"Damn you..." "Lt. Marito!" "spread out! there would be an opening while it switched over." "Looks like it isn't going to be that easy." "what are our other options...?" "Lt. Marito!" "Message from the Deucalion!" "HQ has ordered us to pull out." "Pull out?" "All our forces?" "Dales and Orlov Platoons should have gotten the order by now." "But..." "But what?" "Retreat!" "Retreat!" "Dales 22!" "Where is he?" "!" "Where's the enemy?" "!" "Commander!" "That invisible Kataphraktos we failed to destroy is over there." "Crap." "can you hear me?" "Retreat!" "This is..." "Orlov Leader." "Impossible..." "I'm the... only..." "Lightning and Invisibility..." "And one other?" "Order them to continue." "Encircle and eliminate." "Milord." "Princess Asseylum?" "What is this?" "!" "I have done all I can." "The rest is up to her." "Slaine..." "No..." "Dales 11!" "Clydesdale Leader!" "Kaizuka Jr.!" "Please pull out!" "The smoke screen should obstruct the enemy's vision a little." "Go!" "R-Roger!" "Plus..." "We can use this smoke to attack." " Found him." " To the right!" "Get clear! I thought you were going to keep Lightning busy!" "Sorry." "like it was concentrating in your direction." "Crap..." "We're surrounded?" "!" "Looks that way." "The Deucalion?" "Damage report!" "We're okay!" "We're managing to discharge it!" "Set us down and extract all Kataphraktoi." "ma'am?" "That's right in the middle of the enemy!" "We're landing!" "10 knots." "and there's a strong tail wind!" "We're okay!" "The Aldnoah drive is handling it!" "200 feet per second!" "Get aboard!" "hurry!" "Open ventral hatch!" "Retrieve all Kataphraktoi!" "At our 9 o'clock!" "Enemy Kataphraktos closing in!" "Fire main guns!" "Kataphraktoi retrieval complete!" "We're leaving!" "What's that?" "Another enemy Kataphraktos to aft!" "Same type as the one we just destroyed!" "Reinforcements?" "Another at our 2 o'clock!" "These aren't reinforcements!" "They're... 12... 16... 24..." "Number keeps climbing!" "A duplication ability?" "All ahead full!" "Damn it... both offline!" "Crap..." "Our discharge system must've been damaged by Invisibility's arrow." "too!" "2D radar also offline!" "No way!" "Stay calm!" "Continue ascent!" "ma'am." "then?" "Yes." "I shall pass word along at once." "There is one other favor I would ask of you." "What is it?" "Might I be granted an audience with Princess Asseylum?" "What?" "A personal audience with Her Highness?" "with Count Troyard as well." "I will endeavor to see that you are accommodated." "It will come at a price." "I understand." "but not you." "Beg pardon? would be most beneficial." "do not wear your ambition on your sleeve." "There is a chance that it might trip you up." "Of course..." "Princess Asseylum is an imposter." "I'm going into space." "Prepare a shuttle." "Milord Slaine." "not when the enemy escaped." "The objective of securing territory was accomplished." "Is that not success enough?" "This is sure to cause more knights to swear loyalty to you." "We cannot let our guard down." "Nothing is less reliable than a knight's vow of loyalty." "Milord." "And about that request from Count Barouhcruz?" "What answer shall I give?" "Go ahead." "Milord?" "let him see her." "She is happily fulfilling her role of extending our power base." "at least." "It's no use." "This goes way beyond a quick fix." "so I can't even fly by eye." "What's malfunctioning?" "The sensor system?" "Lt. Kaizuka?" "but the fuselage is carrying a charge." "engine-related malfunctions are unlikely." "In which case... help us out!" "We're all kinds of screwed!" "You should lower our altitude a little." "Low enough to keep us off enemy radar." "so I'm scared to take us too low." "200 now." "You can see all that?" "Can you also pick up VOR stations?" "Yes." "tell me." "I'll calculate our radial." "All right." "What's our heading?" "I was trying to put us on 110." "You're almost there." "Fly at an offset of 3 degrees for 2 minutes." "Then straighten out and maintain heading." "This is bad..." "Are we caught in some nasty turbulence?" "you should..." "I've got this." "I can handle this much." "Same goes for earlier." "it looks like it's experience that's most important." "I'll let you know." "Right!" "Thank you." "we should be thanking you for earlier." "Lt. Marito was pretty surprised that you would do something so crazy." "You're the last person I want to hear that from." Tell him I said that." "is that so?" "then?" "Yes." "I can hardly wait for this new kingdom." "And to be able to go to your homeworld." "It is a world inhabited by vulgar trash." "It is hardly the restful place conjured up by the word "home." "I never had such a place to