Hyperbolic Curves in the Nights
Back when I first left Japan,
...I couldn't get used to how dark the nights are in this city.
But at some point, that darkness started to feel more natural to me.
So, it looks like the Shanghai Club broke up...
I guess they didn't expect the American military to step in and intervene that blatantly.
Real Madrid looks hopeless again this year.
I don't care HOW many veterans they have on the team...
So, anyway...
Hey, are you gonna try to sell our story to Hollywood or something?
Yeah, I got a title already. "Ants and Candy."
I thought I'd find you here.
What're you doing, interviewing other journalists?
Yeah. After all, there's no telling what's gonna happen to this bunch tomorrow.
Hey, I'd like to hook up my notebook for a minute.
1000 meters above ground level. Speed, 160...
Roger that. Now crossing over first caution line.
Go to AGL 600, speed 180.
Roger that.
Someone I know who works at the base called me up out of the blue.
He says there might be a large-scale offensive by the UNF sometime soon.
It's probably a false tip.
Not even the UN would do something that risky,
...not this close to the signing of the peace accords.
But you can't deny that the insurgent attacks have been growing more intense lately.
If they attack right now, they could avoid incurring any negative international opinion.
I guess they want to wipe out any dangerous elements while they have the chance.
Yeah, after the accords are signed, their hands will be tied.
Checkpoint delta. We're not picking up any obvious returns at this time.
There's a weak low-pressure system about 350km to the west-southwest, though.
We're about to enter level-one alert airspace. Descend to 100 AGL.
Roger. Now going to NOE flight.
The chances might be slim, but it's the nature of the freelance journalist beast...
No, not that. Something a lot larger in scale.
...to be incapable of letting even a little scrap of information like that pass us by.
Have you guys gotten anything?
Something smells fishy, all right...
Of course, that's not to say that there's no expectation on our part...
This program supposed to be updated all the time, but it's exactly the same as earlier.
...that it might turn out to be a mother lode.
Well, it's nothing more than a rumor at this point.
Word among the citizens is that...
You'll look into it for me?
You gotta trust me. I never reveal my sources.
To anyone else, it might look like nothing more than the sort of dive bar you see everywhere.
But to us freelance journalists, this was a command center...
...where intel of all sorts comes to us.
This operation is composed of two stages.
First, Lt. Nikkanen's Hercus 1 will drop onto the cliff edge...
...2000 meters ahead of the primary target.
In order for Lt. Ichiyanagi's Hercus 2 to safely infiltrate the temple,
...he must destroy these three defensive sites that are trained along his ingress route.
Hercus 1 will fire on each site using the sniper cannon,
...rendering both their radar and missile sites inoperable.
Furthermore, a mini reconnaissance UAV will be sent in to confirm the Flag's return signal,
...at which point...
You don't need the HAVWCs to detect the Flag's signal?
We believe that even the small antenna on a reconnaissance UAV...
...should be more than capable of detecting the signal.
You're erasing their markings?
Do you want us to erase this one, too?
No, go ahead and leave that one.
Oh, it's a moth, isn't it?
Got a problem with that?
Now descending to 100 feet AGL.
Ichi and Nik are gonna be cooped up in those cramped cockpits for two solid hours.
A little more to the right. The right!
Okay, let's do the back camera next.
Wow, I didn't know they had a camera here, too!
Back there, too?
Just like an F1 racer, huh?
Lt. Nikkanen, Lt. Ichiyanagi, good luck.
It's the same spiel as always...
How many times are we gonna have to sit through the same UN announcements?
That last press conference was no different.
As you are all aware, we have secured approval with all insurgent groups.
Are negotiations still underway with the groups that are firmly opposed to the process?
If you are referring to the terrorists who have infiltrated the country, the answer is no.
All that I can say at this time is that the United Nations...
...will take a firm stance against any faction whose aim is to create chaos.
"Terrorists," huh?
So, they're gonna use that one little word to write off...
