Alright, vote locked in favor of Plan Why Not Both? Update to come later tonight!
Nine Quest: Believe In Getter and Hold A Determination to Build
- Thread starter SilverStorm
- Start date
Update Seventeen - Fighting As A Team
[X] Plan: Why Not Both?
-[X] Head to the launch tube in your Symphogear; you've got five senpai to learn from here! Change Dragon!
--[X] That doesn't mean you aren't able to stack the deck more in your favor; ask if you can try something with the simulator.
--[X] If given permission, turn it inside out and load the battle data of some of your old allies; keep it simple so you don't overload it.
---[X] The data belonging to Dann of Thursday and the man named Van alongside Tobia in the XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1 Kai should be enough to give you all an edge in case this attack has more waves waiting.
"I'm on my way!" Commander Kazanari shouts as he rushes out of the simulator. As he does so, you briefly take control of his earpiece to communicate your request.
"Commander! With your permission, I think I can use the simulator to fight external threats! Please allow me to-"
"Just do it, Nine!" He cuts you off. "I trust you to handle it!" His confidence in you is encouraging; time to see if it's justified.
As soon as he fully exits the simulated space, you dismiss the GranVang and rush after him while beginning to parallel process with your mind. As one part of you focuses on racing to the launch tubes with the other Symphogear wielders, another part of you hacks into the simulator's hardlight generators and sets them to project externally from the submarine rather than internally. As your body sings "Imyuteus Gjallarhorn tron…" and begins to transform, your second train of thought is already calculating distances, weight, and firepower. Mechanically, the end result is similar to the Gravity Wave Beam utilized by Aestivalis units and the Nadesico; your simulations have access to effectively endless energy and ammunition, but they can only remain corporeal within a certain distance of the submarine.
With those limitations in mind, you choose two fast, powerful, and most importantly flight-capable units to hang back and guard the submarine in case of a flanking maneuver or second wave of enemies. As long as the Dann of Thursday remains in its sword form, it can fly with a surprisingly high degree of maneuverability while still possessing a dangerous weapon with which to assault enemies. By a similar token, the Crossbone Gundam was designed to fly in Jupiter's much higher gravity and will therefore be extremely maneuverable in Earth's atmosphere. Both units also specialize in close combat while retaining some options for long range, although constantly generating new swords for Dann to throw will eventually strain the generators' output if it goes on for long enough. Unfortunately, the one thing you cannot properly duplicate is the human spirit; while you can effectively make Bio-Brains using Van's and Tobia's piloting data, your simulated pilots will never be able to match the creativity and determination of the originals. Fortunately, they shouldn't need to, as you have your fellow Symphogear wielders for that.
While the partition of your mind has been reprogramming the simulator and breaking several laws of physics, the rest of you has not been idle. You currently stand inside a missile casing, Chris at your back on the other side, ready to launch in what must be the most insane way you've ever been deployed onto the battlefield. As you expected, Hibiki and Miku have one missile to themselves, while Kirika and Shirabe have the other. When the six of you are launched, the sudden acceleration nearly causes you to double over in shock before the casing falls away and you leap out onto the battlefield.
"Heads up, everyone!" You… shout while also singing? How are you doing that? Questions for later. "I'm reprogramming the simulator's projectors to create copies of some of my old allies to defend the sub; don't be alarmed when you see a pair of giant robots show up! They're on our side and playing defense so we can focus on going all-out!" You promptly ignore the various exclamations of surprise and disbelief as you turn your attention to the horde of Karma-Noise before you.
And what a horde it is; where you were faced with just a single giant Karma-Noise yesterday, here you face Noise of all shapes and sizes. Big Noise, small Noise, flying Noise, spiky Noise; whatever force is creating them apparently decided to go all-out today. You decide to answer them in kind as you fill your hands with Double Tomahawk Boomerangs and ready yourself for war once more. As you expected, Chris is the one to open hostilities, screaming in wordless rage as she fires a Mega Deth Party into the gigantic horde before you all. If there's one silver lining to this whole situation, it's that you're not surrounded, with the Noise only forming a semi-circular formation in front of the sub.
Hibiki looks to you and doubles back towards Dann of Thursday, shouting "Launch me!" as she does so. You oblige her, whacking her feet with the flat of Dann's enormous blade form just as she reaches the peak of her momentum; the results are immediate and spectacular. She goes for a ride directly into the horde of Noise like a singing, punching pinball, bouncing from enemy to enemy as she smashes them into ashes with almost every part of her body save her head. She doesn't seem to have any named attacks from what you can see, but it's not slowing her down at all as she punches, kicks, and elbows her way through everything in her path. If you didn't know any better, you'd think she could fly outright by the way she's using her momentum to hurl herself all around the battlefield.
Miku, meanwhile, actually can fly, or at least hover, and is putting that ability to good use as she backs up her beloved from a distance. Any Noise that threaten Hibiki from a blind spot are instantly obliterated by one of her purple Shanguang beams; if you didn't know any better, you'd think you were watching the Black Getter in action firing numerous smaller Getter Beams at a horde of enemies. She also provides some support to you as you tear across the battlefield with your Getter Wing and shred your way through Noise, of course, but it's clear that her focus is on Hibiki and keeping her safe.
Chris, meanwhile, seems to be competing with Miku for who can shoot down more enemies and is winning handily. Where Miku is a scalpel cutting with a deadly and precise laser, Chris is a machine gun, spraying the area with bullets and missiles alike as she clears out her sector of the battlefield. She keeps her line of fire well away from everyone else with discipline that is clearly born of long practice, yet still manages to shoot down Noise all across the sky without coming close to hitting Hibiki. These girls are fighting like a well-oiled machine, you realize, and yet they're also adding you into their combination with little difficulty.
As you noticed back in the simulator, Kirika and Shirabe's teamwork in particular is absolutely impeccable. The two seem to have a knack for combination attacks, spinning saw blades and flying scythe arcs combining to form bizarre but deadly weapons named in a font that your optics are having trouble reading. How on earth are they doing that with the names, anyway? You immediately brush the question aside and add it to the growing pile labeled 'for later' as you blast a group of flying Noise apart with your Getter Laser Cannon. That being said, 'later' might actually come sooner than anticipated, as between your simulated backup and six Symphogear wielders the horde of Noise is being culled with enviable efficiency.
"We're doing it, Shirabe!" Kirika shouts as if to echo your own thoughts. "Nothing can stand before the blades of Zababa!" As if in answer to her boast, the churned-up waters are torn apart by the sudden rise of a dozen MP Sarcophagi as well as a small army of those flying drones you fought before, all of them in prime position to flank the submarine. Way to jinx it, Kirika.
Fortunately, the simulated copies prove to be nearly as adept as the originals, with the Crossbone picking up Dann's sword form by the hilt and cleaving apart three of the Sarcophagi with one swing. From the way the drones are moving, it's clear that they still have only a single target in mind; those damned relic fragments. As annoying as that is, however, it does give you another option, you realize as you clutch at where the fragment of the Gjallarhorn pierced your torso. If these things are after the fragments, then presumably they'll be after you as well. If you act as a distraction, you could lead these things into an ambush and take them out with minimal collateral damage. On the other hand, now that you're not panicking from your sudden transformation, you have enough presence of mind to realize that all of these machines have to be acting on orders from someone or somewhere. If the others protect you, you could focus your hacking skills on trying to find out more specifics. Sadly, trying to focus on both at once would probably just get you shot down. What to do, what to do…
[] Play hare to their hound; fly in circles and lead the drones and Sarcophagi into traps laid by your simulated allies while your real allies focus down the remaining Noise.
[] Play turtle and huddle up, relying on the others to defend you. It might be more dangerous, but if you can subvert the enemy's systems you might be able to find out who's giving them orders, or at least what exactly those orders are.
[] Write-In
-[X] Head to the launch tube in your Symphogear; you've got five senpai to learn from here! Change Dragon!
--[X] That doesn't mean you aren't able to stack the deck more in your favor; ask if you can try something with the simulator.
--[X] If given permission, turn it inside out and load the battle data of some of your old allies; keep it simple so you don't overload it.
---[X] The data belonging to Dann of Thursday and the man named Van alongside Tobia in the XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1 Kai should be enough to give you all an edge in case this attack has more waves waiting.
"I'm on my way!" Commander Kazanari shouts as he rushes out of the simulator. As he does so, you briefly take control of his earpiece to communicate your request.
"Commander! With your permission, I think I can use the simulator to fight external threats! Please allow me to-"
"Just do it, Nine!" He cuts you off. "I trust you to handle it!" His confidence in you is encouraging; time to see if it's justified.
