MGLN - Miracle of Science

BaseDeltaZero · Sep 4, 2023

Hey everyone! This is a fic idea I've been kicking around for a bit - it started as a far-future bit based on 'what if Jail won... and then things got Complicated', but after a bit of effort I realized I desperately needed to actually... write out the divergence.

So that's what this is. I've got quite a bit done so far, so posting will be fast at first. My plan was to include pictures of key moments in each chapter - sort of like light novels do, I think? But my writing ability, and ambition, far exceeds my artistic talent, so... that didn't happen. Maybe at some point. I've left the descriptions in, but they peter off in later chapters. Maybe I'll add them back in.

There's nothing particularly explicit or extreme, but as the premise kind of suggests, there are definitely bad things happening. Potentially very bad things. And the whole... 'failsafe' situation will be important. I don't think it needs a Mature Tag. Not yet, anyways.
This is NOT a crossover with the webcomic Miracle of Science. It's just... a delightfully congruent name.

Discussion is strongly encouraged! I am... prone to headcanon, admittedly, so that might just. Happen.

BaseDeltaZero · Sep 4, 2023

Saint's Cradle Command Chamber
Approximately 17 Kilometers over Clanagan Outskirts, Central Mid-Childa
T+33 Minutes

Interior of the Saint's Cradle Command Center. Middle-12 shot of Quattro standing on an elevated platform in the midst of a void, showing a simulated view of the outside. Dozens of monitors showing various things - maps and vidfeeds from the Cradle, Sanctum, and beyond.

Quattro stood amidst an ocean of monitors, watching the world burn. Even as Tsabie forces assaulted Sanctum, her sisters closed on the Headquarters once again, and the Cradle - though it had picked up a couple uninvited guests - rose steadily. Utter chaos, to casual observance… yet also the fulfillment of the Doctor's ultimate design. Everything she lived for.
For all that was worth.

So. The kid and Takamachi were busy killing each other - that'd occupy them for a bit longer, at least. Just needed… seventeen minutes? Quattro scowled. The Navy would be here in forty to ninety minutes… thirty one minutes ago.

And of course it was going to be the short end of that. Wondrous ancient piece of junk couldn't just start, no. It had to take half of forever to turn on the engine. And…

Things were going well enough down below, she guessed. Capital Defense Forces were still in total disarray, and Gadget icons flooded across western Clanagan. Dwindling by the second, of course, but not fast enough to stop the plan. Looked like the Zero girl was… well, not in hand yet, and her real sisters - well, their realness was arbitrary as anything, but her long-term sisters were…
Well, they looked to be fucking it up, getting stuck on a single squad, and Zest was… God knows where, and God knows what he's doing. Time was running out, but… she was sure they didn't need the reminder.

Meanwhile, Sanctuary was - what few Gadgets remained were being cut away by a battalion of knights, the Fate girl at the head. Well, the Doctor was going to get a close look at her, it seemed. But hey. Gotta catch 'em all.

The hull was holding, at least, keeping the swarm of mages around the ship at bay. Their two intruders notwithstanding. Speaking of, with the baby ghost dead, perhaps she could reassign Type IVs to the throne room? Doctor might want the Takamachi girl alive, but…
Quattro ran the numbers, and had no idea how they shaped out, but spending precious, limited power fighting her had to be bad. If it meant power enough to keep the ship afloat (and herself alive) that meant more than Jail's shiny obsession. She had to be alive to make excuses.

All going well enough. Just the kind of 'going well' that was about a degree from everything exploding. Still, she was glad it was her on the ship. Otto could do it, Otto probably should do it, but no, Doctor was apparently convinced the Tsabies lacked basic pattern recognition.
Whatever. Better her than me, Quattro figured.

So… Gadgets. She accessed the ship's defensive garrison. Redirect everything that's not -
Wait, what do you mean the ghost girl is alive?
And, from the looks of it, tearing through her limited supply of Type IVs, showing no sign of difficulty despite having been stabbed in half. Quattro swore under her breath. Between that and Takamachi swatting Dieci aside like nothing, Quattro was starting to get the impression being a Combat Cyborg was a fucking ripoff.

Transparent-and-white outline of a young girl shooting a kneeling girl next to them.

She repressed a shudder of memory, and angrily closed the throne feed.
Just maybe.

Anyways. Tiny Angry Ghost Girl. She was in the aft of the ship, far away from the command center, at least. Odd. You'd think that - oh shit the reactor.
Of course. They… must have found the schematics somewhere - the ship could repair itself, eventually, but if that core went down, they'd be basically helpless. Even if she stopped Ghost and Takamachi, the fleet would obliterate her - okay, Baby Ghost was… way too close, way too fast. There was no way to stop her from reaching the reactor - it was supposed to be very tough, but…
She'd had enough disastrous surprises from these two already. No chances.

"Fine. Fine then." Quattro said, opening the override controls. The Cradle took a ton of power to reach full capacity, but at this point - if she expended the reserves, she could breach atmosphere. At that point they'd be dead in space on a sub-orbital trajectory, but…
With the right angle, she could get to concentration range in six minutes. In the mean time they'd have no exterior guns, no ordnance barriers… and no transfer system.
The first two… as long as the fleet didn't arrive, shouldn't be much of a problem. The last… her sisters would be trapped at ground zero, without hope of extraction, and if the Tsabies forced her to fire, or anything else went wrong...
She input the emergency thrust program, and in what some long dead designer presumably thought was a truly classy move, a physical switch grew from the glassstone console.
"Well, I didn't want to do this."
She didn't. Really! It wasn't the plan, it was reckless, and... It was just… fuck, she didn't want to die.
"But…"

No, nothing profound came to mind. It was just… what she had to do. And besides, Combat Cyborgs could be replaced even faster than humans.

She flipped the switch.
Instantly, the ship began to turn, silently adjusting to face the new trajectory. Then… it was almost anticlimactic, a slight vibration the only internal sign as the Cradle's main engines thundered to life - if only for a moment, smashing aside Aerial Forces that scattered too late, leaving the rest behind in an instant as it climbed for the empty sky above.

From above. The Cradle pierces through clouds, climbing, as the sky grows dark. Whorls of vapor and plasma trail behind it like a comet through the sky.

BaseDeltaZero · Sep 4, 2023

Sanctum Central Stairwell D
Marbeda Valley Reserve, Central Mid-Childa
T+35 Minutes

Low Angle, as Sette and Jail descend the stairway, dust billowing through a closing blast door. Sette, while not showing much emotion as usual, is tense and alert, Jail seems unconcerned.

After the orbital battery, the Doctor's great plan was kind of uneventful. A lot of displays that didn't mean much to her, a distant thump of battles fought above.
None of that was Sette's concern. She wondered why they were staying here, in the Sanctum, but she was young and never really understood much of what was happening. For now, all she had to do was stay at the Doctor's side.
Something, though, felt wrong. Doctor sent Tre and Sein to deal with something above, as she descended down into the Archive with him.
Something important had to be down there. She had her duties to focus on, but they were so-

The ground shuddered, an echoing boom shaking through the corridors, followed by an ugly crunching roar. They didn't stop, though, not even as a blast of dust billowed out of the Maintenance floor above. Sette peered through for any sign of imminent threat, her augmented vision unhindered -
Nothing. Not even above or below, either. It was wrong to feel disappointed, so she tried not to.

Blast doors sealed off Systems as they passed on the way to Archive. Sette stepped out of the stairwell, once more checking for any sign of intruders in the long, crevice-studded hallway.
"Clear." She said unnecessary. Doctor paused only briefly, folding his hands behind his back as he walked towards the maintenance platform.
Lights snapped on, drowning out the dim green glow of the life-pods lining the walls. The Doctor paused at one pod she knew nothing about, and continued on, a monitor opening at his shoulder, flickering through… Sette frowned. She knew better than to look.

"Sette." Doctor said. "We have a guest."
With a gesture, he transmitted the data to Sette. A map of the Sanctum, showing a reaction moving down Corridor 7, cleaving through Gadget icons, Tre closing from the other direction, and a video feed of…

The blond woman from the enemy force, the product of their precursor project - FATE. Not their sister, but… a cousin, of sorts.

Main Panel Jail walks ahead of Sette in the 'Archive', glowing life pods on either side, holding his hand up to 'flick' an image to her.
Left Inset: Fragment of a map, showing a corridor intersection with a red -S+- icon, moving past various gadget icons, and Tre's III closing in.
Right Inset: Close up image of Fate, annotated. SUBJECT ANALYSIS. VIS-RECOG: DONE. Fate Testarossa (FATE).

"If you would assist Tre in making her comfortable…"
That meant 'fight her'. Sette didn't understand how that made any sense - but she could do that.
"Yes Doctor!" She nodded. She still didn't know what was happening, but she was happy to be with Tre while it happened.
She turned and darted towards the stairwell, leaping from wall to wall on her way down - with Systems and Maintenance locked down, she'd have to go out of her way, through Corridor 11
FATE and Tre's icons met near Shaft 4, the sharp crack of clashing spells sounding as they moved down.

[Engaged FATE specimen Alpha. Standby Ready, target evasive.] Tre transmitted. She had moved - likely been thrown - further down Corridor 10.
FATE moved away from her, but Sette was ready to intercept her, armblades unfurling as she slammed into the corner wall where Corridors 11 and 14 met. Bouncing was quicker than turning.
FATE was closing rapidly down Corridor 14, towards her. Ideal, under the circumstances. Sette leapt forward, towards her.

[I've got it.] She replied. [Engaging!]

Fate blocks a boomerang as Sette surges towards her, a third unpacking from storage on Sette's arm, trails still lingering behind her.

