Victory Through Unity! (Planetary Annihiliation Self Insert Multicross)

[Kurou_R_Legaia]

Thanks for the chapter, that hug I gave just now is to be sent to Flame, in hopes that it will help them.

 

[Flameal15k]

Thank you.

Just a heads up, but this story is on ice until I can finish some art I'm making for it.

Also, the meeting in the next chapter is going to end up being very different from what most of you expect.

 

[Flameal15k]

So, yeah.

This was the day. The day that a lot of things changed for me. Granted, the end result was ultimately better than expected, but, well......

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Once the tower on my homeworld had finished construction, I had filled it with a variety of facilities, ranging from rooms that were expected with any form of housing (bedroom, guest rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, restrooms, etc.) to ones that would be more helpful for a Commander, such as workshops, laboratories, powerplants, and a medical bay.

Following my rescue of those people within the Blind Eye base, I'd moved them here for safe keeping. I did plan to return them, along with the children I'd rescued, but first I wanted to be sure that they were doing okay. Given my already large tech-base, this wasn't exactly a problem for me. With access to x-rays, ultrasound, and other kinds of examinations, I was able to find and treat any maladies affecting these people, and at no cost to myself. Which was good, because some of these people had serious issues: one person had been paralyzed (apparently due to injuries while he was being kidnapped), another had third degree burns over his legs (due to an accident at the power plant he worked at), while a third had a rather large tumor on his neck.

I was personally overseeing the surgery of the man with the tumor. While I didn't really need to do this, at some point on my journey, I was going to see all kinds of bloodshed and carnage, which I was rather squeamish around (unless it was animated), so I decided to try and expose myself to some messiness now and get used to it. Plus I wanted to be able to help people with my own hands if I had to.

The machines were just about to begin the procedure when I received a call from Fide.

"Sir, someone would like to speak with you."

I sighed and ordered the machines to stop. My followers had been asking for audiences with me, mostly because they wanted to see me with their own eyes, or occasionally to help with fixing buildings or planning future growth of the cities they lived in. They felt that they should consult me, who they regarded as being a god, before they should act on those matters. This had started to grate on my nerves, so I'd asked Fide to politely tell them that I couldn't take visitors today, because I had other projects to work on. While that was partially true, the other issue was that I needed some time to rest and consolidate my resources for later projects.

"I'm still busy-" I began.

"Um, they are insisting they meet with you know. They literally walked right past me." Worryingly, Fide sounded distressed while talking about the new guests. If the guests had managed to make her uncomfortable, that meant they were probably worth my time.

"Alright. Could you describe them?"

"Well, one looked like a giant insect, another looked like your average teenage boy, with red hair, blue eyes, and a black bodysuit, while the other one wore a mask and white armor. Going off the voices of the odd ones, the insectoid one was male, but when the armored one spoke, sounded like a dozen people were talking whenever the armored one spoke."

Interesting appearances. "Did they tell you their names?"

"Only the armored one. They said their name was Rob."

....................................
.......................................
...........................................OH SHIT.

"....Sir?"

"I'M FIN-I'm fine, Fide. Just give me a moment to find them on the cameras.."

"We're right outside."

I froze. The voice that had responded sounded like a dozen talking at once. More worrisome, though, was that I recognized that voice. It sounded like the one I had conversed with when I had first become a commander.

A moment later, the door nearest to the source of the voice opened, revealing tree figures exactly as Fide had described. They calmly filtered into the room, with the door quickly sealing behind them. Soon, it was dead silent in the room.

How? Why? What did I do to deserve this? Could I hurt them?

"Greetings, Commander Flame. I am R.O.B."

"I'm aware. Why are you here?"

"Well, I wanted to get a better look at your operations, see how my newest source of amusement is doing. Perhaps I also desired to see you squirm in my presence."

What a jerk. Well, might as well try to make the best of things.

However impossible that seems.

"I see. Well, let me take off my mask, then."

I'd finally finished creating the mask Id designed prior to the peace summit. It ended up looking a lot like a crocodile's face, or maybe a dinosaur. True, it was impractical as hell, but it did look rather intimidating. It was also equipped with systems that let it function as a gas mask, so there's that. I'd decided to wear it during the operation to minimize risk of infection for my patient. Now that I thought about it, I probably looked like a medieval plague doctor, though with a different mask and white robes rather than black ones.

Wearing the mask in front of ROB was pointless-they already knew who I was. Besides, it muffled my voice and I didn't want to end up offending a being who could crush me like an ant if they felt like it. Sighing as the mask came off and transformed into a far less threatening form, I returned my gaze to the trio before me.

"So, would you like me to treat you to lunch?"

"No, that is unnecessary. Though if I could have somewhere to sit down, that would be nice."

A second later, four chairs and a table had popped out of the floor. I took a seat at one end of the table, while the trio took position at the other.

"Oh, and I believe that I owe you a courtesy," replied the armored figure.

"Why's that?"

"I chose you to be my pawn, so you could say that we are arch-enemies. And I, for one, believe that arch-enemies are entitled to some manner of courtesy between each other."

Play along and don't tick off the Jerkass God.

".....Fair enough. So what courtesy am I owed?"

"This."

Then, to my surprise, ROB put a hand up to their face and grabbed the mask on their head. A moment later, I noticed several parts of the mask move so that it was no longer held firm against R.O.B.'s face. Then, the being before me removed the mask from their face.

"Ah, it feels good to take that off."

As the mask came off, the being's voice changed. It went from a dozen different voices down to one, and the one was distinctly feminine.

As for their-no, her face, well, the first thing I noticed was how pail it was. I got the feeling that she wore that mask too often to be healthy. Funnily enough, the mask itself, which resembled the Alienware logo, of all things, but with some funny symbols on it, was almost white as she was, barring the colored symbols adorning its face. She had blue eyes and long blond hair, so long, in fact, that I wondered how she kept in all hidden when she wore the mask. Must have involved ROB powers.

"......Wow, didn't see that coming."

Well, I didn't.

"Your shock doesn't exactly require an empath to notice. Also, don't mind my companions: they are only here for security and my personal comfort."

Then, to my surprise, the woman before me stood up and tapped on the chest-piece of her armor, which instantly began to retract until it was (somehow) compressed into a rhombus shaped prism, leaving her clad in what I could best describe as women's business attire, but all white.

Placing the prism on the table, the lady returned her attention to me.

"If you wish to remove your robes, feel free to do so. I know that you can easily avoid infecting your subject over there by sealing his....well, I guess that is more of a pod than an operating table."

How did she know what I was doing? Wait, she's the one who put me in this commander. She's probably been watching me this whole time, unless she has other pawns to play with.

Well, no sense in delaying my guest. I summoned up a coat rack and hung up my robes, leaving me clad in a form fitting black suit and black pants.

....funny: a man in black facing down a woman in white

"................Um, is there anything you would like me to refer to you as? Perhaps a name?"

I couldn't call her ROB, there were probably more of them out there.

"Well, you may call me Melissa, or Mel for short. Know now that that is not my real name, just the one I would like you to call me by. Before you ask, yes, most of my appearance is a glamour, but I am female."

I could work with that.

Now to try and get some info out of Mel. Hopefully without offending her.

"So, you said you came here just to rile me up?"

"Correct, Commander Flameal15k."

"Why? Am I going to slow for your plans?"

"You are taking things rather slowly, but I can wait. I prefer the long game. Though, I am surprised you haven't tried to attack me or my companions."

"Would any attempt I make on your life at the moment have any outcome other than abject failure?""

".....you raise an excellent point. Still, I'm surprised that your are so calm in my presence."

"If I'm honest, I'm terrified right now, but acting scared isn't going to help me."

