Chapter 38: Splitting Conflicts

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2 Weeks Later

– Mondia, Solith 20, 8034 –

“We’ve almost arrived at Rossindon.”

“About time,” Kevérin stepped forward to stand next to Captain Krost of the RPF Frigate Frasis. “I had no idea how boring it would be to be trapped on a Frigate for two weeks.”

“Trapped, you say?” the Captain glanced toward the Pyrotechnic incredulously.

“Er… nothing against your ship, sir,” the Transfer Captain immediately backpedaled.

“Ha, it’s fine,” Krost smirked, “You planetsiders always say the same thing on your first real space voyage. I’ve come to expect it.”

“I can at least appreciate Nimalian design…” a Siion woman remarked as she stepped next to Krost, across from Kevérin. “Black Suns ships are far more cramped. And generally not ventilated as well, either.”

“Glad to know you approve, Commander,” Krost nodded. He glanced back to Kevérin before taking a seat in the captain’s chair and looking up at the Frigate’s bridge display. “I take it you two know the drill once we exit FTL, Tyrion, Krydonin?”

“I get us clearance to land, we land, then we investigate,” Krydonin responded as she stretched her double-jointed legs, “There’s not much to it.”

“I agree, it seems simple enough,” Kevérin replied, “This isn’t like the raid on Kotak. Did we really need to come here with two Frigates and a Cruiser?”

“The Frasis, Phendris, and Jevnorus go everywhere together,” Krost stated, “It’s precaution. You’ll have to forgive me for assuming, Commander, but given the galactic circumstances at the moment I don’t think it’s far-fetched to assume Sector 2 would try to bully us if we brought only a Frigate.”

“…You speak the truth,” Krydonin admitted, “All eyes are on Tyrnaus and the Syraus. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rossindon outpost tried to take advantage of the diverted attention to shrug off our investigation.”

“We’ve been in FTL for two weeks, so we haven’t heard anything about the situation at Tyrnaus… what do you think has happened?” Kevérin questioned.

Krost sighed apprehensively. “Given the Taizen level of tech, the Riaxen fleet will probably arrive at Tyrnaus in the next day or two. Then they’ll battle it out with the Syraus and the allied fleet. Hopefully, the Syraus will be able to hold Tyrnaus, because if they don’t…”

“Then the Riaxen will be only one Transpace jump from Nimalia…” Kevérin frowned.

“And more importantly, it means that they’ll have access to the rest of the galaxy,” Krydonin pointed out, “The Syraus have been the only thing standing between the Riaxen and their expansionist goals for millennia. If the Riaxen manage to break through the Syraus, then not only Nimalia but the CSA itself might as well be doomed. Having to fight off the Drakkars on one side and the Riaxen on the other would crush them.”

“Here’s to hoping we won’t have to worry about that,” Krost remarked, “…alright, here we go. Dropping out of FTL in five… four… three… two…”

The ship lurched, and almost immediately afterward the bridge display lit up with a wealth of information accompanied by a display of the planet of Rossindon.

“Frasis to Phendris, Jevnorus,” Krost spoke after flipping on the ship’s comms, “Everything clear?”

“Everything’s clear, Krost,” came the reply, “No ships on scan. Orbit’s clean.”

“Alright,” the Captain nodded before turning to one of the officers on the bridge. “Connect us to the Rossindon outpost.”

“Yes sir, connecting to the Rossindon outpost.”

“Well, Commander,” Krost glanced back to the Siion woman, “You’re up.”

Krydonin acknowledged the Captain with a slight nod before moving up to the comms console and leaning down over the mic. “Sector 2 Outpost Rossindon, this is Sector 1 Commander Sinstis Krydonin, report. Repeat, this is Sector 1 Commander Sinstis Krydonin. Report.”

“Outpost Rossindon reporting in. Requesting ID confirmation.”

“Submitting,” Krydonin tapped a couple keys on the console in front of her, “…sent.”

“…ID confirmed. What do you want, Commander?”

“I request outpost ground access for the RPF Frigates Frasis and Phendris.”

“Request denied.”

The Commander paused momentarily, her lips pursed. “…Excuse me?”

“Your request has been denied, Commander.”

“We carry the authority of Master General Brennon Greant, outpost. The order was sent before we arrived.”