...any faction that doesn't play along with them, huh?
But do they know how many people have been hurt...
...in the name of the military actions that they call "terrorist eradication"?
I got it!
I did some digging,
...and it sounds like there's a top-secret e-mail from the UNF that's going around tonight.
Yeah, that's right. I need to know what's in it.
Use simple text if you have to, but send it to my cell phone.
Right away if you can.
The warning e-mail is gonna be sent here to us now.
Our own battle was now underway.
Give me confirmation on the breech locking mechanism.
Breech locking, okay. Mechanism operation confirmed.
I'm setting the recoil action suppression program to default.
I'm sending you the data now.
Roger that. Suppression program to default, data saved.
Some members of our merry little band have unique talents.
This man is one of them.
He's a pro-level hacker who used to be a technician for a certain IT company.
I have no idea why he's doing this sort of risky, low-paying work.
Bunch of morons... They think this musty old code is any match for me?
C'mon, baby... C'mon...
See that? See?
You cracked it?
Putting a question mark at the end is insulting.
Those lights are from the yurts.
Yurts?
Mobile dwellings used by nomads.
People even live in places like this...
Entering wireless blackout area in 60 seconds. Switch to laser communications.
Roger.
I went... to the United Nation Hotel...
How did it look?
I asked one of the UN's pet snitches about it.
We were right, he says there was a warning message...
...that came directly from their UNF supervisor not to go outside tonight.
Bingo.
There's twice the usual number of soldiers manning the checkpoints,
...and the streets are empty.
Something's definitely going down tonight.
Tonight's gonna be a pitch-black night with a new moon. The ghosts are gonna come out!
So, do you know where they intend to attack?
I'm already tracking down that information.
I'll see if I can squeeze anything else out of my source.
An attack during the new moon...
That's when I first got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
It's military tactics 101.
Large-scale nighttime offensives tend to take place on nights with no moon.
On nights of the new moon.
Roughly simultaneously with this operation, an offensive...
...against terrorist factions will be launched in Subasci.
Naturally, its main objective is retaliation against the recent spate of bombing attacks,
...but it will also act as a diversion for the operation that we will be conducting.
We've entered the wireless blackout area.
From here on in, everything but short-range laser transmissions will be inoperable.
Of course, it might be the scent of a scoop that's whipped this bunch into action.
That, and... If there's anything else, maybe it's anger.
Day after day, they witness the overwhelming violence that is military force.
They've seen so many people helplessly caught up in that violence...
...that they're sick of it.
Even if we know that it looks like there's going to be a bombing strike,
...it doesn't help if we can't pinpoint the targets.
Nobody said that we can't pinpoint them.
If we take the addresses of people who were rounded up lately by the UNF as terrorists...
...and cross-check them against the dangerous parts of town, we get...
Can you do it right away?
Already on it.
Of course, this isn't just to shoot footage.
The UN says that they can avoid civilian casualties...
...by using precision-guided munitions.
But we know that's a crock.
We know that one of their bombs can easily blow away a whole city block.
Got it!
You ready? A-5, B-8, along with C-6 and 7.
They're hitting four targets in one night?
Hey, wait a minute! That's...
Scout to Skeiron. Will arrive at target airspace momentarily.
Will search for landing area using mapping radar in 0.5 second bursts.
Once area is determined to be secure, we will come in to land.
Skeiron, roger.
Scout calling Hercus 1. Transmitting radar image of landing site.
Hercus 1, roger.
Miss Shirasu, we're going in.
Ready.
Ground speed, -0.2. Altitude, 8 feet AGL.
Disengage lock.
Hercus 1, disengaging arresting rod.
Touchdown confirmed. Bugging out.
Hercus 1, switchover to Mode 2 complete.
One of the targets was right next to where that girl's house is.
The instant I saw it, I flew out into the city.
As I was running, I could only see one thing. Just one.
And that was her smile.
It's a UNF security picket.