Part of me was glad that, before this conversation, I'd shut off control over my bladder, because I'm pretty sure I'd need another pair of underpants after this if my groin hadn't started ignoring the signals my brain was sending.

"True. So, how have you taken the recent curveball?"

"What?"

"The fact that XCOM exists in this universe."

"Oh, that. Well, they seem friendly enough. I'd like to play things by ear for now, but I am sure I can be civil with them."

"You seem awfully intent on being peaceful with them."

"Why would they oppose me? I haven't done anything to offend them."

"True, but can you say the same of the other factions on this planet. Chungsu and ARC are masters of Espionage, and they might take your hacking of their databank's rather poorly."

"They're not that aggressive. Or stupid."

Melissa actually laugh at me when she heard that.

"Oh really? I do believe that human stupidity knows no bounds."

"We shall see."

"Indeed. Oh, and how are your new charges doing?"

"Fine, though I'm surprised that you asked....do you intend to-"

"No. I'm not that petty. Or cruel. Though, I do wonder what you intend to do with them."

"I'm not using them as test subjects, if you're implying that. I don't want to force them to undergo more trauma then they already have."

She actually chuckled at my response. "Oh, I know you wouldn't do that. You're too heroic to do that. Maybe a little naïve as well, since you assume that all of the colonies on this planet will play nice.

"Well, time will tell whether I'm too idealistic or you're too cynical. So I think any arguments there are not in our-er, your interest at the moment."

"True enough. Though, I must ask, what do you intend to do with your new charges."

"Once all of them have been medically cleared, I plan to send them back to their colonies. They deserve to be returned to their people.."

Mel actually looked shocked by that. Then, once again, she laughed.

Okay, now this was getting annoying.

"What's so funny about that?"

"You don't know anything about the people on this world, do you? Or what they've gone through."

"Maybe I'm a little blind there, but I'm learning."

"Not fast enough, it seems," was Mel's reply, in a voice that was oh so annoying.

"Well, what am I missing?"

"The crime syndicate you fought, the Blind Eyes, have been pushing an artificial famine onto this planet. They released specially engineered insects that resist pesticides so that they could cut down on crop production. As for existing supplies, well, they have several charities among their front organizations, so that they can profit off this suffering. I believe they got the idea out of a book, though which one I can't say."

......What? Seriously? There's no way this can be-nope, the news archives on this planet validate what she is saying. There really is a famine going on and most of the destroyed crops are the victims of insecticide resistant pests.

Really? The Blind Eyes were that petty? Unbelievable.

"Well, then I'll keep them under for a little longer, help fix the plague, grow more food for the colonists, then send back the subjects."

".....you know, I'm surprised you still don't seem to be getting my point here. Especially with how caring you are for your own creations."

Okay, enough vague comments, missy.

"Then what exactly is the point I'm missing?"

"You have several well developed planets with human compatible biospheres in this system. Why don't you just care for the colonists themselves?"

....What? Was she actually suggesting I treat them as people I ruled over?

Well, I could probably give them a higher standard of living than what was currently available in their home colonies thanks to my level of technological advancement. Additionally, I could probably use a few humans living with my creations if I wanted to claim that the Infernum Federation was a human colony. Though, was that really the right thing to do?

"Why, exactly, are you giving me this advice?"

"Well," she replied, "I think its funny that you haven't considered it for yourself. I mean, I'd expect you to want to help everyone you could in the face of such evil as what you witnessed in that lab."

"True, but I thought you'd want to make my life miserable."

"Please, spare me your malice. Your journeys are like any other hero's, so I need only wait for misery to come to you. Interfering too much would ruin the fun."

So she treat my life like a book?! Or maybe a movie!?

"So I'm just so spectacle for you to watch and comment on with your friends, is it?!"

Too my surprise, she actually went stiff when I said that.

"Yeah, sure. I guess." To my surprise, she didn't really seem that happy when she said that. Was she lying?

"Well, I'll take your suggestion into consideration." Like it or not, Mel's suggestion actually had some merit, though whether or not it was moral was a topic for another time.

"Overall, that seems reasonable. Besides, I can tell you've lost most of your apprehension over me, so I've clearly overstayed my welcome. Goodbye Commander Flame."

Finally.

"Well then-"

Just then, another of the apertures that lead into the room opened up as a Wolf-Beetle ran into the room and snatched a container of penicillin. I'd recently found out that they liked the taste of that particular medicine, for reasons beyond me. Following it was Rory, who tackled it into the ground, retrieved the container, and gently placed it back where it belonged. Then he looked up to face me.

"Um, sorry about that, Da-"

He faltered when he saw my companions. He still wasn't comfortable around others all that much, and considering the bug guy's appearance, I couldn't blame him. Of course, I was even more terrified than he was. I didn't know what Mel would do now. I mean, she could hurt Rory in some horrible way and I wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop her. For her part, the blonde just stared at him for a moment, then looked at me, then back at Rory. Then she smiled.

"Hello there, little boy. What's your name?"

Somehow, the blonde's calm greeting of my son just made me even more uncomfortable.

"..Um....it's....it's...it's...Rory."

"How cute. I'm Mel."

"Hi.....I'm s-sorry f-for interrupting your m-meeting with my dad, but-"

"Nonsense. We were just wrapping up."

"Oh...well, I need to get this bug back to his pack."

"Could you stay a little while longer?"

"Um...well...wh-"

"Mom, are you almost done?"

The minute that voice was heard, Mel flinched. All eyes turned back toward the aperture she'd entered the room from. Standing in the now open aperture was a little girl, with turquoise eyes and platinum blonde hair. She looked to be about Rory's age.

"A-a-almost done, dear," was Mel's response.

Wait. Mel had a daughter? That was new.

Slowly, the little girl turned her attention to Rory.

"......who are you?" she asked in a soft, innocent sounding voice.

"....I'm Rory."

"I'm Cassidy."

"..Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too....do you want to play jacks?"

"...okay."

With that, Rory dropped the Wolf-Beetle into a chute that I'd opened up (which led back to a pack of the insects) before walking over to Cassidy and promptly exiting out of the aperture, which sealed behind the two.

The minute he left, I let out a sigh of relief. To my surprise, so did Mel. Her two companions just stared on impassively.

".............................So," I began, finally breaking the silence, "you have a daughter?"

"Yes."

".....Do you have a Husband? A boyfriend, perhaps? Maybe even a girlfriend? I mean-"

"No. Cass came into this world in a similar way to how I presume your son came into it."

"I see. He's quite the handful, you know."

"So is Cass, but some things, like children, are worth the hassle."

"Indeed.................................................Did we just have a civil conversation?"

".....Yes, actually. We did," was Mel's surprised response."

".........This never happened," I said, eager to deny the existence of this odd occasion.

"Agreed. Have a nice day."

With that, Mel got ready to leave the room. First, though, she walked up to the man I had been preparing to operate on. After a moment, she placed her right hand on the container, and to my surprise, said hand began to glow. The light lasted for a moment, then faded. Confused, I pulled up biometric data on the man, and was stunned to find that his tumor was gone.

"Consider this another courtesy. I do not demand compensation, but do not expect anymore assistance from me.

With that, Mel and her companions left.

"Cass, it's time to go."

"Can we wait five more minutes, please? I want to finish my game with Rory."

"I'm sorry, but we can't."

"Please?"

"No. Though maybe we could find a time to continue your game later."

While the possibility of meeting ROB again was not exactly something I wanted, Cass' voice was so full of pleading and childish charm that I was actually willing to overlook that discomfort....assuming Rory still wanted to play with her.

"Okay. Bye Rory."

"Bye Cassidy. Come back soon."

