Fic: [MGL Nanoha] Magical Atoner Lyrical Alicia Two
Magical Atoner Lyrical Alicia
Two
Thankfully, it's was close to the usual time when the TSAB sent a delegation to that world line. Ever since their first contact in the twenty first century, they had kept in touch with certain powerful beings on that world. Part of it was being polite, making sure the two organizations wouldn't come into conflict, and part of it was pragmatic. They knew the beings they met were VERY powerful, and keeping an eye on them was just prudent.
The light cruiser Akira was assigned to that mission, and Signum used her and her team's seniority to bump the representatives who were going to the meeting. The trip itself only took several days, some of which they spent mingling with the crew and the rest Signum used to refresh herself on the world in question.
Time Space Administration Bureau Report: World-line #2207
The TSAB first came into contact with this world early in the twenty-first century, when a criminal attempted to steal the Lost Logia 'Infinite Doorway.' The artifact was able to open a gateway to the previously unknown world, where the criminal fled. Enforcer Admiral Chrono Harlaown, Colonel Nanoha Takamachi and Colonel Fate Harlaown-Takamachi all traveled to #2207 where they encountered the guardians of that time-line.
Unlike in Midchilda where magical abilities are fairly common, there are a relatively small number of people born with such abilities in 2207. However, those that do possess those abilities are much more powerful on the average than those in Midchilda. Sailor Moon, as a example, appears to possess a power level rivaling Admiral Hayate Yagami and several of her allies have similar levels of ability.
Due to a misunderstanding partially caused by the subject's deceptions Chrono, Nanoha and Fate came into conflict with the inhabitants of 2207, however they quickly resolved their issues. Cooperating they captured the criminal and retrieved the Lost Logia, returning them to TSAB custody. At the same time a agreement was struck to maintain contact between our world lines, one that is maintained to this day. Annually we send delegations to their capital Crystal Tokyo as well as maintaining information exchanges....
"What do you think?" Vita asked, the redheaded teen sitting down beside her on a couch. She had started out even younger when they had been freed from the 'Book of Darkness' but had aged slightly in the past thousand years. Not enough in her opinion, but it was something.
"There's too much we don't know," Signum admitted as she tossed the report on a table in the mess hall. They had taken over a corner to talk and eat, and few of the crew wanted to intrude. "Why choose THAT Earth? Why copy Fate this way?" she threw her hands in the air, "Hell, why rob the TSAB in the first place? You could MAKE a Device like that, surely?!"
"All true," Zafira agreed. "It's a puzzle."
"At least you like puzzles," Shamal pointed out dryly. She looked over at Signum, "We arrive tomorrow. Have you decided to tell Crystal Tokyo that Raising Heart and Bardiche were stolen?"
"We'll have to play it by ear," Signum said honestly. "We've been asked not to reveal that by our superiors, but Crystal Tokyo has a pretty damn good intelligence service. They might already know."
"True," Zafira admitted, "Minako Aino is a frighteningly perceptive individual at times."
"Think we can get away with a planetary scan?" Vita asked curiously. "We could see if we could pick up either device from orbit."
"I'll suggest it to the Akira's captain," Signum said, "but only if we can make it look like it's standard operating procedure. We don't want to tip our hand too much."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Signum smiled as the pink haired woman shook hands with Minako Aino, the diplomatic office crowded by the five women and one man standing there. "It's good to see you again," she added warmly, a slight smile teasing her lips. Her lightly armored costume was a mix of purples and pinks, including a barrier jacket and over skirt. She had decided to skip the TSAB uniform and wear her armor, hoping it might cut down on the formalities.
"You, too," Minako agreed, the blonde woman just a bit shorter than Signum. She wore a casual yet stylish dress in black, a traditional but respectful choice for this semi-informal meeting.
"So," Zafira asked, the muscular man in a black muscle shirt looking Motoko over, "you're the second in command of intelligence?"
Major Motoko Kusanagi smiled back coolly, pushing back her blue-black hair. "It's one of my duties," she conceded. The woman in her dress uniform looked at them thoughtfully, "And I understand that the four of you are a tactical squad?"
"Yeah," Vita nodded, the redheaded teen casually leaning up against the wall, "when the TSAB realized we weren't aging, it was felt we'd be better off assigned together." She hefted her mallet easily, it's red enamel going well with her red and black clothing.
