Starbound Fox (A Honkai: Star Rail SI)

[Miho Chan]

A Special thanks to my wonderful Patreons: SpiritFoxAlf, Nisiris, Nicholas Munger, Talentlessfool, Logically Random, KenneGlitch, Lightstorm, Sean, Spheal lover., Robin Bunuki, CateCat, Silva T, charlie howe, saganatsu, IridumSky(Emma), Tale Swapper, Ttw1, J Frost, and Omida.
Your support is greatly appreciated.

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Six Years Ago, Xianzhou Luofu
02:01:26 System Time

I remember when I truly began to hate my new parents. There was no one true inciting incident, but I remember clearly the moment when I decided I wanted nothing to do with them and their desires. It was; at least when looking back objectively, something so small that it couldn't even be called a straw that broke the camel's back. At least, there was a part of me that insisted it was so much of a nothingburger that I still couldn't figure out exactly what caused the reaction it had. The more rational parts of me recalled that even if I had the memories, general maturity, and emotional control of an adult, my mind and body was that of a child. With all the wonderful lack of mental development and irrational decisions that came with that fact.

Regardless, I was getting distracted. The small thing that finally stopped my attempts to rationalize my parent's behavior was, bluntly, their refusal to let me learn how to pilot a starskiff.

It was honestly an understandable decision. Why, after all, would the heiress of one of the wealthiest families on the Xianzhou Luofu need to learn how to pilot a starskiff like some kind of peasant. She had better things to do with her time, like learn the ins and outs of economics from her tutors, to learn etiquette that would be expected of such a wealthy young woman, to learn how to manage the household and the great wealth that she would eventually inherit.

Yet it still hurt. Because that was the moment I learned that my parents did not love me. Rather, they loved the idea of me. Unfortunately for both them and myself, the idea they had of me was completely incompatible with the person that I was and wished to become again. Regardless of my opinion, however, the fact remained that my parents would never let me be what I wanted to be, and I refused to be the perfect little heiress for them.

If only out of spite. I was well aware I was rejecting a comfortable and likely eventually happy life by doing this. It wasn't as if I couldn't simply tough out their helicopter tendencies then do whatever I wanted with my life after the fact after all. I had at least three hundred or so years to live. They had, at most, another two hundred, likely closer to a hundred or so. They had been a lot older than standard when they'd had me after all.

But I wasn't really someone capable of inflicting years of repression onto myself simply for my own eventual comfort. It wasn't something I would likely ever be capable of. When I was miserable I was miserable, and when I was happy I was happy. No everdistant promise of a better life had ever been enough for me, and I doubted it would change even if I was promised the keys to a fortune that would make a certain Elongated Muskrat seethe in jealousy.

That did not change the fact that there was always a small voice crying out to me, my intrusive thoughts twisting my desires and ideals and whispering just how much good I could do with such a fortune and the influence it would bring.

It was ignored with great difficulty.

The roar of a starskiff's engine snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned my attention skywards once more, feet gently kicking through empty air as I sighed.

'The stars sure are pretty tonight. Even if they're simply a projection by the Luofu's systems to give the illusion that we're on a planet, that doesn't change their beauty.'

The thought raced through my head. Breathing deeply, I firmed my resolve.

'My parents are asleep. I've been well behaved constantly, never pressing boundaries and accepting their decrees without question. Ten years of trust built all for this moment.' I paused, ears twitching atop my head as I focused on the environment around me. Nothing but the ever present din of Starskiffs and Foot Traffic, not even impeded by the 'night'. 'I have exactly six hours before someone checks my room. By then, I have to be out of the Luofu and well on my way to concealing my presence. Father and Mother will probably assume kidnapping; I've been too well behaved for them to assume I ran away. The evidence I'm leaving of a minor struggle should help with that.'

I glanced towards my room with a hint of melancholy, looking at the slightly tousled sheets and little, small signs of a struggle I had very carefully left behind. My nightstand, knocked over. A dataslate with a cracked screen, a bit of blood left behind. My own, of course. I wasn't about to frame some poor sod.

'That deception will last for, at most, a few days. Realistically they have enough influence to get the investigation fast-tracked and prioritized so they'll figure out I ran within a few hours of discovering my doctored evidence. That might paradoxically buy me some more time if the investigators assume I was being mistreated enough to run, but that's unlikely. They'll probably assume I'm being a spoiled brat and just causing them trouble.'

I wasn't about to rely on the good-faith of some random investigator after all. Assumptions were a dangerous thing, and biases even more so. All they'd see was a princess running away from home. They'd never actually consider why. Though that was admittedly a bias on my part and a dangerous assumption… If it wasn't for the fact that bias was partially fueled by a need to plan for the worst.

'The starskiff I'm planning on stowing away on is running cargo for my parents' business. That means if I'm discovered while aboard I'm extremely fucked. Thankfully, people generally only search for what they're looking for, and hair dye is extremely easy to get a hold of.'

A strand of pink hair slipped between my eyes, and with an amused yet annoyed huff, I blew it upwards. Most of the reason I only had six hours was the process of dying my hair and fur after my parents had gone to sleep. It was a significant chunk of the reason I'd only get one chance at this, the one reason I had so meticulously planned out this entire venture.

'Right.' I breathed deeply, taking one last good look at my home. I took in the starskiffs gently passing above, their cargo or passengers being delivered throughout Central Starskiff Haven. I drew in the familiar and unique smell of the mansion I had grown up in; fragrant smells and perfumes combined with the exhaust of starskiffs and smell of good food from a series of nearby eateries and restaurants. The familiar architecture that gave off the feeling of China and the East as a whole, the sounds of the crowds, and even the little illusions that my parents had lovingly crafted around our home with their skill in Immersia.

Then, I exhaled. With a small grunt, I slipped down the tiled roof and tucked my body into a tight roll. Coming to my feet rapidly, I quickly made my way towards the main entrance of the compound we lived in, thanking my lucky stars that it was always open as a symbolic gesture and unguarded. I would be able to leave freely and without contest from any guards. In that manner, at least, my folks had made things easy for me.

Then again, so had the mandated self defense lessons. I would never have been able to pull off that maneuver without them.

A flicker of doubt raced through my head. It persisted for a second, then was ruthlessly crushed as I walked past the gates and into the streets of Central Starskiff Haven. Walking with purpose and knowledge that people would be unlikely to question me while I did so, I quickly went on my way. The next part of my plan was the one that I was least certain about. There was a certain element of luck involved here, and I wasn't completely certain fortune would favor me. I didn't exactly need it, of course, but it'd be nice to have.

