c10 (1/2)
[translation] Frozen Teardrop, Nocturne of Sorrow II
When Katerina Peacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere aboard Wyvern--
”Lightning Queen”
--the young lady and (her beloved) machine were later called, she certainly did make a sublion descended fro brilliantly
However, neither Katerina nor Wyvern took immediate action November passed in silence As for the rebel side, there was nothing they could do about the o the first three days of Decearded Katerina's proclamation of war as a frivolity Whatever appearance of the Peacecraft heir could portend was of no consequence, that was the prevailingthe rebels] It was unthinkable that one person alone would attack them That is what the rebel leaders believed Naturally, if the ene, [they were safe] and they heard no word (lit: ruent who'd infiltrated the inner circles of the Earth Sphere United Alliance Ar news
”To bring about an early conclusion, the Alliance Ardom in Northern Europe, they attempted to launch a nuclear warhead missile [frohter appeared and destroyed that plan,” the informant said Furthermore, ”I, hter but the information net is shocked and it was able to sense beforehand that the rebels maintained a secret weapon and that the Alliance Arnized by the tops of the Secret Agency, but in future, I think I want to give up that name,” [he] added
The leaders of the rebels, upon receiving this report froing into use of nuclear weapons was, of course, astonishi+ng Yet hter--to which they had not the least connection--had thwarted [the Alliance's plans to nuke Cinq]
”What if” all the rebel leaders were surely wondering, ”that was a serious proclahter that had removed the Alliance's ”nuke” may have retained [the bomb]
”No, that's inconceivable, right?” (counseled) Lieutenant Martix [1] Rex, the young staff officer aide aboard the rebel fleet's flagshi+p Robin Hood ”The Alliance we can handle, but I really can't believe the young (dom would drop a (ruinous) nuke on her own country”
”It's feasible that a kid that age could go on a suicide bo to come up with counter! butt the hell out, brat!” Said the senior officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with irritation In the end, [Martix]your pardon,” and returned to his roo a mutt (lit: ht eye to its nose, it had spots arranged like an upside down spade and so he na] ”Spade” Martix often voiced his complaints to the puppy
”Really, they can all go get stuffed” It was lucky that Spade was silent, he neither barked nor (purred) ”Spade, what a situation” If [Katerina Peacecraft] were prepared to self destruct in a suicide attack as the senior officer said, was it necessary for her to declare war? That point ought to be considered Even if [she had] been running wild--a mistake of youth--it was unclear why she'd not yet attacked If she really did have 'nukes,' it would have been better to have dropped them when she'd made her declaration However, that hadn't happened 323/1/12 ”So she can't have a nuke or anything” The i] the rebels to believe she(endless) stress to the soldiers ould be excessively cautious Juave rise to unpredictable mistakes And that would leave holes that could be taken advantage of
”That proclaave the rebels a jolt, that would be an effective action at present There may be a very skilled tactician behind her Or, he could not deny the possibility, the fifteen-year-old girl [herself] was a natural strategist ”Huhthat's funny” It was the rebels who had anukes in a double suicide [2] and ought to be the feared quantity It seen had to face a rival far more fearsome than the Earth Sphere United Alliance Army
”I wonder what kind of girl she isdo you want to meet her, too?” A smile played on his lips; he stroked Spade's head Martix Rex harbored feelings close to adoration for the girl named Katerina Peacecraft
This year's winter ar up, it was more frequently sleet and rain that fell It was a slow, not-cold winder that uests, the rebels, even more uncomfortable That day was also unseasonable; Northern Europe was hit by a heavy stordom was especially choppy Thunder roared in the dark clouds; the as strong and the waves high In the raging waters of Cinq Kingdo even as it was tossed wildly In the high altitude clouds, a patrol aircraft outfitted with a high power radar was un turrets on the battleshi+ps, cruisers, guardshi+ps and all numbered several hundred and were ai for action They aiting intently for the patrol to report ”eneic predominance, they had completed preparations of an aircraft carrier and carrier based planes capable of rapid acceleration When the enemy appeared, their plan was to attack from both upper and lower flanks, and the rebel navy was desperate to avoid everything save the worst case scenario of 'nuclear usage' On the bridge of the flagshi+p Robin Hood, the supre] irritation at the patrols' reports of 'all clear'
”She'll attack, won't she?”
”What else could she do in a time like this?”