“The statute Greant used to override General Regek’s visitation block affords you access to the planet but does not state that we are forced to allow you access to the outpost. You have been warned: any attempts to land within a hundred kilometers of our base will be met with aggression and we will open fire. Transmission over.”

“…Damn it,” Krydonin growled, “Leave it to Sector 2 to get pedantic.”

“Well… what are we supposed to do now?” Kevérin frowned, “There’s supposed to be an Ayas here.”

“If they haven’t found it already, then I guarantee they’re looking for it,” Krydonin responded, “They’ve had at least two weeks. It’s likely that they’ve forbade us from landing within a hundred kilometers of the outpost because that’s where they’ve narrowed down the location of the Ayas to.”

“Hmm…” Krost stood up from his captain’s chair and stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back as he stared up at the bridge display. “…Start a planet scan,” he ordered, “Coordinate scanners with the Phendris and Jevnorus. Initial focal point: the outpost. Filter results using the retrofitted Ayas scanner.”

“Wait, we have the Ayas scanner on board?” Kevérin balked, “Why not just scan down the Ayas?”

“It was designed for scanning the entire galaxy, not single planets,” the Captain replied, “It won’t return an accurate result on its own. We can only use it to better guess where the Ayas is, hopefully before Sector 2.” A nearby console suddenly beeped twice, drawing Krost’s attention back to the bridge display where the image of Rossindon had been rotated so that the outpost was in the center of the display. To flashing dots appeared on either side of the outpost, marking locations of interest on the planet’s surface. “…Looks like you’re right, Commander. Both locations of interest are roughly eighty kilometers from the outpost.”

“One is a mountain peak… the other seems to be below ground…” Krydonin observed.

“In caves?” Kevérin glanced between the two, “…it’s definitely the caves. We should look there.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Both the Master Ayas and the Black Ayas were found in caves, and the Black Ayas even had a pedestal, as if it belonged there,” Kevérin answered, “I think it’s reasonable that another Ayas would be in caves. Besides, a cave network next to a clearing is far more easily searched than a mountain peak. We should at least check there first.”

“He has a point,” Krost nodded, “...Commander, do the Black Suns have grade three or higher sensor equipment?”

“We have the technology, but it’s doubtful that a small outpost like Rossindon would be equipped with it,” Krydonin remarked, “…So you intend to defy their warning?”

“It’s clear they never intended to cooperate in the first place,” Krost returned to his captain’s chair, “And if they don’t even have grade three sensor equipment then the Frasis and Phendris can easily slip through. If we’re fast enough, they won’t even know we were there.”

“And if they somehow manage to detect you?”

“We didn’t bring along a Cruiser for nothing, Commander.”

“…Reasonable,” Krydonin nodded, “So be it. Greant would likely support your decision. If you intend to make planetfall, do so soon. I’ll gather my team.”

“Ah, so will I,” Kevérin added.

“Good,” Krost responded, “Gather in the landing bays when you’re ready. We should be ground-side within the hour. Good luck, Commander, Transfer Captain.”

*             *             *

4 Hours Later

“There’s nothing here.”

“You can’t say that until we’ve mapped the caves to be all dead-ends,” Kevérin countered.

“As if we’re actually going to explore the entirety of the cave network,” Davídrius drawled, “You don’t know how big this place is. That could take weeks! Months!”

“We’re not going to search the entirety of the cave network,” Rebehka rolled her eyes, “We only need to look around the area where the scanners picked up the Ayas.”

“Though I’m surprised we haven’t found anything by now…” Kievkenalis mused as Hero Machina slowly walked through the cave, Kevérin leading with a ball of fire in his hand to illuminate the way. “We’ve been in this cave for close to an hour, and it hasn’t forked yet.”

“The caves on Sunova and Kotak were similarly linear,” Siyuakén remarked, “There weren’t many forks. I guess that further suggests the Ayas is here?”

“We won’t actually know until we find anything. Which we haven’t,” Davídrius deadpanned, “Y’all are jumping to conclusions pretty quickly.”

“We’re not jumping to conclusions, we’re… spotting patterns,” Kevérin replied cheekily before stopping suddenly. “…Well, huh. It’s a fork.”

“What now?...” Kaoné frowned.

“…” Kevérin glanced back at the group. “…Only two of us can produce light on our own… alright, we’ll split into two groups. Two of you will follow me, and we’ll check out one of the paths. Siyuakén and the other three will stay here and wait for the Black Suns to catch up while they lay down the cave lighting and comm system. Who’s with me?”