She threw her blades forward, her IS directing them through a ricocheting path as they slashed towards FATE, following after herself. It was unlikely to defeat her - and indeed she evaded one and parried the other, but defeating her at this point was not her intent.
A new blade unpacked from storage to block FATE's attack, as the passageway behind Sette crumbled where her weapon had scored it. FATE could no longer reach Doctor this way. Success. But that still left her facing an S+ mage.
From Sette's initial block, FATE followed up rapidly, avoiding her returning boomerang in the same motion as she pressed the attack. Sette lunged to counter even as she reclaimed said weapon, her autonomic reflexes easily matching her enemy's speed blow for blow, but likewise making no headway.
Her augmented senses warned her of a surge of magic, and her body moved to block before Sette consciously registered it. FATE's blow threw her back into the rubble, but it was only a moment before her flight system had compensated. FATE backed off, but behind her, Tre turned the corridor. It had been only moments, but she had…

Instead of ceasing, the surge of magical energy flowed into a casting array, identified as probable rapid bombardment. Her chances of blocking were low…
Dodging, however, was not an issue, and she flitted aside a full quarter second before the spell discharged. And discharged again. Four times, total.
When it dissipated, Tre had reached FATE, who projected a barrier to defend, leaving an opening for Sette. But FATE turned her lunge away in such a way she had to scramble for footing against the floor.
Perhaps FATE's poor performance in the prior exchange made her overconfident. It was unfitting for her - but she could recover quickly enough to aid Tre, right armblade slashing upwards in sync with her -

Panel 1: Fate blocks a punch from Tre, as Sette darts in with an uppercut.
Panel 2: Fate spins backwards, Bardiche switching to scythe mode as she counterattacks Tre, who ducks…
Panel 3: …And flips over, kicking Fate into the ceiling.

FATE spun, weaving her body through their attacks with frustrating precision, her device snapping open to manifest a semicrystalline scythe. In the same motion, she swung for Tre, who ducked down - and quickly spun her feet upward, kicking back towards FATE. She blocked the first kick, but the second snuck past her guard, and slammed her into the ceiling. A moment later Tre leapt after her, Sette casting her own boomerang into the melee.

Sette's boomerang struck, but FATE's barrier jacket deflected it with no apparent strain, and she rolled away from Tre's punch and counterattacked with her scythe - hanging for a moment, energized blade against energized gauntlet.
Magic flowed and formed into an array of bolts held on either side of FATE, as her scythe pressed in towards Tre's neck.

Unacceptable.

Sette launched forward, AMF flaring as the bolts flew towards her. She reached out, weapon forward - stinging numbness struck her legs, her back, and her blade slammed through an empty wall.

Blinking rythmically to counteract magic damage, Sette turned. Tre was safe, beside her. FATE was - absent. She must have gone through the cave-in into the Archive maintenance tunnel.

Upper Panel: Tre and Fate struggle, Fate bearing down on Tre.
Bottom Left Inset: Sette grimaces…
Bottom Left Panel: And launches herself forward, bolts slamming into her, half decohered.
Middle Inset: Sette's blade slams into an empty wall.
Right Panel: Sette, blinking, looks around. Tre stands next to her, looking annoyed and mildly concerned. A cave in may be visible?

[Are you stable?] Tre transmitted.
Sette shrugged, her body tired and tingling. But functional. [Yes. Are -]
[Good. Be careful not expose yourself.] Tre said helpfully. [The samples are in danger.] They had lost a second, maybe two. In that time -
- Sette remembered the obvious. [The Doctor is in Archive Maintenance.] The magic lethargy must have clouded her memory. A fault caused by her rashness.

There was no time for recrimination, as Tre and Sette launched after her, and emerged into a torrent of plasma. A portion of the Gadget garrison had engaged FATE. They would last only moments.

[Get to the Doctor] Tre ordered. She complied, flying over the fire from the Gadgets as Tre wove through.
…She would be fine. Sette obeyed her orders, moving over and past FATE as Tre collided with her. She flew to the access ladder, moving fast enough she warped the metal as she grabbed it, and climbed up, rushing to Doctor's side.

From overhead, with the grate of the Archive floor partially obscuring the view: Tre darts through plasma fired by a half dozen drones as she closes on Fate. Sette rushes ahead. Inset, Lower Right: Sette seizes the ladder, metal crumpling under the impact.

He studied the battle taking place perhaps forty meters away with no apparent concern. Sette wondered if she should apologize now. It felt wrong to reassure him -
"I am here." She said. Compromise.

"I see." Doctor said, chuckling. "A family reunion, th-"

The floor grate exploded, Tre launched into the ceiling, FATE hopping through the hole a moment later. Tre… moved too slowly, languidly - but, drawing on all her power…
She slammed FATE to the wall, pushing her back, shield and all. A set of Type 1s moved into a blocking line, but Sette's reaction optics could still see the wavering aura as Tre's energy reached its limit. Doctor didn't react. Sette stepped forward, and stopped herself…

[Sette!] Tre transmitted. [Strike now!]
Sette threw the nearest Type 1 out of the way, her boomerang blade unfurling on programmed impulse. Tre held FATE with her elbow, pushing with all the power her magic could muster. Sette's systems calculated a thousand trajectories, but they were all -
[You're in the -] Sette replied. There had to be some way -
[I KNOW!] Tre snapped back. She couldn't - she… [DO I-]

There was a flash, and Tre was thrown back - she tumbled across the grate, coming to rest against in one of the niches. She was still for a moment -

Tre pins Fate to the wall, screaming back at Sette, who stands, blade ready, but hesitating. Gadgets hover on either side of her. Jail continues to wait impassively.

The Gadgets opened fire - if they were holding back, she must have made the right choice. FATE was in her secondary mode, auto-barrier thin and her Device now split into two blades like Didieci's. It was a vulnerability, of sorts.
"IS." Sette recited. "Slaughter Arm."
It was not necessary to speak. It felt necessary. She hurled both blades forward, as the gadgets charged their second shot.
It was useless. FATE swatted her blades out of the air, followed a second by a shot blasting through all four of the gadgets simultaneously.

Sette looked back to Tre - she stirred, pushing herself up, hair soaked in blood, her AMP shredded. As she rose, FATE wrapped her in bindings with a casual glance. Still -
Two more blades unpackaged from Sette's storage. She looked back to Doctor, who… she could never read faces, but - where was Sein?
Okay. They'd worn FATE down. She had to -

"Fate Testarossa. At long last, you return to the fold." Doctor said, stepping past Sette, arms open. "But, is this a joyful reunion, or a mission of revenge."
What. Sette stepped after him, as he ignored her attempt to put herself back between. FATE pointed one crystal sword towards him.
"Neither." She said. "I'm here to arrest a criminal."

Doctor equipped a gauntlet and snapped his fingers, and in a blur of red, line-like bindings wrapped around FATE.
What.
Doctor laid his other hand on Sette's shoulder. It didn't make her calm.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Doctor said.
[Wait. He can do that?] Sette transmitted. If they'd known he could defend himself so easily, then -
[Apparently.] Tre replied, exhausted.
Doctor stepped forward, one arm held forth. "After all, you are, in some sense, my daughter. The miracle that created you was completed by Precia, but it was I who laid the foundation..."

"I don't care." FATE replied, struggling against her bonds. Sette supposed she was a… half sister, then, but -
"There's a regiment outside." FATE continued. If Doctor won like this, shouldn't they just capture her and escape? Somehow...

"So there is." Doctor shrugged, laughing. "But that's not what we were talking about, was it?"
He must have a plan. Sette wished she knew it.
"On the matter of children… we're remarkably alike, you know. You, I…" Doctor's voice lowered. That meant he was implying something. "Even your mother."
"That's not true." FATE snapped back, pausing in her resistance for a moment. When he used that tone, it usually was true - and bad…
[What's going on?] Sette asked.
[No idea.] Tre responded, sounding as confused as she was. That was bad. Tre wasn't supposed to be confused.

Almost like the show. Fate is bound, with the Doctor standing in front of her, claw raised, with two massive monitors on either side, one showing Caro and the other Erio.

"No?" Doctor continued. Two giant monitors appeared beside them - Sette recognized the enemy summoner and spearman from their briefings, but had never directly engaged them. She didn't recognize the significance.
"We both have a compulsion. A duty, to the unique and rejected. To seek out what is forbidden and unlock its potential. To unite them under our wings."
"They're not collectibles." FATE said. "If that's what you think -"
They most obviously were not limited-series figurines, so Sette had no idea what was happening. She gave up on it. Just wished they could leave, or Doctor could finish this part of the plan in a less risky way.

"No?" Doctor said. "Think of them as you like. But you did collect them. Brought them together, under your authority - because you realize the truth. Only your kind - our kind, can truly understand. After that, how could they not follow you? That is the lesson the world taught them. That is the lesson your mother taught you. That is what we share in -"

The ground shook twice. It paused for a moment.
[Uno.] Tre transmitted, tiredness slipping into - [Evac status.]
[There's no shuttle…] The same tone was in Uno's voice, but… more. [I hadn't recieved the signal, we'll - perimeter is crumbling. We need to hurry.]
They were afraid. That couldn't be good. Doctor wasn't, though. He must know what he was doing.
[We're…] Tre replied, pausing. [… finishing up here.]

"Ah. It seems Quattro has decided to sacrifice this base. Your 'regiment' must be getting closer."
The self-destruct? Sette heard it existed, but…
It'd be sad to lose everything here.

"Bastard!" FATE replied. "There are people here."

That was true. The samples - it'd be bad to leave them, so Doctor must…

"Interesting specimens…" He said… "A source of knowledge, but ultimately mundane. I have learned all I can, and it is information, the knowledge that matters. What we accomplish. That the idea matters more than any flesh and blood. I only regret… that you will be lost as well."

He didn't have a plan? They could take FATE with them, at least. They should take FATE with them. Sette dared her best to shoot the Doctor a meaningful glare. He didn't notice. How much time did they -
There was a surge of magic, and the red strings unraveled. FATE surged forward, leaving Sette trailing behind…
And Doctor stepped aside, fast as either of them, swiftly turning on FATE, more red slashing across the controls beyond her. His movements were not as precise as their autonomic motion, but -

"You'll never get away!" FATE shouted. "Stand down while we can still stop this."
"Photon Lancer, Phalanx Shift." Her device said - a wall of bullets materialized behind her. In the open, if she wasn't weakened… Sette could dodge that many. Doctor, here? She -

"We're not finished…" Doctor said, and mana surged through him, dwarfing the energies of FATE's phalanx shift. A pattern of red materialized in his hand, and he tossed it forward, slashing through the shells before they could develop. "…little girl."