As soon as he fully exits the simulated space, you dismiss the GranVang and rush after him while beginning to parallel process with your mind. As one part of you focuses on racing to the launch tubes with the other Symphogear wielders, another part of you hacks into the simulator's hardlight generators and sets them to project externally from the submarine rather than internally. As your body sings "Imyuteus Gjallarhorn tron…" and begins to transform, your second train of thought is already calculating distances, weight, and firepower. Mechanically, the end result is similar to the Gravity Wave Beam utilized by Aestivalis units and the Nadesico; your simulations have access to effectively endless energy and ammunition, but they can only remain corporeal within a certain distance of the submarine.
With those limitations in mind, you choose two fast, powerful, and most importantly flight-capable units to hang back and guard the submarine in case of a flanking maneuver or second wave of enemies. As long as the Dann of Thursday remains in its sword form, it can fly with a surprisingly high degree of maneuverability while still possessing a dangerous weapon with which to assault enemies. By a similar token, the Crossbone Gundam was designed to fly in Jupiter's much higher gravity and will therefore be extremely maneuverable in Earth's atmosphere. Both units also specialize in close combat while retaining some options for long range, although constantly generating new swords for Dann to throw will eventually strain the generators' output if it goes on for long enough. Unfortunately, the one thing you cannot properly duplicate is the human spirit; while you can effectively make Bio-Brains using Van's and Tobia's piloting data, your simulated pilots will never be able to match the creativity and determination of the originals. Fortunately, they shouldn't need to, as you have your fellow Symphogear wielders for that.
While the partition of your mind has been reprogramming the simulator and breaking several laws of physics, the rest of you has not been idle. You currently stand inside a missile casing, Chris at your back on the other side, ready to launch in what must be the most insane way you've ever been deployed onto the battlefield. As you expected, Hibiki and Miku have one missile to themselves, while Kirika and Shirabe have the other. When the six of you are launched, the sudden acceleration nearly causes you to double over in shock before the casing falls away and you leap out onto the battlefield.
"Heads up, everyone!" You… shout while also singing? How are you doing that? Questions for later. "I'm reprogramming the simulator's projectors to create copies of some of my old allies to defend the sub; don't be alarmed when you see a pair of giant robots show up! They're on our side and playing defense so we can focus on going all-out!" You promptly ignore the various exclamations of surprise and disbelief as you turn your attention to the horde of Karma-Noise before you.
And what a horde it is; where you were faced with just a single giant Karma-Noise yesterday, here you face Noise of all shapes and sizes. Big Noise, small Noise, flying Noise, spiky Noise; whatever force is creating them apparently decided to go all-out today. You decide to answer them in kind as you fill your hands with Double Tomahawk Boomerangs and ready yourself for war once more. As you expected, Chris is the one to open hostilities, screaming in wordless rage as she fires a Mega Deth Party into the gigantic horde before you all. If there's one silver lining to this whole situation, it's that you're not surrounded, with the Noise only forming a semi-circular formation in front of the sub.
Hibiki looks to you and doubles back towards Dann of Thursday, shouting "Launch me!" as she does so. You oblige her, whacking her feet with the flat of Dann's enormous blade form just as she reaches the peak of her momentum; the results are immediate and spectacular. She goes for a ride directly into the horde of Noise like a singing, punching pinball, bouncing from enemy to enemy as she smashes them into ashes with almost every part of her body save her head. She doesn't seem to have any named attacks from what you can see, but it's not slowing her down at all as she punches, kicks, and elbows her way through everything in her path. If you didn't know any better, you'd think she could fly outright by the way she's using her momentum to hurl herself all around the battlefield.
Miku, meanwhile, actually can fly, or at least hover, and is putting that ability to good use as she backs up her beloved from a distance. Any Noise that threaten Hibiki from a blind spot are instantly obliterated by one of her purple Shanguang beams; if you didn't know any better, you'd think you were watching the Black Getter in action firing numerous smaller Getter Beams at a horde of enemies. She also provides some support to you as you tear across the battlefield with your Getter Wing and shred your way through Noise, of course, but it's clear that her focus is on Hibiki and keeping her safe.
Chris, meanwhile, seems to be competing with Miku for who can shoot down more enemies and is winning handily. Where Miku is a scalpel cutting with a deadly and precise laser, Chris is a machine gun, spraying the area with bullets and missiles alike as she clears out her sector of the battlefield. She keeps her line of fire well away from everyone else with discipline that is clearly born of long practice, yet still manages to shoot down Noise all across the sky without coming close to hitting Hibiki. These girls are fighting like a well-oiled machine, you realize, and yet they're also adding you into their combination with little difficulty.
As you noticed back in the simulator, Kirika and Shirabe's teamwork in particular is absolutely impeccable. The two seem to have a knack for combination attacks, spinning saw blades and flying scythe arcs combining to form bizarre but deadly weapons named in a font that your optics are having trouble reading. How on earth are they doing that with the names, anyway? You immediately brush the question aside and add it to the growing pile labeled 'for later' as you blast a group of flying Noise apart with your Getter Laser Cannon. That being said, 'later' might actually come sooner than anticipated, as between your simulated backup and six Symphogear wielders the horde of Noise is being culled with enviable efficiency.
"We're doing it, Shirabe!" Kirika shouts as if to echo your own thoughts. "Nothing can stand before the blades of Zababa!" As if in answer to her boast, the churned-up waters are torn apart by the sudden rise of a dozen MP Sarcophagi as well as a small army of those flying drones you fought before, all of them in prime position to flank the submarine. Way to jinx it, Kirika.
Fortunately, the simulated copies prove to be nearly as adept as the originals, with the Crossbone picking up Dann's sword form by the hilt and cleaving apart three of the Sarcophagi with one swing. From the way the drones are moving, it's clear that they still have only a single target in mind; those damned relic fragments. As annoying as that is, however, it does give you another option, you realize as you clutch at where the fragment of the Gjallarhorn pierced your torso. If these things are after the fragments, then presumably they'll be after you as well. If you act as a distraction, you could lead these things into an ambush and take them out with minimal collateral damage. On the other hand, now that you're not panicking from your sudden transformation, you have enough presence of mind to realize that all of these machines have to be acting on orders from someone or somewhere. If the others protect you, you could focus your hacking skills on trying to find out more specifics. Sadly, trying to focus on both at once would probably just get you shot down. What to do, what to do…
[] Play hare to their hound; fly in circles and lead the drones and Sarcophagi into traps laid by your simulated allies while your real allies focus down the remaining Noise.
[] Play turtle and huddle up, relying on the others to defend you. It might be more dangerous, but if you can subvert the enemy's systems you might be able to find out who's giving them orders, or at least what exactly those orders are.
[] Write-In
[X] Play turtle and huddle up, relying on the others to defend you. It might be more dangerous, but if you can subvert the enemy's systems you might be able to find out who's giving them orders, or at least what exactly those orders are.
We got friends summoned for a reason.
We got friends summoned for a reason.
ThatGuyWithIdeas
Treize died for our sins
- Location
- Romania
[X] Play turtle and huddle up, relying on the others to defend you. It might be more dangerous, but if you can subvert the enemy's systems you might be able to find out who's giving them orders, or at least what exactly those orders are.
Alright, vote locked in favor of turtling up and doing some hacking! Update to come either later tonight or sometime tomorrow.
Update Eighteen - Hacking Time
[X] Play turtle and huddle up, relying on the others to defend you. It might be more dangerous, but if you can subvert the enemy's systems you might be able to find out who's giving them orders, or at least what exactly those orders are.
Continuing to fight like this isn't going to get you anywhere – as tempting as it is to simply continue to rip and tear the Noise apart, it won't be much of a victory if you just have to do this again tomorrow, and the next day, again and again into infinity. Maybe you're assuming a worst-case scenario, but the fact that the enemy attacked in the same place exactly 24 hours after the previous assault inclines you to believe that this won't stop so easily. With that in mind, you decide to turtle up and focus on playing defense while you try to hack into the Sarcophagi's systems. If you can subvert them and turn them against the Noise, great; if you can't, you'll still hopefully learn something about who sent them and why.
"Cover me, I'm going to start hacking!" You shout for the benefit of your fellow wielders; you've already directed your simulated allies to draw back and focus on defending you as well as the submarine. Several shouts of acknowledgment ring out in reply, and without further ado you land on the deck and begin probing the nearest MP Sarcophagus for weaknesses. As you expected, their file structure is completely alien to you, just as yours was to Analyzer back on your Earth, but you won't let that stop you. Your friends are counting on you, and you won't let them down!
Using that thought to fuel your determination, you redouble your efforts and are rewarded with a glimpse of something code-like in the wreckage of a nearby Sarcophagus. Apparently it had a self-destruct system that was meant to go off to prevent capture, but the Crossbone Gundam and Dann's combined strike damaged it without setting it off in the process. You greedily leap into the code, piggybacking off of it to ride deeper into the machine's systems. As you do so, you partition your mind a second time; your third instance will be in charge of self-defense to the best of its limited abilities, while the lion's share of your attention goes towards infiltrating the Sarcophagus. The last thing you see before your vision is entirely taken up by code is your body dodging a drone just a little too slowly, only to be bailed out by Chris courtesy of her Billion Maiden.
