Heavy footsteps those in the corridors of the military base. A thief was running away with a full stomach from her superior, who did not intend to let her get away with it.
What could have been the motive for a theft so serious as to provoke such a reaction? Well, you see...
"Tina, that slice of ham was mine!"
"Eh?! Weren't those just leftovers?" The girl shouted while still running.
"I was saving that for later!!"
"Ahaha, well my bad!"
Romagnans, Gluttony is a serious matter here.
Selected unit Red Pants, elite corps of the Romagnan Air Force, aces in coordinated interception.
The four members stationed at the base of the 504th Joint Fighter Wing, renamed Ardor Witches, were the representatives. In this context of guards and thieves, one could observe the guard, Flight Lieutenant Fernandia Malvezzi, and the thief, Flight Sergeant Martina Crespi.
Best friends, until food or their third friend, Official Pilot Luciana Mazzei, got involved.
This unless...
*THUNK*
"The two of you shouldn't be running around the base, remember?"
... Flight Lieutenant Takei didn't reached them first.
Straight from Fuso, Takei Junko was the commander in chief of the 504th; definitely a very sweet person, even when she threatened you heavily for a mistake you made.
"Hehe... My apologies, Miss Takei" Fernandia told her.
Takei was strange today, that muzzle should have been pointing up, not down, had something happened?
No sooner had she asked herself such question than another member of the Wing passing by announced her presence.
"My, my, my... Causing a huge ruckus just as always I see... Well, I do understand your frustration for the meal Fer, I've got in the same situation a few times"
Flying Officer Angela Salas Larrazabal, Hispanian veteran, daughter of other veterans, no wonder she was just as strict.
Got one notable reputation as defender of her homeland, and even participated in Berlin's evacuation in addition to countless duties in the African front.
Although both Fernandia and Martina would usually have advised her to go make herself a herbal tea and chill out, this time they were happy to see her since she had only now recovered from a serious wound after the evacuation of Venezia.
"Angie, you're back!" Fer (yes, that's her nickname) said.
"How did you get here?" Martina asked.
"Oh, I had the other two fusuoans give me a lift to get here. Anyway, where's-?"
"Angie! God I'm so glad you're back!"
This one was Flight Lieutenant Patricia Shade, Britannian, daughter of some successful businessman; a witch through and through, she didn't lack skill, but certainly attention, the very intimate kind of it.
"Has your body fully recovered?"
"Yep, good as new" Finally some little smile on her face "Ready to roll out for combat"
"Phew, I'm so relieved, really"
"We're too, Patty, you weren't yourself without Angela around" Martina was indeed joking of her.
"What?! No, that's not true at all!" Panicked, and definitely true.
"Sure you weren't, you were so worried you couldn't sleep at night!" That was going a bit too far, thought her superior Fernandia didn't saw that as a problem to worry about.
"Hey! Stop that! You're lying! You're downright lying!"
No she wasn't and Patricia's face was becoming so reddish it wasn't so far from the same colour of cherry... Now that we look better also the distance between the two was decreasing intensively.
"YOU BETTER KNOCK IT OFF"
And that's when she grabbed her by the jacket and remembered her who's rank is higher.
"S- sorry..."
"Ummm... Hi there, I'm back too..." That was Suwa Amaki. Usually not in activity for her necessity in the testing of new striker units.
"Oh, Suwa, sorry I had almost forgot!" Takei said "Congratulations, you collected some essential data on the new strikers, well done!"
"I'm very sorry ma'am, I wasn't here when the 504th got in the troubles"
"It's alright, it was out of your range. I'm sure you'll be very useful for our next mission, all of you, actually"
"Wait, all of us?" Patricia asked "Can't we first give her some rehabilitation? She just got out of the hospital!"
"No worries" Takei reassured her "We're not fighting this time, we're escorting a VIP"
"Really? Who?" Was the general question.
"Oh, you'll like it"
*Fast forward to now*
She woke up early in the morning from her bed as regent Maria di Savoia, a young red-haired girl, the last living person of the Savoia dynasty. Her mother died of illness, her father because of a Neuroi incursion, for this reason she had recently and hastily inherited the government position as Duchess of the Principality of Romagna and sworn loyalty to the nation, now more than ever at risk of being subjugated by the alien invader.
Her morning went as usual, she woke up, got dressed and looked at herself in the mirror, repeating this phrase each time:
"Venice has fallen, Romagna will never give up another square meter to the enemies of humanity, and may I be sent to the front if I don't keep this promise."
A litany she had been carrying on since the acquisition of the Principality of Venice from the Neuroi; A real shame, now that Gallia had been liberated a glimmer of hope for Europe and the world had appeared, and now they risked returning to square one, if not worse.
If only she had been a witch too, she would have felt better seeing with her own eyes the results on the enemy instead of receiving brochures, reports and a few photographs of a few brave fighters.
But things were about to change, an ace had literally fallen from the sky, perhaps an angel sent by God who led his army against the forces of evil.
And as the Romans before and the Europeans after fought for God, king and country under the sacred symbol of their religion, now this army would come to swear vengeance on the same enemy that wiped an entire people from the map.
It was time for a crusade, for a sacred war of freedom.
And honestly, it would have been some personal pleasure to finally meet someone of the opposite sex who isn't an old politician, general, banker or a count.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Your highness" A butler "Your guests have arrived, they're at the gates"
"Very good, tell them to park just in front of the building"
"As you wish" And he left.
"Well... Time to represent Europe's royalty"
*Outside of the royal palace*
The guard didn't question how it was possible that three people were needed to drive a truck, but hoping that they hadn't just started driving now, he prayed that they would all make it to the steps of the building intact and let them pass.
Mio's Amazing Finds: Miyafuji can't reach the pedals? Sit on Lynne's lap. Can't see where you're going? Use the rearview mirror and this glued mirror. Can't reach the gear shifter? No problem, Andrea come over here a sec... And so on until they were able to not be a danger to their surroundings.
