Strike Witches: The Wandering Ace

Chapter 12: Crisis in the Dark

"How are you feeling?" Sarah asks gently, her tone more compassionate than interrogative.

Constantia shifts slightly, wincing as she adjusts herself. "I've been better, but I'll live," she replies, offering a faint smile despite the situation. "Thanks to your friend Georgette, I'm in one piece."

Sarah nods, then glances at the patch on Constantia's shoulder, the only clue she has about the mysterious pilot. "I noticed your insignia," she begins carefully. "It's familiar to me. I'm Sarah, by the way. I wanted to ask you about where you're from... and how you got here."

Constantia looks at Sarah with a mix of curiosity and caution. "Constantia but you can call me Tia," she replies, introducing herself. "I'm from Strangereal, specifically from the Osean Air Defense Force. But I'm not sure how I ended up here. Last I remember, I was flying a mission, and then everything went dark."

Sarah's eyes widen slightly at the mention of Osea, the name striking a chord. "Strangereal... Osea..." she echoes. "I know Osea well. But that doesn't make sense. You're saying you were on a mission? How long ago?"

Constantia hesitates, then answers. "It was 2005. I was flying in the Continental War. I was with ISAF under the call sign 'Mobius 1.'"

Sarah's expression shifts from curiosity to disbelief. "That's impossible," she says firmly. "I left Strangereal in 1995, just after the Belkan War ended. How could you be in 2005? That's ten years after I left. I've only been here a few months."

"1995? That's not possible. You must be mistaken." Constantia repplied

They exchange confused looks, both realizing that something is very wrong. Sarah presses on. "You mentioned a meteor... and another war?"

Constantia takes a deep breath and begins recounting her last mission in Strangereal, explaining how the Ulysses meteor struck in July 1999, leading to massive devastation and the outbreak of the Continental War. As Constantia speaks, Sarah listens, but unlike before, her reaction is calm, almost detached.

"No, that doesn't make any sense," Sarah says, more out of habit than conviction. "A meteor? Another war? That's impossible. It hasn't even been a year since I left Strangereal."

Constantia frowns, realizing the magnitude of what Sarah is saying. "You left in 1995, but you're saying it's only been a few months for you? That doesn't add up at all."

As they piece together the discrepancies in their timelines, Tia notices the recognition in Sarah's eyes. "Wait... You're Cipher, aren't you? The mercenary ace who ended the Belkan War—'Galm 1.'"

Sarah stiffens slightly at the name. "How do you know that?" she asks, her voice tinged with surprise and curiosity rather than suspicion.

"I read about you," Constantia replies. "You were a legend. But if you're here now, and only a few months have passed for you, while years have passed for me... it means time moves differently between our worlds."

Sarah's expression remains neutral as she processes this. She's missed years of history, including the devastating impact of Ulysses and the Continental War, but she finds herself strangely unaffected by the news. "I guess I wasn't there to help," she says quietly, more as a statement of fact than a regret.

Constantia, sensing something in Sarah's tone, adds quietly, "I know how it feels to lose something important. I lost my sister because I chose a different path. We both have things we wish we could change."

There's a pause, a silence that grows heavier as they both reflect on their pasts. But then, Constantia's expression hardens slightly as she looks more closely at Sarah. "You know, I was raised to hate war—to protect peace at all costs. But you... you were a mercenary."