Chapter Text
Takanashi Hoshino craved sleep.
Perorodzilla showed itself today along the Kivotos coastline. Every SCHALE student knew what that meant: Total Assault time. Sensei called the Abydos senior in, requesting her in the Armed style. Hoshino's tactical load-out proved to be the star of the show in finishing the giant bird when she was called onto the field.
After the operation's success, Sensei murmured something to himself about "gold looking better than platinum anyway" before dismissing everyone.
What that was about, the sleepy uncle of Abydos would never find out.
Big Shiroko took part in the operation, but Sensei assigned her to a different Striker Team, separate from Hoshino. There was a twinkle of excitement that the pink-haired sleepyhead saw in her tall junior's eyes before she left. Hoshino could only hope that the reason for the eagerness did not involve banks in any lawbreaking capacity.
Ayane would handle defusing the incoming trouble.
...Probably.
Hoshino returned to her school district and reveled in Abydos's comforting heat. The weather around Perorodzilla had been chilly and windy. She could have showered at SCHALE, yet SRT's Rabbit Squad, having just completed an assignment, required those facilities more. There were also the other students who had been running support as well for Total Assault. Hoshino had not been drenched in the same way Yutori Natsu from her team had, because of a crashing wave.
Natsu treated the unfortunate incident casually and even joked about it. Hoshino did not understand what Natsu said afterward, so she just defaulted to nodding along.
The Trinity girl was eccentric, but she sure could tank the giant bird's eye lasers. One drink from her milk carton and she could keep on enduring.
Hoshino made it to the designated nap zone on her school roof, which had one more addition than it used to. It was a patio umbrella stationed next to her sleeping mat, offering an ideal amount of shade. Sensei had given it to her a few weeks ago-a simple gift, but one she was fond of because it was from him. Yesterday, Hoshino gathered motivation to set it up, so now it was the time to enjoy the fruits of her labor.
The tired senior curled up on the mat, and sleep came fast without apologizing for knocking her out.
Yet... something felt off.
Even in slumber, Hoshino had a level of awareness of the surrounding changes. The comforting feeling of her mat was gone and replaced with grainy and coarse sand. As the eldest of Abydos, she knew the sensation of sand anywhere. She had cleaned it out of her shoes, her shotgun, and her hair more times than she could count.
Hoshino's eyes fluttered open, and her surroundings confirmed her suspicions.
Wherever I am now, it's not Kivotos.
She rested on a shore, toward an ocean that continued without end. Other tinier islands existed, yet they lacked interest compared to her location. A long metal line in the distance continued upwards through the sky. It felt less like a planet and more like someone built a world by hand.
It's going all the way over like... a ring? Hoshino determined this wasn't Millennium ingenuity, nor any engineering from Kivotos. Science tests always said planets are round because of gravity. So what am I standing on then?
Hoshino grabbed her phone and hoped she could call Sensei or anyone from Kivotos at all. The screen lit up and showed she still had battery left. It would have been a cliché for her phone to die in unknown territory. Unfortunately, the symbol on the screen's corner made her heart sink, anyway.
I never thought an out of service button could look so smug right now. Hoshino let out a frustrated sigh as she stored the phone away. That smug little icon could give the Highlander twins a run for their credits.
The phone was useless if calling for help was out of the equation. Hoshino picked up her shotgun, Eye of Horus, and ballistic shield, Iron Horus, off the ground. At least her weapons and gear went with her to wherever this place was. She glanced toward the left, spotting odd objects upward on the elevated dunes.
Hoshino's interest in the purple boxes and other items vanished at the figures that showed themselves over the rise.
They don't look like any Kivotos local I know.
Creatures with colored harnesses in orange and red were pointy or curled at the back. They stood around the same size as Hoshino, so she assumed they were teens like her. The unknown beings spotted her, and an awkward staring contest began. It was when she waved at them that they all reacted by shrieking and running away. If her situation were not weird, Hoshino would have laughed at how comical they looked when they jumped up in surprise at her waving.
