Ch 342: No Face.

The Noctiluca's long range sonar picked up a large mass about twenty kilometers away, rapidly approaching from a depth of a thousand meters, and No Face would have smiled in satisfaction, had he been able to.

[Leviathan encountered. Initiating battle in two minutes.] sent No Face to the network.

[Acknowledged. Please proceed as planned.] replied Mistress.

Like all the other Leviathans, the Fisara that had claimed this part of the western ocean was extremely territorial, and it reacted to the Noctiluca's presence as soon as it sensed it.

No Face transferred six torpedoes into the bow's launch tubes and activated all of the ship's weapons systems. The ship's main weapons, a pair of 800mm heavy railguns mounted on the ship's spine started their readiness cycle while hexagonal metal hatches along the ship's flanks slid open. Twenty-two 155mm rapid-fire railguns, four anti-submarine multiple grenade launchers, and fifty-four 40mm anti-air revolving autocannons slowly emerged from the openings, ready to rotate and aim at any surface or air target.

As the Leviathan came closer and the sonar started transmitting details about its shape, No Face confirmed that it was a Fisara. Leviathans sometimes fought each other for territory, and the tactic No Face would have used differed from one type of Leviathan to another.

This one promised to be a straightforward affair.

When the Fisara entered the 2 000 meters range, No Face launched two of the torpedoes. The Leviathan could without a doubt detect them, but it forged ahead anyway, confident that it could shrug them off. They weren't even properly aimed at it and would pass under its massive body.

It was correct about that, and No Face launched two more torpedoes as the first pair missed the Fisara by at least thirty meters, then exploded right under it.

The Leviathan growled in anger as the explosions, at a depth of two hundred meters, assaulted its senses in a most unpleasant way even if they were two weak to penetrate its thick skin. It swam closer to the surface, where the lesser water pressure would make the next explosions more tolerable.

The second pair of torpedoes exploded under the Fisara like the previous ones, and No Face fired the last pair as well as 32 anti-submarine grenades when the Leviathan closed within 200 meters.

They all exploded when the Leviathan was a mere 150 meters away, and the great beast got the equivalent of dozens of flash-bang grenades exploding to its face. It sped away with a groan of pain, momentarily dazzled, then swam upward.

No Face, satisfied that its tactic was working as intended, started charging the heavy railguns and aimed them.

Leviathans were almost invulnerable. None had ever been killed by humans before. They had only died from the attacks of other Leviathans.

The Fisara broke the water's surface with an angry scream, and the two organs on the ends of the broad blades on the sides of its head, similar to those of a hammer shark, started glowing bright yellow.

The Monokeras, a smaller species of Leviathans, generally attacked using saw-like appendages that could easily cut through metal. The Leucas generated underwater vacuum bubbles that could rupture armor plates and ship hulls.

The Muskaras and Fisaras, on the other hand, possessed organs that would fire lasers. Those weapons had limited use underwater, but they were lethal to aircrafts and surface ships.

However, the Leviathans needed a few seconds to use those, and those few seconds were time No Face didn't intend to give this one.

He aimed carefully, then fired both railguns with a half-second interval.

The first projectile, weighting almost a ton, was made of depleted uranium and filled with high-yield explosive. It crossed the 350 meters distance in 0.05 seconds and hit the Fisara right under its head.

The Leviathan's though skin, similar to a thick layer of flexible steel and resilient enough to absorb a direct torpedo hit without tearing, was actually pierced by the railgun shell, and it penetrated two dozen meters inside before exploding.

The second shell hit the head, penetrated the skin and fractured its skull, turning what would have been an agonizing death into an instant one.

No Face was satisfied with the fact that the Leviathan wasn't able to fire at the Noctiluca even once.

[The test is successful. No damage to the Noctiluca. I am sending the data.] said No Face.

[Good Job.] replied Mistress.

[Those railguns performed better than I expected. I will integrate them into my own artillery project.] declared Pale Rider after a brief review.

No Face would have frowned, if he still had brows.

[I propose a vote on the procurement of available resources. I want to start production of Noctiluca 02 through 05 as soon as possible]

[It would delay my own project by at least two months.] immediately objected Pale Rider. [I could build at least 20 heavy artillery platforms with the resources if would take for a single Noctiluca.]