With trepidation building, I ducked into a nearby alleyway, made my way to a very specific location, and opened an 'abandoned' cardboard box.

'Thank fuck.'

Everything I had concealed was still present. Credits; of the IPC variety, exchanged in secret. A dagger and an accompanying holster. A backpack containing several changes of clothes in addition to a burner phone and accompanying electronics. A lunch box, this one containing several meals in several different compartments, secreted away from my parents. It was one of the most expensive things I had ever 'lost', and I sure as fuck was glad that my story had been convincing enough that my folks had bought it.

I had risked a lot stashing them away in such a busy 'alleyway', but bystander syndrome and a general disinhibition for barging in on the business of others had apparently kept my 'escape' stash safe. Breathing a sigh of relief, I checked to make sure that I was clear. I was. I strapped my dagger to my left thigh, slung my backpack on my back, and grabbed my lunchbox. It was time to leave. Once more, I began walking purposefully, this time slowly but surely making my way towards one of the many docks littered throughout one of the centers of commerce on the Luofu.

I was unopposed throughout my journey, the sight of a child with such striking fur and hair drawing some eyes but the way I purposefully maneuvered my way through the crowd and politely told anyone who did ask that "I was just on my way to give Mommy lunch." was more than enough for most people to simply leave me alone; mutters of how responsible of a daughter I must be striking my ears and heart like hammers.

I buried the tears that threatened to build up at the compliments. Well meaning as they might be, if I was truly a responsible and dutiful daughter I wouldn't be doing this. But I was too much of a damned free spirit, and I was starting to chafe under the watchful eye of my parents and their inability to let me do what I wanted. Sure, I was willing to accept to some degree that it was my duty to be their heiress. That was part of the reason I had lasted so long (the other being the sheer reality that until I was around ten I simply wasn't going to be able to fend for myself once I ran). But they also had a duty as parents to love and cherish me for who I was, and they had failed to do that.

I choked a bitter sigh back. I was still in public, still presenting the mask of a dutiful daughter who was simply delivering her mother some lunch. They would likely assume that I had made the choice to operate during the night; not an unfamiliar sight aboard any of the ships that composed the Xianzhou Alliance.

They were, after all, massive starskiffs. It was (perhaps not) shocking how much of the Luofu operated on the principles of watches. Three eight hour segments of the day. Each manned by a different group of people.

'And that's enough of that particular line of thought before I devolve into naval nerdery and vague guesses on why a twenty four hour system is so fucking everpresent in this universe.' I told myself firmly, fixing my focus firmly on reality instead of the clouds I usually drifted through life on. There would be a time for meandering thoughts, introspection, and all that later. For now, I was approaching my destination and needed to focus.

The starskiff I was approaching was the Clouddancer A moderately sized cargo freighter that occasionally carried passengers as well. On this specific voyage, she wouldn't be taking on any passengers, so I shouldn't be too concerned with anyone but the small crew that operated the massive thing. She was currently in the process of loading cargo; and would be departing in roughly two hours.

That gave me an extremely limited timeframe to get onboard and comfortable. The voyage would be a decently long one: part of the reason I had chosen Clouddancer was her destination, after all. One of the shockingly rare planets independent of the IPC nor affiliated with any particular large faction. Of course, they did lean rather favorably towards the Xianzhou and the IPC; but that was largely common sense. The IPC was the premiere superpower of the universe, and the Xianzhou Alliance was one of the better (if not the best) military forces out there.

The world I was aiming to go to, Merleon, was not important for now. What was important was getting on board. Given that my parents ran a rather efficient and loyal company, that wasn't going to be the easiest thing ever. Thankfully, however, I had prepared for this. Breathing deeply, I drew upon my birthright as a Foxian deeply, pheromones and magic combined in a manner that left me invisible to the naked eye. Immediately, the strain of maintaining the technique slammed into me.

I barely managed to withhold a gasp. Doing this without technological assistance was insanely taxing. At most, I'd be able to hold it for another thirty seconds or so. Grimly, I realized that I was going to have to risk the people watching the dock hearing my footsteps. I burst into a dead sprint, feet hammering against the lacquered wood that composed the dock I was standing on audibly as I raced towards the Clouddancer.

My luck held. My heart hammered against my chest as I burst past the inattentive watchman; thankfully a Vidyadhara and not a fellow Foxian. A yawn burst from his lips as I slipped inside, ragged gasps for air barely concealed as I slowly but surely made my way through the familiar halls of the Skytreader. Like most ships of her class, Clouddancer had a relatively simple internal structure, and it was frankly a pretty simple matter to slip into one of the many cargo holds and find a small nook to make myself comfortable.

I'd have to pay close attention to remain concealed in case the crew was assigned to do menial tasks around here, but I was hoping that for the moment I'd be able to successfully stow away. Slowly, my racing heart and ragged breaths evened out. I had done it. I had successfully (pending the voyage proper) escaped my overbearing parents and the carefully planned life they had for me. A laugh bubbled up from my throat unwittingly, briefly escaping in a delighted expression of joy before I mastered myself, head whipping around as my ears twitched.

Nothing. No reaction.

I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding, and mastered myself. Right. Now was not the time to celebrate. Now was the time to find a small nook for myself and ensure that I wouldn't get caught halfway through my escape. Then, once I was sure everything would be okay, I'd go to sleep and prepare for the new life I'd be forging for myself.

'You've done it, Xiulan. You've escaped. You can finally do the things you want to do, see the sights you want to see, and explore this vast universe you've found yourself in. It won't be easy, of course. This place isn't a kind one; it's filled with more despair and darkness than most people realize, but you've taken your first steps.'

Eyes flickering around the room as I searched for a nice little corner to hide myself away, I smiled.

'Hopefully, everything will only improve from here…'

I slumped into my hiding spot as the adrenaline slipped from my system, each passing moment a balm to my nerves. The steady pulse of my heart in my head faded until it was swallowed entirely by the gentle sounds of the starskiff around me. Sounds that changed subtly as the crew finished their work, and began preparations for launch.

My anxiety surged to the fore, then, ears flicking around as if I could somehow hear a sudden call from my parents. Who wouldn't be scared, this was my only real chance, after all. When none came, I breathed a sigh of relief and did my best to calm my anxiety; it wouldn't help me out in the long run, nor would it really accomplish anything.