Maybe I'm on private property and they're running to get adults? Hoshino reasoned as she walked up the higher ground after the funny creatures. Weird reaction, but they're the only people I've seen since I woke up here. I'm going to need their help.
Battle instincts kicked in as Iron Horus was deployed. What awaited Hoshino at the top was a firing squad of the creatures from before and some new ones. There was a tall one in blue armor with mandibles and lacking a jaw. Another was a bird-like creature - but not as cute as Peroro - that wielded a round glowing shield. They pointed something that looked like weapons at her.
Maybe I still am in Kivotos if we're not talking things out.
Bursts of blue and green energy flew at her, splashing against Iron Horus. The impact differed from ricocheting projectiles. There were hisses and crackles to them. However, her shield reacted differently to the strange gunfire it blocked. A pink shimmer enveloped Hoshino's shield, which it had never done before. The hostiles were advancing while firing at her, and Hoshino noticed the tactical movements, so Hoshino started jogging backwards.
A nasty, sinking feeling in Hoshino's stomach told her she should not get hit by whatever was being shot at her.
Maybe they'll cool down once they're knocked out.
The unfriendly bunch pursued her over the hill. Whoever these people are, they were intelligent. The avian creatures carrying shields flanked the sides while the tall one shouted at the stubby ones in orange and red to charge down the middle. Hoshino shot Eye of Horus at the bird on the right, forcing them to hide behind their shields and the rocks.
They really do feel like they're shooting to kill. I wonder if they're with Kaiser Corp and this place is a secret lab or something? Hoshino thought as she loaded two shells into her shotgun before peeking out from Iron Horus. Ah, one of them is going to lob a grenade.
It did not take a genius to tell what was in the small creature's hands. A blue ball that glowed as if it were on fire. With one squeeze of Eye of Horus, pellets flew at the little alien.
Hoshino believed the creature would recoil, allowing the grenade to fly away from combat.
She did not expect to become a murderer today.
Time slowed for Hoshino upon realizing her actions. Blood burst out of the creature as it fell on its back and ceased breathing. The Abydos student felt her last meal want to emergency eject out.
However, the horror continued - the grenade did not fly elsewhere. It stuck onto the back of one of the other living little aliens, who panicked as the others looked back.
Limbs, blood, and body pieces flew and scattered across the sand.
This is...
Hoshino had hoped for a pause in the battle. That these creatures would stop after realizing what she could do to them. To her dismay, they did not stop even with the death of their comrades. Those little creatures had the same fragility as Sensei, but the aliens still fought on. Death did not deter them, and now the Abydos breacher had second thoughts about shooting Eye of Horus.
I'm going to try knocking them out with my shield! Hoshino concluded as the mandible person continued pelting her shield with blue bolts from its rifle. I need to do something about the big guy soon, but the bird on my left is getting too close to getting behind me.
The avian shield bearers had two divided focus. Hoshino had suppressed the cautious one on the right, but the left was more aggressive. She noticed a glow coming from its pistol, and a large ball of green flew at her. Not wanting to test her shield's durability against a big attack, the pink-haired senior took a far leap to avoid it. The giant ball almost seemed to track her, but Hoshino was faster.
Okay, I need to pull my hit on Birdy. I'm already in deep trouble as it is once Sensei finds out about this. Hoshino now knew the durability of one of the alien types here. She charged forward and slammed her shield into the avian shooter. Take a nap and wake up with some more common sense, please!
Hoshino was certain she held back her strength. The blow she hit the bird with would not even send delinquents flying. It felt like this new place was mocking her in terms of how much power Hoshino had. The bird flew back with a velocity that baseball pitchers would sell their souls for. It was on a collision course with one rock dug into the sand.
A loud crack reached her ear as its back met stone.
It now napped eternally on the beach.
This isn't right. Nothing about this is right!
There was no rest for the weary as the mandibles fighter was next to engage. Iron Horus shone before bursting out in sparks. The shield felt like it had lost weight now after the light show, but Hoshino did not have time to focus on the reason. At the same time Iron Horus' barrier gave out, the mandible person's weapon vented out heat from the sides. The tall creature closed the distance and swung its overheating weapon at her.
