Wilhelm was met with innumerable cheers and hurrahs as he landed inside the Titan, and when he came out of his Nito, the commendation doubled in noise. Jubilant officers and pilots swamped him, and with some effort, they managed to get the enormous man above their heads and carried him out of the hangar.

Most of the crowd had left when the rest of Nito Squadron came in, ragged, weary, and barely able to walk. They got some praise, but not nearly as much as Wilhelm.

Hotaka found his Nito had become sticky again, hesitant to let him go. It required significant effort that sapped the miniscule energy he'd managed to regain, and the ladder going down looked worst than facing a hundred V-Nitos. He managed to get down after nearly a minute of tiny, unsteady steps, and the last step brought his rear end to the floor. For a minute, he lay there, wondering how he'd gotten into this position. He was still the leader, wasn't he? Yet it was one of his wingmen that was getting carried away, while he laid here on the ground.

"C'mon, Hotaka. Up`n at`em." Guy offered a hand, which Hotaka slowly took. His legs weren't quite ready to support him yet, so Guy shouldered some of the weight. They took small strides as they crossed the hangar, pausing to allow in other fighters. Some looked ready to fall apart the moment they touched down.

As they approached the exit, Hotaka mumbled, "He's getting all the credit."

"Hm?"

"Nothing…"

They continued on, following the crowd to the debriefing room. It was imprinted onto all of the pilots' minds to go there after combat, but very little debriefing actually took place. Nearly all of the Virus ships had been destroyed trying to protect White Death, and everything else was either mopped up or had hastily jumped out.

The victory though, did not come without costs. The Alliance had lost just over half of their ships, and some were so badly wrecked they'd have to be broken down for parts. Only two Krakens of the original five had survived, one of which had to be evacuated and safely powered down by emergency teams. No doubt the production engineers would be fuming about the heavy losses.

Red Moon and Panzer Lion were gone forever. A third carrier, Fortitude, had been abandoned, but the reactor didn't blow as expected. It was possible to revive, repair, and rearm it, but most likely, it would meet a fate with the salvaging fields.

There was also a toll planetside as well. Hundreds of people were trampled to death, thousands were injured by the human river, and many stores had been looted during the battle. It took a lot of convincing, announcements, and TV broadcasts to get the public back into order. Some of the more rebellious folks tried to stir up anarchistic followings in the time of confusion, but they were quickly quashed and arrested. Police were eager to assert some authority after hours of lawlessness.

It would take several days for people to return to their homes, and get back into the routine, and many weeks of cleaning up and rebuilding, but for the most part, Earth was fortunate to still be around. Never before had it come so close to destruction, and hopefully, it would never again have such a trial.

There would be celebrations, undoubtedly, especially in Wilhelm's honor. Hotaka hoped the rest of Nito Squadron would get some recognition. Wilhelm didn't see just how much fighting had actually taken place. He just happened to show up in time to kill White Death.

I want to be happy for him, but I just can't, Hotaka thought as he yawned mightily. The clamor was turning into a fuzzy blare, and his vision was blurring. He's getting all the credit, I feel like a has-been. He managed to hear a conversation two seats down.

"They ought to make him the leader."

"I know, he was little late for the party but man did he bring the roof down."

Guy felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, and looked to see Hotaka slumping onto him, asleep. He quickly straightened Hotaka back up, hoping no one saw the two of them like that, and poked the Major in the ribs. "Hey, wake up."

Hotaka remained in his slumber, even after everyone in the debriefing room left. Midori noticed Hotaka sound asleep, and laughed softly. "Told him not to overwork himself. Should I call the Infirmary to pick him up?" She was quite exhausted herself, and considered calling for two stretchers instead.

"Nah, I can drag him to his bed myself."

When Hotaka was gently placed in his bed, the other four Nito pilots all followed suit and slept deeply. Even the reunification of their team couldn't keep them awake.

The next day, however, Wilhelm found himself under interrogation. His presence put something back into that hollow spot they all had. He was not the same Nito pilot they once knew though.

The most striking difference was the presence of hair on his head. He hadn't shaved it at all during his training, and light brown, wiry strands stood half an inch on end. A thick mustache and beard were growing on his face, and though he insisted on buzz cutting his hair as usual, the beard, with some trimming, might stay.

Three months of a low-calorie and high-exercise lifestyle left him looking positively gaunt. He had definitely gained some muscle tone though, especially in his arms, which he gladly flexed upon request. One thing they couldn't say highly of though, was his prominent smell. Three months of sweat and labor without a shower were the culprits for that one.

Still, the most dramatic change in him was his seemingly depthless confidence. The old Wilhelm was hardly a coward, but he never looked all that strong or assertive. His stature was usually enough to earn him some respect. Now, he seemed to have grown another half-meter, making him positively gigantic. So sure did he look with himself, that the average pilot would gladly follow him in combat.

"So, what was it like out there?" Midori asked. "What'd you do all day?"

"Oh, you know, meditating, spending some quality time in my Nito, and about a million push-ups."

They all laughed lightly. "How'd you manage to get to Hyper Mode?" Guy asked. "Must've done something different from Angelo."

Wilhelm shrugged his massive shoulders. "I cut the ropes."

"What does that mean?" Eve said.

"Don't know exactly myself, but we know it's possible now."

"Say, could you, um…" Midori started, lowering her eyes to the ground, as though she was embarrassed by what she was asking. "Could you, you know, show us… how?

Wilhelm chuckled. "We'll see." He looked around the room. "Anyone seen Hotaka?"

Right on cue, the door to Hotaka's room opened, and out came the Nito pilot himself, hardly more than a zombie with only pants on.

"Hotaka," Wilhelm said amiably. "I was starting to think you died in there."

The pilot sniffed. "I think I did." He trudged to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Running water was heard from the other side. The rest of Nito Squadron watched the door for a moment longer.

"He's really out of synch, isn't he?" Wilhelm said.

"Yeah," Midori said softly and nodded.

"Has he been like that all the time I've been gone?"

"Not all the time, but, well, he has his episodes." Midori looked away from the others, as though it had been her fault.

"You know, if he's getting that bad, maybe he should let some of the burden be lifted off of him," Wilhelm said casually.

"How so?" Eve asked.

"It's hard to be the leader. Maybe he should step down for a little bit."

Midori bit her lip at that suggestion. "I don't know if he'll take that so well."

Her words sunk into their minds. They had defeated the more obvious enemy, but a darker, intangible one was growing stronger, and threatened to overtake them all if it wasn't addressed.

To be concluded