[Your Morphos are forced to use the enemy's old railway infrastructure to move.] countered No Face. [It makes their location predictable. Once the enemy realizes that, they will be able to destroy them.]

[Not without taking heavy losses. Losses they can hardly afford. And there won't be much of an enemy left after hours of bombardment from dozens of Morphos.]

No face had to admit that Pale Rider had a point. If the Legion built even just twenty Morphos and send half of them to the San Magnola frontline and the other Half against the Empire of Giad's remnants, along with the standard units they had kept in reserve, both countries would likely fold within a day.

But No Face didn't like the idea of wasting so many potential biological processing units. The Legion possessed only five machines able to extract brains from human bodies before plugging them into other Legion units, and he saw artillery bombardment as a waste of potential brains.

Mistress had barred the production of more scavenging units, as she saw the process as disgusting, and felt that too many human minds in the network would lead to internal conflict.

For the Legion's long-term interest, it was better to apply gradual pressure on its weaker enemies than to go for a decisive victory, to extend the supply of human brains as much as possible.

But Pale Rider and Dullahan had their own personal reasons to want to destroy San Magnolia and Giad.

[I recognize that the Noctilucas should be prioritized. I have a suggestion.] said Dullahan. [Build one single Morpho with the heavy railgun, then harass the enemy with it. Use it as a bait they can't ignore to force them into a series of ambushes. The rest of the resources can be used for the Noctulicas as well as for a few Phonixes and Zentaurs.]

[I do not like the idea of letting them know we can innovate, but I agree with that plan.] said No Face. The only other flaw he could see with Dullahan's idea was that the enemy might decline to send troops all the way to the Morpho's position and instead retaliate with their own artillery. They wouldn't have anywhere near the range of the Morpho, but if they could predict its movements and prepare an ambush of their own, they might manage to destroy it with relatively few losses.

No Face didn't feel the need to point it out, as he knew Pale Rider would think about this possibility beforehand.

[Dullahan, your suggestion is approved.] decided Mistress. [Meanwhile, No Face, I wish for you to capture Baleygr and other members of his squadron. I reviewed the combat data of their last few engagements with our units, and their efficiency has increased to an abnormal extent.]

[Order received, Mistress.] replied No Face.

[No! I want to be the one to face Baleygr!] shouted Dullahan.

[Declined. You are too emotional about him.] replied Mistress with a gentle but firm voice.

[I am not! He is my brother! I have to be the one to…]

Dullahan's presence suddenly became muted. Mistress had just restricted his access to the network and rescinded his ability to command other Legion units. He could still hear, but not speak any more.

[As I said, you are too emotional about him, to the point of instability. You might kill him, and I want him alive.]

[No Face, I will give you command of two Scavengers and twelve percent of the Reserve. It should be more than enough even against those elites.]

[Understood.] said No Face. He retracted his consciousness from the Noctiluca after ordering it to return to port. His real body, at least what he had come to consider as such, was an Ameise without any distinctive external feature, meant to look like just one among countless similar units.

Twelve percent of the Reserve translated into over a thousand Legion units. The Legion had never mobilized so many units into a single formation even during the first few years of the war. For an instant, he wondered if San Magnolia's Spearhead Squadron as a whole carried even a thousand shells into battle.

And with two Scavengers and just a bit of luck, No Face thought that he might be able to add several talented consciousness to the network before they died from their injuries.

No Face was about 150 kilometers east from the Spearhead Squadron's base, and a third of the Reserve was located in an underground depot 50 kilometers north of his current location.

Unsing the network, No Face assumed command of a thousand units from that reserve, and they started moving.

…

"Stop making those puppy eyes at me! I won't have any more for a while, you glutton!" scolded Henrietta 'Annette' Von Penrose.

"It is your fault, Annette. You made me addicted to those fluffy cakes." chuckled Vladilena Milizé.

The two officers were walking out of the military headquarters, their day over.

"Do you know how hard it is to obtain real eggs? I have to go to the store five consecutive days to get my hands on the last batch... Anyway, I heard you're doing rather well with your new squadron."

"I am, but I can't take credit for it." sighed Lena. "I barely give some advice here and there. Undertaker is a brilliant leader, and they are all veterans. They repelled five incursions without taking a single loss. He's still sending me the same report day after day, though."