Sette prepares to attack, as a grid of red ribbons slashes through Fate's bolts as she dodges.

Sette didn't know what to make of this, but she had a job - hurling one boomerang wide, almost backwards, she advanced, attacking with the other. "If you don't stop -" FATE countered, somehow faster than before, and she was forced to back off, allowing FATE to easily block the other boomerang.
"-we'll all die here." FATE continued, launching herself at Doctor again, discharging waves of electricity, dodging red streaks that lashed out like miniature bombardment.

"Have you noticed my children share something in common?" Doctor said.
"So what?!" FATE snapped back.

With FATE… distracted, Tre had freed herself, and charged. Sette had to help. They clashed against FATE's swords and the occasional darting shell, until FATE struck with a beam of energy from her sword that forced Tre back.

"Of course not." Doctor continued, clearing his throat - a net of red once against formed around FATE, but she was ready this time, and leapt aside. He kept going. "As I said. Precia completed Project FATE, on the groundwork I laid."

"But I have perfected it."
FATE charged, and this time Sette was ready for her, blocking her advance with a counter attack, trading blows rapidly - she knew she couldn't keep up forever, but Doctor's unexpected power should be enough… if he would only help.
FATE backed off again, flying sideways as Sette moved to stay in the way.
"Within each of my Combat Cyborg's wombs lies a clone embryo, awaiting implantation with my memories -"

FATE paused, ever so slightly. "You..." Doctor didn't take advantage of her disorientation, and Sette alone might be insufficient.
Sette paused too. She knew this, of course, but… why would Doctor tell FATE? He must have some reason.
"As long as even one remains -" Doctor continued, proud. "I. Am. Immortal!"

Sette looks on in minor surprise, Tre seems resigned, as Doctor Scaglietti rants, arms spread wide.

"Are the Combat Cyborgs immortal too?" FATE asked.
That hadn't been mentioned. Sette thought it would be important to know, if it was true. She looked from Doctor, who said nothing, to Tre, who glared back at FATE.
"It doesn't matter." Tre said. Sette nodded, reflexively. They had a duty. She… wasn't entirely sure what it was, or why. But Tre would want her to do it anyways.

The alarm stopped, and the shaking ended. That should only happen if the self-destruct was canceled, but - would Doctor have done that? She didn't understand -

A monitor appeared beside FATE, showing a yellow-haired male standing in one of the corridors. More people streamed past him. [Charges neutralized. Cavalry's on the way.]

"You're under arrest for crimes against humanity." FATE said, raising her sword. A cartridge fired. Doctor frowned, briefly. "Surrender, and you will be permitted to speak in your own defense."

"Never!" Doctor shouted, suddenly stepping forwards, razor threads darting through the air - FATE stepped forward herself, blade slashing through them, and Sette desperately moved herself to block, parrying FATE's follow-up swing.

[Kill me.] Doctor transmitted.
[Doctor?] Tre questioned. It was unlike her to question an order, but it was a strange order, so she must have her reasons. Sette dodged a thrust from FATE. Still, even if they defeated FATE they would be captured soon.
[Do it now!] Doctor repeated. Tre hesitated a moment, then moved - FATE suddenly shifted, a cartridge detonating as she moved to intercept Tre. She must have guessed their plan.
That meant it fell to Sette. It should not be difficult - after a few millisecond's search, her systems returned the most reliable methods of killing given her capabilities, but…
It felt wrong. It was practical, but some flaw slowed her -

Too much. Gold light wrapped around her, and held her firm, as FATE pushed Tre back. The two struggled with all their might, and though Tre was incredible, FATE was still fresher, somehow matching Tre's reflexes.

Red strands sliced across Sette's skin as they dug through her suit, wove under FATE's bindings and tore them apart. A second chance. She ignored her doubt, and hurled her left blade towards Doctor - but it was too slow, and one of FATE's shots knocked it aside.
Sette had expected that, however, and richochet'd her own body off the ceiling, plunging towards Doctor blade first, who turned towards her -
FATE had expected that too, and intercepted her in midair. With no time to summon a weapon, Sette's left arm rose to block. She noted, strangely, the faint wailing of her battered AMP suit as it tried, futilely, to mitigate FATE's blade. Crystallized mana slashed through her arm, slowing the blow ever so-slightly that it merely scratched her chest as she twisted away.

Sette crumpled to the ground beside Doctor, numbness rushing through her body - followed by pain, as blood flowed from her arm in a rough circle.
She understood the mechanics. Even if it was not physically severed, concentrated mana passing through the body caused molecular and cellular disruption, creating a 'tunnel' of ruptured vessels, micro-fractured bones and broken nerves. Though not likely to be fatal, permanent damage was likely without appropriate treatment.
This did not reduce the searing, throbbing pain she felt, nor her complete inability to do anything but scream. Every part of her that wasn't in agony was numb, and it was likely the pain, alongside her systems - were only things keeping her conscious.
Doctor looked down at her with disappointment, as FATE bounded past, again. Sette gritted her teeth and rolled onto her side. FATE still held Tre back from Doctor - they'd failed. Even with Doctor's bladed weapon, self-termination was -

Doctor didn't try, however - instead, he suddenly shifted aside, dropping his Barrier Jacket and shoving Tre out of the way - FATE was far faster, though, and avoided hitting him.
Then Sein - no, not Sein, someone else - burst out of the wall and slammed into Doctor. He flew back, blood spraying from a head wound.
Damage was… severe. FATE quickly snapped towards Tre, blade at her throat. Tre didn't resist, just exhaled. Sette watched Doctor's vitals destabilize, and flatline. It was done.
The not-Sein newcomer said something to FATE. They were upset. That had to be good. Tre and Sette would be prisoners, of course. Perhaps destroyed. She hoped not, but… even that was acceptable, if it meant their mission was accomplished. Even the pain felt less now.
Doctor had dropped his jacket, but the damage was nonetheless dramatic. Had Tre been hit… Sette was not certain she would not have been severely harmed. Or worse. While it could hardly be called self-sacrifice, she… was thankful for it.
The newcomer moved to her side, binding her to the floor with a gesture. The bindings would be pathetically weak, if Sette was capable of moving. She slumped to the ground, the pain in her arm fading.
… Now that they had succeeded, her systems must have recognized the drop in adrenaline as safety, and began to limit overloaded nerve impulses. The woman said something about magic burn, and turned back towards Doctor, but Sette was sure it wouldn't make a difference. Doctor had warned they were not supposed to be captured, but… they had already succeeded, and even if they were dismantled, it would be a long time before the Bureau could match their systems. And, that might not even happen, if her information implants were correct.

Sette didn't often understand why things happened, and she was… very confused, and very tired, but it seemed everything had worked out. Right?
She should just worry about herself, of course. She could not help what the Bureau would do to her, only maintain herself for now. She ran a full system self-report. Condition Yellow, severe magical interference, burned out nervous wires and hemorrhaged myomer in the extremities. Minor repairs required, negligible threat to survival, recommended course of action…
She could rest now.

It was over.

NHO · Sep 4, 2023

Oh, Doctor.

Quattro is absolutely not ready to raise mini-you.

BaseDeltaZero · Sep 5, 2023

Saint's Cradle Command Chamber
High Suborbital Trajectory 379km Over Mid-Childa
T+36 Minutes

It just kept getting worse.

Quattro supposed she should have expected this - but somehow, it just kept getting worse. Baby Ghost had, still, somehow, managed to get into the reactor room and wreck the thing, before passing out - but the secondary plants and batteries and plants were still intact, if powerless, and they were at least in space.

Not that being in space was actually helping. Turns out guns designed to shoot spaceships are very big, and one of them had blown a hole in the hull, which had sent the citadel into lockdown. She couldn't leave the command center now if she wanted to.

At least… she checked the throne feed. Adding drones had at least kept things from going completely wrong there. Takamachi looked… this woman had to have a limit somewhere.
Still. She wasn't winning. She wasn't losing, either, but the Sankt Kaiser would last longer than any 'mortal' stamina. Should.

On the ground, it was… mixed news. In Clanagan her sisters had finally dislodged themselves of the one person they were preoccupied with, and were advancing on the command center. Of course, a shuttle couldn't get through and a transfer was impossible, for now.
Oh, and they managed to gain the other Type 00, but somehow lose Tredieci. That was weird.

At Sanctuary, it was…
It wasn't like she planned this. She hadn't wanted to kill anyone. Well, not anyone she knew. They were supposed to evacuate. Even without the shuttles, or the transfer, they were supposed to evacuate.
Instead, Jail decided to talk.

She supposed, in this case, Jail acting like an absolute cunt was poetically appropriate.
Jail hadn't explained how that worked, but she put the pieces together - it probably couldn't be all of them pregnant, and if it was the closest then they'd just die too. No, it was probably someone specific. Otto and Due were the obvious options… but right now, they were far away - maybe acceptable in an emergency, but no - Jail would want his host to be on the Cradle. Which meant her.

And that was exactly where she wanted him. She could hardly have planned it better. Even if… well, it was his fault they hadn't evacuated. Even if she didn't have orders, she had to take the chance.

She had big plans for Baby Jail. All the wonderful things they'd accomplish together. Plans regarding organizational structure, and operational goals, and frank reassessment of past dealings with stupid baby cyborgs.

If things didn't go so well, there were plenty of shithole primitives in need of a new god-queen. As retirements went, it was a pretty decent gig.

She watched the timer tick down the last seconds. They were back to fighting now! Not like, leaving, just apparently fighting for reasons. She hadn't known Jail could fight like that, though. He'd never needed to before. Sein was going the wrong damn way fucking -

She closed the screen. There was nothing worth seeing, just the clock ticking away.

Three.
Two.
One.

Zero.

Nothing felt different. That… probably didn't mean anything. She half expected to feel something. Some kind of system message, at least. Of course, it might just not be her, but… she doubted it.
She was always his favorite, after all.