When I could no longer hear the sound of their footsteps, I tuned in to my cameras and tracked down the quartet. To my surprise, they had opened some kind of portal and were now walking through it to a docking hanger I'd attached to my tower. From there, they entered a peculiar looking ship, which lifted up and out of the hanger, before disappearing through another portal.

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The meeting was unexpected, but it ultimately went better than I had hoped. I was rather surprised that I had ultimately remained civil with Mel and even managed to agree with her on something.

Yeah, that conversation did end up being important in the long run, and for a lot of reasons........
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[Orez Lanrete]

I will fully admit that I expected her to actually be Drich in the future of Commander having fully evolved into a R.O.B when I first read that bit. Would have been a nice cameo.

 

[Flameal15k]

I will fully admit that I expected her to actually be Drich in the future of Commander having fully evolved into a R.O.B when I first read that bit. Would have been a nice cameo.

Click to shrink...

Well, sorry, but no there. Mel is not Drich.

 

[White Lantern]

There a ship somewhere in here but I can't find it

 

[Flameal15k]

Current ship status: still in the drydocks, awaiting completion/scrapping orders.

 

[Flameal15k]

I'll admit it, but I hadn't forgiven Melissa for putting me in a commander. I'd been taken from everything I'd known and loved, and that was not something you forgive easily, and I honestly doubt that what ROB had done to me was forgivable. Of course, there were exceptions to this belief, as I myself learned, but right after the meeting I had with Mel, I still hadn't forgiven her for putting me in a Commander.

All that being said, I had to concede that she had brought up a good point when talking about all of the test subjects I'd rescued from the Blind Eyes. I mean, I could provide better care for them than the colonies they lived in, due to my advanced tech base, and they'd certainly have a higher standard of living than they would in those colonies. At the same time, though, I couldn't just take them from everyone they'd known and loved. Most of them still had families back on Chiron, and I wasn't going to put them through what Mel had done to me.

Still, there were other things I had to consider: the Blind Eyes would probably continue trying to kidnap these people if I returned them to their homes, and though I was loathe to admit it, I hadn't been able to locate all of their ells. In fact, I'd only found a fraction of them, in part because some of their communication was apparently through hand written notes of all things. They at have been a crime syndicate, but they acted like a military organization. Furthermore, some of these people didn't have anywhere left to go: as is, there weren't too many job openings for the adults who I was sending back, and recent disasters both natural and artificial (not all of which were the Blind Eyes' fault) meant that all social services were being put on strain. Add that to the famine going on right now, and perhaps it would be better to care for them

Oddly, Synais and Kathikon weren't any help here.

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"Look, I'm not really sure I can help you here: these people really have been through the ringer. It'd probably be best to just send them back to their homes and families, maybe let them get back to their normal lives," had been Synais' advice on this situation.

"True, but it's unlikely that their kidnappers will just let them live unmolested. They will not let their actions go to waste because you decided otherwise. Additionally, introducing them back to their colonies runs the risk of worsening the ongoing famine. Perhaps caring for them yourself is the wisest course of action." That had been Kathi's response.

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Honestly, this was a pain.

Ultimately, though, it had been Fide who gave me my answer.

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"Commander, are you still considering how to deal with the civilians you rescued?"

"Indeed."

"Have you considered leaving the choice of how to care for the colonists to the colonists?"

"..........What?"

"Build places for the colonists to work, live, play, shop, and so on, let them live in your home universe for a while, then let them decide if they wish to stay. Would that not be effective?"

..............That was an alluring option. One that could work.

......Ah, screw it, I was gonna go with that.

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Patricia Kent had dealt with a lot in the past few weeks, including the shock of learning that a seeding mission to another world had succeeded and that those people had managed to not only find out Chiron was inhabited, but also figure out a way to reach the planet by a warp gate of some sort. The shock still hadn't worn off yet, and she wondered if any other Seeding missions had been successful and were waiting to make contact. She'd had to bury those thoughts, though, because she needed to focus on her, and by extension, all of the orphans under her care.

Which, owing to the recent famine and some freak accidents, encompassed quite a few kids.

As if the shock of dealing with contact from another Seeding mission hadn't been enough for her, a few days ago, following the arrival of this Commander person, a huge fire had resulted in her losing track of some of her charges. According to the authorities (including some of those people Fielding always associated with, who were decidedly untrustworthy), the had found the children, and had even sent her photos of them alive. A third party had confirmed the photos hadn't been edited and were taken only a day or two prior to when she received them, so Patricia still had hope that the children were alive, but until they were returned, she didn't know what to do.

Her thoughts were interrupted, though, when she noticed that had just entered the reception room. Instantly, Patricia perked up: maybe she'd be able to find some of the children under her care a new home.

'Greetings," she said as she turned toward the guest, "welcome to the Heinz Orphanage, how may I-"

She froze upon seeing the man before her. He was black haired, brown eyed, and clean shaven, and he wore a black suit, but what had surprised her was that she recognized him.

As this man had been the center of Chiron's attention for the past few days, this wasn't really surprising at all.

"....Y-y-yo-you're Commander-"

"Flame. I prefer that. It was the code name I was given."

"I-I-I see...."

Recovering from the surprise of meeting Chiron's newest visitor, Patricia began to take stock of him. To her surprise, he wore clothing that wouldn't be considered out of place among other people in the ARC: a rather drab coat, mostly focused on functionality, with only hints of style being the pale black, red, yellow, and blue outlines of hexagons across the surface of his attire. This made for an odd choice of attire, but one that would not be too noticeable in a crowd, Patricia noted. She assumed this must have been his attempt to blend in. In a crowd, it would work flawlessly.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Ah, forgive me," he remarked, before pulling out a micro-projector of some sort. After a moment, images began to appear, ones that stunned Patricia.

They were pictures of the dozen orphans she had lost track of. It appeared that the Commander knew something about them, and perhaps where they were.

"This children were recently reported missing, were they not?"

"Correct."

"I found them onboard a trade caravan entering my territory uninvited. I believe they ended up in there by accident, and do not want to consider the alternatives."

".........I see," Patricia responded, voice switching between fear and repressed rage, before calming at last. "Well, I would be happy to accept them back and-"

"That is not why I'm here."

That caught Patricia completely off guard. "What?"

Then, to her greater surprise, he pulled a large stack of papers out of a pocket on his coat and handed them to her. A cursory glance left her flabbergasted: these were adoption forms for all of the children.

"I understand that this planet is going through a large famine right now, and that this orphanage and, indeed, many other public services across Chiron are being pushed to their limit, so I am willing to take this children to my own home and raise them as my own. I have a son who would love to have more siblings to spend time with. I am willing to allow you to inspect my abode whenever is convenient for you."

Patricia was left absolutely silent at this. The Commander, someone who had only just come to this planet, was willing to care for these children because they had nowhere else to go? All this, apparently because it was the right thing to do? At least, she assumed that was his reasoning, based off his previous statement.

Part of her wondered if this was a trick, and he was planning to do unspeakable things to the children, but she doubted that: he seemed to kind, and the fallout of mistreating these children would be political suicide. Besides, she would need to check his home first to see if he was a suitable guardian. She did have the final say in the adoption process, as head of the orphanage.

"Very well. I will be able to examine your....residence in two days. If it meets the standards, then perhaps the children will be yours to care for."

The Commander smiled warmly at this and nodded curtly.

"That's all I ask. Thank you for your time, and keep caring for the children here as best you can."

With that, he left, but not before leaving something on the desk. Examining it, she was surprised to find that it was a large donation of energy credits. It seemed he wanted to make a donation.

