[X] Go back to Remilia and watch her fight.
You look up at the big map for a few moments, then shake your head. Whatever it is, you aren't going to figure it out here. "Thank you both for explaining things to me," you say, and if Vita looks suspicious, Koakuma bows appropriately. You turn back to the table and consider sitting with someone else, to see if they have anything interesting - but they don't think Remilia can do it, and seem to be taking the Belkan Invasion as the end of the game, anyway. You return to the table as the turn changes once more and hop into the chair next to your sister. She winks at you and her wing curls around you as you lean against her.
"Trying to guess, or just interested in watching how things play out?" You shrug.
"A little of both," you respond, and she chuckles. She keeps tapping at pop-ups - minor and major events like trade deals and scandals - and a small box pops up in front of you … the demographics and statistics of her kingdom.
"You should be able to figure it out before the invasion begins," she says with a grin, and you look over the information. Most of it just concretely expresses what Koakuma stated - the people are very happy with their rulers, the aristocrats and other upper classes aren't endemically abusive or corrupt, education and health are good …. You shake your head and click through the options until you find a series of over-time graphs, all the while keeping half an eye on the growing dissent, dissatisfaction, and crime that seems to be cropping up. It's just like Koakuma said - cultural domination. Over time, cultural homogeneity. Which is just a little bit odd, over - after a check, hundreds of simulated years - and across several dozen planets. There just aren't that many factors that can unify people to such a degree ….
"Remilia-chan's people aren't happy anymore."
"Mm. And your ally has been asking around, too. Are you sure you're going to be able to fight the Belkans?" Remilia just smiles toothily at Fate as you dig through her demographics, finally finding more or less what you expected - the culture of her kingdom is highly religious, although without extending into the political sphere. There is no state religion, and no laws forbidding or requiring religion, it simply … is dominated by a single apocalyptic religion. That must have been tricky, if she didn't use her magic or power to manipulate the game - but she said she didn't cheat, so she must have done so within the context of the game itself. Well, she is your amazing sister, after all. She squeezes against you, pressing you close with her wing, and you match her grin.
"Not only fight, young Fate, but prevail. As I said - I plan to force the Belkans to withdraw, and that has not changed. These disruptions are merely the pawing of an impatient horse." You shake your head at the looks of confusion on the Mid-Childans, and Remilia smiles. "You should study animals more. Knowing whether a beast strikes to slay or to flee, whether its huffs are a bluff or a sign of danger - humans are not so far removed from the beasts of the field or the birds of the sky, after all." Megane looks up from her screens.
"Have you studied animals much, Remilia?" Your sister laughs darkly and shakes her head.
"I have not, but I have read much of humans' own writings - and I have studied humans in great depth. Do you know what you are, deep inside? It is a very rare state … most humans do not truly know themselves, what they are capable of. What they truly are, in the dark and the cold. It is a weakness, the antithesis of youkai - but it is a strength, that allows humans to trust other humans. Because they do not know themselves, they believe that others are not monsters and so grant them trust." Fate stiffens and sits upright, staring at your sister.
"I think you're wrong about a lot of people, Remilia-chan. They're better than you think."
"Oh, people are indeed good and kind. To humans." Remilia looks at each of the others in turn. "You humans are quite sacrificing, almost altruistic, but that quality is highly dependent on two factors. The first factor is attractiveness; a kitten or puppy will garner more sympathy, receive more aid, than a snake or a snail, because it is more attractive to your typical human. The second factor is that of family, and you humans are quite self-deceiving in that matter, and the extremes of human treatment are based heavily on the notions of acceptance and repudiation." The burgeoning discussion ends as the Belkan Invasion begins, crushing one of the non-player states that existed in the south of the map, and the Belkans sweep north and east, overrunning Fate's domain and slamming into Megane and Zest's states. Fate's forces conduct an attempt at defense, almost a mere formality, and after they're smashed her state surrenders swiftly. Megane's forces fare a little better, but after the arrival of the Cradle and the invasion of her capital world, her nation also surrenders. Zest's state, larger and more hostile, bloodies the Belkan fleets sent against it, but even the destruction of his capital doesn't end the resistance entirely - perhaps a quarter of his domain surrenders, half continues fighting in the name of the government, and the remainder attempt to gain their own independence.