"He's still doing that?" asked Annette with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't you tell him you knew what he did?"

"I think he is testing me, to see if I would make a ruckus about something he sees as trivial."

"And it's not like the higher-ups would punish him anyway even if you reported it. And what about those four? Did you learn anything more about them?"

"Nothing worth reporting." shrugged Lena. "Akeno is the most talkative. She doesn't mind telling me about her personal life, like how she likes baking and how she once publicly humiliated some man who bullied her friend by stripping him naked in public, but whenever I ask about where she comes from, she tells me it isn't time yet for her to reveal that."

"What about the others? Did they let anything slip?"

"Not really. They are quite tight-lipped." sighed Lena, frustration visible on her face. "I make sure to talk to the squadron at least 20 minutes each day, and they all answer my questions with polite professionalism. But there's this distance I can't bridge. They rarely ask me about anything, and the conversation is very one-sided."

"Can you blame them?" shrugged Annette. "They are the ones dying while following our orders. It is natural for them to harbor resentment."

"I know." sighed Lena. "And I understand them. Still, is doesn't feel good to be at the receiving end of it when I am doing everything I can to help them…"

"I know. Keep doing it, and you'll get through them eventually. Or stop doing it and keep your distance. It will make things less painful when they pass away. Get some rest, Lena."

"That's the plan. See you Monday, Annette." nodded Lena as Annette took the side street leading to her own home.

Lena kept going for a minute, then her steps faltered and she blinked as she noticed a young woman twenty meters away, sitting behind a cafe's outdoor table. She had long silver hair in a ponytail, wore black leather slacks and a white blouse, and black sunglasses.

In the warm weather, her outfit was nothing unusual, but what attracted Lena's attention was that the woman waved at them with a smile. And her features were familiar.

Lena stopped walking for a second as she tried to remember where she had seen that woman, then it hit her.

"Akeno? What are you doing here?" asked Lena in disbelief.

"Wrong person." chuckled the silver-haired woman. "My name is Albion. Akeno is my partner. Take a seat."

"Are you one of the people who support Akeno and her friends?" asked Lena with a frown as she sat.

"Supporting them indeed my purpose, even if I haven't done much so far." nodded Albion. "But I didn't wait here to gossip about what she hasn't revealed yet. This is for you, Lena." said Albion as she took from under her chair a sizable package and put in on the table. A square black wooden box, about fifty centimeters in each dimension and wrapped in a green cloth.

"What is it?"

"A care package. Akeno is quite fond of you." smiled Albion. "She heard your repeated complaints about what you people charitably call food and decided to send you a few tasty meals. Although a good half of it is just desserts. You have maybe about a week before they start spoiling."

"That is very generous of her." smiled Lena, moved by the gesture. "I will convey my gratitude to her later today. And thank you for delivering this to me."

"You're welcome. But while Akeno only sent me to deliver those, I also have a personal reason to meet you." sighed Albion as she leaned forward.

Before Lena could react, she received a finger flick on the forehead. A painful one.

"Ow! What was that for?" protested Lena as she bought both hands to her forehead.

"Try to think about it. It is about the way you communicate with the squadron. If you haven't understood what you did wrong by the time I finish this abomination of a coffee, I will tell you."

A waiter approached, and Lena ordered coffee with a distracted voice.

"The way I communicate with the squadron…" mused Lena after the waiter walked away. "I have been as friendly as possible. I talk to them every day. I go out of my way to give them anything they want. I try to anticipate their needs."

"You do. And I acknowledge your efforts. You are much better than the others." nodded Albion before sipping her coffee, and wincing. "Still, about two thirds of the squadron sees you as someone who means well but isn't nearly as free of prejudices as she thinks she is. The last third thinks you are a hypocrite. Someone who is good on the surface, but just as callous as the others where it matters."

Lena felt like a dagger had been thrust between her ribs.

"Why? I'm trying my best! Is it because I'm an Alba?" asked Lena with a pained voice.

Albion looked at her for a few seconds, then sighed, looked down at her cup of coffee, and emptied its content on the nearby potted plant.