“I am,” Davídrius immediately volunteered, “I ain’t gonna waste my time just standin’ around.”

“Guess I’ll go too, then,” Christeané stepped forward.

“We’ll stick around here,” Siyuakén nodded, “Once the Black Suns have caught up we’ll check out the path that you don’t.”

“Sounds good,” Kevérin replied, and then turned to the right as Siyuakén held her hands close together and began arcing enough electricity across them to create light. The Pyrotechnic and two Introtechnics proceeded down the cave, leaving the rest of Hero Machina behind.

“…I really hope the Ayas is here,” Davídrius grumbled after several minutes of silent walking, “Otherwise we’ll have wasted four damn hours…”

“Keep in mind we’re not only here for the Ayas,” Kevérin commented, “The main reason we’re here is actually to investigate the Chaos Quake. The Ayas is just a bonus.”

“And how are we supposed to do that, exactly?” Christeané questioned.

“…Uhhh…”

“Nice to know you thought this through,” Davídrius deadpanned.

“Look, I thought that we were going to be able to visit the actual outpost,” Kevérin countered, “I didn’t expect this bureaucratic bullshit from the Black Suns, so the Ayas ended up becoming a priority instead. And it’s significant in its own right, yeah, but we should still try to learn something about the Quake.”

“I’ll be sure to get right on that. I’m sure inspecting the rock composition of these caves will provide invaluable information.”

“Nice to know you’re being as helpful as ever.”

“I try my best.”

“…But actually, Kevérin, what did you expect to find?” Christeané asked again, “Did you just expect the Black Suns to admit to causing the Quake?”

“No,” the Pyrotechnic rolled his eyes, “But they could have important information or leads. Small as the Rossindon outpost is, it’s been here for over twenty years. They must have seen or heard something.”

“Assuming that the fact we’re at the ‘hypocenter’ of the Chaos Quake actually means anything,” Christeané pointed out.

“Also assuming that the hypocenter is actually within this solar system and that you weren’t off by a few light years,” Davídrius added.

“Yeah, yeah, I get your point,” Kevérin waved their concerns away, “Let’s just look for the Ayas. Maybe, if we’re, lucky, we’ll stumble across something that will give us the answers we want.”

“What, like another AI?” Davídrius snorted, “Because the one from Kotak sure helped a lot.”

“Actually… that may be it.”

“Oh no,” Davídrius deadpanned, “We did not just stumble across another computer. No way.”

“That’s what it looks like…” Kevérin commented as the three stepped into a fair-sized rock room. Two more cave pathways left the room, splitting the circular wall into thirds; in the center of the room stood a thick metallic column. As the Transfer Captain stepped closer to it a holographic display popped up; a few seconds later a full holographic Nimalian interface appeared as well.

“Newcomer scan complete. Identified as post-Aldredas race. Intentions… likely non-malevolent.”

“You’re kidding,” Christeané let his arms drop in awe, “We actually found another AI?”

“…AI, yes. I suppose that is an adequate description. My true designation is the Prior Vigilem Mystryth.”

“…Wow.” Davídrius deadpanned, “…well ain’t this really fuckin’ convenient?

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 38 ====================

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*               *               *               *               *

Data Entry: {null}

Chapter 37: Furthered Unknown: Revelation

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“You really do suck in a CENT field.”

“You too?” Davídrius deadpanned, “As if you did much better.”

“Maybe not,” Kevérin replied as the two boys slowly walked down the vacant hallways, “But I was still able to floor you twice.”

“I floored you twice.”

“You use weapons regularly, I don’t. Clearly, then, the fact that I matched you means that I’m comparatively better.”

“…Yeah huh. You keep believin’ that.”

“I will,” Kevérin responded flippantly, “…man, you should’ve told me that you guys were going to be doing CENT field training. I would’ve joined you sooner.”

“Don’t complain to me, it was Rebehka’s brilliant idea,” Davídrius countered flatly, “…She also cut the training off at one hour instead of two, so you’re lucky I was still around for those last couple matches.”

“I guess.”

“What’re you still doin’ around here, anyway? It’s almost seven.”

“More data processing, and talking with the AI and the Archoné,” Kevérin sighed, “This was just a break, too; I’ve got a couple more things to do before I can leave for the night… actually, I should go do those right now. See you later.”

