
>”Huh, that Clarimonde though...It’s a powerhouse.”
>”Yeah, the way it looks is just intimidating. I mean it looks like a white devil in mechanical form.”
>”A White Devil…” that sounds pretty catchy and fitting, considering how the unit has two antennae that look like a demon's horns 
>The elevator doors open once more and I notice Yuri’s small form bump into Aya as we try to exit
>”Oh, I’m so sorry Yuri! I didn’t notice you!” Aya worriedly pulls the smaller, long-furred cat up
>”Don’t worry, I’m fine. Not the first time I’ve gone unnoticed.” Yuri looks away with a depressed glance
>”I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry!” Aya is almost panicking at the fact she just made her comrade sad
>”Don’t worry about it.” Yuri tries to walk past us and I decide to cheer her up
>”You’re shortness makes you look cute though.” is all I can think to say and the two girls look at me in silence with their fur slightly puffed, pretty much the anthro version of a blush
>”Oh, uh…” the long-furred cat tries to say something, but can’t seem to do so which kind of saddens me that I don’t get to hear a thanks
>She just ends up pressing a button in silence and the elevator doors close and I sigh
>”So, let’s go to your room.” I say to Aya and she seems to follow me as I go to the fourth door on the left
>the rooms in between mine and hers are Vera’s and Rauli’s respectively and they are in order of recruitment and all personal quarters contain a bed, shower, a small kitchen with all the necessities, a table with four chairs and a radio
>Other things, such as entertainment systems, decorations and etc, must be procured by the occupant themselves
>That does not mean we allow stealing or any acts of crime to be committed by crew members
>Aya’s room is pretty much a nothing-out-of-the-ordinary room with a small mirror and various items for hairdressing resting on the table in the room and I sit down in front of the table in the light room
>She gets to work with a brush and I grit my teeth a bit at the small pricks of pain as the brush gently sorts my messy hair
>”Just say if it hurts too much.” Aya says and continues her brushing
>”Yep.”
>”...Hey Anon.” she asks with a small whisper and I look in the mirror to look at her somber eyes concentrating on brushing
>”Hmm?” I hum and she slows down her brushing
>”Thanks. For taking me in that day five years ago.” she whispers lowly and I feel a slight warmth from her sincere thanks
>”No problem. I just didn’t want to see someone in a situation like that.”
>”We’re more alike than we think, huh?” she giggles and I laugh as well, our calm joy filling the room for a moment before fading to silence
>”I can’t believe me trying to steal food from the ship and getting caught by you would lead me to getting a position as an Aegis pilot. It’s all thanks to you, so, thanks Anon.”
>”Nah, I didn’t play that big of a part, it’s you who persevered through those days and I was just there on the sidelines.”
>”You still helped me though. Like that time you taught me how to operate the Triple-A. You could be a teacher someday.” she continues while taking a hairband and pulling my hair back
>”Nah, I’d much rather be an explorer.” I say simply and a girly giggle emits from behind me
>”An explorer?”
>”Yeah, I’d go around the world and travel to different places, seeing new sights and meeting new people. I’d record it all in a journal. What about you?” I try to peer into the small mirror to get a look at the lynx’s face, but she seems to be out of view as on her ears, with their black tufts of fur, visible on the mirror
>”I would like to be a hairdresser.” she happily says and finishes tying my hair back
>”You have the paw for it.” I say and a mental image of her working as a hairdresser comes to my mind pretty easily
>”Hey, when we get to that abandoned base...Could you help me make a hair salon there?”