Behind those tas Martix, as feeling the same way
”That decision was correct The probleically and tactically, it was unthinkable to have the fleet take action in such bad weather Although they were ready to intercept an attack, it would be close to a ed it] The officers' leadershi+p abilities were praise-worthy However--they were li their predicted attack too estion He didn'tattitude that brats butt the hell out There were any number of holes in the rebel navy's [defenses] In the storreater than usual to avoid knocking against each other As a result, it was difficult to coordinate [on shi+p Robin Hood was full of holes, and they were rather unprepared for anything rese a battle formation
”I hope we don't run into any trouble” The young officer's aide was sneering like it was someone else's business as they awaited the descent of the 'Stateless Princess' as likey to finally appear The swriling black clouds undulated unnervingly; driving rain beat cruelly down upon the shi+ps deck Under those terrible conditions, they had spent ht in a state of preparedness [for the battle] The soldiers had already passed the threshold of their endurance and tension A light flashed It was (the natural pheno rod on one of the outer guard's shi+p's radars The co that spectacle, believed it was an eneuns to return fire; the other shi+ps, under toofire on the sky without sotheir aiunfire from the fleet The same time the boe caircraft carrier All of this [was part of the] planned combat action
”Cease fire! All hands, cool it! We haven't received a report from the airborne patrol! The enemy hasn't turned up!” said the Chief of Staff, the most restless of the in the area 324/2/7-8 But then--
The radar operator shouted, ”Behind us, six o'clock, a craft is approaching us at low altitude!”
”So calm down already!”
[The Chief of Staff could only iine it was] one of their own interceptors, one that had been daed] The communications officer was next to report
”Telegra craft! They seek permission to land on our shi+p!”
”Ask their assignment/unit! Which corps are they from?”
”Cinq Kingdooes by the name Peacecraft”
”What?!”
The white craft--
Katerina's Wyvern wove through the battleshi+ps and ene in a row; she flew fast and low as though cutting across the raging surface of the water and approached the flagshi+p Robin Hood It was possible to attack from the rear at the closest approach point, but Wyvern rose vertically and from directly overhead, checked Robin Hood
”This is Katerina Peacecraft, in the event I do not receive per extreme measures”
Upon receiving that transiven The words 'extre The downpour ceased so suddenly, it was like it hadn't been raining at all The wind, however, still howled The leaden (color) ocean undulated unbelievably Wyvern descended; it was neither (flapped) by the wind nor hesitated fro of it's hull as it easily touched down It was Martix and the officers ent out to meet her Katerina Peacecraft opened the cockpit hatch and got a thrill out of sliding down to the deck
”Welcome to the Robin Hood!”
The lower officers saluted as one
”Princess Katerina, elcome you from [the bottom] of our hearts,” Martix spoke not out of protocol, but fronificently) reolden hair streamed in the crosswind
”Thank you for the courteous welco smile And to the commlink in the helmet, she said, ”Wait here, Sam”
”Meow”
The hatch closed automatically and locked with a click The lower/subordiante officers were nervous They didn't hear the response from the wireless transmitter, but that she [even] had someone to contact meant they couldn't easily (lit: carelessly)his coh
Katerina was shown to the war roo at attention with sour looks on their faces After both of thes, [Katerina], in her pilot's suit, told the her helmet by her hands
”Thank you for preparing a place for our discussions For the sake of avoiding needless bloodshed, I'd like everyone in the rebel forces to accept the cease-fire [I now] propose”
Half in sarcasm, the Commander said, ”Cease-fire? You mean surrender? Very well, we accept”
”No,” Katerina immediately denied The Commander and Chief couldn't help but be worried about the hels that she could rehter shi+p froroundlessly suspicious that, in the worst case, she ht use [her] 'nuke' Her proposal, however, was outside the Commander's expectations
”I'e the United Earth Sphere Alliance in battle”
”What did you say?”