“See ya,” Davídrius waved casually as the Transfer Captain took a left at the next hallway intersection. The Introtechnic continued on his leisurely way, enjoying the evening silence and inactivity of the base until he finally lay foot inside of the Hero Machina office.

“Oh… Davídrius.”

“Yo,” he nodded toward Kaoné, who was sitting at her desk. He casually approached his own desk, beginning to pack up for the day as he asked the Materiatechnic, “What’re you still doin’ here?”

“Nothing much, really…” she replied, “…What about you?”

“CENT field training with Rebehka. Keh, you should’ve been there.”

“What? Ah, I don’t know, I’m not really much of a fighter…”

“Ha, exactly. If you were there at least I would’ve been able to beat someone.”

Kaoné gave the Introtechnic a disapproving glance. “Davídrius…”

“Oi, oi, it was a joke,” he shook his head incredulously, “You seem so uptight all the time. Why is that?”

“I’m not uptight,” she countered indignantly, “…not all the time. …Only sometimes.”

“Yeah? And when’d that be?” Davídrius snorted when the Materiatechnic glanced away uneasily. “What, when you’re around me? Am I really that scary?”

“Maybe…”

“This is about all the yelling at you I’ve done about your pacifism, innit.”

“…Partially…”

“…Well, I seem to be on an apology roll as of late, might as well keep it up,” Davídrius pulled his chair around his desk so that he could face Kaoné better and then dropped into it haphazardly. “I’m not going to apologize straight-up, though. See, in case you hadn’t noticed already, I fundamentally disagree with you on this. So I wanna see why you think what you do, and then maybe I can try to understand. Sound fair?”

Kaoné frowned. “You can’t accept that I just don’t want to hurt people?”

“You’re a Lieutenant in the military. You saw the Bleeder attack on my compound back in Treséd. So no, I can’t.”

“…Of course you can’t…” she sighed, and then eyed Davídrius uneasily. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable sharing my story with you, though…”

“Keh. Well, the knowledge that you have one is good enough for now, I guess.”

“Well, what about you? Why are you perfectly fine with killing?”

“Because it makes sense,” Davídrius stated bluntly, “…not all killing, mind you. I’d be perfectly fine, living in a world where no one killed or hurt each other. But, that’s the thing – we do live in a world where people hurt and kill each other. And not just for survival – many people do it for fun. The entire existence of the Bleeders is founded on the idea that raping and pillaging is fun. Do you realize that? The Bleeders will destroy homes, rape children, kill parents, because it’s ‘fun’. Sure, it sounds cliché, but do you know why it’s cliché? Because too many people actually like to do those things. The Bleeders are far from the only organization of their kind throughout the galaxy, I’m sure. So what do you do with those kinds of people? Just lock them away? Bullshit. Let them feel the pain that they inflict, and then wipe them from the face of the planet so they can never do it again!”

“You’d punish killing by killing? Aren’t you just perpetuating a cycle, then?”

“Don’t you dare compare what I’ve done to those bastards,” Davídrius hissed, “There is a difference between taking someone out ruthlessly and justly, and killing someone painfully and slowly. Here’s a hint: one’s removing a threat, the other is being a threat.”

“You don’t think it’s possible to convince them that they’re wrong, that it could be possible to bring them around?”

“…The redemption argument? Really? Okay, I can admit that the way some people act is a product of their shitty upbringing and if we could fix the societal structure then maybe we’d fix all that blah blah blah. But here’s the thing – by the time you’re fifteen, by the time you’re twenty? You’re too entrenched in your own opinions and ideals at that point to budge significantly. I won’t budge, they won’t budge, nobody’s gonna budge. Talking is a waste of time. It’s never actually done anything, it’s just there so people can try it and then feel good about themselves because at least they tried to give the other guy a chance, but noooo, he just wouldn’t listen. Well the time spent talking is time that genuine threats have to commit more crime, so I don’t waste time talking. I’m a firm subscriber to the ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ doctrine, except sometimes I just truncate it to ‘shoot first’.”

“What gives you the right to judge, then?”

“It’s not that I have the right to judge, it’s that they’ve lost the right to a trial.”

“’They’? You sound almost exactly like Mirdlay Lexin!”

“First you compare me to the Bleeders, then you compare me to the Riaxen?! Do you understand how ridiculous you’re being?!”