"I should not have ordered this… this chemical mixture when I already knew it would be bad. But I didn't want to be rude to the cafe's owner, and tasting something bad once in a while makes you better appreciate the good things... It's about the callsigns, Lena."

"The callsigns?" blinked Lena, feeling completely blindsided.

"You have talked with Undertaker every evening for weeks now. So let me ask you. What is his actual name?"

"His…" started Lena before she froze like a deer in headlights. She didn't actually know his name. She had never asked. And as she started to understand what Albion was talking about, a deep shame filled her.

"Those who were forced to become so-called Processors lost their names. You 'Handlers' called them by their squadron, followed by a number. Because you all wanted to dehumanize them. Because their lives didn't matter if they were not human. Those who survived long enough got to choose a callsign of their own, but it still isn't their name. It still isn't, them."

"I know that you do not do it deliberately, Lena. But this is part of the message you convey. You should think about what those callsigns represent for the members of the squadron. A denial of their very self."

"I didn't realize…" muttered Lena, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Yes. But now, you do... and you have to do something about it." gently said Albion as he handed her a tissue.

"Yes. I owe them all an apology. A huge one." nodded Lena. "Thank you for telling me before it got even worse."

Albion nodded.

"You know what, I'm going to take some initiative. If Akeno disapproves, she can punish me later. Lena, do you want to apologize to them via the Para-RAID, or would you prefer to do it in person?"

"I should do it in person. I should face them directly. But I can't just go to the frontline. I would need to obtain permission, and…"

"Your week-end is starting, is it not?" cut in Albion. "As long as you can reach the Headquarters quickly if something happens, your superiors won't need to be informed about what you do during your week-end. And if the Legion attacks, you will be on site, so we can inform you directly without having to send an alert to Headquarters."

Lena paused as she remembered the regulations' wording. Albion was technically right since the squadrons were only required to inform their handlers of imminent action. But her superiors might not share her opinion if a battle without them even being informed.

But as she contemplated the idea, she realized that she didn't really care about their opinion right now.

"That is true, but there's isn't going to be any transport flying toward… unless, you have your own means to reach the frontline?" asked Lena.

"I have." nodded Albion. "We can go whenever you're ready."

"I need to tell my mother she'll be away. She lives with me, and she'll be worried if I do not warn her." said Lena.

"Let's go, then." said Albion as the waiter returned with the coffee Lena ordered.

Lena blinked as she saw Albion give two shiny coins to the waiter.

"Are those gold coins?" asked Lena with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. You can keep the change. We're leaving." said Albion to the waiter as she stood and grabbed the box.

"Thank you very much, miss. Have a good evening." blurted out the waiter.

Lena followed Albion and caught up to her.

"My home is this way, it's a five minutes' walk."

"I know. I visited the capital a few times already since I became able to act independently, and I followed you once. Knowing where you live could be useful one day."

"…Some people would interpret that as a threat." said Lena with narrowed eyes.

"That isn't our intent. We only want to know where to find you in case of emergency."

"What kind of emergency would require you to know my location?"

"…Lena, do you think the war between the Legion and the Republic of San Magnolia is going well?"

"…Not really." sighed Lena. "The Legion is slowly wearing us down. Still, we will probably manage to hold on until their programed obsolescence kicks in."

"Is that the consensus among the military?"

"They wouldn't admit to any outsider or the public that we are even losing ground. Few would admit it between themselves. But yes, the consensus is that, even if we have to retreat a little, we will hold on long enough for the Legion to be deactivated."

"This confirms the information we were given." nodded Albion as they kept walking. "The Republic's leadership is a captain asleep at the wheel, unaware of the iceberg the ship is sailing into. You are losing the war, Lena. Our group is your only chance to survive."

"What makes you say this?"

"There are several reasons. But the one that angers me most is also the one San Magnolia is entirely responsible for. You Handlers have gotten so complacent about the lives of the Eighty-Sixes that you waste them like there will always be more to replace the losses. But the Republic will soon run out of Eighty-Sixes to throw at the Legion. Did you notice that every member of the Spearhead Squadron sounds is very young? It's because they are. Aside from Lev who deal with the maintenance, the oldest is only twenty-two. At this rate, it will be at most a few months before you start forcing children into those metal coffins."