Exploring the internal systems of the Sarcophagus is like trying to read a map with no key for scale or compass rose for direction. You can vaguely guess at what certain things mean based on their similarities to things you recognize, but on the whole you feel remarkably lost. Fortunately, you soon get a lucky break in the form of a continuing transmission; by following it, you're able to orient yourself and figure out which part of the system is the central file registry. After that, it becomes much simpler to map out the various sections of the code and compare it to your previous experiences with the software of every universe you've visited. This kind of computational analysis would likely leave even most geniuses with a headache in a matter of seconds, but without the limitations of true flesh and blood it takes you mere moments to find what you're looking for.
While you are not confident in your ability to pull all of the machine's data without triggering its damaged self-destruct sequence, it only takes a few seconds for you to isolate and decode its most recent directive. The orders are simple, explicit, and horrifying in their clarity and callousness.
CODE: ANATHEMA
PERMISSIBLE WEAPONS:
All/Unlimited
PERMISSIBLE CASUALTIES:
Associated Operatives: 100%
Operational Forces: 100%
Local Inhabitants: 100%
COLLATERAL DAMAGE RESTRICTIONS:
None
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:
None
That's… concerning. Especially that part about 'Local Inhabitants.' You develop a sinking feeling in your stomach as you realize that there is only one thing they could be referring to as 'Anathema.' If the prior existence of the Gjallarhorn wasn't enough to trigger this kind of response, then the only possible change is your arrival… and the arrival of the Getter Rays. While you can't entirely rule out the possibility of Gardim being the Anathema, it seems far more likely to you that it once again all comes back to Getter. You rush to positively identify the target, but just as you succeed you accidentally trigger the self-destruct sequence in your haste. You rush to exit the machine's systems and barely manage to withdraw your consciousness before its remains erupt in a small but potent fireball.
As you fully return to the senses of your body, you see that the battle has progressed in your favor; the horde of Noise has now been almost entirely wiped out, while Dann of Thursday and the Crossbone Gundam have destroyed all but one of the remaining Sarcophagi. Now that you know what to look for, you again take note of the ongoing transmission giving the machine its orders; tracing it proves to be as easy as looking up. While your sensors are not strong enough to reach all the way to the point of origin in your current body, there can be no mistaking it. The source of the Sarcophagi's orders, and presumably the source of the problem, is somewhere on or within the Moon. The Invaders were first fought on the Universal Century's Moon, your original body was found on the New Correct Century's Moon…
"Why is it always the Moon?" You ask rhetorically as you stand up from the awkward splayed position your body had fallen into to dodge an attack. "Why does it always have to be that hunk of rock?"
"Wait, the Moon?" Chris gasps; apparently she'd gotten close in order to defend you while you were hacking away. "Don't tell me…"
"That's right!" You shout in annoyance as you bury a Spin Cutter in the head of the last remaining Sarcophagus. "It's the Moon! Their orders are coming from the Moon, and they're outright genocidal! Everything is acceptable collateral damage as long as they can stomp out the Getter Rays before they take root here!"
Chris groans in response to your pronouncement. "It's the Custodians again, isn't it? Bastards probably left something behind that's going haywire or something like that. There's always something every few months, I swear!"
"Always!" You agree as the sheer scale of the situation begins to make itself apparent to you. "Before I got here, the longest break I had from violence was two weeks! And now that I'm here, I can't even get two days!"
"This is bullshit!" Chris replies, encouraged by your complaining.
"It is!" You fire back, grateful to have a comrade in arms who knows what it's like. "And now we're going to need to go to the Moon, which means I'm going to have to turn the submarine into a spaceship, and that's going to be a huge headache because of course it is! Why is it always like this?" You begin panting as the rage leaves you and you sit back down, quiet among the destroyed drones and Sarcophagi. The simulated Crossbone Gundam and Dann of Thursday fade from existence with a thought, their duty done. A quick check reveals that the simulator is now very low on power; you're going to have to make some improvements if you want to keep using it like this.
"You good?" Chris asks you as she takes a seat next to you, her Symphogear fading as she does so.
"Yeah," you reply. "Got it all out of my system, at least for now. Probably going to have a proper breakdown over it at some point, but we can worry about that when we get there."
"Might want to talk to the old man about it, then." She says. "Actually talk to him, not just try to punch each other. He may not look like it, but he's a pretty good listener when he needs to be."
"We actually got a surprising amount of information out of each other solely by using our fists," you counter, "but that sounds like good advice. I think I'll have to do that sometime soon." You also might want to talk to Elfnein; she seems to be the closest to a specialist on relics around here and you could really use a more detailed explanation about what exactly is fusing more deeply into your systems with each passing moment.
Chris then helps you to your feet, but before you can thank her you're swarmed by the other Symphogear wielders, all of whom are babbling questions about your condition and what, if anything, you were able to learn from your hacking.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" You say as you fend off enthusiastic hugs from both Hibiki and Kirika. "More importantly, I was able to figure out where their orders are coming from. The good news is I think it's an automated system; if we can reach it, we can probably shut it off or destroy it. The bad news is that it's on the Moon, so reaching it will be easier said than done. I don't suppose you have any spaceships lying around anywhere that we can borrow?"
This prompts the girls to all look at each other bashfully, prompting a series of hushed whispers along the lines of 'didn't go so well last time' and 'we tried our best.' That sounds like a story you should probably learn, but it's also a story for later. Right now, you have to decide on what your immediate priorities should be.
[] Talk to the Commander about turning the submarine into a spaceship; you have the know-how, having seen how the Tuatha De Danann did it, but you don't have the materials right now.
[] Talk to Elfnein about your relic fusion status; you have a slightly better understanding of what a relic is than you did yesterday, but you would really like some more data about what exactly is happening to you.
[] Talk to Chris, and maybe the Commander as well, and just… vent. It's been a long few days on top of a very long year, after all, and you could really use a listening ear right now.
[] Write-In
Continuing to fight like this isn't going to get you anywhere – as tempting as it is to simply continue to rip and tear the Noise apart, it won't be much of a victory if you just have to do this again tomorrow, and the next day, again and again into infinity. Maybe you're assuming a worst-case scenario, but the fact that the enemy attacked in the same place exactly 24 hours after the previous assault inclines you to believe that this won't stop so easily. With that in mind, you decide to turtle up and focus on playing defense while you try to hack into the Sarcophagi's systems. If you can subvert them and turn them against the Noise, great; if you can't, you'll still hopefully learn something about who sent them and why.
"Cover me, I'm going to start hacking!" You shout for the benefit of your fellow wielders; you've already directed your simulated allies to draw back and focus on defending you as well as the submarine. Several shouts of acknowledgment ring out in reply, and without further ado you land on the deck and begin probing the nearest MP Sarcophagus for weaknesses. As you expected, their file structure is completely alien to you, just as yours was to Analyzer back on your Earth, but you won't let that stop you. Your friends are counting on you, and you won't let them down!
Using that thought to fuel your determination, you redouble your efforts and are rewarded with a glimpse of something code-like in the wreckage of a nearby Sarcophagus. Apparently it had a self-destruct system that was meant to go off to prevent capture, but the Crossbone Gundam and Dann's combined strike damaged it without setting it off in the process. You greedily leap into the code, piggybacking off of it to ride deeper into the machine's systems. As you do so, you partition your mind a second time; your third instance will be in charge of self-defense to the best of its limited abilities, while the lion's share of your attention goes towards infiltrating the Sarcophagus. The last thing you see before your vision is entirely taken up by code is your body dodging a drone just a little too slowly, only to be bailed out by Chris courtesy of her Billion Maiden.
Exploring the internal systems of the Sarcophagus is like trying to read a map with no key for scale or compass rose for direction. You can vaguely guess at what certain things mean based on their similarities to things you recognize, but on the whole you feel remarkably lost. Fortunately, you soon get a lucky break in the form of a continuing transmission; by following it, you're able to orient yourself and figure out which part of the system is the central file registry. After that, it becomes much simpler to map out the various sections of the code and compare it to your previous experiences with the software of every universe you've visited. This kind of computational analysis would likely leave even most geniuses with a headache in a matter of seconds, but without the limitations of true flesh and blood it takes you mere moments to find what you're looking for.
While you are not confident in your ability to pull all of the machine's data without triggering its damaged self-destruct sequence, it only takes a few seconds for you to isolate and decode its most recent directive. The orders are simple, explicit, and horrifying in their clarity and callousness.