Iron Horus flew out of her hand when Hoshino blocked the swing. Under normal circumstances, she would not have let that happen. Her thoughts were the reason — panic, guilt, and survival instincts all crashing into each other. It left her out of focus, but she leaped back when the tall being attempted to bash her skull.
"That's enough!" She yelled, even though she knew nobody here cared.
Hoshino shot shell after shell into the alien's center of mass. All shots stunned and knocked the person back with the same barrier energy Iron Horus had, but its color was blue instead of pink. With the last shot in her shotgun breaking through the shielding, Hoshino attempted another nonlethal takedown. She flipped her shotgun and gripped it like a bat, swinging the stock of Eye of Horus low, buckling the fighter to its knees.
Hoshino readied another hit and smacked their face.
A sickening crack rang out as its head snapped farther than anything living should.
The body followed the momentum of the hit and fell on its side, never to wake again.
The last surviving bird shield bearer fled. At least, that was its plan until reinforcements arrived. More of the stubby creatures showed up, and another mandible fighter, but in red armor, leading them. The newly appointed leader on the battlefield stopped the fleeing avian in its tracks and shoved it back toward Hoshino.
Wait, I hear something. Hoshino picked up strange sounds in the distance as she loaded fresh shells into her shotgun. It's getting closer, but it doesn't sound like alien chatter. It sounds more like a car?
Hoshino's assumption proved correct.
It differed from standard vehicles.
Instead of wheels to drive across the sand, it hovered above the ground. Millennium could create that; however, it would have blue plus white coloring, not purple. Hoshino noticed two barrels at the front of its hood, so she assumed the hover jet ski's sole purpose was not just driving. The drivers fired more blue bolts at her, but something unexpected happened while she dodged.
A volley of gunfire from above tore into the alien cars, causing an explosion and the vehicles to veer and crash.
That's good old fashion bullets! Hoshino followed the direction where the projectiles came and saw two ships flying towards her location. Those look like human ships to me! Finally, some friendly faces…
The pair of air transports flew over the enemy line, which tried shooting at the dropships. It landed on Hoshino's side of the beach, and she caught glimpses of humans aboard. Soldiers holding rifles poured out of the shuttle's loading bay. Naturally, there were confused stares sent towards the lone schoolgirl, who was definitely out of place on this battlefield.
"What's a kid doing here!?" one soldier asked the obvious question on everyone's mind but hers.
"You think she's a local?" Another popped a question. "I mean, we're on a ringworld in space, and this is a girl with a ring floating above her head. It kind of makes sense, you know."
"Cut the chatter, Marines! Eyes forward on the Covie!" One soldier shouted, who seemed like the officer in charge. "Pinkie, stick close and don't die on us!"
"…Pinkie?" Hoshino repeated her new name, but still felt relieved there was no language barrier. "Me?"
"I don't see any other kid here with cotton-candy hair and a floating bulb over her head, yeah, you!"
Hoshino's eyes caught sight of a giant in green armor exiting the other troop carrier. The person really stuck out compared to their comrades-in-arms. Unlike the other soldiers, the giant's helmet covered his face completely with a gold visor.
A mysterious person, but the Abydos breacher had no time to think about that anymore.
As the dropships lifted off and flew away, the gunfight was in full swing between the humans and aliens. Hoshino had picked up Iron Horus, which had folded in on itself and no longer crackled with sparks. The shield now glowed lightly, almost as if it were recharging after the abuse it had taken. Hoshino swapped over to her pistol because she did not lead, and she did not want to hurt her new friends accidentally.
'Chief' was the name the Marines gave to the leading armored giant during the charge.
Hoshino found out why she needed to avoid the blue and green energy balls. The bolts impacted some of her allies and burned through them. Whether it was the aliens or the humans, they all died easily from a few shots. The only exceptions were the tall creature with mandibles, who had barrier shielding like Iron Horus and Chief. When struck, Chief's protective shielding was yellow.