>”A hair salon on a military base? That’s a first.” I chuckle and stand up with a new chilly feeling sweeping across gently the back of my neck
>”Well, I heard from Jenna that it’s the size of a small town and there’s even civilian facilities there. We could use one of those to make a hair salon!” she seems really giddy about the idea as she smiles while sitting on her bed, ears perked and eyes bright
>”Do you have the budget for it?” I ask the obvious next question
>”Oh, I forgot. Nothing’s free this world. I...I’ll just not do it. They probably need all the facilities they can use.” she loses her momentary solace and I always seem to forget how easily she can be dismayed as her ears drop flat down on her head, leaving me guilty
>”I didn’t mean to say that you shouldn’t, we probably have other facilities other than just combat-focused. Like stores, gyms, cafes and restaurants and etc.” I’m feeling like we’re starting to expand further than just a simple contract-and-go organization and that honestly excites me, because then we can do something other than just fight every other day of the week
>”Huh, wonder if it’s that large?” she looks up and her ears go up a bit
>”Maybe, but we’ll see. See you later.” I wave to her as I step to door and open it with the control panel next to it
>”Oh, see you.” she says back and I exit stage right and go to the elevator
>I open the door and notice Rauli coming out of his room and speed-walking close to me
>”What’s up, leader?” he casually asks and gives an equally casual salute
>”Nothing much. What about you, Rau?” I salute back to him and we step into the elevator and I press the first floor button and the doors close promptly
>”Just finished making the new song for tomorrow. We’re arriving at Ghara soon, so I thought I’d ask Vera to do some practice sings today.” He shows me a A4-sized notebook with the title “Songs”, marked up the ass with reminder notes, and I take in my hands and flip past the thirty or-so pages of songs and arrive at the latest song
>It’s titled “From An Aqueous Star With Love”
>”Is this a song or a poem?” I scoff jokingly and his eyes look at me with slight disappointment
>”Now I remember why I don’t ask you for help on my songs.”
>”I’m joking, chill.” I glance through the lyrics of the song and reach the end as the elevator stops and we walk out into the first floor hallway, avoiding a few gunners going for break
>”Looks good though. So, Vera’s singing again” I remember all the different songs she’s sung during all the events 
>Said events also serve as a form of recreation, it’s probably the reason why this ship's crew can be so upbeat most of the time
>”Yeah, I’m gonna go ask her to sing. Wanna come along?” he asks as we turn in front of the living room door and I try to open it, only for it to open from the other side
>”Oh? Hi Yuri.” I say to the feline standing behind a cart that has some disposable lunch boxes on it, probably for the mechanics that don’t have the time to come eat at the living room
>”Going to deliver to the hangar?” Rauli asks as he and I step aside to allow for the cart to pass
>”Y-Yes.” she timidly steps past and I look back at her before entering the living room and she also looks back before quickly looking away
>Not many people in the living room right now, just a few people having their breaks
>There are a few people playing Uno, with the two male canines and one male human looking intensely at their hand of cards
>Rauli walks past me and says to Vera that he’ll need her help and he exits the living room after getting a confirmation from the vixen
>I scan the food menu and a glove-covered black paw waves in the corner of my eye
>”What would you like today?” Vera asks me and I stare back at her for a moment
>”Nothing today, I’m gonna go visit someone now.” I wave to her as I turn on my heel and go to the door
>”Oh hi Anon!” the lynx says as she opens the door and our eye meet
>”Hi Aya.” I respond back and we pass by each other and I once again go to the elevator
>I press the second floor button on the pad and the elevator doors slide closed and I lean on the wall for a moment
>”This is gonna be hilarious.” I mischievously smile and step out of the elevator and go into the brig area
>I stand in front of the metallic door and open the small slide at eye-level
>”Jenna? You there?” I say into the slightly dim cell and I see someone moving from the bed
>”Is that...you, Anon?” her voice rings out sleepily
>”Yup. How're you doing?” I look at the cell opposite of hers and hear no sound from it
>”Pretty well, considering I’ve pretty much betrayed everyone’s trust here. I’m gonna work twice as hard once I get let out of here!”
>”M’Lady, you can’t be serious! You can’t be doing a commoner’s job!” the angry wolf yells from his cell and I get the results I expected
>”Regus, I-”
>”Hey buddy, she has dirtied her paws with our sweaty, musky clothes more in the last few days than you could imagine. I think it’s a bit late to start screeching.” I say with a smartass tone and feel a bit dirty about saying it like that
>”You bastard! I will never forgive you for sullying M’Lady’s body!”
>”I haven’t done a thing.”
>”You forced her into this!” he bangs on the door and I hear a small whine of pain right after
>”I didn’t do shit, friendo. She did this of her own volition.”
>”I am not your friendo, you commoner!  Why did you even come here?”
>”I came here to laugh at you.” I then turn away from the mad pup’s yells and look at Jenna
>”He’s really old-fashioned. To a fault.” I whisper and she giggles a bit, making me somewhat confused
>”He’s nice, but he’s a bit too rough to other people.” she says with a small sigh
>”These people are not worth your attention!” Regus yells once more and I can’t believe that his throat doesn’t hurt from all that yelling
>”Just add a fedora and he’d be perfect.” I say under my breath
>”Why a fedora?” Jenna interjects and I forgot that she’s sheltered when it comes to certain areas of culture
>”I’ll show you later, it’s an old-era joke.”