"War 'to the last broken knife and the last poisoned well'?" Remilia bows her head to Fate, and you watch as the Belkan invasion fleets advance toward your sister's state.
"Indeed. I said that family is an important part of what determines how humans treat each other, and that acceptance and repudiation govern the extremes of human behavior. When a human says, 'You are my brother, and I will fight for you,' that is expected; when it is said to an unrelated human, it is an expression of deepest trust - what many humans deem righteousness. Loyalty, honor, and the related concepts … these are counted among the greatest treasures of humanity. But when a human says, 'You are not a human; you are less than the dog on my floor, the pig in my barn, the monkey living in the forest,' - when he says that, when he repudiates the humanity of another human … then the knives come out. Blood stills into poison incomparable, and we youkai bow before the multitude of atrocities that our betters commit in the name of humanity." The Belkan fleets assault the border worlds and smash the defending fleets, the hastily-built defense platforms. The planets do not surrender, and attempt to launch strikes at the orbiting ships, so the Belkans descend to compel surrender, leading with battalions of automatons. The armies are wiped out, the only prisoners taken those too wounded to continue fighting, and the militia - half-trained men and women, adolescents eager to show their faith - replace them, only to be shattered and scattered to the winds. The Belkans attempt to pacify the cities, and are attacked by common citizens with knives, thrown masonry, poisoned, strangled, buried under corpses. Factories, built beneath hospitals and guarded by nurseries, continue to produce modern armaments … and when the Belkans finally withdraw from the planets, your sister's kingdom is richer by twenty billion martyrs.
"What …?" You aren't sure if Megane meant to say anything; she certainly looks horrified by your sister's callousness. Fate and Nanoha both look unhappy and disappointed, and Vita is practically trembling with rage.
"The designers made everyone human, but allowed for superhuman alterations. In reality, this level of fanatic devotion to a religion would not be possible - not so consistently over two-score and more planets. And the Belkans are merely human, themselves. Yes, they will continue fighting - but my kingdom will not surrender when they slaughter its ruler, when they obliterate the capital world. They are human, and they can hate … but this kingdom repudiates them entirely, and is so vast. The Belkans will break and will not complete their conquest." You nod in agreement, and Fate blanches and looks away. Nanoha looks sorrowfully at her screen for a moment.
"Do you not care for your people?" Remilia looks at Zest for a moment before nodding.
"I do - but this is a simulation, a game, and these are not my people. And were this reality, and the only possibility for the survival of my people to turn them against the invaders, to repudiate them - then I would do it. A people forged into weapons to annihilate an invader can be healed, can be turned into ploughshares. A people destroyed are gone." She sounds almost wistful, and you rub your cheek against hers. Does she miss Hesse? Maybe you can sneak out of Gensokyo and visit, just the two of you ….
"Hey. Is what Reimu said true?" Everyone looks at the fiercely-glaring Vita, and your sister nods once. "Good. 'Cause you're making everyone upset, and that means you're getting uppity." She holds out Graf Eisen authoritatively, and in a flash of red she's armored by her Barrier Jacket and pointing her hammer at Remilia. "I, Vita, Knight of the Iron Hammer, challenge you, Remilia. And when I exterminate you, you have to stop being so awful just to try and prove a point!" Chairs shuffle back - Nanoha, Fate, and, a little surprisingly, Zest. Well, they might entertain your sister a bit ….
What do you do?
[ ] Watch the fight.
[ ] Go to sleep.
- [ ] Remilia's room.
- [ ] If Ilya and Lulu are together, sneak into their room and sleep with them.
- [ ] Your room.
[ ] Practice, practice, practice.
[ ] Other?