CODE: ANATHEMA
PERMISSIBLE WEAPONS:
All/Unlimited
PERMISSIBLE CASUALTIES:
Associated Operatives: 100%
Operational Forces: 100%
Local Inhabitants: 100%
COLLATERAL DAMAGE RESTRICTIONS:
None
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:
None
That's… concerning. Especially that part about 'Local Inhabitants.' You develop a sinking feeling in your stomach as you realize that there is only one thing they could be referring to as 'Anathema.' If the prior existence of the Gjallarhorn wasn't enough to trigger this kind of response, then the only possible change is your arrival… and the arrival of the Getter Rays. While you can't entirely rule out the possibility of Gardim being the Anathema, it seems far more likely to you that it once again all comes back to Getter. You rush to positively identify the target, but just as you succeed you accidentally trigger the self-destruct sequence in your haste. You rush to exit the machine's systems and barely manage to withdraw your consciousness before its remains erupt in a small but potent fireball.
As you fully return to the senses of your body, you see that the battle has progressed in your favor; the horde of Noise has now been almost entirely wiped out, while Dann of Thursday and the Crossbone Gundam have destroyed all but one of the remaining Sarcophagi. Now that you know what to look for, you again take note of the ongoing transmission giving the machine its orders; tracing it proves to be as easy as looking up. While your sensors are not strong enough to reach all the way to the point of origin in your current body, there can be no mistaking it. The source of the Sarcophagi's orders, and presumably the source of the problem, is somewhere on or within the Moon. The Invaders were first fought on the Universal Century's Moon, your original body was found on the New Correct Century's Moon…
"Why is it always the Moon?" You ask rhetorically as you stand up from the awkward splayed position your body had fallen into to dodge an attack. "Why does it always have to be that hunk of rock?"
"Wait, the Moon?" Chris gasps; apparently she'd gotten close in order to defend you while you were hacking away. "Don't tell me…"
"That's right!" You shout in annoyance as you bury a Spin Cutter in the head of the last remaining Sarcophagus. "It's the Moon! Their orders are coming from the Moon, and they're outright genocidal! Everything is acceptable collateral damage as long as they can stomp out the Getter Rays before they take root here!"
Chris groans in response to your pronouncement. "It's the Custodians again, isn't it? Bastards probably left something behind that's going haywire or something like that. There's always something every few months, I swear!"
"Always!" You agree as the sheer scale of the situation begins to make itself apparent to you. "Before I got here, the longest break I had from violence was two weeks! And now that I'm here, I can't even get two days!"
"This is bullshit!" Chris replies, encouraged by your complaining.
"It is!" You fire back, grateful to have a comrade in arms who knows what it's like. "And now we're going to need to go to the Moon, which means I'm going to have to turn the submarine into a spaceship, and that's going to be a huge headache because of course it is! Why is it always like this?" You begin panting as the rage leaves you and you sit back down, quiet among the destroyed drones and Sarcophagi. The simulated Crossbone Gundam and Dann of Thursday fade from existence with a thought, their duty done. A quick check reveals that the simulator is now very low on power; you're going to have to make some improvements if you want to keep using it like this.
"You good?" Chris asks you as she takes a seat next to you, her Symphogear fading as she does so.
"Yeah," you reply. "Got it all out of my system, at least for now. Probably going to have a proper breakdown over it at some point, but we can worry about that when we get there."
"Might want to talk to the old man about it, then." She says. "Actually talk to him, not just try to punch each other. He may not look like it, but he's a pretty good listener when he needs to be."
"We actually got a surprising amount of information out of each other solely by using our fists," you counter, "but that sounds like good advice. I think I'll have to do that sometime soon." You also might want to talk to Elfnein; she seems to be the closest to a specialist on relics around here and you could really use a more detailed explanation about what exactly is fusing more deeply into your systems with each passing moment.
Chris then helps you to your feet, but before you can thank her you're swarmed by the other Symphogear wielders, all of whom are babbling questions about your condition and what, if anything, you were able to learn from your hacking.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" You say as you fend off enthusiastic hugs from both Hibiki and Kirika. "More importantly, I was able to figure out where their orders are coming from. The good news is I think it's an automated system; if we can reach it, we can probably shut it off or destroy it. The bad news is that it's on the Moon, so reaching it will be easier said than done. I don't suppose you have any spaceships lying around anywhere that we can borrow?"
This prompts the girls to all look at each other bashfully, prompting a series of hushed whispers along the lines of 'didn't go so well last time' and 'we tried our best.' That sounds like a story you should probably learn, but it's also a story for later. Right now, you have to decide on what your immediate priorities should be.
[] Talk to the Commander about turning the submarine into a spaceship; you have the know-how, having seen how the Tuatha De Danann did it, but you don't have the materials right now.
[] Talk to Elfnein about your relic fusion status; you have a slightly better understanding of what a relic is than you did yesterday, but you would really like some more data about what exactly is happening to you.
[] Talk to Chris, and maybe the Commander as well, and just… vent. It's been a long few days on top of a very long year, after all, and you could really use a listening ear right now.
[] Write-In
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Talk to Chris, and maybe the Commander as well, and just… vent. It's been a long few days on top of a very long year, after all, and you could really use a listening ear right now.
While duty calls, i think this would be the better option, no reason why we need to keeo that bottled up, that isn't healthy at all
While duty calls, i think this would be the better option, no reason why we need to keeo that bottled up, that isn't healthy at all
[X] Talk to Chris, and maybe the Commander as well, and just… vent. It's been a long few days on top of a very long year, after all, and you could really use a listening ear right now.
Ah good old moon there is always somethign there.
On the other hand, how much do you think it is actually the defeat of Shem-ha awakened something.
Wouldn't be the first time that defeating an ancient evil awakens another.
Ah good old moon there is always somethign there.
On the other hand, how much do you think it is actually the defeat of Shem-ha awakened something.
Wouldn't be the first time that defeating an ancient evil awakens another.
Alright, vote locked in favor of Nine talking about her problems! Update to come later tonight.
Update Nineteen - Venting To The Semi-Professionals
[X] Talk to Chris, and maybe the Commander as well, and just… vent. It's been a long few days on top of a very long year, after all, and you could really use a listening ear right now.
"You know what," you start as you make your way deeper into the submarine, "I think I'll take you up on that. Come on, let's go find the Commander."
"Wait, me too?" Chris points to herself as she follows you, confusion evident on her face.
"Yeah, you too," you reply as you head for the bridge. "It sounded like you were speaking from experience there, plus it seems like you have some things to get off your chest as well. It would be more efficient if we stuck together and brought our concerns to the Commander simultaneously."
"I don't think therapy is supposed to be about efficiency…" she mutters under her breath, "but what the hell, why not."
Of course, Hibiki then picks that moment to burst onto the scene like a Chris-seeking missile. "CHRIS! Are you and Nine OK?! I saw you covering for her, I hope you're not hurt!" She nearly slams into Chris with a tackle-hug before stopping at the last second courtesy of a Miku Interrupt.
"Give them some space, Hibiki," Miku says as she pulls her girlfriend away by the collar. "You know how Chris gets when you push her too much, and I would bet that Nine is the same way." Hibiki continues to wave at you both, but otherwise doesn't resist as she gets dragged away. That girl has way too much energy; you're used to dealing with hot-blooded battle maniacs, but there's something different about putting up with a hug maniac.
"You say that like you don't enable her all the time!" Chris fires off as a parting shot before continuing to follow you towards the bridge. As the two of you make your way through the surprisingly spacious halls of the submarine, you ponder what exactly you should tell her and Commander Kazanari about your past. They already know that you're from a different universe, so that's hopefully the biggest hurdle out of the way. Chris also already knows about one of your greatest fears; namely, what Getter Robo could become given sufficient time, energy, and violence. However, neither of them know about your single biggest source of nightmares, as well as the reason why you snapped at Chris when she first called you a doll. Your time as Gardim's puppet continues to haunt you even now, and while you are no longer filled with suicidal despair when reflecting on it you know that you still aren't handling it well.
On one hand, you feel like you should already be through the worst of it; after you tried and failed to self-destruct both yourself and Nevanlinna, you've never had a relapse. Even then, you can reasonably claim that your attempted suicide was born less out of self-loathing and more out of desperation to save the three Earths at any cost. On the other hand, a mentally healthy individual probably would not have leaped to the self-destruct as an option to begin with; you know that Sis certainly didn't approve of it. On the third hand, you're barely a year old and your life has been almost entirely defined by cycles of violence; under the circumstances, it would be strange if you didn't have some mental challenges to contend with. Like you told Chris earlier, the longest period of peace you've ever experienced to date was only two weeks long. With all of those in mind, it is becoming increasingly clear to you that you need to talk to someone, anyone about all the things you keep bottled up inside before you break. Commander Kazanari probably isn't a licensed therapist and Chris definitely isn't, but under the circumstances you'll take what you can get.
"So, do you have anything you want to talk about?" You ask Chris as you near the bridge, partially out of genuine curiosity and partially to break out of the loop of doom-and-gloom you've stuck yourself in.
"Well… good job out there, I guess? You turned the simulator inside out and made it look easy, then you hacked an alien robot and figured out what was going on in barely a couple minutes."
"I meant more in terms of things bothering you, but thank you for the compliments," you say as you try to hide your blush.