>”You won’t be showing a damn thing!” The angry wolf yells
>”Okay, Reggie. See ya two later.” I come up with a nickname for him because his name sounds a bit too cool for his own good and I start to leave the brig area while I hear a muffled yell of rage, likely directed at me
>Nothing of note happens that day, we arrive at Ghara and most of the mechanics and gunners starts preparing the necessities for the market square
>Tomorrow rolls around with calm, but cold weather and sunny skies
>”Aya, you got everything?” I ask while zipping up my jacket and putting on a knit cap for warmth and I look at my wrist-watch on my right wrist and it seems to be 14:15
>”Yep, let’s go shopping!” she does a little jump and jogs up to me and we exit the hangar and into the market square expanding before us
>It’s pretty impressive that so many people always come to these events, but I guess that’s because we always come in to towns where trading is a major business and these places always hear about our coming here through advertisements and stuff
>The average time that it takes for us to get everything ready is about two hours from the stalls to the hidden transports for supplies
>The hustle and bustle is pretty fun to be in and the two of us walk to a stall selling clothes and accessories
>”Hey, miss and mister! Would you like to buy something? Quality products for a cheap price!” the man behind the stall tries to barter to us and I quickly look over the collection of shirts, coats, jeans, skirts, blouses and various other things like sunglasses, necklaces and bracelets
>”How much for those pair of shades?” I point at the jet-black shades that I think look kinda cool
>”Those go for 100 euros!” the seller says and I think that’s honestly not that bad for such good-looking shades, considering how some of these people live off of selling simple items for high prices
>”Anon, you should you really use a hundred euros just for some sunglasses?” Aya tries to reprimand me, but I have already made my choice
>”Yes. Trust me, those glasses ain’t fakes.” I take out my wallet and take out two fifty euro bills
>”You’ve a good eye, sir! Thank you for your purchase!” he says and I hand him the money and he hands me the glasses, which I put on immediately
>”So, miss... Are you buying anything?” the seller turns his eyes to the lynx and I notice a small straight change in his posture
>”Hmm...Sorry, but I’m not buying anything from here. Anon, let’s go to another stall.” she excuses us and we go to a stall selling grilled pork sandwiches and other cooked foods
>”Anon, can I?” she asks like a child asking for permission from a parent and I give her a thumbs up to which she goes to the stall
>I look around and notice how the stage for the musical performance is getting set-up and that Dean is leading the effort
>The market square is held on the outskirts of Ghara and the stalls are set on a platform which is raised slightly from the ground and the stage and seats for the music performance take up the back of the market and behind it is the large shadow of the Flavero and from its open hangar, trucks and personnel are coming in and out
>The four Aegis units are on stand-by in the hangar as well and the Clarimonde is kneeling in the corner of the hangar still
>”Here you go!” Vera’s voice snaps me out of my wandering thoughts and I see her holding two sandwiches and pawing one of them to me
>Her ears flick happily as I take the sandwich from her paw and we chomp down at the same time
>The meaty taste combined with the grilled bread makes for a tasty and crunchy combination
>I take a few steps in the town’s direction and walks through some of the crowds that are shopping, eating or just chilling
>”Remember we got five hours to ourselves before we have to return to ship.” I say as I throw the disposable sandwich covering in a nearby trash can
>”Yep yep!” she says with a bouncy step
>”You look happy, did something happen?” I check the wrist-watch on my left wrist and the time is 14:34
>”Well, the new base and stuff are just getting me excited!” she twirls around and gives a healthy smile
>I follow her short tail as she dances about and stops as she avoids a hand-holding human/anthro couple passing by and notice notice the pair wearing wedding rings
>”Should we do a bit more shopping in the town? I heard there’s some good shops there." I ask while we step down from the platform using the stairs going down
>”Okay!” she gives a salute and we approach the town and try to find our way to the bazaar
>”Hey, I know what we should do sometime!” I hear Aya proclaim and I look around for the bazaar as we turn a corner
>”Yeah?”