One alien newcomer shot a weapon that fired purple needles. It had faster homing than the giant green ball Hoshino dodged earlier. She dropped the target, but the shards stuck an unfortunate soldier. The man screamed in pain, but he threw himself away from everyone else.
A violent explosion of purple left only a chunk of the man who was once breathing.
Sensei's bullet wound seemed trivial compared to everything Hoshino had witnessed in the past few minutes.
The battle of the beach reached its conclusion. This break should provide relief, yet Hoshino's thoughts were far from tranquil. All that she had caused and seen was finally catching up to her. She leaned against a rock for support as she holstered her pistol. Chief and the leader of the regular humans approached her.
"Kid-"
Hoshino held up one finger to interrupt the man. It wasn't out of rudeness, but because her feelings had built up to a breaking point. She hid behind her support rock and threw up.
A lot.
"S-sorry, this was…my first time seeing so much dying at once." Hoshino turned back to the pair after wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "This is nothing like back home."
"I'm surprised you didn't hurl earlier." The man said. "I'm Waller and you're-?"
"Takanashi Hoshino. Just call me Hoshino. I'm a third year from Abydos High School." Hoshino introduced herself to Waller. "You wouldn't know Sensei, would you?"
"Sensei? What?" Waller raised a brow before shaking his head. "No, never heard of him. But nevermind that…you said 'nothing like back home' so you're not from around here? There's no school on this ring world."
"Nope." Hoshino scratched her cheek, as she figured this place wasn't a planet. "I'm from Kivotos. I was napping before I ended up on this beach, and those weird alien guys picked a fight with me."
"Huh…Well, there's a lot more answers I want from you, but this'll have to do for now." Waller walked over to one of the dead human soldiers and pulled the earpiece attached to the helmet. "Here, take this."
"Area's secure. All Covenant forces eliminated."
That came from one of the other marines nearby, and it repeated in Hoshino's new receiver. A woman's voice spoke through it that called either herself 'Echo 419' or the dropship she was piloting. The answer was likely both, since she knew how pilots cared for the aircraft they flew. The flying carrier from before returned, but there was a proper-looking car or jeep attached to it.
It also had a big machine gun mounted in the back.
"Somebody order a Warthog?" The female pilot on the ship asked jokingly.
"I didn't know you made house calls, Foehammer!" Another marine quipped back.
"You know our motto: We Deliver." Foehammer released the armed jeep before taking off.
So the dropship is called Echo Four-Nineteen, but the pilot is Foehammer. Got it.
Hoshino exhaled slowly. The surreal mix of military precision, the casual humor amidst death, and the sheer scale of what she was witnessing overwhelmed her. Humans—and these soldiers—seemed so far removed from the way Kivotos functioned, so accustomed to death, to fighting, to chaos.
And somehow, here she was, a schoolgirl with a floating halo, dropped into the center of it all.
"Cortana? Chief? What should we do with Hoshino here?" Waller turned to Chief, but Hoshino saw no sign of this 'Cortana' person. "She can't stay here with us holding the beach."
"She'll come with us." Another woman's spoke up in the earpiece. "Hoshino? I'm Cortana. I'm an AI inside Chief's suit. If we weren't under threat of more incoming Covenant forces, I would have a ton of questions to ask about you."
"Er...Nice to meet you, Cortana." Hoshino said as she looked at Chief. "He's not much of a talker, is he?"
"No, but he certainly gets jobs done and we're stalling him from completing his newest mission." Cortana's tone was slightly amused. "Chief, let's go find that map."
An AI was supposed to be some sort of intelligent computer system, but Cortana seemed like an actual person. Chief motioned Hoshino to the 'Warthog' and the Abydos senior followed after the silent man. Another marine hopped onto the giant gun in the back while Chief took the wheel and she sat next to him. As Chief drove off, Hoshino started to load Eye of Horus.
One question lingered in her mind.
What kind of map needed this many people to die for it?