This road that you could pass by without incident just two hours ago...
...had suddenly turned into an impenetrable wall.
The UNF is serious... They're attacking in the name of peace?
No, that's not it. It's just the delusions of those who have power.
Target confirmed.
Radar seeking system, passive array are clear.
Nothing on our monitors here, either. You're clear.
Shirasu! Under no circumstances are you to go out in front of the HAVWC!
Yes, ma'am!
This is one case where there is no way that I can guarantee your safety.
Miss Shirasu, this is not a training exercise or a drill.
I know that.
I know...
Move to firing point complete. Firing preparations complete.
Roger.
Scout calling Skeiron. Now launching UAV.
Roger that. Release backup.
UAV has achieved steady flight. ETA to target area, 30 seconds.
I have it here, too.
Once the UAV enters target airspace, commence attack.
The city had fallen silent, as if it was frozen.
One by one, I called every local informant that I was in regular contact with.
I was sure that they'd know some back-alley that the military hadn't secured.
Because they did this all the time.
What, you called me up over a little thing like that?
Quit talking, just hurry!
Just leave it to me, these back streets are my specialty.
Air pressure, 680 hectopascals. Air temperature, 276 Kelvin.
Updraft in ravine, 3 meters per second.
Targeting correction angle, 0.3mm per mille.
Once you enter observation range, commence barrage jamming. Scout, you...
Drone has detected radar waves.
We still aren't detecting the Flag's return signal.
Upon confirmation of target 2's destruction, send UAV to opposite side of Metazone.
Roger. Adjusting course pattern.
Fire.
Radar waves terminated. Target appears to be completely destroyed.
Continue on to attack target 2.
Roger.
Don't panic, Miss Shirasu. They haven't seen us yet.
That isn't exactly reassuring...
Loading of second round complete.
All right, fire!
When that goddess came down to us from the world as it was until yesterday,
...what exactly did she see here?
Moving on to target 3.
Fire!
She's a goddess who was sent back as a human to this garbage dump of a world.
What was that warm light that was still in her eyes in spite of everything?
What does she have such faith in?
I have it. Flag signal detected.
What area?
Analysis in progress.
The UAV has been shot down.
Hercus 2, go in.
Roger.
Scout to Hercus 1. Hercus 2 is coming down.
Load hollow point rounds. Prepare to provide support fire.
Hercus 1, roger.
A HAVWC...
"Thank you for taking pictures of my country," she said...
But what kind of future does it have?
Nothing but tragedy ever happens here!
Mr. Akagi, we're here.
Three seconds to dead angle in enemy defensive fire.
You're in the dead angle. Continue your descent.
Hercus 2, roger. Continuing descent.
Hercus 2, time to parachute release, 5 seconds...
Three. Two. One.
Hercus 2, touchdown.
Switching to Mode 2.
Loading complete.
All right. Hercus 1, take out the door.
Hercus 1, roger.
Shit!
Door is open.
Hercus 2, move out.
Roger.
Hercus 2, ingress successful. Will now begin searching for the Flag.
The wind has picked up...
Just one time, just one is enough.
I want to see a beautiful light.
No matter long the night that comes,
...even if darkness should fall,
...if I know that light will shine down on everything,
...I don't need anything else.
"Please don't let me be swallowed up by sadness."
"Please let me have some purpose in my stride."
We just need to wish a little harder for it,
...wish for a light to erase the shadows that have come upon us.
Every time I lose my way, I'm pierced by the pain...
...of losing a little bit of myself.
And every time I set out again,
...I realize and relish that I have the strength to crush the darkness underfoot,
...and I'm able to wait for the stars once again.
Presented by Gray_Phantom #Gray_Phantom @ rizon
Next Time 0 0 6 A Light in the Darkness
Shirasu experienced combat firsthand for the first time.
What she saw in her viewfinder...
...were the various decisions that intertwine on the battlefield,
...and the various emotions at work inside each of them.