"Well, that's it then." She said. Here, floating helpless in space, her ship still in chaos, her sisters… dying beneath her, it felt…
It felt good. She'd done what she had to. Guilt was a waste of effort. There was only victory or death.
She brushed her chest in the way she supposed she was supposed to.
"Guess the dream is all up to us now." She said. All up to them. Alone. Despite it all, tension flooded out of her body for the first time in…
She couldn't remember. She laughed, quietly, stepping to the side, then pirouetted in place, giggling maniacally. It was… it wasn't over yet.
"Sorry!" Quattro 'apologized' "Get comfortable. You're gonna be in there a while."
Long enough to arrange things in her favor, at least. Especially without the others to complain. That was a good thing, really. Even if it meant the plan wouldn't work anymore…
Then again… making actual choices sounded nice. And some of her sisters might still be alive.

On the other hand, this'd look really silly if Nove or someone was the real host -
She'd have to delete the tapes if it wasn't her.
… actually she should do that even if it was. If anyone was coming. Hope was a waste of effort, too.

On that subject… she hadn't won yet.
"Well then, shall we check on our guests?"

The Throne room was, as expected, a mess - the Kid smacked Takamachi across the room, only to for her to immediately get up and shoot down two invisible Type 4s. The room was almost completely covered in broken drones. Still. She had to falter… eventually.
They paused long enough for the Kid to whine about being made solely as a tool, blah blah blah. Poor baby, absolutely no one else here would know anything about that. If they'd just get on with it…

Quattro opened a channel. "Ahem. You two seem to be having fun, and I hate to interrupt, but I changed my mind."
Takamachi barely paid her any heed.
"You've lost. We stopped your friend in front of the engine, we're in orbit and five minutes off the moons, and I have a lot more drones. But, as my good deed for the day, I'm gonna let you surrender. No one else needs to get hurt. More."
Takamachi continued to pay only marginal attention, though it seemed to annoy her, at least. "I'm serious." Quattro continued. "You both look like you need a rest. And you'll -"

Takamachi had cast a binding spell on the Kaiser - it wouldn't last long or weaken the Saint's Armor, but apparently she liked that technique, and now her device fired no less than five cartridges in three seconds. But for some reason, she wasn't aiming at the Kaiser, she was…
No - Even Takamachi was nothing next to the likes of EINHERIAR or ODIN surface-to-orbit batteries - a shot like that could never penetrate the citadel, and the command center was inside the… citadel…
...just like the throne room.
Shit.

Quattro immediately cut the connection, flew as far from the dias as possible with, and threw up the sloppiest, most desperate, and most overpowered barrier she'd ever seen.

Damage alarms blared, and, mercifully far away (far enough?) the command center wall melted in a second that seemed to last forever, flooding the space with a flash of pink light. And then it was gone, leaving only faint needles of numbness in Quattro's arms.

Too close. The command console was gone, and she - ugh, guess she'd caught some of that. It seemed to have been a blind shot, maybe guided by her own transmission, that was the only reason she wasn't hit. Did… what did magic do to pregnant women? She'd hate for any harm to come to Jailbaby, after all. She -

- Oh shit there was a hole between her and Takamachi now.

Open sensor link, receive only, where had she…

Oh. Right where she had been. Another Type IV lunged, and she stepped back as she blocked, countering with crystallized lance. For just a moment, she stumbled, collapsing against her staff - the kid darted up, fist slamming into a fracturing barrier. For a moment, Takamachi looked back at her with plaintive resignation, and the Sankt Kaiser's second blow laid her out, device skidding away - she shuddered weakly beneath the throne and, 'Jacket finally ablated, fell still.

Quattro commanded the Kaiserfarbe (and the drones) to stand down, slowly flying over to alight on the slightly melted command dias. Kid suddenly lost about a meter and a few cup sizes, and fell to the ground weeping.
Had a shot at having a worse life than Quattro did, honestly. And… keeping her under control could be a problem, but she was too vital to replace. Ideally, they might find some better solution now that they had systems access… but then, if wanting things made them possible, she'd be a good person.

… There was still a planet-scale hostage situation to perpetrate. Three minutes till collective. Then she could transfer the others and -

Something hit her head like a supernova. As it receded to massive amounts of pain, she vaguely felt herself on the ground, saw a blurry variant of the command center, which seemed to be spinning in every direction at once. She rolled over, body protesting in pins and needles - she tried to get up, but felt on numbness, even as, offhandedly, she felt her fingers twitch of their own accord.

There was no one, no one around to - she sobbed. Did someone shoot her? With a gun? Why the fuck did she have to die like this? Why the fuck couldn't she just have one thing go -

"That was unexpected…" Her voice said, coughing. It wasn't her. She… wasn't dead? But then who… "Then, what does it matter how it worked when the work itself is…"
Someone else looked at her hand through her eyes. "…so magnificent!"

Oh no.
Of course he did, of course he knew what she was thinking, he always did, why, why…
"I suspected there might be trouble." Quattro's voice said. She slowly, mechanically climbed to her feet as the pain subsided. But it wasn't her. "Besides. Deprivation does terrible things to the mind."

You bastard. You…
[Manners, Quattro.] Jail Scaglietti transmitted, once again in his own voice. [For CYPHER to function properly, it was necessary to host my consciousness within your cybernetics until the process completes.]

Against her will, she looked down at herself, brushing dust off her shoulder. Doctor cleared her throat.
[As an unfortunate side effect, this also permits me to impose control override as I see fit.]

The words hung amidst the ruins of the chamber for a moment.

[It was the only way to ensure safety.] He said. [I am sure you understand.]

He glanced around at the wrecked command console, then to the hole in the wall, before speaking in her voice... "Now. What trouble have you caused us this time?"

AN: I forgot the picture descriptions stop quite so quickly. This one... might actually benefit from a few. I may go back and add them, but not now.
So uh. The other half of the failsafe.

NHO · Sep 5, 2023

Well, I think things can still go way worse!

For everyone. Poor Nanoha.

BaseDeltaZero · Sep 13, 2023

Ground Forces Tower Vicinity
Downtown Clanagan, Central Midchilda
T+35

Wendi flying on her 'side' over the outskirts of the GFCC, a pair of blue bolts coming in fast.

The world was a spiral of color and sound - even as it threatened to all crash down, Wendi wove through it all. A millimeter ahead of danger, she - OH SHIT

Abruptly, she swerved to put her board between her and the incoming attack, hearing two sizzling impacts against it, as another, entirely different shot went way too close to her head. She kicked into a spiral, scanning - two AF mages, out of nowhere, and swept down into deserted streets.

[Two more.] She transmitted. [Dunno -]
Blue light criss-crossed the street ahead, and Wendi desperately shifted her momentum back and up. Back into -

One of the mages came straight at her, a spearpoint she wasn't supposed to be scared of looking really close…
One hand parried, just in time, the other punched him straight into… somewhere below. Now…

The other mage flew backwards, leaving behind a circle spitting pinpricks - Wendi summoned a hand barrier, and the shots ricocheted off - physical projectiles, wrapped in magic. Wendi lined up her shot, power flowed down her body, and a pink shaft (hehe) slammed into her target's shield - a moment later, another beam fired, and as the mage tried to evade, the third grazed him, leaving him to spiral into the tower wall.

[Took care of it!] Wendi chirped over transmission, ducking low over the plaza, sweeping past the ruin of the rail line. People scattered as she shifted around, once again facing the tower - the tower where, somewhere near its apex, lurked the man who had betrayed the Doctor so long ago. It had taken an age, but all that stood between them and revenge was -

A deep red spear leapt upwards - her body went taut, ready to snap out the way in an instant, but - as it happened, those phenomenal energies were still bound by complicated and fragile something blah blah, which promptly unraveled into a flurry of mild irritation.

Wendi glanced back towards an entrance tunnel, only beginning to form an attack strategy when a golden wrecking ball slammed into the tunnel, ricocheting inside and sweeping over the defending Mage. Sensing the opportunity, a flood of gadgets broke off and made their way through, down the wrecked rails.

[Got one!] Nove transmitted. [Try and keep up!]

[No fair hiding!] Wendi replied - she swept down, where a knot of TSAB security staff held out beneath the plaza stairs, and fired a volley - she glanced back, to see them sprawled across the ground.

A moment later, a beam of jade-green light arced overhead and shattered, fragments breaking into fragments, seeking out the enemy with sinister efficiency, a hundred explosions sounding across the tower.

Ray Storm impacts, some beams cutting into the forces arrayed around the GFCC, most impacting the tactical barrier itself.

[Show off] Wendi transmitted. She turned, speeding towards the tower - her senses picked out dozens, hundreds of targets in the smoke, stunned and disoriented by the blast, but… recovering. She swerved up, weaving towards one of the satellite towers, a rainbow of bolts chasing after her - too slow, but too close.

[It didn't work!] She noted.

[The tower's barrier is weakened, but still intact.] Otto transmitted. [Enemy reinforcements inbound, rerouting Wing 2-11 to intercept.]

[Oh, fun.] Wendi replied. [That'll hold 'em, what, a minute?]

She wove tight around the satellite tower, half-covered from every angle as she climbed upwards.

[Where the hell is Due?] Nove asked.

[Unclear.] Otto replied. [She should be in contact…]

A grid of white light popped into existence in front of her, and Wendi veered to the side, only to see a trio of mages diving down from above - covered from every angle except one, she realized, dodging a rain of bolts. She snapped back up, firing back as she slid through the air, but -

Just as abruptly, another figure darted in from the side, tackling the lead aerial mage - a second broke off to engage, leaving only one for her to deal with.

[Thanks Dido!] Wendi transmitted. All she had to do was buy time, Dido was unmatched in aerial combat - at least among the four of them. Obligingly, the last Mage fell back, a rapid bombardment spell cracking through the air behind Wendi - she turned, and went out and up…

[Be careful.] Dido replied. In the distance, she dueled the second aerial mage, and… won, from the looks of things. Which just left the last, who had seemingly lost interest, allowing Wendi to reorient… and see, highlighted in front of her, the heart of the GFCC, the seat of the traitor himself.