>”I think we should-” she stops talking and I turn around to see her go into an alleyway
>”Aya?” I go after her and I see her crouched before a small shaking figure
>”Hey...What’s wrong?” the lynx asks the small human child, their ragged hoodie and shorts covering most of their body
>I step closer and notice the child shivering and opening their mouth before closing it
>As I take another step, Aya slowly tries to pull the hoodie covering the child’s head off but the child resists by pulling it down
>”Hey, it’s okay. We’re not gonna hurt you.” Aya whispers calmly and slowly pulls the hoodie off and then we see what the child was trying to hide, a pair of furred ears in place of normal human ones, meaning this child’s parents were a human and an anthro
>The child’s eyes, clearly seen past his bangs of hairs covering them, are full of fear and he fidgets nervously
>”Can you walk?” I ask as I bow forward slowly, making sure to not scare the child
>He nods and stands up, his height only reaching to my waist
>”What’s your name?” Aya asks as she stands up and smiles yet again
>The child stands there and shakes his head, confirming my suspicion
>”You’re mute, aren’t you?” I say out loud and I feel a slight sadness in me
>A simple nod
>”Oh…” Aya says and I tap her shoulder and I get close to her
>”Hey, what should we do? Do we take him to the officials or do we leave him here?” I inquire and she looks at me, shocked
>”Leave him? No! We’ll take him to the police.”
>”Alright, but first…” I turn around to the child and notice his furred tail sitting by his legs and it swishes once as we meet eyes
>”Do you have any family?” I scratch my hair slightly out of frustration at what to do
>He shakes his head and looks like he’s about to cry, a small sniff coming from him as his ears flop down
>”Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to dig up bad memories.” I quickly pat the child in an attempt to calm him down
>He cries and Aya comes next to him and hugs him
>”So, here you are!” comes a sneery voice from the left and a dog anthro stands before us with a gun held in his right paw
>”Hand that kid over, missy.” he points the gun at Aya and I step in between
>”Why do you want him?” I ask and mentally prepare to charge the dog
>”He escaped from our custody and our boss isn’t that happy with him escaping.” he steps closer and I hear Aya and the kid shuffling to the right
>Should I pull my pistol out and shoot him? Not right now
>”Sorry, but I’m not sure I could trust you with him.” I smirk back, hoping my own fear doesn’t show
>”There’s no room for negotiations, you either give the kid back and forget all about this or...I’ll kill you and take the woman and child with me.” his words make me feel slightly sick
>”I’ll take the one where I kick your ass.” I pull out my pistol and fire, hitting the dog in the right leg and he manages to graze my left shoulder with a shot and I fall on my ass
>It hurts like fucking hell and I glance to see if he’s still able to shoot
>Doesn’t look like it, seeing as he’s yelling in pain and his gun is on the ground
>”Anon!” Aya comes to my side and tries to see my wound
>”The bullet just grazed me, I managed to hit him in the leg though. Aw fucking hell…” I stand up with Aya’s help and she quickly procures the dog’s gun
>”You...I’ll kill you!” he yells as he clutches his bleeding leg
>”Just try it.” I spit back and look around for the kid, shivering behind a dumpster
>”Aya, take the kid and let’s get back.” I say as I look at my wristwatch again, it’s 14:41
>”Huh? Weren’t we gonna-”
>”This kid obviously connected to a organization and if we take him to the police, he’d be as vulnerable there as he is here. He’ll never be safe in this city, he’s better coming with us.”
>”But...That’ll mean he will have to live with the battles that follow us.” Aya grimaces and glances at the child, he probably not understanding what we’re talking about
>”The fuck are you two talking about?” I momentarily forgot about the dog
>”Why don’t you shut up before I cap your ass?” I take the pistol from Aya’s paw and point it at the mutt
>”You won’t do it.”
>”I already shot in the leg, what makes you think I won’t end your life right now?” I step closer and put a small amount of pressure on the trigger as a warning
>”...”
>”That’s a good boy, now stay there.” I pass the gun back to Aya and pick mine off the ground
>”Who the hell are you people…” he says exhaustedly, probably from the bullet wound
>”You don’t need to know. Alright, let’s go.” I keep my pistol pointed to the dog and follow Aya and the kid as they pass the dog lying on the ground
>...
>”Phew, that was not something I wanted to deal with today.” I exhale while sitting down on a bench, gun nestled securely in it’s holster and Aya threw hers away in a dumpster that we passed
>”Yeah, agreed.” Aya sits down next to me and the boy stands in front of us with his hoodie pulled up, covering most of his head
>My phone rings and it’s the captain calling
>”Eyy, waddup?” I answer the phone while looking over some of the people passing by, noting some police running by
>Did they find the dog?