"…I noticed they sounded young. But I didn't think about what it meant." admitted Lena, feeling ashamed once more. And Albion's words made the death rate feel a lot more real. She felt sick. "…I know the loss rates on the frontline are horrific, but I never enquired about the number of Eighty-Sixes held in the internment camps."

Albion nodded, and didn't add anything as they kept walking.

"…and the others reasons you said the Republic is going to lose the war?"

"I think I will let Akeno and the others tell you about those. I have given you enough shocks already." shrugged Albion. "You should use the time you have thinking about how you will apologize to them."

"I do not need to think about it." replied Lena as she shook her head. "I will bow my head and honestly express how I feel without trying to find words to minimize my mistakes."

"Or you can do that, yes. Akeno isn't the only one to be fond of you, Lena. I think you would have made a good partner, if I still needed one beside Akeno or Master." smiled Albion.

"Master?" asked Lena with a raised eyebrow.

"Akeno's boyfriend. He is my Master. You will likely meet him one distant day."

"I hope so." said Lena with a short hesitation. "…Just to be sure, you are calling him 'master' as a formal honorific, right? Like a maid addressing their employer?"

"No, I mean in the literal sense. As in, he can give me any order, no matter how lewd, and I will obey." grinned Albion. She chuckled at the face Lena made.

"…Alright. But this is consensual, right?"

"Of course. I enjoy it. Especially the lewd orders."

"I have not heard this." sighed Lena, deciding to stay away from that subject as she blushed. She felt tempted to ask what Akeno thought of that arrangement, but decided she didn't want to hear the answer. "This aside, can you tell me more about the place you guys come from?"

"You'll hear plenty more before the end of the day, and…"

Albion suddenly stopped speaking and walking, and Lena stared in confusion as Albion took from a pocket a small, place, thin and flat object. the object's surface lit up as Albion touched it with a finger, and Albion placed the object against her ear.

"Akeno?" said Albion. "…I see. I'm bringing Lena with me, I'm with her right now. Give me twenty minutes."

Lena understood that the small black tablet was some kind of phone and marveled at it. The Republic of San Magnolia had phones, but only fixed ones requiring a land line.

"Follow me into that back alley, Lena. the squadron has spotted an Eintagsfliege cloud in the distance. A huge one. She said it looks like it will cover the whole eastern horizon. And there's a Shepherd."

"Damn it." said Lena as she paled. "What's a Shepherd?"

"Those who command the Legion. We wanted to capture one. There's no time, follow me now." said Albion. Without waiting for Lena's response, Albion jogged toward the nearest side street, and Lena only hesitated a second before she followed.

Albion stopped, and Lena blinked as there was suddenly some kind of black cape in Albion's hands. She spread it on the ground and started scribbling a circular pattern on it with a red marker.

And the box was nowhere to be seen. Lena hadn't seen Albion discard it.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't we be running towards Headquarters?"

"I am drawing an array that will make people not pay attention to us when we get airborne. Thankfully, it's one of the simpler one. Just a few more seconds… and it's done. Put this cape on, Lena."

"Airborne? How is a symbol on that cape going to do anything inside a transport, and…"

Albion didn’t wait and put the cape around Lena's shoulders. Lena was about to demand some explanation when she froze in complete shock. Albion had just removed her sunglasses, and Lena found herself staring at golden eyes with slit pupils.

And as she watched, black horns grew out of Albion's head.

"Who… are you?" breathed Lena.

"I am Albion. One of the Heavenly Dragons." replied Albion with pride. "And we're going."

Before Lena knew it, she found herself held in Albion's arms, and shooting up toward the sky.

Albion kept climbing until she was about a kilometer above ground while arcing toward the east and picking up speed. Lena saw white leathery wings sprout from Albion's back, but Albion didn't beat them to fly. She also noticed that the airflow that should have be violent enough to stop her from speaking or even breathing properly wasn't there.

"I put a shield around us. Once we're away from the capital, we will break the speed of sound." said Albion with a grin.

Lena gaped at Albion in shock, then at the city far below them, then back at Albion.

"…I have so many questions."

"I suspect that to be an understatement." chuckled Albion. "We'll answer them once the emergency is over. Well, maybe not all of them."

"…You do not seem very worried."