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With the issue of the children handled for the moment, it was time to get to work on helping the rest of subjects. I needed to set up housing, industrial complexes, commercial outlets, and other public services if I wanted to entice them to stay. With a commander, that was a lot easier than it sounded. Once those were up (which took me about an hour to do), along with every other bit of infrastructure I need, I had one last thing to attend to: food.

Specifically, native food: I doubted anyone would be willing to eat any of the alien fruits my creations ate, or any livestock creatures I'd created, so building up some farms and pastures for animals native to Chiron was probably the safer idea for now. Eventually, I could probably convince them to eat some of the things I made. If they stayed, of course.

Speaking of which, I should probably see if I can tame the wildlife ROB put on this planet. That would seriously help with food problems.

Once that, had been taken care of, there was one last thing to do.

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For a few moments, I only heard the sound of a sewing machines putting the stitches into place, before they finally stopped, leaving me with my prize: a good-old fashioned backpack. Apparently, people on Chiron still used them, along with other schools supplies from the 21st century. To be fair, it was harder to cheat when everything you turn in is hand written. I quickly put a filled pencil bag (including calculator, pens, pencils, erasers, and highlighters) into the bag, then hung it up on a nearby rack. One down, eleven to go.

True, I could've done these all by machines, but I'd done this before I become a Commander and, ultimately, it made me feel human to help people in a way that didn't involve using a several story high Brutally Efficient Self Replicating Mechanism of War. The fuzzy feeling of satisfaction I got after this was worth the added exertion.

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True, I may have been hinder myself by doing some things by hand, but I believed others would appreciate the effort I put into doing so. After all, a letter carries more thought than a text.

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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[january1may]

...Just caught up with this story. (Not sure how I found it in the first place, to be honest.)

As a big fan of the original SMAC (though I think I only ever played as Zakharov), I really like the direction this story is going!

Hopefully more stuff will happen later.

 

[Flameal15k]

Trust me, more stuff will happen.

 

[Flameal15k]

Wow, you certainly have a very large house."

"My superiors pay their diplomats and explorers well, and I do not believe in skimping out on creature comforts."

"I see."

Adoption, contrary to what they show on television, is not a quick process. There are tons of forms to fill out, and besides that, someone actually needs to be sure that your house is actually suitable for a child.

Fortunately, this was a problem that was relatively trivial for me to solve. I'd decided to go build a façade house for her to examine (my tower would look rather absurd, and she'd probably ask too many questions that I couldn't answer). I'd made sure to add plenty of beds, lots of bathrooms, more than one dining room, and other creature comforts. I'd had to make the façade a rather large home, because space is really important with children. Finally, to make sure that Patricia believed that the children wouldn't grow up in a vacuum, I made a holographic disguise system that would let my creations disguise themselves as humans. I'd had to modify it a few times before the results became suitable indistinguishable from a baseline human. Still, the results were impressive.

Of course, I still had one ace up my sleeve.

"Is everything satisfactory, Ms. Kent?"

"At the moment, though I-"

"Hi."

Surprised, Patricia turned toward the source of the voice and found herself staring at Rory. We'd been walking past 'his' room in this house, so I thought it'd be prudent to introduce the two. Granted, Rory already knew that she was visiting, but he still wanted to meet her. Something I was perfectly willing to let happen. After all, the fact that I had raised Rory well spoke volumes of my parenting skills.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Rory."

"...okay. What are you doing here in the Commanders home?"

".....he's my dad."

"...........................he is?"

"Yes. He's really nice."

"I see.....Um, where is your mother?"

At that, I started to get worried. I really hadn't thought up an excuse for that.

To my surprise, though, after a moment of surprise, Rory turned his head to his feat and darkened his expression, pulling off a convincing look of sorrow.

"Well....I don't really know. She left dad when I was three, and she's never sent me anything for my birthday. Or even talked to dad."

Patricia went really quiet at this. I did too, while also forcing a sad expression onto my face. Better play along with this. Also, wow, Rory was good at acting.

"......I see...Um, do you know why I am here?"

"My dad wanted to adopt those kids he found a while ago?'

"...Yes, actually. How-"

"He told me. He said I should know. Plus he thought it was rather lonely in this house, and I'm with him there."

Patricia went quiet again, before turning to me.

"I think I've seen enough. I'll talk with my coworkers, see what they think. Though, I must ask you one last question."

"Shoot."

"Why didn't you decorate the children's rooms?"

"I don't know what they like. They should have the chance to decorate their room however they see fit."

"Very well. Thank you for your time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Of course, there was one other thing we had to attend to after that: showing her the children. Patricia did need to be sure they were okay.

I'd set up a mini-hospital nearby the façade house, where the children were being kept. The fact that they were still unconscious four days after I'd rescued them was worrying, but they were still relatively healthy, barring some minor undernourishment. I assured Ms. Kent that they were being cared for by the finest doctors 'my people' had available (which was true, even if said doctors weren't human), which seemed to assuage her concerns. Following that, she bid me farewell, as we returned to her orphanage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With her gone, I went back to my tower and pulled out some soda to drink. That soda was still made this far in the future was something I'd found very interesting. I'd never had the chance to try alcohol before I became a Commander, and while I cold have some now, it would probably look bad on me to drink now when I was very likely to become the adoptive father of ten children.

Plus, I wanted to talk to Rory, and I wasn't putting alcohol in reach of him.

Once he arrived, I filled tow cups with the sugary drink, then offered one to Rory. I also pulled out two straws and, after scrunching up the wrappers, gave one to Rory.

"....Thanks for helping me out there."

"You're welcome, dad. Do you think that nice lady will let those kids stay with us?"

"Probably......why did you claim that your 'mom' left us?"

"I look enough like you that most people would assume I'm your son by blood, so someone will ask if I have a mom. Plus you needed to look responsible. Wouldn't you look more responsible if your had a wife that abandoned you and her child, forcing you to raise me on your own?"

"True....you know, you're a lot wiser than I thought."

"I'm part computer. I learn fast."

"Indeed..........hey, wanna see something cool?"

".......okay."

Oh, how I had want to do this.

Sticking my straw into my drink, I put my finger over the top and lifted it lout, trapping some of the sugary fluid in the straw. I brought this over the scrunched up wrapper of my straw.

"Here's how to make a inch-worm out of a straw wrapper."

Carefully, I slightly loosed my index finger, causing a drop of soda to fall out of the straw and onto the wrapper. The instant the fluid hit it, the straw began to expand, as if it was an inch-worm, trying to crawl away.

Rory's eyes were practically glittering at the sight. When he finally stopped staring, I passed him the other straw wrapper.

"Your turn."

Eager to repeat my little trick, Rory began trying to trap some of his drink in his straw. It took him three tries to remove the fluid without it slipping back into the cup, but after that, he was quick to repeat my trick.

His reaction was just too adorable.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once we'd finished our drinks, I quickly began modifying my tower some more, adding in a few more bedrooms for the children I planned to adopt. All other amenities were already taken care of, including companionship, as the Wolf Beetles had begun breeding.

I was about to do more when my base on Chiron alerted me to the approach of a group of drones, flying up to the edge of my defense grid before dropping off three strange objects and flying away. Sending a CNDR to examine them, I discovered the objects were biological containers of some sort, containing, respectively, a shrimp of some sort, flies of some kind, and a type of moss-oh.

Carefully, I moved all of the organisms through a portal into my hubworld, then moved them to a lab to begin cultivation. When their numbers became sufficiently large, I'd combine some of them with the worms to get the projected chasis construction. Never hurts to make your workers (fabbers, in my case) faster.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, I received a reply from Patricia: I had been approved to adopt the children. Now all I needed to do was introduce them to their new home and see if they liked it.

Of course, for that to happen, they'd need to wake up. Hopefully, that would be soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[ross]

"Wow, you certainly have a very large house."