“I’d ask the same of you! Nothing gives you the right to take another person’s life. Nothing!”

“I’m not talking about rights, here! You haven’t properly thought about this at all, have you? Strictly speaking, even from a pragmatic standpoint, I’m right! If you’re a farmer and your crops have pests, you kill the pests. If you’re a rancher and some predator is eating your cattle, you kill the predator! If you’re the government and there’s a serial killer on the loose, you kill the serial killer! It’s simple threat elimination!”

“You’re ignoring the fact that all of those situations can be remedied without resorting to killing!”

“Alright, then how about the fact that killing is a part of nature then, huh?”

“That’s completely different and you know it! Animals kill because they have to – because that’s how they get food.”

“They kill if they feel threatened, too!”

“They also have no other way to respond, except to kill or flee! But as people, we’re far more sophisticated – we can do more! We can talk! Negotiate! Rehabilitate! Things never have to end with killing!”

“…’Never’, you say…” Davídrius smirked bitterly, “Alright then, answer me this. Suppose you stumble upon a murder in progress, and the only way to stop the murderer without significantly hurting the victim is to kill him. Would you do it?”

“That’s not–“

“Answer the question: if you could prevent one death by causing another, would you do it?”

“I don’t–“

“If you could prevent five deaths by causing one, would you do it?”

“I…”

“If you could prevent the killing of an entire family, would you do it?”

“…”

“…You know… of all the things I’ve ever heard… insults related to my temperament, Tresédian slurs, Bleeder taunts, Bleeder threats – of all that, the most disturbing thing I’ve ever heard… is your silence, right now.” The Introtechnic stood up and rammed his chair back under his desk before grabbing his bag and making for the exit of the room, where he stopped momentarily. “…Get over yourself, or get the fuck out of Hero Machina. I don’t want someone like you watching my back.”

Kaoné was only able to look on in stunned silence as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

*             *             *

Ssssss-chk.

Siyuakén exhaled deeply as she turned off the showerhead and stepped out of the small cell-like space. She stretched briefly before grabbing a nearby towel and beginning to dry herself off, while glancing back at the shower and sighing. I wish someone would come up with a proper water shield already. Having to dry off manually is annoying… She shook her head wearily as she stepped over to the bathroom mirror, the towel draped over her head. Lookin’ good, Siyuakén. …Except… she carefully flipped the left side of the towel over her shoulder, exposing her left arm and chest –

– and the metallic rashes running down both.

She sighed again before pursing her lips and tossing the towel aside. Holding her left arm up, she clenched her fists and took a deep breath before running a massive current through her entire body. She shuddered in pain, and then looked back to the mirror; the rashes had receded slightly, but not by much.

It’s been getting less responsive to shock… she observed with a frown, and it’s spreading even farther… another couple weeks and it’ll be down to my fingers. I don’t know how I’ll hide it then…

“Siyuakén?!”

“Ah!!” the Electrotechnic jumped back, startled. She reflexively covered her breasts and crotch with her arm and hand before glancing to the bathroom entrance. “R-Rebehka? What’re you–?!”

“I knew it…” the Cryotechnic ignored her friend’s startled mumbling as she quickly moved over to her, where she grasped Siyuakén by her shoulders and turned her straight-on before inspecting her left side. “…Siyuakén, is this…?”

The Electrotechnic let out a deep sigh and hung her head forlornly. “Yeah… it’s the metallic infection.”

“This… this is…” Rebehka snapped her attention to Siyuakén’s face, “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“…It was before you joined Hero Machina,” Siyuakén explained, “Back during the Sunova mission, one of the metallic bugs scratched me. It was an open wound… it had to have been then. That was the most direct contact with the infection I’ve ever had.”

“That– …you’ve been infected since then?”

“I’ve been able to slow it down a lot with shocks. But it’s been getting less responsive lately… it’s spreading further…”

“This… why didn’t you tell me?!”

“There’s nothing you could have done! I just didn’t want you to worry. I thought – you know, I had been doing a good job for a month or two keeping it in check on my own, you know, with electricity. I thought it wouldn’t be a problem. So I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want you to worry about something you couldn’t change or help.”

“You didn’t tell me that you had contracted the metallic infection because you thought I couldn’t help?!”