She wouldn't get a better shot. The barrier was shredded, enough to let a small, slow object through. Compared to the kind of things it was meant to stop, she was a small, slow object. Get in, link up with Due, and… then they'd go from there. [Got a way in, I'm going.]

[Understood.] Otto replied. Wendi nudged her board forward, aiming towards the armored window near the apex of the structure… it was already broken? Was it hit in the fight? That just made things easier. The barrier pushed against her, glowing faintly, and she pushed back, giant stress lines crackling around her… [We'll follow you when we can. Dido, can you assist 2-11, it's suffering -]

Side shot, showing a 'cross section' of sorts. On the right, the barrier, snapped open behind her, in the middile, the window, and Wendi on the left, board slewed wildly as she abruptly comes to a stop.

The barrier flashed, and she slipped through, suddenly darting through the open window, swerving to a halt inside the Bureau's very seat of power on the planet. Immediately, she found the cause of the sundered window - Zest, resting against a wall, looking decidedly worse for wear. How did he get here?
It didn't matter - he could explain when this was over. In fact, judging by the old man slumped over the desk, he'd already accomplished -

… that was an AMP suit. Behind the old man, laying bloody and… dead?… against the wall, was a girl in an AMP suit. She thought -
She was moving before she thought anything. She'd only seen videos but…

Zest moved suddenly, and before Wendi fully realized what had happened, she was thrown off-course, tumbling to the ground at low speed, landing not far from the girl.
Her shoulder hurt - and was bleeding. Deeply, her diagnostics warned. None of the numbness, the tired feeling of a magical injury. But if…
"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed, glancing back - Due's collar was clear as day. Even if it wasn't, Wendi recognized her, video or not.

"You're not the one I expected." Zest said, sinking into a slouch. If he meant to kill her - she'd acted too slow. Her autoreflexes weren't…
"What happened here?!" Wendi continued. Why would he attack her? Was this some way of making a point. "Is she -"
"I came here to repay a debt." He explained. "But that burden was stolen." He glanced back at Due. Her biometrics weren't responding. "By another."
"You killed her?!" Wendi asked. That…
That couldn't be true. Zest wasn't one of the sisters, technically, but…

"Yes." He replied simply.
"How could you?!" Wendi shouted, rising in fury, her wound momentarily forgotten, board aiming towards him. "We're… we're family!"
[Nove, Everyone, Zest just killed Due. Help. Please.] She plead over transmission. It felt… strangely silent.

Zest marches towards a panicked and furious Wendi, spear at his side as she shakily aims her device towards him.

"Family?" Zest replied, walking forward, eerily calm. "Jail orchestrated the death of my squad. Jail brought me back to this cursed life as his puppet. And now… he has even denied me my vengeance."
"But why would… you didn't…" Wendi stammered. She'd never really thought to ask what he was so angry about. They weren't friends, but… they'd worked together for years! Was he really -
"I fear I will not live long enough to end him." Zest said. "But I can destroy you."

With that, he advanced again, but this time, Wendi was ready - firing off a prepared shot and switching to deflect, his spear slashing across her board as she stepped to the side.
"Why!?" Wendi shouted back, aiming at him…
"You are valuable to him." Zest replied. She'd hesitated, and he slashed his spear, a wave of fire cutting towards her - she raised her shield to block, and -
He charged, stabbing at her leg - reflexively, she shifted away, the blade grazing against her skin. She barely felt it, but …

"I'm valuable to me too!" Wendi shouted.
"… your mistake." Zest said. His weapon swung around, Wendi blocking automatically - she should be faster, but he was ruthless. Energy gathered on all sides, and she darted as far as she could, pressing herself against the wall as heat scorched against her armor, blistering her suit, and -

She realized she was open too late to do anything about it. Zest's spear slammed into her chest - if she'd been human, it'd go through her, and the wall behind her. As is, it smashed into the nanotitanium plating over her heart, blood flooding down her chest as she dropped to the ground, struggling to breathe.

She was going to die. She was going to die here because she was too stupid to realize her friend hated her, and then her other sisters would die too and there was nothing she could do to stop it -
"I'm sorry!" She pleaded. "You don't have to do this - you don't want to do this!"
"There's nothing else left to want." He raised his spear to the side, and… folded on himself in a coughing fit. For a moment Wendi forgot not to pity him, he was getting weaker by the moment.
Too late, though. Her board was far away, and magic refused to come to her. And Nove…

Wendi lying against the wall, bleeding heavily from a chest wound, board lying on the opposite side of the image. Zest stands over her - coughing blood into his hand, spear slacking at his side. Wendi looks up as Nove leaps through the window.

Immediately flew through the window.
[Sorry, there was some kind of -] She transmitted, sounding distant. "What the fuck is happening?"
Zest glared at her, and in a flash of energy charged - Nove slid backwards, Zest's spear cutting the air where she had been a moment ago, then just as easily, Nove reversed, armored boot slamming into his cheek, knocking him away. Stopping just short of the wall, rings of pale green force wrapped around him, as Nove raced after him, smashing Zest into the adjacent room with a flying kick.

"What the fuck!" Nove swore, staring into the adjacent room for a moment before turning to race towards Wendi. [Are you okay?] Otto waited, standing by the window, channeling power into an isolation barrier.
"N'really." Wendi replied. Her body was an indistinguishable blob of pain, and blood pooled around her. She was… not doing any more fighting today. At least she probably wasn't actively dying… at least not quickly.
"Good timing." She concluded.

[Otto! Help her!] Nove transmitted, much more clearly. Maybe it was the self-treatment, maybe…
[I can't. If I stop holding this, half the Bureau will be on top of us.] Otto replied.
[I'll live.] Wendi thought. [I think.]
[Well we…] Nove continued. "What happened?"

"Zest. He -" Wendi suddenly remembered to be shocked. "He killed Due. He tried -"
"He killed Due?" Nove asked, equally shocked. "Why?!"
"I don't know." Wendi replied. It didn't make any sense. "Revenge?"
"Fuck." Nove said.

"Any idea how we're getting out of here?" Nove asked. "Otto?"
Otto shrugged.
"Dido?" Wendi suggested.
"Already down." Nove scowled. "Well. Give me a minute."

She stood, slowly turning towards the broken wall. She sighed. And darted into the adjacent room with a thunderclap.
[He's down.] Nove reported. A moment later, she hopped back over the rubble left by the wall, and sped to her side, looking over her in dismay.
That… wasn't a great way for your sister to look at you.

[Diagnostic?] Nove asked.
[Minor damage to heart and lungs.] At least it gave her something to do. [Blood pressure low, but stabilizing. Rib plate compromised, musculature damage in shoulder, minor damage to thigh.]

"You'll… probably be okay." Nove said. "The most I can do is knock you out, though."
"Wha -" Wendi exclaimed. "How does that help?!"
"You'll need less oxygen." Nove said. "So long as there's no brain damage you'll be fine. So…"
"I…" Wendi began. They were surrounded, and unless they could fight their way past an army… would the TSAB bother to repair a damaged cyborg? Probably not. She didn't want to die without even knowing it, either. But if anyone was going to escape, they couldn't afford -

A transmission arrived. From the Cradle. An image of Quattro appeared beside the pair.
"Last call." She said. "Y'all alive down there?"
[… Mostly.] Otto replied, the delay almost palpable. [We have the Command Center. Dido is most likely captured. General Gaius is dead. Due is… also dead.]

"Ah, that's unfortunate." Quattro replied. Wendi was too hurt to feel really angry about how casually she'd said that, but filed it for later.
[Zest did it.] Nove replied, apparently not having trouble feeling angry. [I'm… going to take care of it. We'll hold as long as possible.]

"We're ahead of schedule." Quattro replied. "I had to… improvise. Grab Zest, and standby for transfer."
Standby for transfer. They weren't dead. Wendi's body twinged behind pain suppression as she relaxed, ever so slightly. Enough to make her very… sleepy.

[He murdered one of us, Quattro. Tried to kill -]
"Jail wants him alive." Quattro said, conclusively.
[Understood.] Nove replied. With another sigh, she skated off towards Zest.

Wendi exhaled. She'd probably not die, and Nove didn't even have to knock her unconscious, which would be awkward. A moment passed. The building shuddered under the Admin bombardment.

[What about the Type 0?] Otto asked.
[Well, the one you started with seems to have wandered out of our hands. The other, fortunately, is safe with Wing 18]

Faded, desaturated view of the inside the Cradle's transfer bay. Otto holds Wendi up, still bloody and barely conscious. Nove yells at Quattro through a monitor, Zest at her feet, a pair of Gadgets approaching to lift him.

[Gotcha locked!] Quattro announced. [Transferring… now.]
The world swam and distorted, and she suddenly slumped onto the great round circle of one of the Cradle's transfer panel. To her left, with another whumpf, Nove and Zest appeared on an identical panel, a group of waiting Gadgets rushing to lift him away. To the right, a Type 3 appeared out of distorted space.

The air of the Cradle was warm and slightly earthy. Familiar. Relaxing.
"I'm tired…" Wendi said.
Otto wrapped an arm under her shoulders and lifted her up, though she couldn't get her footing. "Of course. We should get you to Medical."
Wendi was pretty sure she responded, but she couldn't remember, only the gentle presence of her sister and home…

AN: Okay, that was a bit more of a delay than I hoped for. My home internet was misbehaving, it's... not actually been fixed, but we've found an interim solution.

Also, BDZ, why have you ended the last two-and-a-half chapters with the viewpoint character passing out from their injuries?
...I'm bad at transititions, shuddup.

Anyway, things just keep getting better!

BaseDeltaZero · Sep 21, 2023

Saint's Cradle Medical Room, Central Sector 15, Beneath Throne Room
Eccentric Orbit 37,483 km Over Mid-Childa
T+2:47

—
Viewed from foot of bed. Dieci lying atop a medical table, waking slowly, as Nove sits beside her. Opposite Nove, two life pods hold Wendi and Cinque.
—

When Dieci awoke, she was moderately surprised to see the distinct yellowish walls of the Cradle around her. Captain Nanoha Takamachi was… powerful enough that she couldn't even judge how much better than herself she was. But if she was on the Cradle, then…

Dieci blinked, and pulled herself up in bed.