A smile played on her lips But those blue eyes were serious ”If the Cinq Kingdom, is revived, my country and your rebel forces can join in a ainst the unreasonable and arrogant Alliance Army”
--AC 146 January--
Severely cold waves swept slowly towards Northern Europe frootten back to a norht, the surface would freeze over This sea's only link to the open ocean ((the North Sea)) was a strait; its waters had low salinity and low temperatures The vast white ocean all around was like a dream/illusion But the ice wasn't so thick that the shi+ps couldn'tand Queen of Cinq were released frouardhouse aboard the Robin Hood Initially, they thought Katerina to be her older sister Sabrina They soon understood their ized deeply
”Truly, we are sorry, Katerina”
”Please don't worry about it I only did what any Peacecraft would do”
The King and Queen had aged greatly during their long imprisonment When they heard Sabrina was alive and well on L-1, they burst into (bitter) tears on the spot There was no (reason) the future of the Cinq Kingdom could be entrusted to the elderly couple They decided [they would] for, make a free and peaceful country For that, the United Earth Sphere Alliance's oppression must be abolished That was the intent of [their] military alliance with the rebels
On the one hand, ood, but [on the other], the rebel arns of defeat When they learned the truth that Katerina's Wyvern was not carrying any nukes, the rebel executives i their pact [with Katerina]They did, however, sense that Katerina was of a rather high caliber [It was her] flight technique through their fleet's defensive fore to land on the flagshi+p [It was her] diplo (alliance pact) And [it was her] design (lit: ability) to think of later strategic and tactical plans to resist the Alliance Arh standard that surpassed them [the rebels] Above all else, she was tre the lower officers and soldiers, Katerina was like so of an idol [4] Even the female soldiers had not even a (particle) of jealously and welco person Just a few days after falling to Earth, Katerina Peacecraft was the rebels' syot to the point where she was called the 'Joan of Arc of AC' She bore a flag of freedoathered first; even the people of the neighboring countries who had been opposing the rebel forces with resistance activities approved of the rebels and Katerina's ideas and afterwards; there was no lack of new recruits Given all this, this alliance was beneficial and it was decided that Katerina was necessarily indespensable for opposing the Alliance Ar that the rebels were leaning towards a disadvantage in their current 'nuke' free state and when it reached the ears of the Alliance Ares, it would be possible for the Alliance Army to launch an all out attack
On the other hand, the Earth Sphere United Alliance Arht be better said that they had too much They even knew about Katerina Peacecraft's return Even when they had received inforhter plane Wyvern--code named 'Sanizing the fact that a military satellite had been scrapped, [they perceived it was] a ainst unmanned weaponry, there was no way it had been an (aerial battle) victory As long as they didn't possess 'nukes', [Wyvern] was nothing but a 'single, new type of fighter plane' They were different from the rebels who plainly couldn't hide their unrest In reality, that point was a big difference The Third Flotilla [5], which was in the Baltic Sea blockading the Cinq Kingdom Bay, had complete confidence in the on-hand air power of their shi+p-based fighter planes That as their clover-class, double-hulled [6], large-scale aircraft carrier which was base for three varieties of (large), cutting edge war h-speed fighters, {Gunshi+p Force/ G Force}; the hters}; the heavy bombers, {Gunshi+p Bombers/G Bombers}
Those were arranged in thirty squadrons of five, and counting the scouters, support crafts, attack helicopters, transport helicopters, and so on, their aerial fighting poas close to two hundred [strong] It was equivalent to that the rebel navy had Moreover, the Alliance Arat [7] Strait in the North Sea, placed the clover aircraft carrier with the Fourth and Fifth Flotillas at its nucleus Surely this was a complete iron-clad double blockade If the rebel forces' fleet shot out into the North Sea ((open ocean)) and fought, the Alliance Army [would still] have it in hand with their six-fold military power and amount of resources
The Third Flotilla had as yet been unable to (inattentively/uarelessly) invade due to the rebels having sought refuge deep in Cinq Kingdom Bay And another source of hesitation was that the royal fae before Although that had ended when Katerina returned The Alliance Ar able to act without any second thoughts Soa lido came and melted the surface ice, that they would coressing steadily--
Speaking of their alliance, the executives of the rebel army still didn't co her aide, the senior officer on the Chiefs of Staff appointed Martix [with the duty of] surveillance of [the princess] Maritx himself also wished for that job For hi surveillance meant he could always be with Katerina
”This way, Princess Katerina” Martix showed Katerina to the dock where Wyvern was being serviced There had been talk of the rebel forces' engineers being able to raise the burner output and improve its stealth abilities
It was a strange audy Hawaiian shi+rts even in the dead of winter and sunglasses even at night as leading the ine (reforms)
”Replacing (lit: transshi+p) the S & A dual propulsion systeives a rat's ass, there won't be anyive [me] twenty percent more output! Let's do the side thruster while we're at it!”
”If we do that Mike, there'll be some serious G forces at acceleration!” 327/1/1
”Let 'Sah-speed et three ti in the sky] without even having wings!!”
The one who got into the cockpit to work on the ECM apparatus was a scientist with anose, and a distinctive hair style This man also was an odd bird; he only answered to the initials 'DD' He spoke with a sneer to the computer 'Sam'
”Hn, a small-scope stealth [device] like this wouldn't provide coverI have my 'super jammer' I'll install them now”
”Meow”
”This'll hter' but you will become a 'work of art'”
The technicians, gathered around Wyvern andimprovements, were exactly like children with new toys
”The upgrades are going smoothly, Princess Katerina”
”Just Katerina, Lieutenant Rex”
”Then please call me Martix”
”Aren't you Rex?” [8]
”Well, that na'
”Okay, Martix,” she said as she plucked a dog hair fro somewhere?”
