Chapter 4: Rita's Arrival

-1 year later-

As the plane she's in flew down, Rita Alcott caught sight of the reason she's in Japan and the place she'll be spending most of her time in for the coming years. Offshore from Tokyo stood the Infinite Stratos Academy, the first and currently only Academy specializing in the training and study of Infinite Stratos. As she looked at the structure that she only caught a glimpse of, Rita can't help but think about what she knew of it.

The history of ISA is an interesting one. It was actually the site of a failed real estate development project some years back that was left to rot because of some incidents during the construction… except, unknown to anyone at the time, Shinonono Tabane had somehow built a lab under the manmade island and it was where she developed and finished the Infinite Stratos.

It was from that secret research facility underneath the island that the White Knight from the White Knight incident sortied and after IS was revealed to the world and the island was marked as the sortie point, a team of JSDF soldiers stormed the place and found a whole maze of corridors and research facilities underneath the ruined buildings on the island.

After the official release and distribution of the IS cores throughout the world which caused chaos throughout the world, other countries, all of the UN member nations really, demanded that they be let entry into the research facility to conduct a joint investigation due to the extreme nature of the White Knight incident and the following advent of the IS. Pressured by pretty much every international governments, the joint investigation team was allowed entry into Japan's sovereign territory.

The underground research facility is a treasure trove of advanced technology that Tabane made and left behind when she abandoned the place after the White Knight incident. Even now, investigation is still being carried out regularly in the underground facility as the place itself is vast and there are sections still left unexplored due to the various protections that Tabane made.

The events leading to the creation of ISA is quite complicated. Due to the immediate availability of research equipment Tabane left behind as well as every country wanting a hand in whatever else that was left behind, Japan was pressured to allow further deployment of researchers and military personnel by foreign powers. But that was where Japan drew the line.

When that demand was made, Japan then immediately point out that the world governments not only disregard the facts that their nation had been targeted by thousands of ICBM from multiple countries, they also disregard the fact that they have also violated Japan's sovereignty by sending in fleets of ships and planes to attack the White Knight without giving them much prior warning.

The Japanese governments allowed the matter to slide due to the extreme nature of the case but they will not be bullied into submission. They will not allow more personnel than what was initially agreed to help in the investigation to enter their country, especially military personnel.

Someone then pointed out that this was the Japanese's responsibility and that they cannot be trusted to handle the matter because Shinonono Tabane was one of their own. That statement was then followed by the Japanese stating that Shinonono Tabane also has ties to America, being a known associate of a professor in MIT who taught her about robotics and engineering, a skill which was reflected in the creation of IS, and that makes America just as responsible as them.

Finally, a compromise was reached. A facility will be built on the island that will be directly under the jurisdiction of the UN completely and must be unaffiliated to any specific country. Any findings must be compiled and brought to the UN security council without fail. Everything done on the island will be used for the benefit of the world. And so came the proposal for the creation of ISA.

The idea of making it into an Academy was actually a spur-of-the-moment thought that was actually the least serious thing considered during that day's assembly. As the investigation will likely take a long time to be carried out and then there is also the matter of learning, understanding, and developing this new technology, an Academy was proposed where specialists can be taught and trained who will then continue to bring that knowledge home or join the people underground to discover Tabane's secrets. Thus the first draft of ISA was made, an escalator school from highschool to college focusing on technology, robotics in particular

Following the first draft, the matter of security was also brought up as well as the regulation of the new super weapon. Unlike a straightforward nuclear warhead blast, an IS can cause massive destruction in various ways and the fact that they look like some mecha out of a sci fi series made more people unsettled. And thus the militaristic branch of ISA was created.

The military branch of the ISA was created for three purposes; One is to serve as guards for the research facility, two is to show that the usage of IS is being regulated, and last is to have the public know what IS are capable of, and letting the public know what the new super weapon can do and let them know that all countries all around the world have access to this same weapon would calm them down than having them worry about an unknown weapon running around. That was also where the idea of Mondo Grosso tournament came from. Making IS battle a sport would calm the public down. Of course, each country will continue to develop their own specialized IS in the background that was not revealed to the public which would serve as their trump card but that was another matter entirely.

And thus ISA was born.

Of course, not much of this knowledge is known to the public and Rita only knew due to her connections. The public only knew bits and pieces of it and that's only the general idea.