"You awake, Dieci?" Nove asked. Dieci nodded. They must have won, somehow. Magic left few lingering side effects, but she was still groggy. Nove sat across from her, on a thin chair that clashed with the decor. To her left, two life pods stood, the first occupied by… Wendi? She looked like she'd been cut by something, pretty badly…

"What happened to her?"

"Zest happened." Nove sighed. That didn't -

"He tried to kill her." She continued, bitterly. "He did kill Due."

Oh. Dieci still couldn't guess what happened. Maybe… he had doubts too, but then… why did that happen?

Due, though…

"I didn't know her that well..." Dieci said.
"Me neither." Nove replied. "Not really, anyways. Still. She's my sister."
Dieci nodded. "Do you know why?"

"We… I guess we killed him first, sorta." Nove replied, shrugging. "I don't understand it."
"He's dead too?"
"No. Not yet. That was a long time ago. Before most of us were born."
"Doctor brought him back. I remember. But… we killed him? Then…" Dieci said. "It doesn't make sense."

"No." Nove said. If they had won, then… even if they'd never actually met, Nove was right. It didn't make sense. And they'd sent messages. She went out of her way to send an actual physical letter, the day of Dieci's own birth. Due being… they'd never get to meet in person, made the whole thing feel…
"Maybe the Doctor can help?"

Nove blinked, reaching the same conclusion. If the Doctor could bring Zest back, then surely -

Abruptly, Quattro appeared on a monitor in the corner of the room. "Hey. Need everyone in the command center."
"Alright. You up for it?" Nove asked. Dieci nodded. "Dieci's up. She -"
"I know." Quattro replied, cutting the transmission.

Dieci supposed Quattro could see through the connection. She stepped out of bed, conveniently already dressed, and Nove stood along with her. Dieci called up her map of the Cradle - they weren't very far. Given they hadn't yet managed to get the trams to work.

"So, we won?" Dieci asked, finally putting her speculation to words.
"Sorta. We're… still winning." Nove replied, as they set out. "Cradle's charged, but Dido's been captured, and… I don't know know about Sanctuary."
One person's omission was particularly obvious - well, he would be at Sanctuary, but worth special mention. "What about the Doctor?"
"I'm… not actually sure." Nove replied. "Quattro says it's fine?"

"So… Quattro's in charge then." Dieci concluded.
"Quattro's in charge." Nove said with a wince. Quattro was… strange. She was… well, she was her sister, but she never took anything seriously. And then… Dieci still didn't understand their conversation earlier… today?

"Otto is also here?" Dieci asked - she'd think Otto would be a better leader - or at least she'd prefer her - but… seniority, Dieci supposed.
"Yeah. Also, we have Takamachi, a… weird little kid, and the other Type 0 in the brig." Nove said.
"And Zest." She added with contempt.

"We captured Captain Takamachi?" Dieci wondered. "She's really powerful."
"Yeah. Couldn't tell you how." Nove said. "Or what the plan for them is."
Dieci noted something. "The other Type 0. What about Tredieci?"
"Just her." Nove shrugged. "She wouldn't follow us properly, so we had her stick with the Gadgets, but… it was a… whole thing."

"That's…" Dieci searched for a suitable adjective. The other Combat Cyborgs were still sisters, but… "Well. We've won, so we won't have to use the relics."
"Yeah." Nove replied, ever so slightly hesitant. Dieci didn't want to think about why. That was the only logical conclusion. The matter of the relics was all rather… unfortunate. The suggestion of using them without absolute necessity was… wrong.

But, no one really seemed to want to explain what they should be doing. She knew they didn't have time, but surely if the Doctor had simply explained to Tredieci that…
They were sisters, and the Doctor was their creator (he would not appreciate them using the word 'father'. But it was correct.) Surely that was all they needed.
She shook her head, Nove glancing over and frowning. She shouldn't be thinking about such things. There was something she'd missed, obviously. Like their lost sisters she just needed him to… explain that.

—
Dieci and Nove arrive in the command center, where Quattro and Otto wait, Quattro seated in something like an office chair, Otto leaning against the central 'bowl'. Beyond, a massive hole has been gouged into the wall, hull-matter coalescing along a grid of light.
—

The walk to the command center was not overly long. The massive chamber was seemingly empty, save for a small bowl-like platform not far from the entrance, a staircase of white glassstone climbing upwards. Like the ship as whole, it adapted its interior to meet needs dynamically. And now, all they needed was a meeting room, it seemed. Quattro was seated at the far side of the bowl, with Otto leaning against the opposite 'rim'.
Some distance above, a matching pair of massive rents had been torn in the bulkhead, already criss-crossed by a dense latticework of energy, blocks of material steadily slotting into place around the edge. That… was either Takamachi, or a naval weapon had penetrated the citadel.

The two quickly climbed the stairs, and entered the ring.
"That's everyone." Otto said. She didn't say 'left'. "What do you have to for us?"

Quattro spun in her chair, in that annoying way she always did, and spoke. "I…" She stopped herself, thankfully. "…just wanted to make sure everyone understood what is happening now. We have won a magnificent victory, but it is only the first step. The Bureau still holds many of our sisters, but we also have something of theirs. So long as Nanoha Takamachi remains on this ship, they will not engage. So. Make sure she stays on this ship."
Dieci glanced back at the hole in the Command Center, and wondered how they were supposed to do that. Of course they could keep her in stasis, of course, but… that didn't need their assistance. The relics were at Sanctuary, and… Dieci could admit she was glad to see them absent, but without them… Takamachi wasn't their sister. It might be… difficult to persuade her.
Quattro smiled. "I'm sure that won't be a problem, of course. We now possess the most powerful weapon wielded since the fall of Al-Hazared. Mid Childa's planetary barrier will not deter our might. We must merely remain patient - in time, they will beg to recognize our greatness. Already, their fleet has been driven off, and so long as we remain committed, we will achieve… total victory!"
That seemed… more loquacious than Quattro usually was. Maybe, given she was now in charge for the moment, she was simply emulating the Doctor. That made sense, she… well, Dieci was glad she did not have to fill such a position.
"So… all we have to do is wait?" Nove asked.
Quattro stared a moment. "Yes, that is what I just said."
"What are we doing to -" Dieci began. Phrasing was improper. "What are we doing with the Kaiser and the… Type 0 we have?"
"This isn't the time for that." Quattro replied. Dieci supposed she shouldn't have expected a conclusive decision, but… they could hardly put the Kaiser in stasis. And… they should probably let her take a break at some point. She… was sort of a sister? They shouldn't hurt her if they didn't have to, even if she was more like a key.
"Says who?" Nove snapped. "You're not the Doctor, and we have no idea -"

——
Quattro brushes a hand against her lower chest, looking smug, as the rest of the group looks on in various levels of surprise surprise.
——

"The Doctor -" Quattro said, putting a hand against her chest. "Is safe in my womb. And so he has entrusted me…"
Dieci blinked, involuntarily, at her statement. It made sense, though. But if that was the case, then -
"Can you prove that?" Otto asked.
"Of course I…" Quattro began, before trailing off. "…I can-"
"You're a better liar than that." Otto interrupted. "I'm convinced."
"That -" Nove said. "… that works. Better you than me, I guess. Still not sure -"
"He didn't choose me for my looks." Quattro said, shrugging. "If the Doctor trusts me as his vessel, you should trust me as his delegate."
Dieci wasn't entirely sure of the logic on proof, but none of them would lie about such an important thing. However, it was reasonable that whoever he chose must be as safe as possible, so it was prudent to also rely on their decisions.
"That makes sense." Dieci concluded.
"Obviously." Quattro said.
The Cradle's control system said something in Belkan, her built-in translation software helpfully supplying 'Take Communications'
"That'll be our friends." Quattro explained. "Leave this to me."
She waved a hand, and an image appeared of an… old lady, dressed in what seemed to be extremely formal clothes to Dieci's limited knowledge. Behind her, the triple seal of the Time Space Administration Bureau.
"Seneca Kiel, for the Department of State. I have been authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Time Space Administration Bureau and-"
—
Quattro holds up her hand, dismissively. The other Numbers stand behind her. In front of her is a monitor, showing an older woman with green hair fading into grey, hair wrapped into a gold-pinned bun. She wears a thin grey dress, golden epaulets wrapped around otherwise bare shoulders.
—
Quattro waved her hand dismissively. "Skip the formalities. I am not negotiating here. I am simply stating what will happen. We both know your barriers will not protect you - not from this ship. You will either accept this reality, or I will turn Clanagan into a crater."
Quattro smiled, the outgoing field visible in the corner of the display. The woman paused a moment… but seemed unphased.