Click to shrink...

... did you double post inside your own post?

 

[Flameal15k]

Fixed.

For everyone else reading this story: you like? I can't make it any better unless I get criticism.

 

[Flameal15k]

Heads up: Chapter has been revised on account of some issues my readers on spacebattles noticed. I'll try to get out the next chapter within the next few days.

 

[Flameal15k]

My beta got fed up being my beta (for reasons I still don't know), so until I get a new one, this story is on hiatus.

If you want to beta for me, please send a pm.

 

[Flameal15k]

Wearily, Bianka opened her eyes. After a few seconds of blinking, the world came into focus.

The first thing she noticed was that she wasn't in...well, wherever she had been before.

For starters, the room she was in was very spacious. It also happened to be filled all kinds of strange tools, as well as monitors. Lots and lots of monitors. Bianka noticed that one monitor was connected to a weird object that held her finger in a vice grip, and regularly displayed a line going up and down. Dimly, she noted this was something that was relatively common in hospitals.

'So, I'm in a hospital?'

As she thought about this, though, her mind began to focus again, and as it did, memories of what had happened before came back to her. She remembered it all: the sound of people screaming, the crackle of flames, the sound of a gunshot before a falling support frame had cut her and her friends off from the others-her friends!

Remembering her companions, the girl looked around frantically, trying to find them.....and sure enough, she found them. They were all on gurneys, as was Bianka herself. In hindsight, given that she was on a pulse measurer....counter....whatever, this made sense. They were in a hospital, and you always keep patients on gurneys.....at leash she thought that was what you did.

Soon, though, her mind returned to how she had got here. She remembered being brought to the big car...truck...four wheeled trading vehicle, put inside, buckled up, having the needle put in her arm...then nothing. How long had she been out? Where was she? Were there people out there who were going to do cut her open like they did to aliens in the old Earth Films? What was going to-

The sound of footsteps brought Bianka's train of thought to a halt. As time passed, the sound got louder, which meant they were getting closer. Bianka didn't know what was walking toward her, but it sounded like they were moving very fast, as there were a lot of footsteps. Starting to panic, Bianka looked for somewhere to hide...then she realized that hiding wouldn't help her: there weren't many places to hide here, and even if she could avoid detection, she didn't know where to go. Perhaps it would be better to pretend to have never woken up at all.

If whoever was coming to check on her was particularly weak-willed, she might even be able to use her gift against them.

With time running out, Bianka quickly flattened herself back onto the bed. Slowly, she closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and tried to calm herself, desperate to get her pulse down-she didn't want to leave any suggestions that she was awake.

Eventually, she heard the sound of a door opening. It sounded mechanical, so she assumed the door was automatic, like the ones that she'd seen at some stores. To her surprise, now that the source of the footsteps was closer, she noticed that there were quite a few of them. Far more than a normal human should make while walking. Despite her curiosity, though, she dared not try to catch a glimpse of what was making the footsteps, for fear that it would see her. She heard them pass through the room, going all around her. Then, to her horror, they stopped right next to her.

A bright light suddenly came to life in front of her, and even with closed eyelids, she felt blinded. Reflexively, she tried to close them even harder, desperate to make the pain stop.

A moment later, the light turned off. Bianka relaxed, relieved to be free of the pain.

Then a hand covered her mouth.

Relief turning to panic, Bianka tried to scream, but soon realized it was futile-whoever had covered her face had a firm grip, and trying to open her mouth would be met solely with failure. With no other choice of action available, Bianka opened her eyes.

She found four eyes staring back at her. Eyes on a face that was decidedly not human.

The grip on her face tightened as she tried again to scream, leaving her even more terrified. To her surprise, though, the next thing her captor did was put a hand to its face, all fingers clenched except for the index finger. This was the human gesture to be quiet, but the fact that an alien was doing it was something she had not expected. As the alien appeared to be covered in armor, and she doubted she could escape from it, she reluctantly complied.

With its charge now silent, the alien removed the pulse monitor from her finger and disconnected the rest of the instruments monitoring her health. Once all the instruments had been shut down, it grabbed the gurney and exited the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For a few minutes, all that Bianka saw was her captor and hospital hallways. They passed many more rooms like the one she had awoken in, but signs next to their doors said that they were unoccupied. The fact that they were written in English confused the girl, as she had expected they be written in some alien language she would not understand. Perhaps these beings had humans working for them? That would justify the familiar writing.

Eventually, though, they came upon rooms that were occupied. There, she noticed scenes not unlike what she had seen upon waking: people slumbering on gurneys, hooked up to machines monitoring their health. Often, an alien being was present, examining one of the people, for what, Bianca could not tell.

Eventually, though, they left the hospital area and found themselves in a new area. Here, Bianka noted, it looked more like a house. Well, an Old earth one. It was yet another hallway, though Bianka felt that it was rather barren: the walls were devoid of art, and there were no tables or chairs on the sides of the hall. She didn't have long to ponder this, though, as her captor had already begun to move her through the hallway.

The hallway soon gave way to an elevator of some sort, which human and alien quickly boarded. When it finally began moving, Bianka was surprised to discover that the elevator was more like a tram in functionality, as they began by moving sideways before moving up. As they passed through wherever they were, the orphan noticed things that truly made her mind go wild: assembly lines for vehicles and goods, a hanger for aircraft, an indoor forest, laboratories of all sorts, mess halls filled with alien beings, and stranger facilities that occasionally shot electrical sparks out into the air, which she assumed were power plants.

All of these buildings were seemingly enclosed inside of one large building, which must have been unfathomably huge to contain all of this. Bianca briefly considered the possibility she was dreaming, but a swift pinch to her side confirmed that she was awake.

Eventually, the tram finally came to a stop, and when the doors opened, hey revealed....a regular looking room. All the things would normally expect one to find in an average living room was in that room: chairs, a table, food, drinks, and a television, plus other things. As Bianka took all of this in, her captor moved her gurney to one of the chairs, then gently lifted her up and placed her on the chair.

Then, her captor spoke:

'Resta qui.'

Bianka stared for a moment. How did it know Italian, and more importantly, how did it know she knew Italian. True, she did have an Italian name (at least according to people who had been part of the first seeding who had been from Italy), but where had the alien learned this? She wasn't going to get an answer, though, as the alien had returned to the tram and was soon out of the room, leaving her on her own.

She did not remain alone for long, though. She heard footsteps, followed by the sight of a human boy entering the room from a nearby door. Following him was a Wolf-Beetle. One hand was holding onto the Wolf-Beetle's right arm, the other was around a box of crackers. After taking a moment to get the beetle to sit down next to a chair, the boy walked over to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a plate, then began filling it. When he had the amount of crackers he desired, he opened up another of the cupboard's doors, placed the box inside, then turned back toward the plate.

Which meant that he was looking right at Bianka.

Both humans tensed for a moment, while the Wolf-Beetle looked between the two, expression impossible to understand.

Finally, the silence was broken when the boy spoke.

"Hi, I'm Rory."

".........I'm Bianka."

"Nice to meet you.......How'd you get here?"

"....................................................um.................well...................................something.....brought me here."

"Oh........well, what did it look like?"

Bianka thought for a moment. She had seen what her captor looked like, but she'd mostly ignored it out of curiosity over where she was being held.

".....Well, it looked like an insect, but also like a person, and it had, well, I think....... 10 legs, plus two arms, as well as four eyes."

"Oh. A dodecapode."

That made Bianka go tense. "Wait, you know what that thing was?"

"Yes, I do. And trust me, it doesn't want to hurt you."

"How do you know that?"

