[06 | Canon Move 3/3 | Video]

[coolblueiceman]

The dimensional cruiser Asura, currently commanded by one Chrono Harlaown - his mother had given him the bridge for the duration of the current incident - has been making a beeline for Unadministrated World #97, Earth, for the last several minutes at best speed. Best speed, unfortunately, has just now put them on the edge of teleport range, and you're looking at Chrono addressing a group of three on the bridge: a blonde girl of about ten years of age, a woman old enough to be her permanent caretaker with orange hair, and a boy about the same age as the first girl. The first is armed with a black staff bearing an axe head; all wear grim expressions as they receive orders. Even Chrono is a little bit worried, and it shows.

"I know we're sending you down there with limited information. I wish I had more - my source didn't have a whole lot for me, and our sensor suite hasn't even found Nanoha yet behind that shield - but I don't, and waiting is just going to make things worse at this point. What I do have is that you're facing at least one assailant, with a melee weapon that seems to function like a hammer and is magical in origin and power source. There may be others. Nanoha's condition is... uncertain, but probably not good."

He clears his throat; he hated that he had so little to go on, but Nanoha's video had been brief, and nothing was piercing the massive bubble that covered half of Uminari. When he speaks again, he's all business, voice loud and clear. "Your primary mission objective is to secure Bureau civilian collaborator Nanoha Takamachi, ideally unharmed. If she is injured, attempt to administer first aid until we can bring her back aboard for proper treatment. If there are enemies, suppress them until retreat is possible. Should retreat be infeasible... you have permission to engage, but you do not have clearance for lethal abilities. I want them alive to answer for this, understood?"

Three nods: one accompanied by a worried look fading into determination, one ferally determined, and one set in a worried frown that isn't going away.

"All right. That's the mission. Be ready for anything... and make sure she's safe. You're among the best I've worked with in a long time. Don't let me down." With a gesture, the teleporter between them goes live, and he continues, "Get down there! I'm counting on you!"

As the three disappear on a course into the shield, Chrono can only hope he's not too late. He draws S2U again, and gives a pointed look; the camera switches to show the view from his Device.

"I'm certain that recorded, whether I wanted it to or not. I want to make it clear that there are to be no heroics tonight. The three I sent in are Bureau personnel in two cases, and an approved civilian collaborator in the third. I don't want someone else getting hurt because they tried to do something in there and weren't prepared. Please... I'm sure you're worried. I am, too. But I need this to be a Bureau job with Bureau staff, or there are some laws I'll be breaking. I don't want to have to shoot someone that's trying to help. You all have my word that everything'll be okay. I mean it: no outside help."

Chrono takes a long breath, collapsing into his chair again as the screens unhelpfully display the shield his bridge bunnies are even now trying to crack. "I get the feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better... I could really use someone to talk to while I wait for news."

Comments

[deliver_my_feelings]

You sure you don't need any outside help? There's a legion of magical girls who could help out, and even there's more than just them.

[coolblueiceman]

I'd love it, under normal circumstances. But in this specific case, I can't take it. There's a big set of rules I have to operate under when I'm performing an intervention like this... basically, everyone that's down there has to be under my command, and I can't knowingly put civilians that weren't already under my command in danger knowingly. And a bunch of other things I won't bore you with.

[He sighs heavily, putting a hand to his head.]

In any other circumstance, I'd handle the teleport - sorry, I think "worldhop" is the term you prefer here - myself, and I'd be down there commanding the gathered forces personally. But I can't take the offer now.

[deliver_my_feelings]

Well that's very by the book of you.

[coolblueiceman]

It has to be. While I'm inside the parameters of what I'm allowed to do, I have quite a bit of power - I can authorize tactical operations, deploy personnel, distribute weaponry and supplies, continue to operate my interdimensional warship without oversight... there are a lot of broad strokes I can take with it. But if I get lax and I start making mistakes... I lose the authority to use that power, and that puts people - both the ones under my command, and civilians on the worlds we're trying to protect - in danger. I will not let that happen.

[deliver_my_feelings]

It sounds military. I guess that's how things are in another world.

[coolblueiceman]

It is. The organization I work for, the Time-Space Administration Bureau, is an interdimensional peacekeeping force. It's... not unlike a military, except we don't wage war or seek gains as an organization. We're more like a massive police force with a jurisdiction spanning more miles than humans can count.