"So what will happen, then?" She asked.
"First, you will cease to interfere in the affairs of Doctor Jail Scaglietti or his creations, namely the Combat Cyborgs. Furthermore, you will grant full credit for his inventions, the Combat Cyborg system, Memory Transfer Cloning, Synthetic Dark Energy Reactor, . You will also return his agents, samples, and other property, swiftly and untampered. You will reinstate his position at the Bureau Advanced Development Institute, and provide an associated annuity of 1 trillion CET."
The Bureau woman did not react. After a moment, she spoke again. "Jail Scaglietti is dead."
"Oh no." Quattro replied with a smirk. "He is quite alive - the perfection of Memory Transfer cloning, the transfer of a living mind to my womb, has been fulfilled -"
"I see." The woman replied. "However. While your ship is quite powerful, it has been defeated before, at a greater level of functionality. Any aggressive action will result in your destruction. I hope, if you care about nothing else, you at least consider that."
The woman flicked something towards the monitor, a second window displaying spatial coordinates and a long list of… Dieci couldn't tell.
"My counteroffer is this: Stand down and move the Cradle to the listed coordinates. Do so, and you will be alive to speak in your own defense. Your situation will be taken into account.
—
Viewed through the screen, where Seneca speaks sternly. Quattro raises her hand, and Nove is frozen mid-word.
—
"Like h-" Nove began. Quattro raised her hand, and Nove froze mid word.
"We are not negotiating -" Quattro repeated, snarling.
"No? We do not submit to hostage takers. We have your sisters in custody. Memory Transfer or no, Doctor Scaglietti will not survive the loss of your ship.
The woman paused again. "Nor will you, for that matter."
Dieci glanced at Otto and Nove - though the latter was… still transfixed. Hopefully, the Cradle was powerful enough for this to work, but…
"You won't fire. You wouldn't dare." Quattro replied. "I hold your world in my hands - with the touch of a button I could snuff out a billion-"
"And I have your life in my hands. I think I can guess which is more important to you. Neither of us wants this to end in bloodshed. But if forced, we will not hesitate to destroy you."
Quattro glared back in anger, any trace of playfulness gone. ".. Maybe I do want this to end in bloodshed."
Quattro's words from earlier flashed back. If she was so sure people's lives were worthless, it almost seemed she was excited - but then, they'd all been excited, and… She was just really devoted to the Doctor, which was good. If he… his clone, or whatever - really was inside her, it'd be extra important…
"Maybe - but I think if you did, your best chance was ten minutes ago. You know that if you fire, we have no reason not to destroy you. Given neither of us is going to acquiesce, let's negotiate."
"You have no right to impose your petty morality on… Doctor Scaglietti's affairs. What business of yours is it what he does with his creations? What right do you have to take credit for his actions?"
She was really devoted to the Doctor, honestly. Quattro was never this serious, not about anything. But… maybe she was imitating him on purpose. Nove still hadn't moved. Dieci pinged her to make sure she was okay.
There was no response.
"He is certainly welcome to… credit for his actions, and we can work on establishing an amnesty agreement-" The woman said. "However, in order for that happen, we need our people. As a show of good faith."
"And once all 'your' people are off the ship, you'll just leave us alone? I think not. Perhaps you should return Jail's property, instead."
"We can certainly arrange that. Also, any of… his former associates, who wish to -"
"No. They are - They belong to Jail. They belong here. With him. Along with all his other specimens."
Dieci nodded at that, they… certainly belonged here, at least. And she'd certainly feel better with everyone here. Well… almost everyone. She pinged Nove again, with still no response. It was like she'd just stopped, but… Quattro didn't seem concerned, at least.
"We are willing to make allowances for your actions here." The woman said, expression twisting ever so slightly. "That is not among them. Anyone who goes with you will do so of their own free will."
"Free will, of course, after you've… done with your meddling. No, they're coming back to us, now."
"We can allow the Combat Cyborgs to stay with you, for the time being. In order for that to happen, however, we need to defuse the immediate situation. That means moving the Cradle."
"And give up all our bargaining position? Why would I ever agree -"
"You have the ability to engage ships in dimensional space, and we do not. Furthermore only a token negotiation detachment will be present at the secondary site." The woman said, a hint of a… smirk across her tight-lipped expression? "Compared to here, surrounded by certain death should you make an aggressive move, I think your bargaining position is rather improved As I said, the Bureau does not acquiesce to hostage takers. But we can negotiate, so long as you release your hostages."
"I will consider your offer. But first we will require acknowledgment of Jail Scaglietti's triumphs - now and in the past. Independence from Bureau interference. Full Credit for his inventions. And, of the restoration of his property. As we began."
"We will grant the credit he is due, though first we should discuss the manner of disclosure. A full restoration of material goods and data from your Sanctum will be enacted. We're also willing to grant amnesty for his actions, and forswear authority over his future endeavors. Personnel will also be repatriated pending resolution of negotiations."
"All of Scaglietti's creations and samples -"
"The numbered Combat Cyborgs will be repatriated pending resolution. Everyone else we… can discuss. At a secondary location of your choosing."
Quattro grimaced. "… acceptable. You will return our sisters, or suffer the consequences."
"That will be arranged, as quickly as possible. Given the circumstances, it would be best that they be transported via shuttle to the neutral point. That will both expedite matters and ensure that no interference occurs during the transfer."
"That… is also acceptable. It's remarkable what we can accomplish once we establish the ground rules, isn't it, Miss Kiel?"
With that, Quattro cut the communication, and turned around. "See? Easy."
—
The monitor collapses into nothingness, and Nove stumbles to keep her feet, Dieci stepping forward - slightly too late - to support her.
—
Behind her, Nove nearly collapsed, barely keeping her feet as… whatever held her in place suddenly stopped.
"What the hell, who let you…" Nove stammered
"Jail did." Quattro interrupted. "I couldn't let you interrupt."
"So you… did that?" Nove growled.
"Yeah. I told you. My orders are the Doctor's - my authority is the Doctor's. My power over you is the Doctor's."
"Right…" Nove replied, glaring.
"What did you do?" Dieci asked.
"Just locked down her system for a moment." Quattro replied. It wasn't quite the same, but it sounded a lot like…
"Like the Relics?" Dieci asked.
"Something like that. Anyways. There is yet much work to do! Nove, Dieci, wait in the medbay. Otto… I have a special guest for you to meet."
With that, Quattro swept her hair over her shoulders and marched down the stairway, daring them to follow. Otto shrugged, and chased after her.
[… Bitch.] Nove transmitted.
[She's our sister.] Dieci reminded her. [But… I don't think victory helped.]
[She's my sister, I love her, and she's a bitch.] Nove continued, shaking her head. [I just… a lot has happened.]
[That's true. We've succeeded, though. We finally achieved our mission.]
[Yeah… It doesn't feel like it right now.] Nove replied, watching as Quattro and Otto exited towards the right side of the chamber. [But… we'll see.]
"We'll see." Dieci said aloud, stepping down the stairs. Whether they were winning or not… it still didn't feel over. Not just that, but… "I just hope we can survive winning."

NHO · Sep 21, 2023

Frankly, if there was a publication that allowed Mad Scientists to publish (so everyone would aknowledge their genius) without compromising their... unethical ways, that would led to less... explosive consequences.

BaseDeltaZero · Sep 22, 2023

NHO said:
Frankly, if there was a publication that allowed Mad Scientists to publish (so everyone would aknowledge their genius) without compromising their... unethical ways, that would led to less... explosive consequences.

Unfortunately, the IRB tends to object to Mad Science Bullshit.

(So does the shadow council bankrolling you, for that matter.)

BaseDeltaZero · Feb 16, 2024

Deployable Structure 4, Ad-Hoc Military Outpost
Near Sanctum, 278 km west of Clanagan, Central Mid-Childa
T+2:52

[That… is also acceptable. It's remarkable what we can accomplish once we establish the ground rules, isn't it, Miss Kiel?]
With that, Quattro's image vanished.

"So, we're being…" Sein replied, trying to translate 'repatriated' into something other than fancy. "sent back?"
"For the moment." Shieldbearer Lars Schulfe said. "Ultimately, it's your decision, whether you want to stay or not."

"I mean, I'm gonna go back." Sein said. There wasn't really any other possibility. Well, she tried to escape, but they had barriers everywhere. They even remembered the floor, and that almost never happened.
That excepted, there was no other possibility… and it was for the best, as it'd get her home faster. "It's… they're my family."

"I figured as much." He replied, pushing another plate of dried wedges towards her. She quickly snatched it and shoved one in her mouth, happily crunching down on the… weirdly pleasant things - if there was a good reason not to go back, these were one of them.
"Fanks tho." She said between chews. "Figured oo'd difmantle me or something."
"Where'd you get that impression?" The man asked, with a slight chuckle.

"We're just machines." Sein said with a shrug. It wasn't technically accurate, but… spiritually, close enough. They were the Doctor's tools, really. That was what they'd always agreed. "It… makes sense?"
"Well. We don't do that kind of thing." He said. "I imagine you're looking forward to reuniting with your friends."
"Of course." Sein said, grabbing a second (well, fourth) wedge with somewhat less enthusiasm.

"What are you planning to do then?"
She'd never thought of that. Of course, she'd been separated like this before, so… it was strange. She supposed it would depend on… she wasn't even sure what it'd depend on. Well, there was one thing she was definitely hoping for, but… other people didn't like to talk about that. "I… I'm just happy we're all -" Sein began, before remembering about Due. "I'm happy we're almost all safe."
"Ah. I'm sorry." He replied. "Were you close?"

Sein shook her head. "No, but… it still sucks." She didn't get along with Due well - she was… strange and a little obsessive. That didn't mean she wasn't…
She wasn't sure how she felt. Not good, though. She supposed, at least, they were alive at the Sanctuary. She… didn't want to leave anyone. And… when she'd found herself here, that…
"You close with any of them?" The knight interrupted, gesturing upwards. "On the Cradle?
"Yeah! Me and Nove are - real tight. Otto's a little quiet and responsible, but she's cool. Dieci I don't know as well, but she's real nice." Something odd came to mind. Otto and Nove were staying back, but… "What happened to Wendi?"

"I'm not sure. We didn't find her. I assume she returned to the ship."
"Oh." Sein said. If she returned to the ship, why wasn't she in the message? Were they lying? But why would they? Was it… was it all just a trick? Nothing made sense, but… she needed to get back to the ship. When they were together, it would be okay. Just…
"What about Quattro? It looks like she's in charge now."

Sein had never figured out what was with Quattro. She seemed fun, was always cheerful, but… there was something odd about her, like she never really wanted to talk. And she was… mean, sometimes, making jokes about things that… well, Sein was 'the funny one', and she didn't think those things were funny. But, then, she'd been born much earlier…
"She's the oldest. And she's made for it." Sein said. The Doctor had never really…
If the Doctor were here, he'd know what to do. He always knew everything. But… he wasn't. Not…

"I see. She's putting everyone in a lot of danger."
"It's… what he'd do." Sein whispered, thinking. Quattro was… a bit like her, really, yet Sein couldn't imagine what she'd do in Quattro place, and she wasn't nearly smart enough to guess what the Doctor would do. Quattro… might be, but still. But that earlier, just before she was captured, he had mentioned… he had a plan.
"She's doing what he'd do." And it had gotten them reunited, at least. Sein smiled. "It's working, isn't it?"
"He being Doctor Scaglietti?" Sein nodded. That explained it. Well… not Wendi. But it explained what Quattro was doing.