".....um......well-"

Just then, the tram returned and out came the being that had held her captive along with a CNDR war robot and a masked being. The machine and alien allowed the masked one to enter the room, before getting back on the tram and departing.

The masked being pulled up a seat near Bianka, before turning his attention to Rory.

".........Hi, Rory," it said.

"Hi dad!" responded Rory.

The masked being was his dad?!

Then the masked figure turned his attention to Bianka. After a moment, he put a hand to his mask and took it off, revealing a human face beneath it. Looking between the new face and Rory's, Bianka could indeed make out the similarities in shape and appearance, the only differences being that the boy had hazel eyes instead of brown and that Rory had freckles.

Then the masked man turned his attention back to the orphan.

"Hello. I'm Commander Flame. It's nice to meet you. You're..... Bianka Nyman, correct?"

".............Yes. How do you know my name?"

"It is a long story.............Do you....remember.........what happened before you woke up."

'Indeed I do', though Bianka, shuddering at the thought. "Just bits and pieces."

"Okay. Could you tell me what you do remember? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'd prefer not to." Why should she? The man before her was a complete stranger.

"Okay. Though, I must ask, do you remember being led inside of a vehicle of some kind before you went to sleep?"

".............Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I found you when said vehicle trespassed on a territory I'd taken for myself on Chiron. It attempted to ram one of my security robots and ended up breaking beyond repair. Some drones I sent to examine the wreck found you and your friends inside. At least, I presume they are your friends."

"They are."

"Well, before I go any further, I must ask this: were you, for lack of better word, kidnapped?"

"...........Yes."

"Well, you have my sympathies. I would also like to inform you that I have made sure the man who abducted you is being tried for his crimes."

"....Thank you.....Could I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why are you telling me this?"

".........You are an orphan, as are your friends, correct?"

"Yes. We are."

"Has anyone expressed interest in adopting you?"

"........No. I wish that weren't the case........Wait, are you saying you want to adopt us?"

"Well, yes. Look, I really get lonely at times and so does Rory. His Wolf-Beetle and its pack, as well as the others in this building, are good company, but I miss the company of normal humans."

"So you're human."

"...Um.....well......not entirely."

Before Bianka could press the issue, the man who called himself Commander Flame held up his left hand. For a moment, nothing happened, but then the skin changed color, becoming black and purple, as well as taking on a shell like texture. Soon, his hand was covered in an insect-like exoskeleton, which he swiftly removed, leaving a new, fresh hand underneath it.

"I do not believe in keeping secrets from you, because I believe that as your host, it is rude of me to deceive you. So, while I am human, that is not all that I am."

"I see...... Is there any other reason you want to adopt me and my friends?"

"Yes. The people who abducted you did not work alone, and I do not know everyone that they were working with. I do not wish for you to be returned to your prior residence, only to be kidnapped again. My offer to you is entirely optional, and I will not do anything else to convince you. The choice is entirely up to you and your friends."

"Okay......look, I'll need to talk to them about it later."

"I understand."

"Thank you." Then Bianka turned to Rory. "Can I have some of those crackers?"

"Sure."

"I'll leave you two to get to know each other," remarked the Commander, who began to leave the room. "Of, and by the way, I apologize for my subordinate scaring you. he had been monitoring the security cameras in your hospital room and had noticed you had woken up. As for his alien appearance, well, I have quite a large following."

"......Okay."

"Farewell."

Bianka thought for a moment. The man who called himself Commander Flame was a complete stranger, but he had cared for her, and he hadn't lied to her yet. Additionally, he had a son, and he genuinely seemed to care for him. That all suggested that he was someone she could trust. Well, she thought it sounded that way.

So should she tell him about her gift? It was one she shared with all of her friends, and it might have been why she was kidnapped. IF Mr. Flame wanted to be her guardian, he at least deserved the truth.

Quickly, she made her decision.

"Wait."

The Commander stopped.

"Yes?"

"I think I might know why I was kidnapped."

"And that is."

'This,' was her response. It wasn't one that was audible, though; rather, it was thought.

Rory turned to face her, as did the Commander. They stared at her for some time.

Finally, the Commander spoke.

".....You're psychic?"

"Me and my friends. We never told anyone, because we thought people would think we were crazy."

'That and we weren't sure what they'd do if they believed us,' she though, albeit not publicly.

"I see. Well, just so you know, I don't have anything against that."

"Okay." 'What a relief.'

With that, the man left, leaving her alone with Rory.

As Bianka pondered what to do next, she sent out a mental pulse to her friends, trying to rouse them. They needed to know what was going on.

Plus, when you could share thoughts as easily as they could, having plenty of active minds was always a good idea.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Just a heads up, but I've decided to just keep working on this story without a beta, because there are some posting deadlines I really want to meet. Also, since I'm going without a beta, please highlight any errors I missed. And please, tell me what you like about this chapter/story in addition to liking it-it tells me what's good and what needs improving.

Read and Review. This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[january1may]

façade

Click to shrink...

façade

I filled tow cups

Click to shrink...

two

No other errors that I could see immediately.

 

[Flameal15k]

"So, is your dad nice?" asked Bianka.

"He is," was Rory's reply.

The minute Flame had left, Bianka had decided to question his son on who he was, how he acted, etc. Of course, as the Commander had only left a minute ago, she ahdn't gotten far.

".............So, why is he on Chiron?"

"To help advance civilization. He wants to make life better for everyone. Though, he isn't going to make it any easier. There's a difference."

"I know. So.......I'm not sure how to say this without being rude, but.........what.....is.....he?"

".......I'm not exactly sure there's an easy way to describe it, but you could say he is something less than human, but also something more."

"What does that mean?"

Rory's response was to pull up a hologram of a giant robot. Bianka remembered that it had been the first indication of his arrival on Chiron, and had created several colossal buildings in a matter of minutes. Scientists had been baffled at how it could do this, ultimately chalking it up to hyper-advanced nanotechnology. Not that Bianka cared, of course. Those subjects were too advanced and grown-up to be of interest to a girl just entering her teens.

"So, you see this?"

"Yes, I do. I assume your father is the pilot of that machine?"

"Not exactly."

Bianka raised an eyebrow at that, and unnoticed to anyone watching them, so did the other children in the infirmary.

"He isn't so much the pilot of the machine, but rather, he is the machine."

"..................What?"

"You know what neural uploading is, right?"

'Yes, I do,' thought Bianka. It'd been the pet project of all of Chiron's cybernetics fans, being able to transfer a human mind into a computer, but until recently, it'd been just a dream. last year, however, it'd finally become a reality, primarily due to the actions of the Slavic Federation. Besides offering the potential for immortality, something man had long wished to achieve, this technology had myriad other uses. The only one that had been of interest as of late, though, had been military. Who could forget the might ANGEL, taller than a skyscraper, controlled by human minds uploaded into their processors. Such a machine was a costly investment, but capable of destroying an entire army, given the chance. Of course, only two existed at the moment, and they hardly ever went out of their home bases, even for parades-losing them would be a crushing blow.

"I do."

"Well, my dad had his mind uploaded into the Commander."

"I see. So, is the body I saw is real body or just a really well designed android?"

"Both at the same time."

"...........What?"

Instantly, Rory's expression changed to one that was dead serious. The nearby Wolf-Beetle instantly tensed up.

"Promise me that you will tell no one about what you are about to hear."

"Whwhwhwh-"

"Not even my dad."

"Whwhwhwhw-I promise.

"Are you serious?"

"YES!"

"Okay. My dad.....didn't have a choice about being put in the Commander."

".....huh?"

"Look, someone put him in it. They just plucked him out of his life, put his brain into the commander and dropped it on some random planet. They told him to go out and find any technology he wanted, but he was to be entertainment for them."