Martix answered with embarrassment, ”Inmy rooms”
”A, you must take it for a walk you know”
”I go (in the ot 'territory' in the Chiefs of Staff'sroom”
”Just like his owner, hmmm”
”I think so”
”What's his name?”
”Spade”
”Will you let me meet him next time?”
”Yesbut what about you, Princess?” Katerina glared at him and he hurriedly corrected himself, ”Katerina Aren't you a cat person?”
”I like all anis and cats, too”
”Oh”
”Er, but s or reptiles”
”Me neither” They both s okay?”
”Yes, very e”
Katerina and Wyvern (who had fallen to Earth), had stayed at the Weyridge residence for a few days AI Sam had advised her not to simultaneously make her war proclamation and attack after she'd reentered [Earth's] at adency lines [that stayed her hand]
”The real Sam won't take to me He only likes Sabrina”
”Even if he doesn't fancy you, he'll come to accept youSpade was the same way at first”
Suddenly, Katerina and Martix repeated the words to themselves, 'Sam' and 'Spade' It was a name [they'd] heard somewhere before At the same time, they cried, ”Sam Spade!”
”Haht?”
”I've seen Bogie's film”
”So have I”
They laughed at the coincidence
”I think we'll be good friends, us two”
”Yes”
Years later, Martix would dom, and advocate 'total pacifism' He fathered Miliardo and Relena [9] But there were many and varied twists and turns down that particular path Also, that is a story for later
--AC-146 January 19--
Until this time, the Alliance Army's Third Flotilla, in the Baltic Sea, had reportedly advised the rebel fleet to surrender 328/2/3-4 There had not, however, been soofficer was irritated over the rebels' willful ignorance of his counsel This coo Honneger, destroyer of Cinq
”Why are aiting for the ice to melt? Why don't we attack all at once and end this once and for all?” So thinking, the entire Third Flotilla had advanced to the point where they could check [the rebels] at any time If it came down to a naval battle inside the bay, a few sacrifices would likely be ht prepared for a war of attrition, he fully expected to win
”With more than twice the power [of the rebels] , there's no e could lose!” So thinking, he received a report to the effect that the rebel fleet had left the Cinq Kingdo the first hed, ”Idiots! With this Flotilla waiting at the ready, not so h!” [11]
However, a lone cat named 'Sam' had been the one to sally forth into the Baltic Sea--
Wyvern was flying solo
”This is it, Sam!”
”Meow”
”Battle shi+p aircraft carrier Clover, Tally Ho!”
”Meow, meow”
Wyvern headed directly for Clover battleshi+p aircraft carrier
”Meow” Sahters as they took off from the aircraft carrier Katerina checked the number of enemy crafts on the monitor
”Everyone's rushi+ng out to meet us! Can you shake them, Sam?”
”Meow”
Dozens of the high-speed G Force fighters flew in a wide arc as they fell into interception forht (theory pattern) However, [they were no match] for the speed that the souped-up Wyvern was able to put on Just when [she?] thought the burners re-ignited with a flash, they tore up with oppressive speed and shot straight up ((chandelle [12])), circled [13], and fell in behind the G Force; she then easily shot them doith successive shots froer
”That's ] the cockpit”
”Meow”
The enemy pilots, all of them, ejected from their planes and parachuted to safety before their planes crashed Next up were the hters Thesemissiles There was a colossal nu [bodies] and their trajectories, was packed with [lines] from the missiles
Saed caution, ”Meow, meow”
”It's okay! There aren't enoughthe super jammer,” she said as she pulled up on the (control stick) and went balls to the wall on the throttle Again, Wyvern did a chandelle, flying perpendicular to theto cli to exit the atmosphere
”Urgh!” Katerina clenched her teeth and endured the G forces [ie gravity, not the planes shooting missiles at her]
”Meow, h he was AI, he did have real feelings
”leave it to me” It was an endurance contest between her and the countless missiles ”I have faith in Mike Howard!” She naine ”We can still go! We will go further!” With courage that boarded on recklessness, she put onreat number of theet and missile as much as possible to ether as possible; and eventually, theoff other [e explosion That explosion caused the reet and most self-detonated
”We did it! Thanks, Mike!” Even so, there were still several”Sam, you can use DD's super jammers!”