“Look, I know it’s stupid, okay? But that’s why. I was scared, yeah, but I didn’t want you to be scared too. I didn’t want to hurt you…”

Rebehka drew back and closed her eyes, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “…I’m glad you thought that. Really, I am. But we’re best friends, Siyuakén! You can tell me these things. That’s the whole point of being friends, right? That we can shoulder together what one of us can’t?”

“Well, I mean… up ‘til now, I could handle it on my own, sort of…”

“Siyuakén…”

“…Sorry, Rebehka,” Siyuakén bowed her head apologetically, “…I’m sorry for keeping this from you.”

“It’s fine,” the Cryotechnic moved to embrace her friend, who reflexively backed away.

“What if you get infected, too?!”

“Then we’ll be in it together,” Rebehka replied adamantly, “And even now, we are. We’ll find a way to stop the infection, Siyuakén, I promise. We’re already close to investigating the center of the Chaos Quake! Who knows, maybe there will be some answers there.”

“You can’t… you can’t guarantee that.”

“Well, no, but then no one can guarantee anything. …Really, Siyuakén, we can do this. You’ve already lasted two months – that’s far longer than any other case we’ve seen! That’s hopeful, isn’t it? You can beat this!”

“…And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll beat you to within an inch of your life, take your brain, and store it until we have the technology to create another body for you,” Rebehka smirked. “I won’t let you die. I also won’t let you lose to the infection. You have my word.”

“Heh…” Siyuakén finally smiled back, “…thanks. That means a lot.”

“Now if only you’d told me sooner,” Rebehka slapped her friend lightly upside the head, “maybe we could’ve gotten the rest of the group into gear and found something already.”

“You talk as though we could’ve actually convinced Davídrius or Christeané or Kevérin to get their act together,” Siyuakén rolled her eyes.

“…Heh, yeah, you’re right,” Rebehka replied amusedly. She then returned to a more concerned expression. “…How… if you don’t mind me asking, um, how does it feel…?”

“Actually, I don’t really feel anything…” Siyuakén glanced down at her left arm as she flexed it and clenched her fist, “it isn’t painful, and it doesn’t feel weird. Well, I get these weird feelings when I’m near other sources of the infection, but… I don’t know, it’s mostly… I’m mostly scared, because I know what the end-stage of the infection looks like, how… I… I don’t want to lose myself…”

Rebehka moved to hug Siyuakén, and this time the latter complied. “Don’t worry,” the Cryotechnic reassured, “I’m here for you. I’ll help in any way I can, even if it just means I’m someone you can vent to. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay…” Siyuakén nodded, “…thanks again. …Wait, earlier, when you burst in – you said you ‘knew’?”

“I knew something was wrong, yeah,” Rebehka replied as the two drew back again, “The fact that you repeatedly predicted the presence of the infected creatures was telling on its own, but I knew something was up for sure when Christeané landed that hit on you earlier. I know you. You’d never wear body armor to a simple practice session, let alone doing so and allowing someone like Christeané have the satisfaction of knowing as much. You were also moving too smoothly to have any kind of armor on… come on, Siyuakén, what kind of a fool do you take me for?”

“The kind who makes friends with me,” the Electrotechnic responded cheekily.

“Well…” Rebehka smirked,  “I can’t deny that.”

“Ha. …But really, Rebehka… thanks for being there for me. I’m really glad we’re friends.”

“Me too,” Rebehka smiled warmly, “…but being friends only allows for so much. Put some clothes on already, I don’t want to see… that, you exhibitionist.”

“Ha,” Siyuakén scoffed playfully, “You’re the one who barged in here without knocking, pervert.”

“I was just concerned for your well-being. You’d never have told me about the infection if I hadn’t took it upon myself to check on you.”

“Mm hmm. The same way you had to ‘check’ what I was doing back in year two of conscription training?”

“That was–! That was a misunderstanding, I swear. I didn’t realize… you were being really ambiguous back then. You were doing it on purpose, weren’t you?”

“And if I was?”

The two girls stood there, staring each other down, until they both finally broke into laughter.

“See? If you can tell me that, then you can tell me about anything. I won’t judge.”

“You keep saying that. I’m only going to tell you ‘thanks’ so many times,” Siyuakén smirked.

“Sure thing,” Rebehka rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the bathroom, “…but seriously. Put some clothes on.”

*             *             *

5 Days Later

“Come in.”