".....who told you this?"

"An AI called Ouium. He's charged with managing the Ectogenesis Pods on this ship. My dad's body was grown from one of those pods and is based on an approximation of what he originally looked like, plus a few traits he wanted added in. Apparently, I was grown in one of those pods, with many traits taken from his genome. So, even though I don't have a mom, I'm still his son."

"I see.........you're being awfully forward about this."

"Better to tell you about it now than let it come up at a bad time."

"True......do you have any proof of this?"

The hologram disappeared as the emitter traded places with a sort of pedestal like machine, which, after a moment, created a swirling light above its base.

"This is a portal that, according to my dad's kidnapper, let's him travel across universes. You can stick your head through it and you'll end up on a planet covered in machinery."

Unsure what to do, but willing to take the benefit of the doubt from this boy, Bianka shoved her head into the portal. On the other side, she saw a planet made of metal, filled with strange, cybernetic creatures, all going about their daily lives in much the same way the inhabitants of Chiron did. A pinch to her cheek confirmed this was no illusion. Wary of keeping her head on the alien world for too long, Bianka pulled her head out of the portal. Though she was still not entirely convinced, she was willing to offer more credence to the possibility that Rory was being serious, and her friends were willing to share that trust.

The perks of having a psychic hive mind were very nice, indeed.

"Do you believe me now?" asked Rory.

"Somewhat. At the very least, you have some evidence that you are right." 'Of course, that could have just been a giant hologram.'

"I appreciated your trust in me."

"You're welcome. Though, I have to know, did your dad say that you could tell us about this?"

"No. I just felt that you deserved to know."

"Well, thank you for the trust. Though, I must ask, why did Ouium tell you this?"

"I believed the boy had the right to know the truth," responded a computerized male voice, causing the female orphan to jump. "Also, I apologize for scaring you."

"Apologies accepted." 'Well, that could've gone better.' ".....................Are me, Rory, his dad and my friends the only humans here? Wherever here is?"

"No, there are other humans here. You should've seen them when you were being moved here."

'Yeah, I did. Can't believe I forgot.' "I did. Are there any others besides them?"

"Well, there are my dad's advisors: Fide, Kathikon, and Synais. I can introduce thme to you if you'd like."

"It's fine."

"Okay. Anything else you'd like to know?"

"Just one: What happen's next? I mean, if me and my friends accept his offer?"

"You will be naturalized as citizens of this nation, given schooling, and we will attempt to procure someone to help you master your psionic skills."

"...............There are people who could teach me to control my gift?"

"Yes, they just don't want to come out of hiding yet."

"I see."

Silence filled the room. Unknown to Rory and Ouium, Bianka and her friends had begun to discuss the pros and cons of accepting the Commander's offer. True, they would be at his mercy, but he seemed nice. His son had also been open to them about his motives, something they had not expected. The would never have to worry about being kidnapped again, so that was a plus. Finally, they had the unprecedented opportunity to see other worlds if they allowed the Commander to adopt them.

Ultimately, a consensus was reached.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

CRACK

BANG

"Direct hit" noted the mechanical voice.

Well, that was the third one in a row.

Since Bianka had needed time to mull over my offer, I'd decided to start messing around with the weapons technology I'd acquired. True, I didn't need to use guns, since my bots could handle any threat that came my way, but hey, shooting things is a great stress reliever. At least, as long as they aren't alive. So I'd gone to a firing range, pulled up a couple of guns from all designs on the planet, and started shooting. I'd had to adjust the sights a few times, but eventually, I was using each of the guns like a pro. My three shot streak had been with the last of the weapons I was testing, a hybrid laser/plasma rifle made by combining Supremacy and Harmony tech. watching it burn/melt targets was awesome.

"Attention Commander Flame, Bianka would like to speak with you over the intercom."

Well, that was unexpected. "Put her on the system."

"Understood," replied the program. Soon, I could hear Bianka talking over the intercom.

"Um, Mr. Flame? We've made our decision."

That was fast-wait, did she just say we?!

"We?"

"Me and my friends are all psychic, and we can share thoughts over a distance. We're still close enough to do that at the moment."

"I see." Well, I needed to find out more about their powers. Some harmless, non-invasive examinations would do. I was NOT going to put them through whatever the Blind Eyes had planned for them. "What is your decision?"

"We have decided to accept your offer. We'd like to live with you."

Well, that was easier than I thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Read and Review. Again, criticism is appreciated.

Also, Ouium is just as loyal to Flame as Fide, Kathikon and Synais are, but he tends to act on what he thinks will have the bast outcome, instead of what exactly Flame orders him to do. To be fair, Flame doesn't normally give him orders, so he has a lot of freedom to begin with. The same can be said of Rory.

This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[AlucardMasters]

this was updated yesterday holy balls... congrats on being the only story of this type that i've found (so far anyway) that is still updating to this day! now questions! 1. when he was in the spore verse did he get all the technologies or just the ones his species knew about? i know some of them are path locked so i gotta ask. 2. darkspore, aside from trophey's are those masks going to be important at any point? it just seemed like maybe like there was a secret about them but nothing seemed to come of it. and finally a personal question. are you setting up cass and rory as future playmates who the parents have to put aside their differences to protect from the thus far, unknown evil? cus i'm getting that vibe here.

 

[Flameal15k]

this was updated yesterday holy balls... congrats on being the only story of this type that i've found (so far anyway) that is still updating to this day! now questions! 1. when he was in the spore verse did he get all the technologies or just the ones his species knew about? i know some of them are path locked so i gotta ask. 2. darkspore, aside from trophey's are those masks going to be important at any point? it just seemed like maybe like there was a secret about them but nothing seemed to come of it. and finally a personal question. are you setting up cass and rory as future playmates who the parents have to put aside their differences to protect from the thus far, unknown evil? cus i'm getting that vibe here.

Click to shrink...

1. All of them. Assume I have creations who came from one of each of the archetypes at the least.
2. Mostly just trophies, but Xylem is still alive and Flame knows this, as does Melissa.
3. Maybe. We shall see.

 

[Flameal15k]

'It seems he took my advice.'
Melissa smiled. Her manipulation
had worked like a charm. Well, maybe it was wrong to call it manipulation, but that was besides the point.

Nearby, Cassidy was reading a book. Something related to those stories about The Boy Who Lived. Melissa had no real interest in the subject, though she couldn't deny her daughter these small indulgences.

Despite what her 'associates' might assume, Melissa was actually a good parent......................

'Well, at least better than mine were.....'

Burying her sadness for a moment, Melissa returned to examining the Commander. As soon as he had broken his conversation with the orphan girl, he had gone back to testing out the fire arms he had acquired.

'Not that I blame him. Shooting guns IS fun.'

"Um, your highness," requested a voice over the intercom. Elling's, to be exact. "Your...um....I guess the best word is supervisor...has requested a meeting with you."

For a moment, Melissa went stiff, before calming herself. "Very well, tell him I'll be over in a moment."

"Of course."

As soon as Elling hung up, the R.O.B. turned to her daughter.

"Mommy has to go to a meeting right now, so-"

"Could I come with you?"

"What?! Why?!"

"I've never met your boss before. I just want to see what he's like."

"Um...well...."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaassssseeeeeeeeeeeee?" pleaded the girl. Her eyes only further weakened her mother's willingness to argue.

"...uh.....uh.......okay," concede Melissa. "Just, don't speak to him unless he asks you, okay? He doesn't like being interrupted."

"Yay!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a grand hallway of sorts, a portal opened. Out of it came a woman dressed in white, followed by an girl with similar attire. Behind them, the portal collapsed in on itself, disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

Melissa was surprised that no guards had accosted them. Normally, at least one guard would already be upon her....