If my parents found me now, they found me now. It would be what it would be.

It was moments after that lovely thought had raced through my mind that I heard it. A sudden thrumming of Clouddancer's engines as she began to fire them up properly, a vibration in the air that I could feel more than hear, followed by a small lurch as she unmoored from the docks and began moving under her own power.

The whine and hum of engines as she slowly but surely made her way out of the immediate vicinity of the docks with intentional slowness, followed by the building crescendo as her engines began to well and truly get ready for an interstellar voyage.

My heart hammered in my chest, a sense of childlike awe overtaking me as I realized I had done it. I had escaped from my overbearing parents and was about to embark on a voyage to another planet. A planet where I could be free! Exhausted glee filled me from eartip to toe as I secured myself in my little nook, a flash of sadness briefly rushing through me as I realized I likely wouldn't be able to take in the starscape that would soon greet us if I wanted to remain uncaught.

It was with that childlike sense of wonder and a small, melancholic regret that I began the next chapter of my life, wishing upon the stars I could not see that my journey and life would go smoothly for the time being.

I would look back on this day eventually, a bitter tang of regret upon my tongue as I recalled the wish I had made, the image of a monkey's paw ever present within my mind…

Interesting times indeed. My journey might have gone smoothly but my life? Oh, my life was about to get much more interesting.

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AN: This is an idea I've been piddling around with in one form or another for about two years now (How time flies). Recent events in HSR (Most notably the completion of Penacony) have finally motivated me to write this work. First, to lay out some stuff that I'm comfortable sharing so that people know what to expect out of Starbound Fox.

This is, in many ways, a canon retread. I grappled with this choice for a pretty significant amount of time, but in the end I figured that given the very nature of HSR, I could only really make the choice to make something completely original within the universe, or retread canon at least to a pretty significant extent. Of course, that doesn't mean the butterflies caused by the SI/Reincarnate's existence aren't going to change things (perhaps even drastically), but it does mean that, for the most part, you can expect the Trailblaze Quests to remain similar in many of their 'beats'. There'll be some major differences once we get to the Luofu, but beyond that things will remain at least recognizable.

Second, should I somehow, miraculously, manage to finish everything up to 2.7 before 3.7 drops and the entire arc of Amphoros/Omphalos (The latter being the Japanese pronunciation) concludes, I will be taking a hiatus from this work until 3.x is completely done. Then I'll begin properly storyboarding the arc and figuring out what the fuck Xiulan will be doing during that. Will she be accompanying Dan Heng and the Trailblazer? Will she replace Dan Heng as the Trailblazer's companion on the surface? Will she play a completely separate role? Et Cetera et Cetera.

Finally, it should be noted that people who are my Patreons will gain access to chapters 1 week before they are published, as they are completed.

As of right now, Chapter 1 has been completely storyboarded and I estimate I should have it done within the next week, perhaps less.

Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys this fanwork. Xiulan is a character close to my heart, and it would be a bit more accurate to describe her as an OC, considering the choices she has made and the things she has experienced seperates her from "me" quite a lot.

 

[Miho Chan]

A Special thanks to my wonderful Patreons: Lilly Purrington, ReverieRover, General Joke, SpiritFoxAlf, Nisiris, Nicholas Munger, Talentlessfool, Logically Random, KenneGlitch, Lightstorm, Sean, Spheal lover., Robin Bunuki, CateCat, Silva T, charlie howe, saganatsu, IridumSky(Emma), Tale Swapper, Ttw1, J Frost, and Omida.
Your support is greatly appreciated.

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Present Day, Aboard the Herta Space Station
23:44:59 System Time

Vague memories had led me to Herta Space Station two cycles ago. Floundering after the death of someone that I'd come to care for immensely, I had chartered a voyage to The Blue in an effort to shake myself out of the funk I had found myself in. In a twist of luck, it worked. It had taken me out of the routine motions of hunting the targets I once hunted alongside that man I called dad and forced me out of my self imposed misery.

'Of course' I thought to myself, a dry sarcasm born from how interesting my life tended to get at times, 'That couldn't last.'

Those vague memories had also warned me about an invasion by the Antimatter Legion. I, because of course my luck demanded it, had arrived on Herta Space Station not even an hour before the invasion I only barely recalled was important had kicked off in earnest.

For fuck's sake, I'd just wanted to relax after my long voyage! It wasn't exactly comfortable taking an economy class starskiff anywhere in the galaxy! But noooooooooooooooooo. The universe and Murphy had laughed at my desires and sicced the goddamn Antimatter Legion on me! I hadn't even made it to my temporary quarters before the bastards descended upon the station like a swarm of fucking locusts.

Aborting my internal rant for the moment, I scowled as another barrage of gunfire rained down on my position from the veritable tide of Void Rangers I'd been fighting for the past. Two. hours. Breathing deeply; more out of habit than as any sort of tool to calm myself, I took stock of my situation.

I was dangerously close to running out of ammunition.

I was the only remaining line of defense in this area.

There were civilians behind me. Ones that would all perish should I not make my stand here.

There was a seemingly unending supply of small fry trying to take my position.

And I was really really hungry and tired.

It really was just another Tuesday, I considered wryly. Despite the situation, I couldn't prevent the sardonic grin that briefly slipped onto my face as I slapped a fresh magazine into Sasha. My inherited firearm clicked pleasingly, and I took a deep breath. Time to see if I was still worthy of walking the same path as my pops.

I burst from cover with my gun already raised, sighting on the closest Void Ranger. My brain flashed with a now far too familiar sight-picture, and I squeezed the trigger. A chittering burst dropped the servant of Destruction, opening a temporary gap in the incoming fire I had to deal with. Good thing too, I was committed now. There was another position in my line of advance, only a handful of steps really, but in this environment? It could well have been twenty miles. I kept my body moving though, racing forwards whilst I swept Sasha's barrel across the hall in a smooth arc.

She spoke four times more before I reached my destination, each defiant burst clearing space for my next step. Then I was sliding into cover again, twisting to take the force of braking on my back. A corner of my mind took some truly dark amusement in how the IPC's rigid standard for construction quality was actually helping me for once. Though that was banished quickly as the suppressing fire around me increased again. Shifting to glance around my cover as best I could, I swallowed a curse as I recognised why that was happening.