Enrollment into the school was strict. For the military section, a recommendation was needed on top of having an official military rank in order to be accepted. Someone without any military background, even of a simple cadet, will not be accepted into the military section. Rumors has it that military background doesn't really matter as long as you have a recommendation though but Rita did not pay it much attention because she didn't join the military section of ISA.

The other section of ISA works much more like a proper academy though. But entry is still extremely strict where only smart and dedicated students are allowed entry. Entering the high school division involves passing a difficult entrance exam focusing heavily on science and mathematics and only those who could score high are admitted. Entering ISA from high school though is much easier than entering ISA for college. The exam is much more difficult, so notoriously difficult that it was said that getting a doctorate degree is easier than passing the entrance exam.

While some of the difficulty might be exaggerated, there is some truth in that statement. That is because there's a lot of specialized knowledge taught in the high school division that was used to build a base around which they will then work on during college years. It is why everyone who wanted to work on IS engineering all started from High School instead of college. It is just that difficult without proper base. Though that might begin to change once IS tech or other tech derived from it started becoming more mainstream. In fact, this year's number of new students is much greater than the previous years.

As the plane lands, Rita ended her thought concerning the ISA and prepare to exit the plane. She has to remember. She has another reason to be in Japan other than attending ISA.

"I see. So you can start working on it soon. Well that's good news. I'm surprised the whole facility can be built this fast but I suppose technology have advanced faster in the last few years thanks to the trickle-down effect from the advancing IS technology."

Rita Alcott spoke to her phone as she walked out of the airport. It has been one year since then and as she had told Charles, she had enrolled into ISA so she can come to Japan. In fact, she's currently speaking with her friend, mostly to inform him that she had arrived.

Ever since they found Banshee, they have kept regular contact with each other, coordinating together. After she went home to UK, Rita had told her mother about the Banshee and sold the idea to her with promise of technological advancement coming from an unknown machine that could be alien.

Of course, her mother didn't buy the idea immediately and wanted to see what Rita was speaking of with her own eyes. So a discreet business visit was planned where Charles took her to see the Banshee and by seeing the Banshee with her own eyes and hearing Charles' sales pitch, her mother, and the Alcott conglomerate by extension, agreed to help finance the research with some of their own people working there. It was supposed to be a joint project after all and while Rita trust Charles explicitly to not swindle them or pull a fast one, her mother does not.

And after months of hard work, the research facility, or at least the basic form of it, was done. Truthfully, there had been times where they are worried that they would be found out, but having someone high up in the French parliament as one of your main backer helps a lot when you want something built in secret… and wasn't that an interesting thought? A sixteen years old having to worry about conducting an illegal research. That was not something someone her age should've been worrying about. But it is and she's already too deep in the whole thing to back out now. Sometimes she feels like she's older than she actually is.

Seriously, while Rita understands the whole idea behind the secrecy, a part of her still feels that this is wrong. But another part of her felt that… this is necessary. Whether that was the cynical part of her speaking after learning a lot about the business and political world or a part of her that simply… feels that this is right is up for debate. And wasn't that an unusual thing to consider? But she has to, especially when the primary reason why she's here is all based on what amounts to 'a feeling'.

Something about the Banshee is drawing them in. Charles noticed it too but he's more focused on the Banshee as a machine, a technological marvel. That's why he left him to handle that part and go off chasing after the other aspect of Banshee that made her believe that it's an alien machine; the visions. But that can be left for later after she had settled down in Japan.

'True. Advancement in robotics thanks to IS tech had helped us built much of the facility in a shorter time. Though it's mostly about setting up the walls and corridors and bringing in the larger equipment. We're still in the process of assembling them so what we have now is only a basic workshop. Might need a few more months to be perfectly ready.'

Came Charles' reply from the other side of the phone. Still, it was a big facility so having progressed as much in the building process is already impressive. She had seen it a few months ago while it was under construction but the progress they made back then was already impressive with most of the living accommodations, electricity, and plumbing finished. Well with the small underground river running through some corridors, getting water source is not that hard.

"I'll come for a visit during… summer vacation, hopefully. Anyway, I'm about to get a cab to Tokyo so I'll talk to you later."

'Okay. Keep yourself safe and please don't do anything too dangerous. We're not even sure if 'THAT' is really there.'