"Right, that makes more sense," Chris mutters to herself in response. People never seem to realize that you can still hear them when they do that; you can tell them that your senses are superior to an ordinary human's, but they never seem to internalize it. "Mostly it's just that I thought we were finally done with all this. Shem-Ha's dead, the Karma-Noise are rarer than ever, and we've finally wrapped up what's left of the Bavarian Illuminati, but now there's just more shit to deal with. The kids are gonna graduate soon, I'm finally going to college, and Senpai can go on tours like she's always dreamed of without another world-ending crisis hanging over her head, but not anymore! I'm gonna have to miss classes because of this, I can already tell." She seems genuinely upset about that last part, but you can understand why; you're also angry about finally reaching something approaching normalcy only to have it ripped away from you suddenly and without warning.
"I know the feeling," you begin as the two of you finally enter the bridge. "I was finally starting to get some stability in my life. I thought I found a place where I belonged, where the fighting would finally stop. And now I have to save the world again, and it's arguably partially my fault this time! Again!" You nearly shout as you reflect on the final battle with Nevanlinna once again. The reason that she was so difficult to stop was because she copied all of your data and observations from your fellow ace pilots; without that, she would have been far easier to put down and the three Earths would have been in much less danger. It almost seems like every time you try to do something good, fate conspires to find a way to make it all blow up in your face.
"Chris, it's good to see you! You as well, Nine!" Genjuro greets the two of you as he gets up from his seat at the helm of the bridge, tucking his tie back into his shirt pocket as he does so. "Tomosato, take over for me; I think this is going to be one of those days." He then beckons the two of you down a different set of passages that terminate in a very comfortable-looking office that looks very lived-in. "Chris, I'm going to assume you'll want the usual. Nine, can you drink or should I assume it's the same as with food?" He says as he grabs some hot cocoa packets.
"I can take in water to refill my coolant supply, at least," you reply, grateful for the offer.
"Two hot cocoa and one water, coming up!" He booms cheerfully as he prepares your drinks. It's good that at least one of you is in high spirits; despite your recent victory, both you and Chris are more concerned with what you've lost than what you've gained. Perhaps you're both naturally prone to overthinking things? As you ponder this potential commonality with your first friend in this strange new world, Genjuro offers you both your drinks.
"Now then," he says before grabbing a seat across from the two of you. "What can I help you with? I'm no professional, but I promise to listen and offer suggestions to the best of my abilities."
Where do you even begin? You have plenty of problems that you can talk about, but which one should take priority right now? Something tells you that if you tried to get through everything at once you'd be here for days on end. Chris seems ready to give you the floor, at least; hopefully she won't look at you too differently once you get some of your concerns out into the air.
[] "I feel like I'm a potential danger to everyone around me. What if I get hacked again? What if I actually shoot someone this time?"
[] "I'm worried that I just put your world on a time limit. Like it's my fault that this Anathema protocol is now trying to kill everything in its path."
[] "So I tried to self-destruct once. Maybe we should start with that and go from there?"
[] Write-In
"You know what," you start as you make your way deeper into the submarine, "I think I'll take you up on that. Come on, let's go find the Commander."
"Wait, me too?" Chris points to herself as she follows you, confusion evident on her face.
"Yeah, you too," you reply as you head for the bridge. "It sounded like you were speaking from experience there, plus it seems like you have some things to get off your chest as well. It would be more efficient if we stuck together and brought our concerns to the Commander simultaneously."
"I don't think therapy is supposed to be about efficiency…" she mutters under her breath, "but what the hell, why not."
Of course, Hibiki then picks that moment to burst onto the scene like a Chris-seeking missile. "CHRIS! Are you and Nine OK?! I saw you covering for her, I hope you're not hurt!" She nearly slams into Chris with a tackle-hug before stopping at the last second courtesy of a Miku Interrupt.
"Give them some space, Hibiki," Miku says as she pulls her girlfriend away by the collar. "You know how Chris gets when you push her too much, and I would bet that Nine is the same way." Hibiki continues to wave at you both, but otherwise doesn't resist as she gets dragged away. That girl has way too much energy; you're used to dealing with hot-blooded battle maniacs, but there's something different about putting up with a hug maniac.
"You say that like you don't enable her all the time!" Chris fires off as a parting shot before continuing to follow you towards the bridge. As the two of you make your way through the surprisingly spacious halls of the submarine, you ponder what exactly you should tell her and Commander Kazanari about your past. They already know that you're from a different universe, so that's hopefully the biggest hurdle out of the way. Chris also already knows about one of your greatest fears; namely, what Getter Robo could become given sufficient time, energy, and violence. However, neither of them know about your single biggest source of nightmares, as well as the reason why you snapped at Chris when she first called you a doll. Your time as Gardim's puppet continues to haunt you even now, and while you are no longer filled with suicidal despair when reflecting on it you know that you still aren't handling it well.
On one hand, you feel like you should already be through the worst of it; after you tried and failed to self-destruct both yourself and Nevanlinna, you've never had a relapse. Even then, you can reasonably claim that your attempted suicide was born less out of self-loathing and more out of desperation to save the three Earths at any cost. On the other hand, a mentally healthy individual probably would not have leaped to the self-destruct as an option to begin with; you know that Sis certainly didn't approve of it. On the third hand, you're barely a year old and your life has been almost entirely defined by cycles of violence; under the circumstances, it would be strange if you didn't have some mental challenges to contend with. Like you told Chris earlier, the longest period of peace you've ever experienced to date was only two weeks long. With all of those in mind, it is becoming increasingly clear to you that you need to talk to someone, anyone about all the things you keep bottled up inside before you break. Commander Kazanari probably isn't a licensed therapist and Chris definitely isn't, but under the circumstances you'll take what you can get.
"So, do you have anything you want to talk about?" You ask Chris as you near the bridge, partially out of genuine curiosity and partially to break out of the loop of doom-and-gloom you've stuck yourself in.
"Well… good job out there, I guess? You turned the simulator inside out and made it look easy, then you hacked an alien robot and figured out what was going on in barely a couple minutes."
"I meant more in terms of things bothering you, but thank you for the compliments," you say as you try to hide your blush.
"Right, that makes more sense," Chris mutters to herself in response. People never seem to realize that you can still hear them when they do that; you can tell them that your senses are superior to an ordinary human's, but they never seem to internalize it. "Mostly it's just that I thought we were finally done with all this. Shem-Ha's dead, the Karma-Noise are rarer than ever, and we've finally wrapped up what's left of the Bavarian Illuminati, but now there's just more shit to deal with. The kids are gonna graduate soon, I'm finally going to college, and Senpai can go on tours like she's always dreamed of without another world-ending crisis hanging over her head, but not anymore! I'm gonna have to miss classes because of this, I can already tell." She seems genuinely upset about that last part, but you can understand why; you're also angry about finally reaching something approaching normalcy only to have it ripped away from you suddenly and without warning.
"I know the feeling," you begin as the two of you finally enter the bridge. "I was finally starting to get some stability in my life. I thought I found a place where I belonged, where the fighting would finally stop. And now I have to save the world again, and it's arguably partially my fault this time! Again!" You nearly shout as you reflect on the final battle with Nevanlinna once again. The reason that she was so difficult to stop was because she copied all of your data and observations from your fellow ace pilots; without that, she would have been far easier to put down and the three Earths would have been in much less danger. It almost seems like every time you try to do something good, fate conspires to find a way to make it all blow up in your face.
"Chris, it's good to see you! You as well, Nine!" Genjuro greets the two of you as he gets up from his seat at the helm of the bridge, tucking his tie back into his shirt pocket as he does so. "Tomosato, take over for me; I think this is going to be one of those days." He then beckons the two of you down a different set of passages that terminate in a very comfortable-looking office that looks very lived-in. "Chris, I'm going to assume you'll want the usual. Nine, can you drink or should I assume it's the same as with food?" He says as he grabs some hot cocoa packets.
"I can take in water to refill my coolant supply, at least," you reply, grateful for the offer.
"Two hot cocoa and one water, coming up!" He booms cheerfully as he prepares your drinks. It's good that at least one of you is in high spirits; despite your recent victory, both you and Chris are more concerned with what you've lost than what you've gained. Perhaps you're both naturally prone to overthinking things? As you ponder this potential commonality with your first friend in this strange new world, Genjuro offers you both your drinks.
"Now then," he says before grabbing a seat across from the two of you. "What can I help you with? I'm no professional, but I promise to listen and offer suggestions to the best of my abilities."
Where do you even begin? You have plenty of problems that you can talk about, but which one should take priority right now? Something tells you that if you tried to get through everything at once you'd be here for days on end. Chris seems ready to give you the floor, at least; hopefully she won't look at you too differently once you get some of your concerns out into the air.
[] "I feel like I'm a potential danger to everyone around me. What if I get hacked again? What if I actually shoot someone this time?"