There were a lot of Void Rangers. Including the ones with swords as arms that were very rapidly approaching my location as ranged counterparts suppressed my ability to respond. Not even remotely close to ideal. I was… serviceable in a melee, but ranged combat was where I shone, and I didn't exactly fancy my chances against five of the bastards at once. Especially not when I was severely limited in the amount of space I had to work with.

Not counting the eight damned Rangers of the Antimatter Legion that would, no doubt, gun me down the moment I left cover.

A detached hollowness settled over me as I recognised the only realistic option I had in this situation. I'd never particularly enjoyed using my inheritance from my found family. There would always be a part of me that mourned my second paternal figure in both of my lives and using the culmination of the legacy he had left behind stabbed at the emotional wounds I carried from his loss to this day. But I couldn't just ignore it. Falling here wasn't an option.

I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to focus. Time ceased to have meaning for a moment as my thoughts interfaced with the devices implanted within me. My bodysuit, designed entirely to support the use of my father's legacy, hummed with power. Moments later, my eyes snapped open, my body thrumming with Imaginary Energy as I looked upon the world with new eyes. A myriad of fissures in realspace leading to the domain of Imaginary Numbers were laid out before me, all of them waiting for something to interact with them.

A memory played out in the forefront of my mind, images flashing before me in a way they never had in my other life.

"How do I make those portals? Well, brat, I make them by interfacing with fissures in Imaginary Numbers Space through the use of a nifty series of implants. The relic I use is a bona-fide masterpiece from my home, so you won't find it anywhere else." The man standing before her had stated, an almost fond look entering his eyes as he looked upon something I couldn't see. He looked at peace, in that moment…

I snapped myself out of the recollection. Now was not even remotely close to the time to dwell upon the past. Reaching out towards the fissure closest to me, I tore it open with perhaps a bit more eagerness than strictly necessary, Sasha's barrel immediately orienting towards the passage through Imaginary Space. This time, my left trigger finger did not only briefly feather over the trigger. This time, I squeezed it down firmly. It was only my stable position and years of practice that allowed me to keep the carbine that reminded me so much of an M4A1 steady. As soon as I had finished dumping the rest of my magazine into the gap in reality, I cut off the stream of energy keeping it open.

My ears twitched as eight different bodies slammed against the floor, the last of the Void Rangers keeping me pinned falling like puppets with their strings cut as bullets scythed into their backs. The sound of feet drumming against the floor reached me moments later as the ones with blades for arms blitzed my position, throwing caution to the wind with the realization that their support was gone.

Another fissure was torn open with practiced ease as I threw myself through Imaginary Space. Emerging where my oh so annoying enemies had once been, I brought Sasha to bear once more, slamming a fresh magazine into the receiver with mechanical precision.

The remaining Void Rangers didn't stand a chance.

As the last of my foes fell to the ground, very much dead, I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes. The fissures disappeared, the sixth sense that allowed me to perceive them through the medium of my sense of sight fading as I sent the mental shutdown command to my implants. The subtle thrum of power through my equipment and body ceased, and I took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. It was, at least for the moment, over. The area I had been sent to secure was secure.

Of course, that didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. It wasn't as if the space station proper was secure yet. It definitely was not. Nor would I get more than a few moments to rest before a familiar voice came through her communication device.

[Xiulan, have you secured the residential area?]

'Wonder why Asta's contacting me. It should be Arlan- Nevermind. He played rearguard. Poor bastard is either dead or injured enough that he's resting.' I mused to myself, right hand reaching upwards to gently key my mike, my left securely holding Sasha against my shoulder.

[Yes. All the members of the Antimatter Legion have been repelled or eliminated. Status update?] I replied softly. Asta wasn't quite a friend, but I did trust her enough to drop some of my usual formalities. The defense mechanism wouldn't help with someone that actually knew me at more than a surface level anyway.

[Members of the Express Crew have made their way to the Master Control Zone. If you could make your way to us as well, we can coordinate a counterattack.] The Lead Researcher replied immediately, the request that was an order echoing through my ears.

[Understood. I'll be there in ten minutes.] I replied, my earpieces falling silent as the connection terminated. Taking one final look at my surroundings; more out of habit than anything else, I sighed harshly and began making my way towards the nearest staircase. The elevators were definitely still shut down, after all…

---

"I'm back, Asta." The words flowed from my mouth as I stepped into the Master Control Center, the sight of slightly panicked researchers and assorted members of security making rounds to calm down the aforementioned panicked researchers greeting my eyes. Taking a moment to nod respectfully towards the guard standing just inside the entrance in case the Antimatter Legion actually broke through, I quickly made her way towards the Lead Researcher.

Something akin to relief flickered across Asta's face as I entered her sight. She appeared to have not heard my earlier greeting; more than understandable considering the general din of activity taking place all around her and how softly I'd been speaking.

"I'm glad you're okay." Asta began as I took stock of the familiar yet unfamiliar group of people surrounding the woman that was shockingly similar to me in some limited ways, "Where was I…"

One of the people surrounding Asta spoke up. A flicker of a largely forgotten memory tickled my mind as he spoke.

"The current situation of the space station." He clarified, in a somewhat professionally detached sort of manner that tugged at said memories once more.

'... I know you. But who are you? I know you're important, but I don't remember why. Ugh, this is why I didn't even bother to try and remember the plot of the story I played so long ago; it's not as if I could remember the specifics by the time I realized I had to care anyway.' I grumbled to myself, keeping my face carefully neutral as I continued to walk closer to the group.

"Right. The situation is under control for now. The damage to our security system was minor. The intruder only managed to alter a small amount of data, so it was easy to fix." Asta said, eyes briefly closing as she took a moment to collect her thoughts, "The real problem lies with the researchers… They trust Madam Herta wholeheartedly and never thought that the space station would be breached by the Legion. A broken spirit is far worse than a broken body."

Within the sanctity and privacy of my mind I snorted. There were definitely arguments for or against that specific statement. I'd seen the result of a broken body and a broken spirit and they tended to come hand in hand with each other. Nor did I particularly think the nerds that inhabited that space station were so weak willed as to break when threatened by imminent death. They were far too obsessed with their research to actually let this truly damper their curious spirit.

They'd bounce back. But they'd also probably require some degree of reassurance right now and in the immediate aftermath.