"Because I'm not." snorted Albion. "If things go well, the Squadron will repel the Legion using the Juggernauts and we will just watch from the sides."

"And if things do not go well?"

"If it looks like the Squadron is going to take losses, I will enter the battlefield myself, with my dragon form… Until now, we deliberately hid our paranormal abilities because we didn't want the Legion to make dealing with the Squadron its priority. But as long as we can capture that Shepherd, it won't matter anymore. We will have the Legion's full attention either way, but we will also receive reinforcement powerful enough to deal with anything it can throw at us."

"… And Akeno? Is she a Heavenly Dragon, too?"

"No. She's about a third... Well, that isn't for me to say. Ask her later if you're curious. I'm accelerating now."

…

No Face stopped on top of a distant hill offering him a good view of the ruined city, half-hidden while the Legion units suddenly spread into three large columns. He made the central one slow down while the other two sped left and right, intending to use the cover of the surrounding hills to encircle the city. With luck, the enemy squadron he suspected was hiding in the ruins would realize too late that their retreat was cut off.

He would have to assume direct command of the nearby Legion units as soon as he identified which of the opponents was Baleygr and take care to incapacitate their crude machine rather than destroy it outright, but he was relatively confident that he could manage it.

And if Baleygr died, the Mistress would be disappointed, but she would also understand. She knew enough about the realities of war to be aware that plans didn't always go as intended.

The Legion was, after all, a living embodiment of this truth.

…

"They are separating into three groups." said Akeno on the squadron's com channel. "It seems they want to enter the city from multiple directions. Undertaker, can you confirm the Shepherd's location?"

"…some distance away on the north-east. I also sense multiple Black Sheep." replied Shin.

"Just great. Lightning, I hope those glyphs of yours work." muttered Raiden, referring to Akeno's new callsign.

Since Akeno had disclosed her magic abilities, she had done a few things for the squadron, like replacing their uniform with bulletproof variants that didn't need cleaning or taking over cooking duties. And she had placed Stop runes on every Juggernaut cockpit to increase their resistance.

"Runes, not glyphs, but yes, they work. Just try not to take a direct hit from a Löwe. I'm not sure they can protect you from that."

Akeno's phone vibrated, and she glanced at the message she received. Albion had just dropped Lena at the base and was on her way. Since Lena didn't have her Para-RAID or tactical computer with her, she would not play any role in the upcoming battle. Albion would only observe from a distance unless Akeno asked for her to act.

Akeno wasn't sure she could manage this without resorting to supernatural means. The previous legion attacks had featured 150 Legion units at most, with only two Black Sheep.

But this time, it seemed the Legion was seeing the Spearhead Squadron as a nail that stood out, and it was bringing the hammer down.

"Undertaker to all platoons. We're relocating to the hills north-west of the city. We will engage their left force and avoid encirclement. Move, everyone."

Akeno turned her Juggernaut around and moved at maximum speed, with the rest of her platoon, Asuka, Hippolyta and Aife close behind her.

As they moved, Shin gave more specific orders, defining each platoon's position, and Akeno could see what he had in mind. The Fire Support platoons would open up on the Legion's flanks then lure the pursuing units away from the City ruins, increasing the distance between that Legion formation and the other two. Once within the ruins, the Legion units would be ambushed from the flanks.

"Lightning, with a Shepherd present, there's a chance they won't fall for it. Please tell us immediately if the pursuers make unexpected moves. I am defining fallback positions." asked Shin, counting on Akeno's perception of electrical fields to monitor the enemy's movements even without a line of sight.

"I will." confirmed Akeno.

The Spearhead Squadron's Juggernauts moved as one, managing to leave the city ruins just in time to avoid detection, as far as they could tell. But Akeno could feel from the tense silence that the members of the squadron expected to take losses this time.

So, Akeno took the logical decision.

"Undertaker, unless you have a good reason to object, I am going to let Albion loose on the two other enemy formations. Abandoning cover won't really matter anymore."

"…Do as you wish." replied Shin, and Akeno could hear relief in his voice.

"Even assuming Albion can deal with so many, that still leaves close to three hundred enemies to kill." said Anju.

"So, about ten-to-one odds. We've survived worse." chuckled Raiden.