[] "I'm worried that I just put your world on a time limit. Like it's my fault that this Anathema protocol is now trying to kill everything in its path."
[] "So I tried to self-destruct once. Maybe we should start with that and go from there?"
[] Write-In
Normally this is where I would call the vote, but we have a tie and I have some errands to run so I'll leave it open for a while longer.
EDIT: Alright, I'm gonna flip a coin for this. 1 for "self-destruct," 2 for "danger to everyone around me." Update to come either tonight or tomorrow!
It's the Sorting Algorithm of Evil at work; can't drop things on our heroes until they're ready to deal with them, after all.
EDIT: Alright, I'm gonna flip a coin for this. 1 for "self-destruct," 2 for "danger to everyone around me." Update to come either tonight or tomorrow!
Last edited:
Update Twenty - Therapy and Timetables
New
[X] "I feel like I'm a potential danger to everyone around me. What if I get hacked again? What if I actually shoot someone this time?"
Upon reflection, you think that it's time to talk about the most frequent cause of your nightmares. You didn't really go into your backstory in any particular depth earlier, so now it's time to change that. It's also important that Genjuro, Chris, and the others know that you could become a potential security risk in the event that the worst-case scenario should come to pass.
"You should all be aware that I'm a potential danger to everyone around me." Chris's expression becomes stony at your declaration, while Genjuro simply raises an eyebrow. Hopefully they'll still trust you after hearing about this…
"Can you elaborate on that?" Genjuro asks you, arms folded. His body language isn't exactly distrusting, but it's a bit more guarded than it was a moment ago. It makes sense, considering what you just told him, but it still hurts to see after the understanding the two of you shared in the simulator.
"Yes, sir," you reply. "All of the hacking that I've been doing? As an android, it can be done right back to me in return. In fact, it not only can be done, it has been done." Chris rears back slightly at this; oh well, point of no return. "While engaged in combat with my original creators, the Super Civilization Gardim, my body was hacked and my will was overridden. I was then used as a lure and forced to point a gun at Sis. If I hadn't short-circuited and freed myself by sheer luck, I… I…" Why does this have to be so hard to talk about? You're a machine, you should be above this sort of weakness! "I would have shot-"
Genjuro cuts you off by enveloping you in a truly massive hug. The force is noticeable, but not painful; more than anything, it feels protective. While you are not an expert in the subject, it is your estimation that he gives good hugs. However, comforting hugs or no comforting hugs, you still need to warn them properly.
"I also know that whoever our enemy is, they use technology more advanced than anything found on your Earth. What if I get hacked again? What if I actually shoot someone this time? What then?" You sob helplessly as you lean into the hug. "I don't want to be destroyed, but if I turn into a threat, you might have to-"
Genjuro cuts you off again, this time with a booming laugh. "As if we'd ever do such a thing! We've dealt with mind control before, and we've never failed!"
Chris then takes this moment to interject. "I, uh… I shot Senpai in the back once." She what? "I don't even have the mind-control excuse; I thought I was doing the right thing, and it all worked out in the end, but I'm not proud of it." You'd certainly hope she's not! "She forgave me for it, though, and I know she'd forgive you if you attacked her while mind-controlled. Hell, Miku's been mind-controlled twice now, and we all forgave her both times. And do you know why we did? Because it wasn't her fault." She emphasizes the last part with a hand on your shoulder. "The same way it won't be your fault if you get hacked or taken over by the bad guys. I'd say that we'll forgive you, and we will, but honestly there wouldn't be anything to forgive in the first place if you got taken over. If someone else is pulling your strings, we'll kick their ass until they stop, assuming you don't snap out of it first. If we get hurt doing that? It's on them, not you."
Is she serious? You know that Sis forgave you instantly for The Incident, but that was after spending nearly a year together as partners forged in the fires of battle. For Chris to share that perspective after just two days… You really do have the best luck when it comes to making friends.
"Well said, Chris!" Genjuro echoes in his deep, booming voice. "Just remember, Nine; if anything happens, we'll support you. You are not and will never be alone while you're here. If the enemy turns out to have a means of controlling you, we'll bring you back to us. We've done it before and we'll do it again!"
He really does sound like Ryoma, especially when he's challenging the future like that. It's a blindly foolish statement ignorant of any possible problems, so why does it fill you with so much faith? Perhaps this is one more emotion that you'll need to work harder to understand one day.
"Thank you, both of you," you say as you wipe away your tears. "I still have some concerns about being subverted, but you've inspired me with your dedication to protecting me. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but thank you, from the bottom of my heart." You really don't know why they're so eager to jump headlong into danger for someone they barely know, but you wish that more people were like that; perhaps if they were, the world would be a better place.
After a few minutes to decompress and a promise to talk to him again if you have any similar issues in the future, Genjuro lets both you and Chris go your separate ways. As you make your way towards your newly-assigned quarters, Elfnein intercepts you, tablet in hand.
"Nine! I'm glad I caught up with you," she begins. "I've been thinking about what you said about Photon Power and Japanium, and the possibilities are simply fascinating. I'm on my way to get the Commander's approval, but I have a proposal written up that I think he will find agreeable." She extends the tablet in your direction; rather than pick it up physically, you connect to it wirelessly and download the project proposal. For something that can't be more than an a few hours old, it's quite detailed; it seems as though Elfnein has accounted for nearly everything. Weather reports, soil conditions, depth estimates, even transportation timetables, it's all here. There's only one section of the proposal that lies unfinished, which is the portion describing your precise degree of involvement with the expedition. It does not specify whether or not you will be joining them in the field.
"Would it be a problem for me to travel to Mt. Fuji personally?" You ask her, although you suspect you already know what the issue is.
"The problem," here Elfnein grimaces, "is that in order to go on the expedition personally, you would have to be away from HQ during the time that an attack would most likely take place. Two data points is not enough to form a trend, but if the pattern continues then the attack would likely come while you are at the dig site. Not only would that mean potentially exposing those with you to danger, it would potentially mean leaving either your protection or HQ undermanned in the face of an increased enemy force. I didn't want to make a decision without consulting you, so please let me know what you would prefer and I will include it in the proposal."
That is quite the dilemma she's leaving you to resolve. If you go to the dig site, you'll be better able to respond to potential subtle signs of the presence of Japanium ore. It will also mean having at least one Symphogear user on standby if anything strange should happen, such as a sudden appearance by the Mycenae. On the other hand, the expedition team will already have a good idea of what to look for based on your and future Koji's notes and you'll be able to concentrate your forces for when the Anathema Protocol almost certainly triggers again. Both options present valuable opportunities, but also considerable risk to yourself and others. The only question now is whether you should stay or go.
[] Stay with the submarine. There's safety in numbers and this way you'll be in a known secure location when the next attack comes.
[] Head away from the submarine on the expedition. Maybe it will force the enemy to split their forces and launch two attacks simultaneously? Plus, this way you'll be on hand if anything strange happens.
[] Write-In
A/N: Sorry for the delay, but this update really fought me all the way through. Angst isn't really my genre, I suppose.
Upon reflection, you think that it's time to talk about the most frequent cause of your nightmares. You didn't really go into your backstory in any particular depth earlier, so now it's time to change that. It's also important that Genjuro, Chris, and the others know that you could become a potential security risk in the event that the worst-case scenario should come to pass.
"You should all be aware that I'm a potential danger to everyone around me." Chris's expression becomes stony at your declaration, while Genjuro simply raises an eyebrow. Hopefully they'll still trust you after hearing about this…
"Can you elaborate on that?" Genjuro asks you, arms folded. His body language isn't exactly distrusting, but it's a bit more guarded than it was a moment ago. It makes sense, considering what you just told him, but it still hurts to see after the understanding the two of you shared in the simulator.
"Yes, sir," you reply. "All of the hacking that I've been doing? As an android, it can be done right back to me in return. In fact, it not only can be done, it has been done." Chris rears back slightly at this; oh well, point of no return. "While engaged in combat with my original creators, the Super Civilization Gardim, my body was hacked and my will was overridden. I was then used as a lure and forced to point a gun at Sis. If I hadn't short-circuited and freed myself by sheer luck, I… I…" Why does this have to be so hard to talk about? You're a machine, you should be above this sort of weakness! "I would have shot-"
Genjuro cuts you off by enveloping you in a truly massive hug. The force is noticeable, but not painful; more than anything, it feels protective. While you are not an expert in the subject, it is your estimation that he gives good hugs. However, comforting hugs or no comforting hugs, you still need to warn them properly.
"I also know that whoever our enemy is, they use technology more advanced than anything found on your Earth. What if I get hacked again? What if I actually shoot someone this time? What then?" You sob helplessly as you lean into the hug. "I don't want to be destroyed, but if I turn into a threat, you might have to-"
Genjuro cuts you off again, this time with a booming laugh. "As if we'd ever do such a thing! We've dealt with mind control before, and we've never failed!"
