Shattered Skies: The Morning Lights

CHAPTER 29: Reinforcements

Chapter 29: Reinforcements

TSAB L-Class Inspection Cruiser Arthra

Main Bridge

A dense cluster of people hovered around Cadet Amy Limietta's chair in front of the central console on the Arthra's main bridge. Their presence induced a claustrophobic effect in the young communications officer; the bridge had never been so crowded before, not to mention noisy. Everyone, it seemed, had a different idea as to what to do and how to proceed... the many faces bathed in the holo-viewer's pale glow, human, near-human, and otherwise, were uniformly strained.

"The question isn't finding the rescue team and the missing pod," said Chrono Harlaown, Admiral Lindy's son and the ship's executive officer. His trademark stoic glare had darkened into a full-on scowl since the truth about "Operation Batman" was revealed. "Scrya and Umino confessed everything. We know where they are, there's just no feasible way of bringing them back."

"The hell there ain't!" snapped the winged golden teddy bear across from him, Kerberos, otherwise known as Kero-chan, the Guardian Beast of the Clow Cards. "Yer tellin' me that with a Lighthouse full of magical girls and a whole ship of professional mages, there's nobody who can do anything?! Come on, kid, there's gotta be somethin' we can do!"

"Don't call me 'kid'. And any action we take risks exposing ourselves and the Lighthouse to Dead End's forces. It's a miracle that they haven't tracked us down already."

The black cat sitting on the far end of Amy's console was next to speak. "I'm afraid I have to concur with Chrono-kun," said Luna. "Opening a spatial warp is one thing, but opening one without letting anyone else through is quite another. Even if we could do so, Galactica Palace is heavily shielded."

"So we go in guns blazin' and take the shields down!"

"Absolutely not." Admiral Lindy Harlaown's face bore worry lines that weren't there a month ago. "The Artha is in no shape to mount an assault, and we have first-hand evidence of what that Viluy woman can do to TSAB mages. Attacking directly would be suicide."

"A full frontal assault isn't an option," said Nanoha Takamachi, who had not let go of her partner's hand since she heard the news about the rescue mission. "But Lindy-san, surely there's some option we can take, some way to help them!"

"I don't care what it is." Fate Testarossa Harlaown squeezed Nanoha's hand in her own as she stared up at her foster mother, her remaining eye unblinking. "Any viable strategy, no matter how risky, should be on the table right now. You've heard what Fantine said: we cannot allow Joker to capture Sakura Kinomoto, under any circumstances. If any one of the Three is lost, it's all over."

Toward the back of the bridge, two others watched the argument, unable to participate. Neither had any experience with the proposed kind of battle, they could offer no advice or strategy to the TSAB mages, much as they desired to help.

Usagi Tsukino was one of those two, standing and watching the back-and-forth with blue eyes trembling on the edge of tears. It wasn't fair; all this argument over Sakura, Madoka, and herself, so many more people contemplating throwing themselves into danger for their sakes. So many sacrifices already, and for what? For two sweet kids far too gentle and kind to be thrown into a war for existence, and for an immature twenty-one-year-old crybaby who couldn't do anything by herself.

Everyone thought she was so strong. Sailor Moon, the Senshi who fought evil and saved the Earth time and time again, and the universe a fair number of times too. This pillar of strength, this icon that the others saw... that wasn't her. It was an image, a façade that only barely held up when her friends and loved ones were there to support her. Now her supports were slipping through her grasp, one by one: first Ami, Makoto, Haruka, and Mamoru, and now Rei, Michiru, and Chibi-Usa... If they were all here, all around and behind her, then maybe she could have the courage to do something, to step in and save the day, but without them? Without them, the façade crumbled.