StrikerS Sound Stage X



StrikerS Sound Stage X is a two-disc self-contained Audio Drama story, part of the Nanoha franchise. Taking place three years after Striker S, it excluded everyone introduced before that, with the exception of minor character Mariel and revolved around a new incident that the heroes must handle.

What appeared to be an ordinary Serial Killer case that Enforcer Teana was investigating turns out to be something more sinister as ancient texts that speak of the undead Super Soldier army of Mariage led by the Dark King Ixpellia are uncovered together with the identity of a terrorist named Toredia who plans to use them. With the threat of a Zombie Apocalypse looming over the horizon, Subaru and friends must battle the Mariage, and locate both Ixpellia and the mastermind behind this latest terrorist attack before it's too late.

NOTE: Only general tropes for the series are listed here. For character-specific ones, check out the character pages.

Sound Stage X provides examples of:

 * Action Bomb / Cyanide Pill: A Mariage would self-destruct if captured in a final attempt to kill its captor.
 * All There in the Manual: The Sound Stage X Dictionary has additional information on the plot, such as how "N2R" got its name and the implications of.
 * Amusement Park: Marine Garden.
 * Arm Cannon: One of the things that a Mariage could shapeshift her arm into. Capable of firing artillery that could destroy a tank in one shot.
 * Asshole Victim: The hotel owner is shown to have a shady past and sleazy personality before he gets murdered.
 * Audio Adaptation: Unusually for the series, it actually has events with lasting consequences for canon.
 * Battle Amongst the Flames: Inevitable in any battle against the Mariage since the first step in any of their attacks involves torching the place they're in.
 * Bittersweet Ending: The Mariage are neutralized, but.
 * Blade Below the Shoulder: A Mariage could shapeshift their arm into a nigh-unbreakable sword or lance.
 * Busman's Holiday: The incident occurs when Subaru was organizing a mini-reunion for any Riot Force Six member she could get a hold of.
 * Couldn't Find a Pen: The Ancient Belka Psalms, which were written in blood on the walls of one of the murder sites.
 * Darker and Edgier: To start with, this is the first time where Innocent Bystanders are explicitly killed on-screen en masse.
 * Deus Exit Machina: All of the super-powerful old cast are off on their own missions, allowing the newer cast to take the spotlight.
 * Dystopia: Orussia, a place torn by civil war where basic necessities are scarce, but weapons and ammunitions are plentiful.
 * Dug Too Deep: The Underwater Ruins  were uncovered during the construction of the Marine Garden.
 * Evil Poacher: Erio and Caro catch one in the track where they first appear. He was quite surprised to find himself being hunted down by a dragon in this day and age.
 * Faceless Goons: The Mariage.
 * He Knows Too Much: The hotel owner gets murdered immediately after he realizes what's going on.
 * Hive Mind: The Mariage. Quattro even mentions that their tactics are like those of insects.
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Ginga's interrogation of Jail reveals that the Mariage have a taste for human flesh.
 * Implausible Fencing Powers: When the Redshirt Army tries to gun down a Mariage, she simply deflects all of their shots with her arm blade before killing them.
 * Impromptu Tracheotomy: The murder victims were found with their throats stabbed.
 * Lensman Arms Race: The booklet describes the Ancient Belka War as this, and mentions how this was the direct cause for its destruction.
 * Line-of-Sight Name: The name for "N2R" came from the part of the rehabiliation center where they stayed.
 * Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: What started as a Serial Killer and arsonist case turned out to be a terrorist plot to revive a Dark King and unleash an army of undead Super Soldiers.
 * Mono-Gender Monsters: The Mariage are all female.
 * Night of the Living Mooks: The Mariage.
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Nearly literally with the Mariage, with only the Pirate part not fitting.
 * Not Using the Z Word: The Mariage, a horde of single-minded man-eating undead that are raised by a necromancer from corpses, are never referred to as "zombies" or "undead". The term used for them is "Corpse Weapons".
 * Psychic-Assisted Suicide: How one person died in front of Subaru. She wasn't able to stop him despite his pleas to save him.
 * Pyromaniac: Modus operandi of the Mariage is to torch down any place that they attack.
 * Sealed Army in A Can: The Mariage were uncovered during an archaeological dig.
 * Shapeshifter Weapon: The Mariage could shapeshift their arms into various weapons.
 * Superpowerful Genetics: The booklet mentions that the Belkan Royalties directly invoking this, experimenting on their bodies to not only turn themselves into Persons of Mass Destruction, but to also ensure that their descendents would inherit their powers.
 * Time Skip: 3 years after Striker S.
 * Voice of the Legion: The Mariage, who speak in a deep and echoey tone.
 * Warrior Prince: The standard king during the Ancient Belka War, who are mentioned in the accompanying booklet as having turned themselves and their descendants into Persons of Mass Destruction to better lead their countries as symbol of power.
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: Vivio going Full Drive to do a data search with MAXIMUM POWER.
 * Zombie Apocalypse: What Toredia was planning to start with the Mariage.