"Let's go speak with the researchers." A redheaded woman…

"This is my final lesson…"

The flash of memory crashed into me completely unprompted, barely recalled events slamming into my mind with the force of a sledgehammer. Wincing, I barely managed to master my features before anyone noticed. It only took me a few moments to wrestle the recollection away, blinking away the phantom mirages of fire and void.

"I sent multiple letters, all met with silence. You know her, Himeko, the space station is but a mere warehouse for followers and rare items. She doesn't really care about it." Asta continued.

'I missed what Himeko was going to say.' I grumbled to myself internally. It had definitely involved a suggestion to contact Madame Herta though, considering what Asta had said. Keeping one ear on the rest of the conversation, I let my attention wander, eyes briefly flickering over the forms of the three other members of the Astral Express. One girl with short grey hair. Covered by a coat of the same color. She definitely seemed rather fond of the color, and for some reason her mind immediately connected the girl with a raccoon.

A pang of loss shot through her at that, memories of someone she had loved and still loved briefly taking her attention before she continued her assessment. Another girl, this one with short pink hair, wearing an outfit of white and blue.

The final one and only male was-

That was definitely a Xianzhou native. The clothes, the posture, the hair. Everything about that man pointed towards someone from my homeland. Or another one of my homeland's ships. I wasn't particularly sure about that. Black hair, an outfit of white and jade with some degree of stylized armor…

Yeah. Definitely a Xianzhou native.

Shaking myself out of my brief inspection, I refocused my attention on the tail end of the conversation.

"That would be of great help." Asta practically sighed out, the relief coming off of the heiress in waves practically palpable in the air, "Speaking of help," She continued, her eyes locking with mine, "This is Xiulan. She visits occasionally and has been a great help in defending the space station from the Legion." Her specific wording had me raising an eyebrow as Asta broke eye contact. Why the heck was the woman glazing me up so much?

The baffled looks from the members of the Astral Express (along with the flat out confused one from the grey-haired one) reminded me that I was, in fact, just a girl. Not a woman. A girl. A child. Someone that would not be considered an adult for a not insignificant amount of time. Ah. That would be why Asta was glazing me up a bit. Because if she didn't, no one would take me seriously.

"Isn't she a bit… young?" The Xianzhou native asked plaintively, immediately giving credence to my prior thoughts, "She looks to be barely fourteen, if that."

'Well, that's just rude. Given that I'm about 90% certain I'm finished growing, that's even more offensive! I can't control the fact that I'm pint sized! Not that I actually mind being pint-sized. I'm rather fond of being smol.' I ranted to myself, the only indication of my thoughts a small twitch as my right eyebrow briefly rose and fell. Breathing deeply, more to push aside the annoyance of the admittedly understandable doubt given my apparently physical age, I coughed.

"I'm standing right here, Benefactor. Normally, you'd be right. I'm only about sixteen years old, after all. But I've also been living on my own for two of those years, and I'm not exactly some sheltered princess with no idea how the world works. I haven't set foot on my homeland for over six years now." My words were eloquently put, the years of practice my birth parents in this life had drilled into me coming to the fore as I put on the mask of a perfect little Foxian princess.

That earned me a startled look from all but the grey haired one, who just continued to be confused. Vague memories of the girl… Stelle? Stelle sounded right, it rang a bell. Regardless, those memories did provide some degree of context. The poor lass had, if my generally shitty memory was right at least, had just woken up within the past hour or so and had become an amnesiac with essentially zero clue as to what was going on.

"Putting all of that to the side." The redhead; Himeko, placated, a smile on her face as she smoothly changed the topic, "We should all split up and do our best to assuage the worries of the researchers here. It wouldn't be prudent to have problems from the inside while the Antimatter Legion is attacking." She paused, taking a look around at all those present, "Miss Xiulan, are you willing to help us with that?"

I blinked slowly, mouthing the words to myself. Wrestling briefly with the prospects of being social with random people, I winced and shook my head. "I'm not the best at reassuring people, nor am I the best at being particularly social. I'll stick to keeping an eye on everyone, if you don't mind."

Thankfully, there was no judgement in Himeko's eyes as she accepted my request, though for the life of me I couldn't recall why I cared. Not the exact reason, anyway. I could get snippets of a song I had used to listen to, something that had become 'my' song in the same way Last Stardust had. But why did I care so much about the opinion of someone I had never met-

'Oh, duh. Final Lesson. It hit me like a truck and the approval of the 'character' behind that would matter to me. Stupid.'

With my conundrum answered, I made my way over to a little corner with good visibility over the whole of the Master Control Zone and settled in for a long wait. If my vague sense of impending danger was right, my life was about to get even more interesting in the next several moments. Which meant I'd need to take the time to assess my own condition and figure out what I could contribute against that danger when I was nearly out of ammunition…

 

[Miho Chan]

A Special thanks to my wonderful Patreons: ReverieRover, General Joke, SpiritFoxAlf, Nisiris, Nicholas Munger, Talentlessfool, Logically Random, KenneGlitch, Lightstorm, Sean, Spheal lover., Robin Bunuki, CateCat, Silva T, charlie howe, saganatsu, IridumSky(Emma), Tale Swapper, Ttw1, J Frost, and Omida.
Your support is greatly appreciated.

---

The blaring of alarms, their shrill cries drilling into my ears with the force of a sledgehammer, was the first warning that something was wrong. The thin keening sound that I couldn't quite place that followed immediately afterward was my second.

The image that popped up in the Master Control Center's core was all that I needed to know to upgrade this invasion to a potential calamity.

An ivory white exoskeleton, wings seemingly cast from dusk themselves splayed between that same ivory, the overall draconic appearance marred by an alieness that came from all those forged within the Legion's Warforge… All of it pointed to exactly one thing. The Doomsday Beast, the Antimatter Legion's planet destroyer. The remnants of the Dusk Leviathan cast with the agony of thousands of souls. The harbinger of the end. A being that had brought the end to many worlds, and that was responsible for the death of billions, if not trillions, of beings across the galaxy.

And it's here. I breathed in harshly, sweat dripping down my face as my flight or fight response kicked into overdrive, my mind racing through potential strategies for any way we could combat this new threat. Direct combat was likely right out. While I was confident in my own abilities, I didn't know the extent of the Nameless' own capabilities in a fight, and I knew I wouldn't be enough to stop a calamity of this magnitude. Not on my own. If the Nameless had enough combatants of my level or higher, that would be a different story, but I couldn't- no, I would not count on it.