From the look on her face Minako felt a twinge of sympathy for them, but she hid it well. "Well, I hope you'll enjoy your visit," she said mildly. She looked at them thoughtfully and asked, "Are there any issues the TSAB wanted us to address?"
Shamal smiled, the green eyed blonde looking quite lovely in her green dress. "Our biggest concern," she said like she and Signum had plotted, "is the possibility of Lost Logia either appearing in your world or leaking out from this one."
"It's been a cause for concern," Motoko conceded, leaning up against Minako's desk. "There are several types of device that we have that could cause the TSAB trouble, not to mention the disappearance of the legendary Raging Heart."
Signum stiffened, then made herself relax. Of course they knew, she had really expected nothing less of them.
Zafira made a face as the man sighed, "You heard about that?"
Raging Heart was a powerful intelligent device, a artifact created to assist a magic user in accessing and controlling magic. Resembling a small, red gem it had the ability to become a mage's staff, it's form changing as needed to activate various functions. Dating back to at least the twentieth century, Raging Heart was most famous for being used by Nanoha Takamachi, a incredibly powerful mage who made history with her accomplishments in the TSAB.
"Well, Raging Heart is one of the artifacts we tend to keep a eye on," Minako said to them quite unapologetically. "While it's not as powerful as local artifacts like the Imperium Crystal or Utena's power was, Raging Heart was a immensely dangerous item, and if it fell into the wrong hands it could be catastrophic."
"I have a question," Motoko asked mildly.
"Yes?" Signum looked at her curiously.
Gesturing with her hands spread wide Motoko asked, "How intelligent is Raging Heart? Would it refuse to work for someone who stole it?"
Signum looked thoughtful, "That's... a very good question." A question she and Shamal had knows was coming, too.
"Yes," Shamal nodded. "Personally, I can't imagine Raging Heart working for someone with bad intentions, but...." she shrugged.
"People with good intentions can still do bad things," Vita said with a grimace.
"Does anyone have any hints where it was taken?" Minako asked as the silence stretched out a bit uncomfortably.
"That's why we came a bit early this year," Signum admitted.
"Oh?" Motoko asked, already having a bad feeling.
Zafira nodded, "We think it's come here."
"Ugh," Minako made a face, dreading the kind of complications such a device could bring her usually well ordered department.
Signum gave her a sympathetic look, "If it helps any, we've been put on detached assignment here to assist in the search any way we can."
"I can also provide tracking data on Raging Heart," Shamal added.
"Thank you," Motoko said, her thoughts already racing to strategies on searching for Raging Heart. The problem was how far to search, if they couldn't narrow down which region the crystal was in, they could be searching the planet for years....
"And we tracked the item's arrival in this world," Zafira added, a slight smile teasing his lips. As the two women looked at him he added, "We should have expected it."
"Oh?" Minako asked.
Signum gave him a scolding look, "He has a odd sense of humor." Looking at Minako she added, "We're reasonably certain Raging Heart arrived in Asia, possibly even in the region formally known as Japan."
"Of course," Motoko smiled wryly, once again wondering why this region seemed the focus of so much trouble.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The shining towers of Crystal Tokyo stretched towards the blue sky, gleaming like giant reversed icicles. The streets teemed with life, men and women hurrying from place to place or lingering in the many parks and courtyards, watching performances or listening to readings by authors and poets. Nearby the library a lively debate was going on, readers debating the merits of their favorite authors.
The blonde haired girl in a black one piece bodysuit strode by them, her expression determined as she mounted the steps. Her long golden hair was tied back in twin ponytails, one on each side of her head, the cloth used black like her clothes and odd cape. Her gloves and boots had pieces of what looked like ornamental armor, accented by a gold triangle on the back of one hand.
"Welcome to the Crystal Tokyo Public Library," the hologram popped to life, shimmering as she floated beside the blonde woman, "how can we help you?"
The young woman jumped a bit but recovered quickly, looking the image of a black haired woman over. "I'm looking for genelogical information," she answered, "particularly relating to dynasties descended from the twentieth century."
The hologram nodded eagerly, "We have the majority of that information available on our network, as well as hard copies in the underground levels." She paused, "Is there a family you're interested in?"
The blonde women hesitated a moment, "The Yagami and Takamachi families, primarily."
"Would you like me to guide you through a search, miss....?" the hologram trailed off.
"Testarossa," the blonde answered after a moment, "Alicia Testarossa."
To be continued....