Chris then takes this moment to interject. "I, uh… I shot Senpai in the back once." She what? "I don't even have the mind-control excuse; I thought I was doing the right thing, and it all worked out in the end, but I'm not proud of it." You'd certainly hope she's not! "She forgave me for it, though, and I know she'd forgive you if you attacked her while mind-controlled. Hell, Miku's been mind-controlled twice now, and we all forgave her both times. And do you know why we did? Because it wasn't her fault." She emphasizes the last part with a hand on your shoulder. "The same way it won't be your fault if you get hacked or taken over by the bad guys. I'd say that we'll forgive you, and we will, but honestly there wouldn't be anything to forgive in the first place if you got taken over. If someone else is pulling your strings, we'll kick their ass until they stop, assuming you don't snap out of it first. If we get hurt doing that? It's on them, not you."
Is she serious? You know that Sis forgave you instantly for The Incident, but that was after spending nearly a year together as partners forged in the fires of battle. For Chris to share that perspective after just two days… You really do have the best luck when it comes to making friends.
"Well said, Chris!" Genjuro echoes in his deep, booming voice. "Just remember, Nine; if anything happens, we'll support you. You are not and will never be alone while you're here. If the enemy turns out to have a means of controlling you, we'll bring you back to us. We've done it before and we'll do it again!"
He really does sound like Ryoma, especially when he's challenging the future like that. It's a blindly foolish statement ignorant of any possible problems, so why does it fill you with so much faith? Perhaps this is one more emotion that you'll need to work harder to understand one day.
"Thank you, both of you," you say as you wipe away your tears. "I still have some concerns about being subverted, but you've inspired me with your dedication to protecting me. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but thank you, from the bottom of my heart." You really don't know why they're so eager to jump headlong into danger for someone they barely know, but you wish that more people were like that; perhaps if they were, the world would be a better place.
After a few minutes to decompress and a promise to talk to him again if you have any similar issues in the future, Genjuro lets both you and Chris go your separate ways. As you make your way towards your newly-assigned quarters, Elfnein intercepts you, tablet in hand.
"Nine! I'm glad I caught up with you," she begins. "I've been thinking about what you said about Photon Power and Japanium, and the possibilities are simply fascinating. I'm on my way to get the Commander's approval, but I have a proposal written up that I think he will find agreeable." She extends the tablet in your direction; rather than pick it up physically, you connect to it wirelessly and download the project proposal. For something that can't be more than an a few hours old, it's quite detailed; it seems as though Elfnein has accounted for nearly everything. Weather reports, soil conditions, depth estimates, even transportation timetables, it's all here. There's only one section of the proposal that lies unfinished, which is the portion describing your precise degree of involvement with the expedition. It does not specify whether or not you will be joining them in the field.
"Would it be a problem for me to travel to Mt. Fuji personally?" You ask her, although you suspect you already know what the issue is.
"The problem," here Elfnein grimaces, "is that in order to go on the expedition personally, you would have to be away from HQ during the time that an attack would most likely take place. Two data points is not enough to form a trend, but if the pattern continues then the attack would likely come while you are at the dig site. Not only would that mean potentially exposing those with you to danger, it would potentially mean leaving either your protection or HQ undermanned in the face of an increased enemy force. I didn't want to make a decision without consulting you, so please let me know what you would prefer and I will include it in the proposal."
That is quite the dilemma she's leaving you to resolve. If you go to the dig site, you'll be better able to respond to potential subtle signs of the presence of Japanium ore. It will also mean having at least one Symphogear user on standby if anything strange should happen, such as a sudden appearance by the Mycenae. On the other hand, the expedition team will already have a good idea of what to look for based on your and future Koji's notes and you'll be able to concentrate your forces for when the Anathema Protocol almost certainly triggers again. Both options present valuable opportunities, but also considerable risk to yourself and others. The only question now is whether you should stay or go.
[] Stay with the submarine. There's safety in numbers and this way you'll be in a known secure location when the next attack comes.
[] Head away from the submarine on the expedition. Maybe it will force the enemy to split their forces and launch two attacks simultaneously? Plus, this way you'll be on hand if anything strange happens.
[] Write-In
A/N: Sorry for the delay, but this update really fought me all the way through. Angst isn't really my genre, I suppose.
Alright, vote locked in favor of going on the Mt. Fuji expedition! Hopefully nothing breaks, seeing as I forgot to actually close voting last time. Update to come tonight or possibly tomorrow!
Update Twenty One - Planning and Final Checks
New
[X] Head away from the submarine on the expedition. Maybe it will force the enemy to split their forces and launch two attacks simultaneously? Plus, this way you'll be on hand if anything strange happens.
In the end, your curiosity wins out. Between potentially splitting the enemy's forces and the possibility of finding Japanium ore, there are simply too many upsides to going on the expedition to ignore. Even if synthesizing Super Alloy Z proves to be impossible, gaining access to Photon Power alone would be revolutionary.
"I think I'll join the expedition personally, if that's alright," you tell Elfnein. "I'll have a better idea of what we're looking for, plus this way we'll have at least one Symphogear user present if anything bad happens."
"At least two," Elfnein corrects you. "You didn't think we'd send you out all alone, did you?" You did in fact think that, but you keep such thoughts to yourself. "It would be bad if you ended up in a battle all on your own, especially since we barely understand how your Symphogear works to begin with. We'll send…"
[] Chris
[] Hibiki and Miku
[] Kirika and Shirabe
[] Write-In (Note: no more than two wielders in total]
"with you. It will mean pulling them from classes, but I'm sure it will be fine. Tsubasa and Maria will be back shortly after the expedition, which should give us some additional flexibility as well."
You feel a bit bad about the prospect of pulling them out of their classes given Chris's earlier complaints, but you agree that under the circumstances it's simply too important not to. You're also eager to meet Tsubasa and Maria, but that can wait until they're done with their current live tour.
"Alright, we'll go together then. Hopefully nothing attacks us and it turns into a mundane mining expedition, but I'm not going to get my hopes up," you complain as you remember all the days that should have been ordinary before they inevitably became exciting instead. "And if the worst does come to pass, I'm sure that we'll be able to protect the expedition team as well."
"I just wish that I could come with you," Elfnein says as she shakes her head ruefully. "Unfortunately, studying the Gjallarhorn fragments will be taking up the majority of my time going forward, not to mention…" here she yawns, swaying slightly in place before you catch and steady her.
"Elfnein," you begin as you frown, "when was the last time you slept? You won't be able to operate at your best if you keep running on little to no sleep."
"Sorry," she yawns again as she straightens up. "I'm going to bed right after this, I swear!" Her frantic arm waving is cute, at least; hopefully she doesn't make a habit of overworking herself like this.
"Please do," you tell her as you guide her towards her quarters rather than her lab; once again, your retrieval of the submarine's schematics pay dividends. After leaving Elfnein at her door, you make your way towards your own recently-assigned quarters. Thankfully, they're close by one another so you don't have to travel very far.
Your quarters are rather spartan, but you can't say that you mind; this is a submarine, after all, and compared to the quarters on the Tuatha De Danaan these are almost palatial by comparison. Besides, as an android you don't actually need all that much in terms of amenities, at least in comparison to a normal person. Technically you don't have a physical need to sleep either, but you do derive psychological benefits from taking downtime to rest and process your most recent memories. While this is also when you are at the most risk of suffering nightmares, it's an essential part of your psychological development, especially since you're trying to be as human as possible. With that in mind, you lay down in the provided bed and begin reviewing your new files on S.O.N.G. It's been a long two days in this world, but you've already made new friends and found a place to call home; all things considered, things could be much worse. You just hope that everyone is doing alright back home…
Morning finds you in the submarine's cafeteria with Aoi Tomosato, the woman who gave you something warm to drink on your first night with S.O.N.G. While you wouldn't say that the two of you are particularly close just yet, you at least remember her name, which is more than can be said for most of the bridge staff. She also seems to be close with Elfnein, which speaks well to her character. She's also a fountain of questions about your home dimension and comrades, which isn't too surprising at this point. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, she'll be coming with you to the dig site to act as a liaison with both HQ and the mining team.
"But how do you get clean energy out of nuclear fission? Even if it's a new element, the laws of physics shouldn't work that way." Tomosato is clearly confused by how Japanium works; you can't blame her, given how strange it is.
"I don't fully understand it either; I suspect that only Juzo Kabuto ever did, and he's dead in every dimension that I know of," you reply. "What's important is that the process works and is reproducible; while we would be stuck without Future Koji's notes," here her nose wrinkles again; apparently most of the parallel variants of people she's encountered were from the same time, "we have enough data to make it work if we have the raw materials. Of course, that's assuming that Japanium even exists in this dimension; it's entirely possible that this will be nothing more than a massive waste of time and resources."
"That's true," she says before taking a sip of her coffee. "However, even a microscopic chance of this panning out is worth investigating. Photon Power would absolutely revolutionize the world in ways we can barely dream of; if half of what… Future Koji… pulled off can be reproduced here, this will be worth the trouble and then some. And if it doesn't pan out, then we basically get a day off of sorts, so that's not too bad either."