Granted, absolutely none of this would be an issue if Madame Herta was here.

The problem, of course, was that she wasn't. About the only thing that could make this situation worse would be the appearance of the Lord Ravager. Thankfully, we seemed to have been spared of that. Then again, given how interesting my life seemed to get…

But that line of thought wasn't productive. Glancing at the others of the Control Centre actually gave me some small measure of comfort, as insane as they'd consider it. Because I knew their journey didn't end here. I knew that Herta's Space Station had a role in things to come. And yet, could I rely on that? It was too easy to get lost in the spiral. Right now-

"Take the express and leave!" Asta's voice cut through my attempts at thought, the girl putting up a brave face despite the way her body trembled. "I'll stay."

The pink-haired girl protested, words on her lips to deny the fate that was approaching them. Himeko cut her off immediately.

"Let's go."

I caught Asta's eye. A question tickled the back of my throat, yet her subtle nod had it die there. I was to leave with them, then. I had expected no less. But- No. I couldn't think like that. It wasn't as if the Nameless would abandon the innocent. They were much like the Galaxy Rangers in that way.

A lot like I was.

I was moving before I really knew it, boots drumming against the floor as I burst into a brief sprint to catch the crew of the Astral Express before they could take the elevator down without me. I made it with time to spare, reducing my pace to a jog as I came up alongside the quartet. The determined expression on my face seemed to silence any questions, which was good. I didn't feel like words. Not that they'd be able to truly reach me right now anyway, not through the adrenaline and cold rage honing my mind to a blade's edge. Things not immediately relevant to the repulsion or destruction of the Doomsday Beast could wait.

We reached the elevator. Silently, we rode it downward, towards a zone of the space station I'dnever visited. The Supply Zone. A place for maintenance of the space station, storage, and the location of the platform for the Astral Express that Madame Herta had restored during the construction of this masterwork.

The intercom blared. "The supply zone's defense shield won't hold much longer. You all need to hurry…" For a moment, there was a heavy pause, the young woman at the other side taking a deep breath, "I'll be here, you've got to fend them off…" Static interrupted the transmission, and I could only make out three words before it devolved into interpretable noise, "You… need… hurry…"

"... We lost communications," Himeko remarked, evidently the resident stater of the obvious. Briefly, she looked conflicted, casting a concerned gaze at the elevator that we were leaving behind, the beating of shoes against the cold metal of the space station our only companion for the moment.

"Are you thinking of going back? Let me remind you, that's the Doomsday Beast, the Legion's planet destroyer," the Xianzhou native interjected. His words contained a certain clinicality to them that most would associate with apathy. Yet, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't as if he didn't care about the people here, no. But-

I could ponder any implications behind his personality or word choice later. Right now I needed to focus.

"The space station is Herta's creation. As long as a Lord Ravager doesn't intervene, there should be no problems." Himeko responded curtly. Honestly, it was admirable that they were jogging towards their destination so fast while carrying on a conversation. It spoke well of their lung capacity and experience. My estimations of their potential combat capabilities rose.

My mind returned to the impending battle ahead of me as I put their conversation to the side for the moment. I didn't exactly have anything useful to add, after all. Nor was I really the kind of person to casually chat with random people as was.

Snippets of their discussion did reach me however, twinging at long forgotten memories. Stelle; the name of the grey-haired girl, was important. With a capital I. She was the key to all of this, and though I didn't know or remember why she was the key, I did recall a very specific phrase I associated with her. It had, after all, been a key theme of the story I remembered enjoying greatly.

When you have to make a choice, make the one you know you won't regret.

Several pairs of feet continued to thunder against the floor, the normally ignorable sounds drumming against my sensitive ears. Yet that was not the only sound I heard.

The Anti-Matter Legion had their own unique bodies, and those forms tended to make very unique sounds, extremely recognisable to anyone that had encountered them before. Given that I'd been fighting the damned bastards for over two hours at this point, I was more than familiar enough to recognise them ahead of us.

"Contacts front. They're waiting for us around the bend coming up." I thrust myself into the embers of their conversation, Sasha once again appearing in my grip as I accelerated towards the fore "Be prepared to engage."

I didn't bother waiting to see if the Astral Express crew would react quickly. An ambush that one was aware of was simply an ambush for the ambushers, after all, and I wasn't about to let this opportunity slip me by. My ears twitched as the hammering of feet picked up slightly, a quartet of footsteps increasing their speed to catch up with me.

"We're with you," Himeko stated simply, the words filling me with a familiar yet foreign sense of warmth that I wasn't sure I should really be feeling from someone I had just met. Burying those emotions behind a mask of professionalism, along with my doubts, I simply nodded towards her. Silently as one could while sprinting forward we burst around the corner and were faced with our foes. A single Baryon, the Anchors of the Antimatter Legion. A pair of Voidranger: Reavers, arm-blades raised menacingly in anticipation. Finally, a single Voidranger, a Distorter, the field commanders of the Antimatter Legion's chaff.

Taking full advantage of the surprise afforded us, I put a burst of lead through the 'head' of the Distorter. As it went down, the crew of the Astral Express pounced. The Xianzhou Native (I'd have to get his name at some point) engaged in a brief yet fierce melee with one of the Reavers, his spearwork more than sufficient to overcome the moderate skill the servant of Destruction possessed. Stelle closed in right behind him, baseball bat slamming aside the blades of her foe in an admirable display of strength and skill. Before she could follow up, an arrow from the pink-haired one brought the Reaver's lease on life to an end. Finally, Himeko charged in towards the Baryon, eliminating it with a quick stroke of her suitcase that was also a buzzsaw.

Because why not.

The skirmish was over before it could really begin, the corpses of our foes dissipating into motes of light as the price of their existence caught up to them. I brought my racing mind to heel, taking a deep breath before we resumed our journey towards the Train Platform. For the moment, I remained silent, offering each of the Astral Express crew a nod of acknowledgement and respect. They had fought well, after all.

I raised my initial estimation of their capabilities even higher. The ease with which they'd batted aside the servants of Destruction was no small thing. That level of skill in combat was hard to come by, and the level of teamwork each of them had displayed was harder still.

Hopefully, hopefully, it would be enough to take on the superweapon that was rapidly making itself our problem…

---

"Aww yeah it's the platform!" the pink-haired girl cheered, her right arm pointed towards the location straight in front of us. Paranoia seeped through my entire being as deja vu slammed into me with the force of a rampaging truck. Something was coming, and it was likely coming to ruin my day.

