Chapter 102 – My Arms Are Simply Itching for This!

A dark, hushed stretch of space at the outermost edge of Seldia's autonomous zone.

Word had come in that a vicious band of raider remnants had fled into this region, and the Seldia corps -- Letaria and the others among them -- were now moving in for the sweep operation.

"No suspicious machine signatures in the vicinity so far."

Aland's voice came in over the comm, eyes fixed on his radar display from the cockpit of his customized Rude, the Enomeil, taking point ahead of the formation.

"Right. Still a little ways to the target point yet. But there's always a chance they're hiding under optical camo or tucked in among the debris -- everyone stay sharp."

The calm, level voice answering over the comm belonged to Grain, the captain, freshly back on active duty.

"Captain, are you really sure your body's okay? You took a beating like that -- please don't push yourself!"

Steshia, trailing behind, spoke up, unable to hide her concern.

"No need to worry. I've been stuck on a bed for so long my body was starting to seize up out of sheer boredom. Can't think of a better opponent to shake this thing down and put it through a live test at the same time."

What Grain was piloting was the prototype unit of Riese, the next-generation military-use machine sent in strict secrecy from Syn-Fibra's head office. Black as its base tone, with clean white lines running through it -- a beautiful, commanding presence.

The three prototype machines forming the core of this mixed operation were Letaria's Arden, Grain's Riese, and Steshia's Rasta.

The gleaming deep-purple Arden, the black-and-white Riese, the sharply gleaming white Rasta -- even set among the corps' formation of standard-issue Rudes, the three cut an overwhelmingly striking silhouette. Arden's armor in particular had already been fully refitted following adjustments by Milea's team, and had regained its full brilliance.

"Still, though -- when I got picked as Rasta's dedicated pilot, nobody told me the Captain was gonna sneak off and switch to a new model too!"

Steshia pouted, clearly put out, and Grain answered with a light chuckle.

"Try telling you ahead of time and the whole press corps would be camped outside the corps hangar by the next morning."

At that, not just Aland but the other accompanying members -- Rajel, Herta, and the rest -- burst out laughing over the comm as well.

"No kidding. Steshia here practically leaked the new model to the press herself the moment the Rasta assignment got decided, she was so excited about it~"

At Rajel's merciless jab, Steshia let out a strangled "Ugh...!" and couldn't find a comeback.

"Fufufu -- perhaps you ought to take a page from my book, Steshia-san, and cultivate a little elegance and restraint?"

Letaria smiled, pleased with herself, from within the comm monitor.

"Aw, come on, now even Letaria-san's saying it! So mean~!"

"Well... on the matter of restraint, I'd say Letaria has you beat, if only by a narrow margin."

At Grain's musing remark, it was Letaria's turn to bite back.

"Now just a moment! Grain, that 'narrow margin' was one word too many! I am a lady of the utmost restraint and dignity!"

Grain answered her protest with a laugh.

"My bad, my bad. Now then -- I imagine you've all already got the briefing memorized, but the raiders this time are the same crew that's been running wild in the neighboring station Nistario's territory. Now that they've fled into our own Seldia airspace, it falls to us to clean this up properly."

"So basically, we're mopping up Nistario's mess. Man, what a raw deal."

Rajel groused, but Grain reined him in with an even, measured tone.

"Don't say that, Rajel. Responding fast to something like this ends up as a real favor owed to us, station to station, down the line. From an organizational standpoint, it's not all bad."

"Rajel-senpai's always so focused on the short-term stuff~"

Herta needled Rajel with a playfully teasing lilt right on cue, and Rajel shot back a bristling "What was that!?"

Amid the lively back-and-forth so typical of the corps, a floating structure came into view in the distance ahead of everyone's line of sight, deep in the blackness of space -- an improvised hideout apparently cobbled together out of lashed-together debris.

"All right, their little rat's nest is finally coming into view. -- As planned: me, Letaria, and Steshia go in through the front, all three machines together. Everyone else surrounds the perimeter, flushes out anyone who tries to run, and keeps watch on the surrounding space to make sure nobody slips past. Aland has command of the outer group."

"Copy that!"

Aland answered at once.

"All right -- let's move, you two!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Fufu, my arms are simply itching for this!"

All three of the new-model machines blazed with an explosive burst of thruster light and launched forward in a single streaking arrow, driving straight for the raiders' den.