"…Undertaker, can you locate the Shepherd more accurately?" asked Akeno.

Seconds later, Shin's juggernaut pivoted toward the north-east.

"…I have pointed my cannon in its direction."

"I see. I will deal with him. I'll be back within a minute."

"Alright, we'll wait a little before we open fire."

Akeno opened the cockpit of her Juggernaut and leapt out before using Shunpo. From the corner of her right eye, she could see the first Ameises appear on the city's periphery, most of them half-oriented towards the ruins.

Akeno didn't pay attention to that group and used Shunpo again, focusing on her senses… And she found it, a lone Ameise on top of a hill four kilometers away.

In seconds, she reached it. The Ameise started to lift its two repeating cannons toward her, but it was already too late. Akeno severed the cannons away with a pair or Light swords, cut off the Ameise's legs on its right side, and stuffed the damaged Ameise inside her Sanctuary before putting the crystal ball back into her inventory, where the Shepherd would be unable to transmit any information to the rest of the Legion.

With just a bit of luck, the Shepherd hadn't had time to relay anything useful before being isolated.

"Shepherd neutralized and secured. I'm returning." said Akeno with satisfaction.

"Confirmed. I do not feel its presence anymore. Good job, Lightning." replied Shin.

Akeno used Shunpo again to return to her Juggernaut, and grinned at the others as she closed the cockpit and turned her machine on again.

"Second, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Platoons, open fire." declared Shin, signaling the start of the battle.

…

'Shooting Fish in a barrel' was an understatement description of what ensued. Deprived of the Shepherd's control, the Legion units reverted to a pre-programmed behavior, rushing into natural choke-points between hills.

The Squadron's only concern was their rapidly depleting ammunition. Fido, the Squadron's logistic Feldreb, helped by going form one member to another and replacing the ammo clips of the Juggernauts' cannons, each holding sixty rounds.

The other two groups of Legions automatically moved toward the sounds of the battle, mindlessly rushing along, and were dispatched in the same way.

The Black Sheep, a half-dozen Löwe or Grauwolf units acted quite differently, trying to flank the squadron, but Akeno could locate them in real time, and both she and Asuka hunted them down.

After fifteen minutes during which the Juggernauts' cannons started glowing red from the strain, the last Legion unit finally fell, and they decided to return to base.

Four of the squadron's Juggernaut were damaged. Theoto's had lost its gun after a Lowe's armor-piercing projectile ricocheted off the cockpit and impacted the cannon's mount, tearing it off. Touma's and Sasha's had lost legs.

Overall, nine Juggernauts had taken hits to the cockpit, mostly from the Ameise light autocannons, but the Runes had done their job and none had actually died. Two members had suffered minor concussions or bruises as their machines were jolted around by heavier hits.

Asuka took in her inventory the Juggernauts that had lost legs, and their pilots sat on Fido's U-shaped chassis as they returned to base.

Lev, the cat TB, Albion and Lena were waiting for them in front of the hangar as the armored column came to a stop, and the members of the squadron left their juggernauts.

For almost all of them, this was their first time meeting their Handler in person, and they were quite ambivalent about it, although they didn't display outright hostility.

Asuka, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence, unceremoniously dumped the damaged Juggernauts and their legs on the tarmac, and Lev started cursing.

"Be careful with them, damn it! Look at all the work I'll have to do to repair them!"

"Don't complain, old man. Could have been much worse." shrugged Asuka.

Lena took a deep breath and faced the members of the squadron. She removed her cap from her head and bowed deeply.

"Everyone, I am truly sorry!"

"What are you sorry for?" asked Anju curiously. She had a hunch, but wanted for Lena to confirm.

"I have been a disrespectful fool all this time." replied Lena without raising her head. "Because I never asked for your names. I never reflect on what your callsigns could mean to you. I thought I was free of the prejudices most of the Alba display casually, and here I was, never ever wondering about what your real names were. About who you were. I have no excuse. But I have to try to fix it."

"That's why, If you are willing to forgive me for my blindness, I wish for each of you to tell me your names. And I wish to know more about you. About your pasts. About what makes you, you. About your dreams for the future."

"Dreams for the future?" replied Theoto with a disdainful expression. "We don't have one, thanks to you guys."