"... The Express isn't here." Evidently, it was the Xianzhou native's turn to state the obvious this time.

"It has to be nearby!" the first speaker interjected. I didn't even need to look over to her to see the eyeroll laced throughout her voice, "Lemme go take a peak with my sharp eyes~!"

I froze as she began to sprint forward, the harsh sound of wingbeats slamming into my ears as the chill of fear began to aggressively way down on me. My voice echoed as one with my fellow Xianzhou native, "March! Wait!"

I didn't know where the name had sprung from, nor why I had remembered just now that this girl was also important, that she was key to things to come in the future.

The girl stopped just as the Doomsday Beast came into view, fell wings beating through space through some foul fucking sorcery that I wasn't remotely capable of understanding at the moment. It was definitely coming towards us. I took a deep, fortifying breath, eyes briefly closing as I sent a prayer towards whoever would be listening.

'Let us make it through this fight with our lives and those behind us intact.'

"The Doomsday Beast." There was a sense of awe in Himeko's words, the respect towards a formidable foe combined with a touch of disbelief that this was actually happening, "It's really here."

"Hey! Get down here!" March yelled. My eyes remained fixated on the approaching monstrosity, Sasha springing to my hand as combat became truly inevitable.

It was do or die, now. Myself and my comrades against an apocalypse given form.

Truly, it was just one more Tuesday.

"Be careful everyone!"

Pandemonium erupted as Himeko's words were drowned out by the thing before us touching down, an unholy roar that grated against my ears emanating from the closest thing it had to a head. Heart hammering against my chest as my flight or fight response kicked in earnestly, I sprung into action. A burst of lead leapt forth from Sasha as the Doomsday Beast began its attack, its gigantic left arm sweeping across the field. My inheritance sprung to life and I tore a hole through the imaginary sea to avoid the wide-reaching attack. I heard more than saw the results of the attack I had just avoided as I came out of void-space. The crash of the metallic-yet-ivory hand meeting something solid greeted my ears.

"Not on my watch!" the declaration from March shouldn't have surprised me, yet to an extent it did. More memories were clawing their way up from where they'd lingered for over a decade. I pushed them aside, a brief pause the only indication of my distraction as I continued to fire upon the Doomsday Beast. A grimace briefly danced across my face as I realized that each impact was doing negligible damage, the main body of the monster standing before us protected by something that I couldn't truly identify. Arrows made entirely of an unfamiliar ice rained against the main body of our foe with equal ineffectiveness. The "OH COME ON!" from March 7th was completely expected and an accurate summarization of our situation. We had to find some way to negate whatever force was protecting the body of our enemy or we were certainly fucked.

Slamming another magazine home into Sasha, I scowled as I rapidly ran through my options. I could try pulling off some fuckery with my relic to force my way past whatever nonsense was protecting the Doomsday Beast. Or I could try and figure out its weakness. There had to be something that would drop the barrier. I just needed to figure-

"Go for the hands and core!" the shout from the Xianzhou native snapped me out of my internal conflict. My eyes snapped towards the sound to find him impaling one of the fingers of our foe's right hand with his spear. Finding the logic more sound than my prior idea for the moment, I switched my focus to the core. Sasha snapped into position as I took aim, my eyes peering through the hologram that served as her sight. My left pointer finger feathered against the trigger as I focused, space distorting as I drew slightly upon my inheritance's power.

The bullet in the chamber warped slightly as I manipulated the properties behind it, trusting that the crew of the Astral Express would keep the Beast busy enough for me to stand still for the moment.

The clash of some unknown material against the Doomsday Beast's left hand validated my faith moments later as I took a knee, stabilizing Sasha against my shoulder as I breathed in and held my breath.

My trigger finger depressed, a single shot spitting forth from her. The results were immediate. A horrific shriek that had to be pain slammed into us with palpable force as my modified bullet struck home against the Beast's core, sending our foe staggering to the floor of the space station.

"Give it everything you have!" I barked, Sasha rattling against my shoulders and arms as I dumped my magazine into the now vulnerable foe. A hail of arrows with a peculiar shape followed as March added her own salvo to the fight, even as our three melee combatants began to savage the main body of our foe with bat, spear, and buzzsaw. For a few seconds, it seemed as if we would be able to end things here and now.

The universe, however, had other plans.

The core, previously laying idly on the floor, lit up. The Doomsday Beast shrieked in fury as it rose again, arms rising from their position on the floor as it gripped the edge of the platform with such intensity that it cracked. Alarm bells ringing within my head, I turned my head to face the rest of the Astral Express crew. My mouth opened to shout a warning, yet by that time it was already too late. The monster standing before us rose fully into the air, abandoning the platform as it hovered in place. A halo of purple and gold surrounded it as energy thrummed in the air.

Cold sweat dripped down my face as yet another memory slammed home. This was going to suck if I didn't do things just right. As beams of Quantum and Imaginary energy began to rain down on us, I threw up the largest tear to the Imaginary Sea I could and made myself as small as I possibly could, throwing myself down from a crouch into a prone position. I couldn't even spare the time to think of the others who were fighting this monster right now. Right now, all that mattered was surviving this onslaught.

In the span of a few seconds, what felt like an eternity passed. My ears were assailed by a deluge of conflicting sounds that immediately sent me right into sensory overload. I couldn't even hope to identify each unique sound, and I could only squeeze my eyes shut to remove another sense from the equation from the moment in response to it all.

Then, it was over.

My eyes snapped open and I threw myself to my feet, Sasha snapping up towards the Doomsday Beast as it once more touched down against the space station. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noted an abundance of that unfamiliar ice; it seemed as if March had managed to fully protect the Astral Express crew through whatever the fuck that attack had been. Wasting no time, I began firing at the core of the monstrosity.

Once more, our foe began its initial assault, right hand sweeping across the field. Once more, I leapt over the offending appendage, bringing Sasha to my shoulder to resume my barrage-

'Shit!'

I only managed that thought before the ground below me exploded with imaginary energy, a hastily torn rift depositing me high above the ground as I abandoned precision for the sake of speed.