>”Anon, could you come to the usual bar? Cousin needs you for something.” the captain asks officially and I remember the usual being the famous bar on the west-side and the market square is being held at the north end
>”Roger that, cap. I’ll just escort Aya back to the ship.”
>”Did something happen?”
>”Just some gang-member got into a fight with us and I wanna make sure Aya gets back okay.”
>”Alright, don’t take too long.” and with that, the call is closed
>I stand up and help escort the two from the city to the ship, carefully looking around each corner to see if there’s anyone or anything that is coming after us
>”Hey, so you don’t have a name?” Aya asks the hooded child holding her paw
>He once again shakes his head
>”...Then we’ll give you a name.” the lynx declares and I turn around to her and the kid staring at each other
>”We’re gonna give him a name? Did you already think up one?” I say with a joking breath
>”Joakim. That’s your name.” Aya responds and I feel my jaw drop slightly as the boy’s eyes light up like streetlights in the dark evening
>He then cries without a sound, just his head turned towards the ground and his small body shaking and his tail laxed
>Aya goes on her knees and hugs the boy
>”There, there. You can cry all you want.” she says and I pull myself from the touch of the scene to check the time, it being 14:56
>”Hey. Not to be rude, but we should get a move on since I’ve got to meet with the captain.” I say and hope neither of them take it to heart
>”Yeah, let’s go Joakim.” she stand back up and takes the tearful boy’s hand
>A moment later, the land rumbles and shakes as flashes of explosions appear in the direction of the Flavero
>”Oh don’t tell me that the NMMPA followed us here! Aya, let’s get back!” I yell and start running, seeing flashes and streaks passing in the outskirts
>As I run, my phone rings in my pocket and I put it to my ear and answer
>”Erik, the fuck is going on over there!?” I scream past the gunfire in the distance, the city’s alarm sirens and people running for their dear lives
>”Pirates! They’re trying to raid the market!” Just our luck to get some rando pirates on our asses
>”Alright, can you launch the Clarimonde to my location!?”
>”The new unit? A-Alright, but where’s the captain?” Erik always seems to keep his calm even when he could possibly die at this very moment
>”She’s at a meeting at the east-side!” I turn a corner and see stray missile blow apart a crowd of people trying to flee, their scattered body parts hitting the ground and building walls with bloody splats and the force of the explosion almost makes me fall over
>Poor bastards, wrong place at the wrong time
>”Aya, you okay?” I look behind me and notice her and the kid still alive and we start running again with me hoping another stray missile or bullet doesn’t hit us
>”Erik, how long till you can use the catapult!?” I yell into the phone
>”I’ve got your position, just hold for thirty more seconds!” he says back and another explosion roars to my left, blowing the side of a nearby building to pieces and I get knocked back and hit my head on something solid, pain passing by with agonizing strength
>”Anon!” Aya yells and she comes up to me with the kid behind her and she tries my head
>”No bleeding, thank god.”
>”H-Help me up.” I say and I stand up with her help, the world seems so dizzy
>”Are you okay?” I hear Aya’s voice echo and I try to get back to my senses
>”Yeah, the Clarimonde should be launching any minute now.” and speak of the devil and he shall appear
>It lands in front of me, kneeling as it lands with an almost angelic touch with the sky contrasting to it’s white frame while the cockpit opens up, empty
>My vision clearing, I run up to the mecha’s leg and open up the panel for the hook controls before noticing a red splatter underneath the foot and beside the splatter, a dismembered human with a wedding ring on the ring finger
>I feel my stomach turn and my throat burning as I vomit at the sight
>”Anon!? What happened!?” Aya yells and I whip my arms up
>”It’s nothing! Go somewhere to hide!” I say past my burning throat as I ascend to the cockpit and climb in, latching the hook back in
>A deep breath and I notice the mecha in “emergency start-up mode”, indicated by the main console as it rises up from space between my legs and I turn on the normal start-up mode instead
>”Starting normal procedures.” responds the electronic voice and I scan the area with sonar, but can’t find anything concrete at first and I just dial up the settings to detect only a certain frequency and only 7 blips come on the panoramic monitor, four in the outskirts, probably two Kales, likely stolen from the NMMPA, judging by the signal and Tsurugi and Rose seem to have deployed already
>The three other signals seem to be coming here, probably to destroy this unit
>What weapons do I have? The beam sabers, vulcans, railgun and the shield
>”Okay..." I stand up the Aegis and I feel the purr of the engine shake the seat lightly
>"Let's dance."