Intel mission - Yashi

   After the day of the promise, she has had enough. Tamao is constantly uncertain about when to give up and which boundaries to honor. She continues to tease her beloved sister and push her past her breaking point.

   To be honest, Yashi wished Tamao had dropped dead when she shot at her parachute. Before the mission starts, before the two human teams merge into one, Yashi has told everyone in the squad that she has unexplainable discomfort while staying in the same place as Tamao. Every girl understands that; they don't inquire. That's why nobody doubts it when Yashi disappears without a word when the two teams meet on the west side of Ihrutia. And that's why nobody prepares for the moment when she shoots Tamao really quickly and then closes the trapdoor. She aimed for the girl's head, wanting to blow it off, but Tamao was just lucky that time. The girls think Yashi's disappearance is because of her cowardice; she cannot even face her younger sister. It's no longer that; for now, she has enough confidence to do what she wants to do. Yashi returns to the chaotic squad quickly and blends into the mess. Most people thought one of the enemy ships or snipers had tried to take down Tamao, then they focused on how to deal with the surrounding enemy instead of that moment. Yashi was left out safely; no one can keep a cold head in that situation. She looks at Tokuko, who was screaming inside the cockpit, yelling at her aides and co-pilot, who were panicking and maybe taking unwise actions out of instinct. That girl was multitasking at an impressive speed; she even took on the role of leader at that moment, when Tsukino was very busy keeping people on the line in chaos. Yashi can't leave her eyes; she keeps staring at the cockpit just to realize Tokuko is staring back at her. Her lips were moving, but she couldn't hear a thing. Right away, Yashi turned her back and ran to another room. Closing the door behind her, she was panting and worrying, and now her bad feelings are true.

   Yashi has heard how Tokuko scolded the pilots inside the room at that moment. The people in the midship compartment were trying their best to help the pilots control their ship to fight back the enemy, Arma Caelis. One load the gun, one report upcoming dangers, one alert of collision between the ship and any natural obstacles such as mountains, and one make sure all the engines are up and running smoothly with no errors occurring. Yashi got a chill down her spine; she was supposed to be the one working in that position. She rushed to that place and operated the devices. Meanwhile, in the cockpit, the pilots were losing their calm. The strong winds caused by Arma Caeli ships are affecting their ship, and it's extremely hard to keep the direction. They made some close calls, which freaked out the humans, who realized things were getting out of hand. Maybe to Tokuko, fearing is a sign of showing their weakness, and that's unacceptable in this emergency situation. After the fight, Tokuko scolded them badly, using such terrible words that even the men shed tears. They had never experienced such harsh criticism before, especially from a woman. But Tokuko's words were not meant to belittle them; rather, they were a desperate plea for them to regain their focus and composure. She understood the gravity of the situation and knew that any display of weakness could cost them their lives. As the tears streamed down their faces, the pilots vowed to do better, to prove themselves worthy of Tokuko's trust, and to overcome the challenges that lay ahead.

   Those words affected Yashi heavily. She was so scared, and she tells herself to never do anything that pisses Tokuko off. She can do anything to avoid that rage from falling onto her head, but now she's facing it at a higher level than the pilot. That girl knows Yashi has attempted murder, ruining their plan because of her personal issues. Yashi trembles as the gun points at her head, trying not to cry or show her panic, but she fails to hide it from her eyes, which are full of tears. Tokuko led her to the door, talking to Yukino while still putting her on the edge of death at any moment. Yashi can't relax or try to calm herself; the only thing she can do is sit silently and distract herself with thoughts. People will say she's so weak and stupid if she endures an abusive sister without resisting, but now when she does something, they even get more aggressive?

   Yashi's mind raced with conflicting thoughts and emotions. She couldn't understand why her attempts to stand up for herself only seemed to make things worse. The fear and despair threatened to overwhelm her, but she refused to let them consume her completely. Deep down, she knew that she had to find a way to break free from this cycle of misery. Her arms are starting to feel weary from rising up for too long, but letting them rest means she can lose them as a punishment, because that's Tokuko. She planned to do something, but that girl was always one step ahead when she separated her from the companion. She had no other choice; she closed her eyes, leaving herself to the dark and her thoughts, wondering if there's any possible way to get her out of this situation. But suddenly, she heard a door opening sound, and then a cold, strong breeze rushed in. It could blow her away at any moment, but Tokuko was there, standing at the door without trembling from the cold or losing her balance. Her serious and focused face and her black eyes seize the conditions outside to consider the success rate of their mission. Yashi's face turns pale; she would die doing this mission. But if she doesn't, she'll still die too. Hopelessness covers her heart as she silently follows behind Tokuko to the abandoned lookout cabin after their ship landed. Nobody is here to help, and she's alone with a serial killer. What can she do now?

   A short while later, after the incredible light explosion, the girls were able to behold the largest Arma Caeli ship in a majestic, epic scene. That reminds them how strong the enemy is and tells them to never let their guard down. When Tokuko was more than ready to go, Yashi was still stunned by the light; she even got more scared than before. Even though she tried comforting herself countless times before, she still got into a terrible negative state. She only wants to vomit, pass out, or do anything that will not force her to go up there. But Tokuko had already grabbed Yashi after using her glued hook. She doesn't; no, she never has a choice.

   The girls' quick but terrifying trip to silently go from the cabin into the bottom side of this ship has ended, with both sitting inside the storage of Arma Caeli. One broke her arms; one caught a cold and was too scared to say a thing.

- Haiz, I never thought I would waste one this quickly. But fuck it, let's go.

   It's a command. Yashi quickly gathers her strength to stand up and walk away. Getting out of the storage, they found dark hallways and tools scattered everywhere. It seems like this place is still in use, just not being cleaned. The two girls try everything. And when they're tired, they rest and command their companions to go different ways and report what they've seen. With up to four people searching for an entrance to the upper floors, they reached the zone with lights. Tokuko took out the papers and read them thoroughly multiple times. She looks rather shocked before looking at Yashi, whispering clearly.

- It's here. The key. They hide them in the basement.

   Yashi didn't believe in her ears. What? Right here? She wasn't expecting it; they should've kept it in a well-rounded place with lots of lights, security people, and puzzles to solve. Instead of all that, it's just lying under the basement?

   But when she thinks again, she guesses that it makes sense. People often follow their expectations when watching movies. It'll be too easy and predictable if the aliens just hide it in the generic way that most fictional movies demonstrate. They went on the opposite side of people's expectations. Tokuko used faint light mode on her flashlight, inspecting the map in all its details until they came to a gray room surrounded by an unknown dark liquid.

- Hmm, it looks like there's a puzzle to solve, is it?