Lena blinked and raised her head, looking at him, and he snorted.

"She doesn't know, right?" asked Theoto to Shin, who shrugged.

"I do not think she does."

"Know, about what?" asked Lena with a tight voice.

"Whenever we Eighty-Sixes get close to ending our five years of military service, we get sent on a suicide mission." viciously replied Theoto.

He did take some pleasure in demolishing the worldview of the person he saw as a hypocritical, pampered princess.

"W-What?" asked Lena, her eyes wide.

"Have you ever wondered why there is no Eighty-Six in the capital? Shouldn't there be at least a few who managed to survive the five years?"

Lena's face turned gray. And as she saw the confirmation on the grim faces of every member of the squadron, her eyes started brimming with tears.

Anju, taking pity on her, walked to her, and put a hand on her shoulder with a sad smile.

"It's okay. I am Anju. Anju Emma. Callsign Snow Witch. I won't say that I wasn't disappointed you didn't ask for our names until now, but I acknowledge that you are really willing to better yourself, and I accept your apology."

"Thank you." whispered Lena, her voice chocking.

Anju nodded, stepped aside, and looked back at her comrades. After a short hesitation, Kurena made a step forward and cleared her throat, looking a little embarrassed.

"I'm Kurena Kukumila, Gunslinger. Why did you come here?"

"She's here because I gave her a choice, and she chose to come face you to apologize to you in person rather than via the Para-RAID. She didn't hesitate." smiled Albion on the side.

"Hum, that took guts, at least." nodded Kurena, looking at Lena up and down before nodding. "I'll give you a chance to earn my forgiveness."

"Thank you. I will make every effort to earn it." earnestly promised Lena.

After Kurena came Lecca. Then Daiya. Then Myna.

One by one, the members of the squadron introduced themselves. Not all of them outright forgave her or declared they would let Lena off the hook if she proved herself. But Lena accepted their hostility and resentment without protest, determined to win them over with consistent effort.

When everyone got their turn, Akeno cleared her throat.

"Alright, make some space, everyone! It's time to deal with the Shepherd. Ameises don't have a self-destruct system, right?"

"Not as far as we know, but the Shepherds may be different." frowned Shin.

"I'll create barriers just in case." said Akeno as she erected three meters tall light shields around, isolating herself within a roughly circular area fifteen meters wide.

She took the sanctuary from her inventory and transferred the damaged Ameise outside. For a second, it didn't move as the Shepherd processed the sudden change in environment. Then, it trashed around on its two intact legs and two stumps.

But suddenly, as Akeno was about to sever the remaining legs, the Shepherd suddenly froze, its optical sensors fixed not on Akeno, but on Lena.

Akeno, not wanting to give the Shepherd any more time to send data to the Legion, cut off the legs and started peeling the Ameise. She used her perception of electrical fields to get a feel of the Ameise's insides to guide her Light swords, taking care not to cut too deep as she removed armor plates and other systems.

She dug into the Ameise's chassis until she found what she sought, and with a triumphant smile, bent down and plunged her hands inside.

She straightened, holding in her hands a small transparent container filled with fluid, and everyone shuddered as they saw its content, floating in a translucent, amber-colored fluid. A brain, with several metallic implants on its surface connected to wires, and thin tubes plugged into arteries in the brain stem.

Akeno climbed off the Ameise's chassis, severed the top part of the container, and plunged a hand inside, gently holding the brain as she activated Greater Healing.

She ignored the gasps as flesh and bone tissues suddenly grew around the brain and the metallic implants dropped to the ground. In seconds, the brain had become a skull, then a head.

Akeno gently set the head on the tarmac as she kept her Healing active, and she raised an eyebrow at the sight of the silver hair.

According to Shin, Shepherds were Eighty-Sixes who had been captured alive by the Legion. And yet, this man was clearly an Alba. Maybe a soldier from the early days of the war. And there was something vaguely familiar about his features…

Hearing a strangled sob, Akeno lifted her head to see Lena stepping closer, her eyes as wide as they would go, both hands pressed against her mouth. She was quivering as she stared at the man whose body Akeno was regrowing.

Lena made a strange sound as she lowered her hands, and she took a shuddering breath.

"F-Father?"