[deliver_my_feelings]

Ah I see. There's no real need to come over to our world is there?

[coolblueiceman]

Your world? Without coordinates or a Bureau-known name I won't know exactly which one that is, but if there's no major crisis that local forces can't solve, you're probably okay. We might swing by at some point to make sure nothing untoward is going on, but... by and large our schedule gets pretty full with cases we already know about, or distress calls.

Unless I misunderstood you there, in which case you should definitely correct me.

[deliver_my_feelings]

My world, yes. And don't worry, it's just another Precure world, so we have a lot of heroines.

[coolblueiceman]

Ah. A Precure world. I've learned by now that I don't need to worry about your worlds - you girls manage just fine on your own. If you need my - or the Bureau's - help, I'd be happy to provide it, but typically things go all right without it.

[deliver_my_feelings]

I heard stories of Kamen Riders on my world as well, so maybe it's also a Rider World as well.

[coolblueiceman]

Hmm. That, I can't comment on. I don't know enough about the Riders, and from what little I can gather from the community... they're not always so reliably good for keeping themselves out of trouble. Or starting it, for that matter.

[Kaitou's post a little while back was a little unnerving.]

[deliver_my_feelings]

Well I guess that's true, but they have a long history at least. Depends on what's going on I think.

[It really was kind of unnerving.]

[coolblueiceman]

Yeah, well, so does the Bureau. And yet everyone seems to think we exist to destroy and subjugate. [He sighs.] Speak softly and carry a big stick, I suppose.

[deliver_my_feelings]

Maybe in the past there were actions to bring that kind of feeling to it?

[coolblueiceman]

If so... they were long before my time. I hadn't thought about that. Hmm...

[deliver_my_feelings]

Well if there's a reputation for being dominating, then it has to come from somewhere. Right? History and all.

[coolblueiceman]

Yes, that's true. Of course, at the same time, we tend to stop illegal things from happening, which also gives us a bad reputation.

[deliver_my_feelings]

You can't win huh...

[coolblueiceman]

No, we can't. It's always something, and that's honestly the hardest part of the job. No matter what you do, someone's going to have a problem with it.

Most of the people that complain the loudest don't know - or care - about the amount of work that keeping them safe entails, though. That's perhaps most galling.

[deliver_my_feelings]

Can't you just hand out like fliers or something?

[coolblueiceman]

[Against the gravity of the situation, Chrono snickers.]

Fliers... haa, if only. No, we'd just be accused of being even more wasteful than they already claim we are.

No, they'll keep whining until something happens and we have to save them. Then they'll be a combination of happy we kept them alive, and whining that we took too long.

[deliver_my_feelings]

Oh okay. I guess you can't just tell them we're helping and leave it at that then.

[coolblueiceman]

No, sadly. One would think our mission records would be enough to make them trust us - let alone fund us - but that's not the case.

I hate politics, some days.

[deliver_my_feelings]

Sounds like you guys need a better PR group.

[glimmerous_fop]

Looks like serious business...I can't say a couple of kids inspire too much confidence.

[coolblueiceman]

That's the one thing about this incident that doesn't worry me. Six months ago by relative Terran time, the girl that I just sent my team down to save fought off an extremely dangerous dimensional criminal, and saved said criminal's daughter from sacrificing herself to try and save her mother. It was a crazy incident, but... I have full faith in Nanoha; she was just taken by surprise, I think. I have just as much in Fate and Yuuno.

[His expression turns a little more serious.]

I just hope we got here in time.

[glimmerous_fop]

And what will happen if you're not on time?

[coolblueiceman]

Nanoha will be seriously injured by this unknown attacker, by virtue of there being no other mages to break open the barrier that's surrounding her town. Or if things go really badly, she'll be killed in action.

...I'm sure I don't need to elaborate any further.

[glimmerous_fop]

I see...and you're sure you don't want any kind of outside help?

[coolblueiceman]

I can't take it. Believe me, I'd love to have it, but I can't take it, or else bad things happen. One of the perils of working for a police force is that you have some very strict codes to follow if you're going to keep doing your job. Part of that includes "no civilians trying to do your job", unfortunately.