Some dust fell to the ground in front of her. Peering up, the R.O.B. saw a gargoyle-like being resting on a chandelier, watching her with its cold, unblinking eyes. 'Well, that's new.'

Upon noticing the entity on the chandelier, Cass hid behind her mother, shivering in fear. Melissa stared at the statue-like being, before turning around and hugging her daughter.

"Don't worry, it's just supposed to watch us. It won't hurt us."

"Are you sure, mom?"

"Yes, my little sunshine, I'm sure."

Slowly, Cassidy stopped shaking, before finally leaving her mother's embrace. Burying her fear, she hazarded a glance at the entity on the chandelier. As she did so, it's head turned, and for the briefest moment, the two stared at each other, eye to eye, before the gargoyle lost interest and looked away.

"Come on now, Cass, let's get going. I don't want to keep my boss waiting any longer," remarked Melissa, who offered her hand to her daughter.

A moment later, Cass accepted it and the duo began walking toward the end of the hallway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The hallway terminated in a large meeting room of sorts, filled with beings: some were busy cleaning the walls, others were bringing in engineering equipment. The one Melissa sought, though, was in the center, busy examining a machine. What it was, she couldn't tell-she was too far away to accurately observe the machine.

"Well, look who decided to show up."

Groaning internally, Melissa turned to her right. Leaning against a stylized stone pillar was a man dressed in a vibrant green suit and similarly colored pants. These matched quite well with his green eyes and, of all things, his green hair. Melissa knew that the hair wasn't dyed, but how he kept it that vibrantly colored naturally was beyond her.

"Hello, Operative Tau. May I ask why you are here?

"I heard that the boss man wanted to talk to you. Loops like you finally screwed up, doesn't it."

"Doubtable. He usually uses emails, letters or telepathy to request one's presence when he's angry."

"Touché. Still, I do believe you are in hot water."

"What for?"

"How about breaking our non-interference clause with the Commander," replied a sultry voice behind her.

Instantly, Melissa started to feel warm. 'How did they know about that?!'

Calming herself, the R.O.B. turned around and found herself facing a woman dressed in orange. Her hair was a mix of red and orange, with a line of yellow in one spot. 'Is she trying to look like a fire?' wondered Cass, while her mother just looked on in annoyance.

"Greeting, Operative Zeta. And what do you mean by breaking our non-interference clause? Sending him gifts for the holidays he would miss due to our actions is not a violation, according to our superior."

"Yes, but meeting with the Commander in person most definitely is," was Zeta's response, and it was loud enough that everyone could in the room could hear it.

"....well.....I.....um....."

Zeta smiled at this. It was good to see Melissa squirm. The ones who prided themselves on being calm and collected were the most amusing to break.

"Face it, Agent Omega, you crossed the line, and now the boss is gonna punish you." Then Zeta noticed Cassidy. A feral grin grew on the operative's face. "And you brought your daughter here, too? Oh man, he's gonna be pissed."

"No, I am not," came a sonorous voice from the center of the room. Flinching, the four by the end of the hallway turned and stared at the being at the center of the room, once again in his golden form. While Melissa managed to remain standing, Cass had sought shelter behind her mother, while Zeta and Tau were cowering on the ground.

".....You're......not.....sir?"

"No. True," he began, advancing toward her, "you did violate the clause, but I believe it will be necessary to intervene with him directly in order to achieve our goals."

Then, he gestured toward the center of the room.

"Tell me, do you know what that machine is?"

Now that Melissa had a clear view of the machine, she could indeed identify it.

"It's an advanced fabrication robot."

"Precisely. This machine is one of the greatest achievements of the Progenitors, able to build titanic structures within minutes at least, days at most. Yet it is hardly all that they left behind."

"So you've said."

"Indeed. You are all well aware that I wish to study the Progenitors, and find out all of their secrets. Of course, even with a Commander Chassis, there are still many things we don't know about them. They never left designs for their civilian technology in those Commanders, so I've had to search for them personally. At least, I had to, until I discovered that Commanders can detect other Progenitor technology over astronomical distances. Through this, I discovered that the Progenitors once had an empire that spanned the multiverse. "

"Yes, yes, you've said this already, sir. You wanted to use the Commander to locate the rest of this tech, but you also wanted someone to pilot it, since those sort of Commanders tend to enjoy making life better for everyone, something you had no trouble with. My apologies, sir, but why are you repeating yourself? You've never done that before in our presence."

"Well, we have a guest here, don't we."

As he said this, the OverROB turned his attention to Cassidy.

"Hello, little girl. You may call me the OverROB. What is your name?"

"....Cassidy."

"A good name. You are Melissa's daughter, are you not?"

".....I am. She's said really nice things about you."

"I see. Well, I must thank her for that."

Then he turned back toward the fabber.

"As for the rest of you, know that I am modifying the non-interference clause. Also, please, stop arguing. I am not playing favorites. You are dismissed."

After an awkward moment of silence, three portals opened up, one for each R.O.B. Melissa was the first to leave, with Cass right behind her.

As she left, though, Zeta spoke to her one last time.

"Well, you may have avoided punishment this time, but don't get to comfy, Omega. If you slip up, one of us will be taking command of operations regarding the Commander."

Before she could speak any further, Zeta was suddenly thrown aside. When she recovered, she noticed that Melissa's left hand was glowing white. Then, the woman known as Operative Omega turned to face her, face full of malice.

"I am the only one allowed to mess with the Commander. So trust me when I say that, if that privilege is taken from me, Commander Flame will have a powerful ally. Now come, Cassidy. It's time to go home."

Then mother and daughter stepped through the portal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!

 

[Vianca]

Supreme Commander?
Similar tech.

Stargate, Farscape, Babylon 5, StarCraft, ect, ect.
Even Guyver would be possible, with that setting.
Hell, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha could work too.

Oo, crap, I think I know who Uber-R.O.B. is.
Somebody call Counter Guardian Emiya, asap.

 

[Flameal15k]

The OverROB isn't counter Guardian Emiya. He's not actually human, and never was, he just chose the form of a human because humanoid beings are very common across the multiverse.

Also, here's some other things I want to clear up:

The OverROB has plenty of other, 'weaker' ROBs working under him. Melissa (Designation Omega), Tau, and Zeta are merely three of them.

In case you didn't notice, Zeta and Tau aren't happy that Melissa is the one who was chosen to oversee Flame. The OverROB made that call, though, so all they can settle for is trying to expose any slip-ups she makes and hoping one of them gets the position. Also, they aren't exactly friends with each other, they just dislike Melissa even more.

 

[Vianca]

The OverROB isn't counter Guardian Emiya. He's not actually human, and never was, he just chose the form of a human because humanoid beings are very common across the multiverse.

Also, here's some other things I want to clear up:

The OverROB has plenty of other, 'weaker' ROBs working under him. Melissa (Designation Omega), Tau, and Zeta are merely three of them.

In case you didn't notice, Zeta and Tau aren't happy that Melissa is the one who was chosen to oversee Flame. The OverROB made that call, though, so all they can settle for is trying to expose any slip-ups she makes and hoping one of them gets the position. Also, they aren't exactly friends with each other, they just dislike Melissa even more.

Click to shrink...

For OVERrob I was more thinking of a guy with a name starting with a Z, from the same serie as Emiya.
But you would need Archer Emiya to even have a change against that guy.
More of a "Emiya here, by change? No???, RUN!!!!!!!!", my comment mend to convey in terms of O Shit, we're so screwed.

And yes, I noticed.

 

[Flameal15k]

The OverROB never was human to be login with, and revealing what he really is will be a MASSIVE spoiler.