"You believe the story about the… resurrection system?"
"'Course I do. We all knew about it." Sein replied. In truth, it had been Cinque who told her about it, but it had worked. It wasn't the same, but the Doctor would… survive. Now, all they had to do was wait.
"Hmm. So, you think those aboard the Cradle were acting unusually?"
"Little bit." Sein said with a shrug, growing less frightened by the second. If the system worked, then it was all part of the plan. Everything under control.

"How so?" Lars asked. Right. They didn't know either, and thought they could get it from her. Well… they couldn't. That was the brilliant bit, she didn't need to know what the plan was. …hopefully.
"Not sure." Sein replied, shrugging. "I'm not smart enough to know." It was only sort of a lie - her part was usually pretty complex, but she wasn't the one coming up with plans.
"Ah, I don't know about that." Lars continued. "Anyways. Hopefully you'll get to see your friends soon - anything else I can do for you?"

Sein smiled. Despite everything, they were winning. She'd be reunited with her sisters soon. They held the advantage, and… in time, the Doctor would return to them. He had outwitted the Bureau again.
They… did have nice food, though. She grabbed another slice. "You got any more of these?"
"Of course." The knight said, making a final note on his datapad as he stood. "As long as you're here, you can have as many as you want."

As long as you're here. She frowned slightly, but she wasn't going to be bought that easily. Not by a long shot. She… maybe she could talk to Quattro about their sad dried wedge deficiency. It wasn't right they should win and still not having anything worth tasting.

NOT DEAD

The picture notes are probably dead, though.

... hey I actually managed to match the chapter number, neat.

NHO · Feb 17, 2024

Oh, no. Girl discovered chips for the first time and is down bad for them.

And also has no counter-interrogation training.

Well, now we knew why in main timeline Quattro put on some fat.

Ace Dreamer · Feb 17, 2024

NHO said:
Well, now we knew why in main timeline Quattro put on some fat.

If your... creator is planning on doing stuff, any time soon, isn't it a good idea to ensure there's plenty of reserves for growth? Would all that cyborging cut into where reserves would normally be? Also, is the Good Doctor going to be smart enough to ensure Quattro eats properly, for his own good?

(Or, maybe, Quattro has got pod-time ahead of her, while her body gets force-fed with nutrients...)

Have you noticed how... mad science gets in the way of ensuring properly planned meal times?

EDIT:

I'll throw in a mention of 'Dole Yeast' - probably makes kibble and nutraloaf something you'd look forward to...

BaseDeltaZero · Feb 17, 2024

Ace Dreamer said:
If your... creator is planning on doing stuff, any time soon, isn't it a good idea to ensure there's plenty of reserves for growth? Would all that cyborging cut into where reserves would normally be? Also, is the Good Doctor going to be smart enough to ensure Quattro eats properly, for his own good?

(Or, maybe, Quattro has got pod-time ahead of her, while her body gets force-fed with nutrients...)

Have you noticed how... mad science gets in the way of ensuring properly planned meal times?

There will be a little more later, but the Numbers are getting perfectly fine nutrition as is.
It just... doesn't taste very good. Very, very heavily processed food, calorie dense but plain. Somewhere between nutraloaf and kibble. The fact canon Quattro treated the TSAB prison system as an all-you-can-eat buffet... says something about both sides.

Putting Quattro in the pod would also be putting himself in the pod. Thanks to the specialized CYPHER electronics that wouldn't completely mitigate his ability to act, but it'd severely curtail it.
... and also having any kind of influence after that would be extremely obvious.

Dahak · Feb 17, 2024

Ace Dreamer said:
Would all that cyborging cut into where reserves would normally be?

On a couple of occasions we see how much Suberu and/or Ginga eat. They have to be using some firm of dimensional storage or fast magical conversion of food to a more compact form.

Ace Dreamer · Feb 17, 2024

Dahak said:
On a couple of occasions we see how much Suberu and/or Ginga eat. They have to be using some firm of dimensional storage or fast magical conversion of food to a more compact form.

So, the (D&D inspired) 'Invisible Love Handles of Holding' may/may-not be required?

BaseDeltaZero · Feb 17, 2024

Dahak said:
On a couple of occasions we see how much Suberu and/or Ginga eat. They have to be using some firm of dimensional storage or fast magical conversion of food to a more compact form.

Oh, I'd have added this to the above if it got posted like, a second earlier.
I think some of that might be slightly much for my purposes. But like... mages eat a bit more than normal humans, to begin with (mostly because even 'passive' magic is physically stressful.) Combat Cyborgs eat significantly more than that. Six to eight thousand (nutritional) calories a day sort of more than that.

Much of the nutritional energy wouldn't be going through the typical ATP process, so yeah, more efficient storage and processing, to an extent. Also the Numbers' food is denser to start with. This isn't really a special Jail Tech, it's just very processed calorie dense food. (Ginga also typically eats like... a normal diet, but also a couple of the 'a day's worth of nutrition in a bar' TSAB rations.
They also need supplements - there's not much titanium in a normal diet, after all.

ptbptb · Feb 17, 2024

BaseDeltaZero said:
what if Jail won

I honestly don't remember what Jail's motives were apart from "Kick puppies, be evil".

Dahak · Feb 17, 2024

BaseDeltaZero said:
Much of the nutritional energy wouldn't be going through the typical ATP process, so yeah, more efficient storage and processing, to an extent. Also the Numbers' food is denser to start with. This isn't really a special Jail Tech, it's just very processed calorie dense food. (Ginga also typically eats like... a normal diet, but also a couple of the 'a day's worth of nutrition in a bar' TSAB rations.
They also need supplements - there's not much titanium in a normal diet, after all.

Subaru "You mean normal people don't eat the cutlery?"

One of the StrikerS DVD notes brings up the concept of Loading Food when discussing this subject.

[B][B]A mage's diet said:
[/B][/B]
For mages, Mana in the atmosphere is linked together in an organ, the "Linker core", and stored within their body. For quick replenishment, a balanced diet consisting of sugars, carbohydrates and proteins is essential, as are a variety of vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy body. Therefore out of necessity, mages undergoing hard training during their early growth period eat a much larger diet compared to an ordinary person. Furthermore, pasta and other noodle-type foods are easily digested, so these types of food, known as ｢Loading Foods」, are loved by many mages, since they allow for quick energy and Mana replenishment.

Which I suppose might explain why Acous uses some of his dimensional storage for cake.

ptbptb said:
I honestly don't remember what Jail's motives were apart from "Kick puppies, be evil".

Less restrictions on his ability to do mad science.

Basically he appears to have wanted a bigger budget, no ethics committee and the ability to publish his successes without the oversight and direction that Regius and the Council of Brains imposed.

Basically he wanted to fufill the compulsions that Project Infinite Desire placed on him without the restrictions he was under.

BaseDeltaZero · Feb 17, 2024

ptbptb said:
I honestly don't remember what Jail's motives were apart from "Kick puppies, be evil".

That's... not terribly inaccurate!

BaseDeltaZero said:
"You have no right to impose your petty morality on… Doctor Scaglietti's affairs. What business of yours is it what he does with his creations? What right do you have to take credit for his actions?"

But he Quattro pretty much sums it up here.

It is possible that Jail Scaglietti is not entirely the hero of this story.

Dahak said:
One of the StrikerS DVD notes brings up the concept of Loading Food when discussing this subject.

Real world concept, I'm sure you know. But yeah. The food energy doesn't actually go into the Linker Core, any amount of energy accessible through digestion vanishes into insignificance next to that kind of output, it helps deal with the physical exhaustion that coincides with linker core depletion.

Ace Dreamer · Feb 17, 2024

BaseDeltaZero said:
Real world concept, I'm sure you know. But yeah. The food energy doesn't actually go into the Linker Core, any amount of energy accessible through digestion vanishes into insignificance next to that kind of output, it helps deal with the physical exhaustion that coincides with linker core depletion.

At the risk of mentioning RW science... Biological energy comes from burning glucose (from carbs; or fats/protein, but that's less quick/efficient) and oxygen. Storing carbs in the form of cake, nice, but you need to digest it, then use oxygen, from air, to get the energy out of it.

Do we see mages hyperventilating, when their stored energy is getting low? Wouldn't they need to do that to burn those carbs? I recall seeing something like that from the anime... Does this mean doing magic while without any/enough air, is more difficult?

Have the Digits got a way around this, by having implanted high-density energy stores they can tap?

(Out of curiosity, is Jail 2.0 going to include (more?) cyber enhancements?)

BaseDeltaZero · Feb 17, 2024

Ace Dreamer said:
Do we see mages hyperventilating, when their stored energy is getting low? Wouldn't they need to do that to burn those carbs? I recall seeing something like that from the anime... Does this mean doing magic while without any/enough air, is more difficult?

Yes. Doing magic without any air is more difficult mainly on account of the suffocation.

Ace Dreamer said:
Have the Digits got a way around this, by having implanted high-density energy stores they can tap?

They can't completely avoid 'getting tired when their core is stressed', but they're reliably stronger than most mages, as they have, basically, an internal mana source, and while it isn't as dramatic as a battery they are resistant to fatigue in a general sense.

Ace Dreamer said:
(Out of curiosity, is Jail 2.0 going to include (more?) cyber enhancements?)

Not really a spoiler, given everyone relevant knows it, but yeah, he'd basically be a Combat Cyborg at that point. It'd be genuinely hard not to do that.
...Albeit without an IS, unless you count Unlimited Desire.

BaseDeltaZero · Feb 19, 2024

I have crossposted to AO3 (and deleted the old abomination), if anyone cares. Shouldn't violate the two-click rule, even if the navigate page doesn't count.

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