There were… many regrets. Yet I didn't let that stop me as I reoriented myself and took the opening to fire off another tight burst towards the core. Another rift opened, far closer to the ground and I took the impact with more grace than I would have managed if I'd let myself fall the full height. My legs strained as I skidded backwards, Sasha singing her deadly song all the while.

She clicked dry. With a click of my tongue, I slammed another magazine home.

"Last Magazine!" I called, awaiting no response as I pushed myself further than I had before and began twisting the bullet in my chamber just as I had before. I vaguely heard the responses from the people I was fighting alongside, yet I couldn't afford to process them, the entirety of my focus dedicated to warping the bullet within Sasha to my whims.

I'd need to actually practice with this soon. I couldn't afford to be standing still like this in combat.

An unholy crash that nearly disrupted my concentration proved my point immediately afterwards, a dome of six-phased ice (Thanks brain, for providing me with the name to something so… relevant) shielding me against the Doomsday Beast's assault.

"Be more careful!" That, I heard. Grunting in agreement towards March, I took a deep breath and sighted the offending appendage (the Doomsday Beast's left arm) and squeezed the trigger. Once again, my modified round tore through one of the monstrosity's weak points. The arm fell to the floor just as both the core and right arm fell to the floor.

"Rules were made to be broken!" Stelle's declaration ripped through the air as she charged forward, her baseball bat singing with power as it slammed into the Doomsday Beast's main body with a satisfying crash. The beast fell backwards, seemingly defeated yet my instincts continued to scream.

Something was coming. I didn't know what, but something was coming and I knew it deep in my bones.

My eyes swept the battlefield, noting the exhaustion on visible display from everyone I could see. The Xianzhou native was breathing heavily, his offhand pressed against his gut as he nursed what had to be a wound. Himeko was in a similar state, not visibly wounded yet definitely winded. March was practically collapsed against the floor, sweat dripping from practically every portion of her skin. Then, of course, Stelle was kneeling on the floor, baseball bat used as a crutch to keep her in that position.

I wasn't fairing much better myself. I could feel perspiration drenching my entire body. My breaths were coming in ragged gasps and it was taking an immense amount of effort to keep myself standing at ready, Sasha trained against the defeated-

The Doomsday Beast's head whipped forward, Quantum-Imaginary energy lancing forward in a beam.

"March!"

Himeko's call resounded in my ears, the despair and desperation calling to mind a very specific memory.

I almost allowed myself to get lost in it. I almost failed to react. Fighting past the flames that came to mind and the echoes of a keening wail filling a broken night, I acted. Imaginary Energy spooled within me as the beam of energy raced every closer to its target. I began to metaphorically claw at the tear nearest to March, desperately hoping that I would be fast enough to prevent this.
I was reminded of my limits moments later as an agonized cry left my lips. Sending my body to the floor as I drew upon wells of power I simply did not have. My eyes squeezed shut. I couldn't- I couldn't!

There was no mournful cry. No despair. Only the sound of energy clashing against energy. Cautiously, I opened my eyes. The sight that greeted me was one that I had not expected… No, one that I had simply forgotten. Standing before March with her arms spread wide was Stelle, the person that my near forgotten memories of another life had insisted was important. That she was the key.

She was screaming in pain. A barrier projected forth by-

My eyes widened. Shock filled me as tendrils of energy began to emanate from the grey-haired woman's chest, intensifying into a corona of something that erased the Doomsday Beast from existence.

As she began to float in the air, clearly losing control of whatever the fuck was sealed within her body, another achingly familiar figure intervened.

Welt Yang pressed a cane against the girl's head, sealing whatever the fuck had been happening to her body. As she fell, March sprang to her feet and caught her.

"Uncle Yang, is she…"

"She's okay." Humanity's hero reassured March, casting his gaze around the site of the battle. My gaze snapped towards the right as the Astral Express began to pull into the station. The unfamiliar yet familiar sight of the steam engine greeted my eyes as I began to push myself to my feet, "Let's talk elsewhere."

Without any fanfare, he began to walk forward, only to pause as my eyes locked with his. Something… intangible passed between us. Then, it was gone. Rising fully to my feet, I dismissed Sasha and began to put one foot in front of the other, following the crew of the Astral Express towards wherever they were taking Stelle.

After all, I had never actually gotten my food or sleep, and by everything fucking holy in the universe, I was going to get it now.

 

[Miho Chan]

Xiulan is prounced SHYO-LAN

Since I realized this isn't actually going to come up in the story for quite a while, have Xiulan's appearance.

Xiulan is a young woman with blonde hair and electric blue eyes that seem to glow with inner light. Her hair is long enough to reach her butt when unstyled, and when put up in her standard ponytail it reaches just below her mid back. Two strands of her hair are dyed pink, standing out starkly against her blonde hair when done up in a ponytail. Xiulan has a pair of fox-ears atop her head, and completely lacks any form of human ears at the side of her head. They, much like her hair, are blonde. She has one tail exactly where it is intended to be, blonde just like her hair and ears while bearing a white tip. Xiulan is fairly short, coming just up to roughly 144cm (or 4'9") and has a modest bust; roughly a C cup. She has a 'nice' ass (This is more me not knowing how to describe lol). Her skin is olive.

Xiulan typically wears a white and navy blue bodysuit; one that would be considered quite revealing and nearly 'indecent' by the more conservative members of the galaxy as a whole. The bodysuit; if it can even be called that, hugs her body firmly and does not cover a significant portion of the young woman's back, upper chest, nor her shoulders, though the coverage on her lower body is significantly more complete. On her back, she wears an odd combination of a cloak and a cape; one that is not designed to detach from her outfit but does have a hood and can serve as a method of concealment. The cape, oddly enough, is done up in a digital camouflage similar to that used by navies around the (real) world. In addition to her bodysuit, Xiulan wears a headset that is more of a headband, with a microphone sitting against the right side of her face while two devices designed to slot into her ears sit atop her head.

Xiulan wields an odd take on a M4A1. It is recognizably an M4A1 Carbine, but still bears some characteristics of the futuristic setting that it was crafted in. For one, the body of the gun is made of significantly more 'sci-fi' material, with significant portions of the weapon being made of a crystalline soft pink material. The other portions are made of advanced alloys colored in black or white, with some obvious glowing circuitry being present along the main body of the weapon. The iron-sight of the M4 does not exist, instead replaced by an integrated holographic sight that vaguely resembles that of a Red-Dot or Holographic Sight. The Holographic Popup can be configured to have additional zoom or none at all.