begin with." "Neither did I. neither on Vers or in royal standing. that is my..." "You honor me." "then." "dinner is ready." "but there are still pressing matters that I must attend to." "Please forgive me." "Ina" "Inko." "What's the matter?" "about yesterday." "Nina was gushing about how you helped out." "Oh." "Sure." "Uh..." "Is something wrong?" "What would be wrong?" "what?" "but..." "What do you think about the enemy coordinating their actions?" "Maybe they're so hard pressed that they've been forced to swallow their pride." "I don't think we have much to fear." "then?" "That Orbital Knight named Slaine Troyard who is behind Princess Asseylum... he one-ups even Kaizuka Jr. it's not a simple scheme that we can counter with just superior resources." "Enter." "entering." "ma'am." "A request for reinforcements?" "Launch all-out attack on captured territory and retake it." "Throw sheer numbers at them?" "That's the long and short of it." "And how have you been feeling since?" "I feel fine." "however..." "It is still rather hazy." "That is hardly surprising." "The very fact that you regained consciousness was a miracle." "Please..." "Please do not force yourself to remember." "Slaine." "I'm afraid that I must take my leave now." "Please get some rest." "I will." "I shall return." "Please look after Her Highness." "Milord Slaine..." "I can guess what it is that you wish to ask." "yes?" "Taking me as her husband and founding a country..." "That proclamation issued by Princess Lemrina was entirely the result of the weakness in my heart." "Princess Asseylum is sure to wake up. having given up somewhere deep down." "as if to reprimand me for being such a fool. how can I make Her Highness happy?" "and that alone." "But what of Princess Lemrina?" "As to what she is looking for..." "I can tell." "I suspect." "A place where she can find solace." "But that is something that neither of us will ever obtain." "We mustn't tell her everything yet." "I do not particularly mind." "It's ironic." "I had waited with such hope for Her Highness to awaken." "what I hope for is that her memory never returns." "Your newfound resolve to serve my trusted Count Troyard fills me with such joy that I cannot contain it." "Your Highness is too kind." "I am fully prepared to serve both Your Highness and Count Troyard with wholehearted devotion." "was touched by Count Mazuurek's drive as he swore to rise up once again for the sake of Vers' future even as he was held prisoner on Earth." "Begging Your Highness' pardon..." "I am given to understand that you once underwent similar hardships on Earth." "something similar." "Terrans are all such... vulgar trash." "There was not a single one that Your Highness grew close to?" "Close to?" "I think not." "I left all interaction with Terrans to my handmaiden. but I now see what a fool I was." "Why is Slaine not here at a time like this?" "making preparations for the new operation." "He said as much earlier." "He has been locking himself away in his castle far too often lately." "can he not do it here?" "I am told that precious resources are involved." "Then I shall go to him." "you" "I shall go over to the Landing Castle." "Your Highness!" "Highness?" "I do apologize." "How long will it be... how long will it be..." "Highness." "Count Mazuurek." "Please follow me to the parlor." "You seem to have finished checking my credentials." "I deeply apologize." "it is I who committed a grave blunder." "To think that my ship broke down..." "How fortunate for me that you were in the vicinity." "I see..." "Count Troyard is still at the moonbase." "Milord." "I regret to say that you have missed him." "Lord Harklight is on his way here now." "I made my move as soon as I was certain that he was not here." "Troyard is commuting between here and the moonbase more than is necessary." "Meaning that the princess' location must be..." "Please wait here." "Are these Terran flowers?" "Yes." "This castle has undergone quite the transformation." "Milord?" "I was an acquaintance of its former master." "fearing that they harbored microorganisms." "There is no such worry here." "Terran flowers are perfectly safe- then?" "that is only what I have heard." "but I did not expect" "No." "I mean..." "Her Highness went to Earth alone." "No one is speaking of Earth." "I-I must be going!" "You truly have not gone there?" "Do you know what happened on Earth?" "What about a boy named Inaho Kaizuka?" "sister..." "How long will it be before you release your grip on his feelings?" "For me?" "Milady." "He said that he wanted me to give it to you." "To the princess who knew about Earth." "This is..." "Milady!" "I..." "I..."