"You have a point," you concede as you focus on your coolant. "I've only been here for three days and I could already go for a vacation after everything that's happened."
"That happens every few months," she nods in agreement. "There will be months where barely anything happens, followed by weeks where the world almost ends and everything seems to constantly be on fire. Unfortunately, I think we might be due for a case of the latter at this point."
"Months of nothing happening? Sounds like paradise," you snark, still grappling with the idea of getting more than two weeks of peace at a time.
"Well, most of us only have to deal with one alien invasion or parallel dimension at a time, so you've certainly got us beat there." Tomosato replies with a smirk on her face. Just as open your mouth to rebut her, both of your communicators go off. "Guess it's go-time then. Meet you at the helicopter?"
"Sounds good to me," you reply. "I will meet you there."
"Just one more thing, Nine," she stops you as you move to leave. "When we get there, will you be going underground with the mining team or staying above ground with the rest of us? I need a final confirmation so I can inform the Commander."
"That's a good question," you muse. Both options have their pros and cons, particularly where safety is concerned. Going into the tunnels would be more useful for potentially finding the Japanium in the first place, but staying on the surface would leave you better prepared to handle the likely enemy attack. "I think I'm going to…"
[] Go down into the tunnels where your scanners will have the best reach. It'll put you at more risk if something happens, but the odds of hitting the jackpot might improve.
[] Stay on the surface with your team. Your radar won't be as helpful from up there, but you'll be better positioned to respond to an enemy attack.
[] Write-In
In the end, your curiosity wins out. Between potentially splitting the enemy's forces and the possibility of finding Japanium ore, there are simply too many upsides to going on the expedition to ignore. Even if synthesizing Super Alloy Z proves to be impossible, gaining access to Photon Power alone would be revolutionary.
"I think I'll join the expedition personally, if that's alright," you tell Elfnein. "I'll have a better idea of what we're looking for, plus this way we'll have at least one Symphogear user present if anything bad happens."
"At least two," Elfnein corrects you. "You didn't think we'd send you out all alone, did you?" You did in fact think that, but you keep such thoughts to yourself. "It would be bad if you ended up in a battle all on your own, especially since we barely understand how your Symphogear works to begin with. We'll send…"
[] Chris
[] Hibiki and Miku
[] Kirika and Shirabe
[] Write-In (Note: no more than two wielders in total]
"with you. It will mean pulling them from classes, but I'm sure it will be fine. Tsubasa and Maria will be back shortly after the expedition, which should give us some additional flexibility as well."
You feel a bit bad about the prospect of pulling them out of their classes given Chris's earlier complaints, but you agree that under the circumstances it's simply too important not to. You're also eager to meet Tsubasa and Maria, but that can wait until they're done with their current live tour.
"Alright, we'll go together then. Hopefully nothing attacks us and it turns into a mundane mining expedition, but I'm not going to get my hopes up," you complain as you remember all the days that should have been ordinary before they inevitably became exciting instead. "And if the worst does come to pass, I'm sure that we'll be able to protect the expedition team as well."
"I just wish that I could come with you," Elfnein says as she shakes her head ruefully. "Unfortunately, studying the Gjallarhorn fragments will be taking up the majority of my time going forward, not to mention…" here she yawns, swaying slightly in place before you catch and steady her.
"Elfnein," you begin as you frown, "when was the last time you slept? You won't be able to operate at your best if you keep running on little to no sleep."
"Sorry," she yawns again as she straightens up. "I'm going to bed right after this, I swear!" Her frantic arm waving is cute, at least; hopefully she doesn't make a habit of overworking herself like this.
"Please do," you tell her as you guide her towards her quarters rather than her lab; once again, your retrieval of the submarine's schematics pay dividends. After leaving Elfnein at her door, you make your way towards your own recently-assigned quarters. Thankfully, they're close by one another so you don't have to travel very far.
Your quarters are rather spartan, but you can't say that you mind; this is a submarine, after all, and compared to the quarters on the Tuatha De Danaan these are almost palatial by comparison. Besides, as an android you don't actually need all that much in terms of amenities, at least in comparison to a normal person. Technically you don't have a physical need to sleep either, but you do derive psychological benefits from taking downtime to rest and process your most recent memories. While this is also when you are at the most risk of suffering nightmares, it's an essential part of your psychological development, especially since you're trying to be as human as possible. With that in mind, you lay down in the provided bed and begin reviewing your new files on S.O.N.G. It's been a long two days in this world, but you've already made new friends and found a place to call home; all things considered, things could be much worse. You just hope that everyone is doing alright back home…
Morning finds you in the submarine's cafeteria with Aoi Tomosato, the woman who gave you something warm to drink on your first night with S.O.N.G. While you wouldn't say that the two of you are particularly close just yet, you at least remember her name, which is more than can be said for most of the bridge staff. She also seems to be close with Elfnein, which speaks well to her character. She's also a fountain of questions about your home dimension and comrades, which isn't too surprising at this point. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, she'll be coming with you to the dig site to act as a liaison with both HQ and the mining team.
"But how do you get clean energy out of nuclear fission? Even if it's a new element, the laws of physics shouldn't work that way." Tomosato is clearly confused by how Japanium works; you can't blame her, given how strange it is.
"I don't fully understand it either; I suspect that only Juzo Kabuto ever did, and he's dead in every dimension that I know of," you reply. "What's important is that the process works and is reproducible; while we would be stuck without Future Koji's notes," here her nose wrinkles again; apparently most of the parallel variants of people she's encountered were from the same time, "we have enough data to make it work if we have the raw materials. Of course, that's assuming that Japanium even exists in this dimension; it's entirely possible that this will be nothing more than a massive waste of time and resources."
"That's true," she says before taking a sip of her coffee. "However, even a microscopic chance of this panning out is worth investigating. Photon Power would absolutely revolutionize the world in ways we can barely dream of; if half of what… Future Koji… pulled off can be reproduced here, this will be worth the trouble and then some. And if it doesn't pan out, then we basically get a day off of sorts, so that's not too bad either."
"You have a point," you concede as you focus on your coolant. "I've only been here for three days and I could already go for a vacation after everything that's happened."
"That happens every few months," she nods in agreement. "There will be months where barely anything happens, followed by weeks where the world almost ends and everything seems to constantly be on fire. Unfortunately, I think we might be due for a case of the latter at this point."
"Months of nothing happening? Sounds like paradise," you snark, still grappling with the idea of getting more than two weeks of peace at a time.
"Well, most of us only have to deal with one alien invasion or parallel dimension at a time, so you've certainly got us beat there." Tomosato replies with a smirk on her face. Just as open your mouth to rebut her, both of your communicators go off. "Guess it's go-time then. Meet you at the helicopter?"
"Sounds good to me," you reply. "I will meet you there."
"Just one more thing, Nine," she stops you as you move to leave. "When we get there, will you be going underground with the mining team or staying above ground with the rest of us? I need a final confirmation so I can inform the Commander."
"That's a good question," you muse. Both options have their pros and cons, particularly where safety is concerned. Going into the tunnels would be more useful for potentially finding the Japanium in the first place, but staying on the surface would leave you better prepared to handle the likely enemy attack. "I think I'm going to…"
[] Go down into the tunnels where your scanners will have the best reach. It'll put you at more risk if something happens, but the odds of hitting the jackpot might improve.
[] Stay on the surface with your team. Your radar won't be as helpful from up there, but you'll be better positioned to respond to an enemy attack.
[] Write-In
[X] Kirika and Shirabe
Better to have an experienced pair at each location, even as nice as it would be to have more zenbu around.
[X] Go down into the tunnels where your scanners will have the best reach. It'll put you at more risk if something happens, but the odds of hitting the jackpot might improve.
The whole point of this exercise was a gamble. Not maximizing the odds at this point seems somewhat self-defeating. And if the dess twins win they have a good chance of being fine on their own anyway.
Really neat idea for a quest, btw. Nice to see more people appreciate Nine and a Getter Symphogeah is fucking hilarious.
Better to have an experienced pair at each location, even as nice as it would be to have more zenbu around.
[X] Go down into the tunnels where your scanners will have the best reach. It'll put you at more risk if something happens, but the odds of hitting the jackpot might improve.
The whole point of this exercise was a gamble. Not maximizing the odds at this point seems somewhat self-defeating. And if the dess twins win they have a good chance of being fine on their own anyway.
Really neat idea for a quest, btw. Nice to see more people appreciate Nine and a Getter Symphogeah is fucking hilarious.
Thank you for your kind words! This idea's been bouncing around in my head for years now and I'm glad to see that people are enjoying it.
Alright, the vote is now locked in favor of bringing Kirika and Shirabe and staying on the surface with them. Update to come either tonight or tomorrow depending on a couple things.