"I'll try. And trust me, it's here. I don't know how to explain it but I'm sure of it. And even if it is not, then I still get something out of this trip. A diploma from ISA does open a lot of doors."

'True. Then I'll talk to you. Bye.'

"Goodbye."

Having said their goodbyes to each other, Rita ended her call. Charles can be such a worrywart sometimes. But that just shows that he cares. Besides, while everything had been going smoothly, it is true that what they are doing is dangerous, especially if they managed to catch the attention of the more dangerous elements of society, the underground, or heavens forbid, the government themselves.

Taking a deep breath to herself to calm down from her rather unwanted train of thought, Rita pulled her luggage to where the taxi queue is. She didn't bring much with her, just a suitcase that contains all the necessities she immediately needs. The rest of her things will be delivered to ISA in the next few days. She decided to come to Japan early to familiarize herself with the country as well as taking in the sight.

Sometimes, she herself finds it odd that she is comfortable with travelling light like this. Girls her age usually pack a lot of things that will need more than a suitcase to fit in. But not her. For her, she only packed the essentials. She didn't even pack any makeup kit. Not that she uses them in the first place. She didn't really think much about it before but after thinking about those visions, she started to wonder about these little things from time to time.

Once she got herself a taxi, she told the driver to take her to a hotel in Tokyo. The taxi ride proceeds mostly in silence as she reviewed her Japanese. When she decided to enroll in ISA, she took time to study Japanese a bit and while she's quite good in speaking the language, the writing part is still iffy, though she had learned that most of the lessons conducted in ISA are done using English for convenience as ISA takes students from all around the world.

After about an hour ride -she didn't bother keeping track of the time- Rita arrived in front of the hotel she'll be staying for three days until she has to go to ISA. She checked in to her room and fell face first onto the bed. She's feeling a bit tired from the plane ride and really wanted to sleep but at the same time, it's still too early to fall asleep. Jet Lag will be a problem for the next few days. She never experienced it since UK and France doesn't have that much of a time difference and France is the only country she frequents. Japan though is on the other side of the world and the time difference is much greater.

After staying in bed for a few minutes, Rita got up and began to unpack. There's not much to unpack though, mostly toiletries and other perishables and in about ten minutes, she's done. With the unpacking done, Rita left her room to explore Tokyo. She didn't bother to call another taxi this time and decided to walk and familiarize herself with the roads and later on, the Tokyo train system, which is as infamous as London Underground.

As she walked out of the hotel, she passed by a girl around her own age with shoulder length dark hair and indigo eyes. Their eyes did not met but as Rita passed her, the dark haired girl turn around and blinked. The dark haired girl stared at the crowd Rita disappeared into for a moment, tilting her head.

"Miss Michele, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing."

A well-dressed bespectacled gray haired man called out to the dark haired girl. She shook her head and turn back to the man as they walk together into the hotel. He is talking to her about something but Michele did not pay much attention to whatever it is he's saying.

'That girl… have I seen her before?'

So Rita finally arrive in Japan. Well, most of this chapter is just info dumping, particularly about the details of this world. In this version, I want to make ISA a serious academic and partially militaristic institution. Which is why I rewrite the history of ISA to include its origin, why it is located there, and how it works. In canon, ISA doesn't seem to have much standard and its status as an elite international academy is not seen much since so far, only representative and representative candidates have been shown to be foreigners while the rest of the school are japanese. The political workings behind ISA is also expanded a bit to show that it is a much more serious business here and not just a venue for a harem. What got me facepalming about ISA is the fact that it allows civillians to ride what is supposed to be advanced military hardware and that is just honestly a bad idea... unless all students in ISA are officially military personnel. So this time, I divided ISA into two sections; military and academic, and both have very strict requirements in order to be accepted. For the military section where IS combat will be taught, the students enrolled there must be official military personnel with authorization from their home country. The academic section is not as strict but the entrance exam will be difficult. There will be other differences made more obvious in the future but I want to make it clear. ISA here is serious business with very strict requirements to enroll and is funded and watched over by the UN themselves. This place is not a breeding ground for a harem and I aim to incorporate ideas from Anaheim Electrunics Industrial College and Ecole Du Ciel.

Other than that, Michele Luio finally made an appearance!

About Ichika and the Unicorn, he will appear in the near future and the Unicorn business will be covered during Rita's time in Japan before she graduates ISA.