Kevérin stepped into Commander Nikéyin’s office and offered a quick salute before taking a seat in front of her desk.

“Here to report on further findings related to the Quake and the infection?” Nikéyin questioned.

“Yeah,” Kevérin nodded, “I have the results from the Ayas Sensor, as well… did you tell them to report to me?”

“I did. You are the one heading off the investigation, Transfer Captain.”

“Ah… well, thank you, ma’am. As for the actual news, well, uh… really, the sensor results are the only new thing. And I think they corroborate my suspicions, too – there’s an Ayas in the Rossindon system.”

“The Black Suns outpost you wanted to investigate…” Nikéyin nodded slowly, “based on… what?”

“Based on data pulled from the Black Suns outpost on Teghica, Rossindon is the hypocenter of the Chaos Energy Quake,” Kevérin explained, “I think that’s significant. The fact alone that the Quake was radial is novel, so you could say it’s best we check it out before others figure it out as well. We might find something related to the Quake… or we might not.” He shrugged. “At least we know there’s an Ayas there, now. We can see about snatching it from under the Black Suns’ noses.”

“Assuming they don’t already possess it,” Nikéyin countered, and then leaned forward to rest her elbows on her desk. “Though that won’t actually be an issue. If the Ayas is under Black Suns possession on Rossindon, then Sector 1 can seize it – and they’re by far more amiable.”

“Sector 1 can trump Sector 2, yeah, I know… but what’s that have to do with Rossindon?”

“They seem to have taken pity on us,” Nikéyin smirked, “I just got word that Master General Greant has superseded Master General Regek’s block on Rossindon. You’ll be visiting with a team of Black Suns Sector 1 soldiers, backed by the authority of Generals Greant and Sheak of Sector 1.”

“That’s… wow,” Kevérin replied, bewildered. “…The Generals bothered with us? Really?”

“I’m just as surprised, though I have my theories…” the Commander commented, “but we won’t let this chance go to waste. Hero Machina will head out tomorrow morning, Transfer Captain. Dismissed!

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 37 ====================

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*               *               *               *               *

Data Entry: Notable Persons of Galactic Leadership

(Note: This Data Entry contains many names. Prepare to be confused if you have a difficult time with names.)

                The Galaxy is a large place with many, many people, but there are still some names that are known across the galaxy, particularly those of civilization leaders. Military personnel are further familiar with the top commanders of each galactic entity, giving rise to a decent-sized leadership roster.

                From Nimalia, the notable leaders are Archoné Sonwé Nimal of Nimaliaka and Sidonté Nathalion Perion of Tekdecé. Together, they present the political face of the Nimalian Territories; the military face is given by Generals Shepratis Acknos of Tekdecé and Sulan Rantéin of the RPF. After the official creation of the Nimalian Systems Defense (NSD), the military face of the Nimalian Territories will become Commander Shikan Nikéyin. Archoné Nimal has also agreed to allow Sidonté Perion to take over as the political face of the territories, though plans are in place to implement a proper interstellar ruling body.

                The military face of the Earthians is clearly General Jennifer Dowley of Space Exploration, Reconnaissance, and Response Command (SERRCom). The political face is debatable however, as the Earthians created an official body to deal with interstellar affairs – the Department of Interstellar Diplomacy (DIDi) – but few Earthians take it seriously. In its place, America tends to throw its weight around wherever SERRCom allows, aided by the presence of the Interstellar Gate within its borders; the current president is a man named Charles Zhou.

                The Core Space Alliance (CSA) is led by two chairpersons from each of the three member civilizations, and these six individuals are by far the most well-known of their respective races. From the United Siion Nations (USN) are Chairman Sollovus Matjes and Chairwoman Nikan Felssor; from the Citan Republic are Chairwoman Radley Herring and Chairman Gavin Warich; and from the Dra’kis World Coalition (DWC) are Chairman S’Rative Reich and Chairwoman Ki’Chin Tchrat. These six individuals make the majority of the decisions regarding the CSA, and are thus considered six of the most powerful people in the entire galaxy.

                The two Taizen civilizations are most well known for their powerful leaders; as the two are locked in a state of perpetual war, their leaders have gradually absorbed a large amount of power over time, leading to a galactic situation in which nearly every action by either of the military giants is attributed to the respective leader. Leading the Syraus Protectorate is Prey Ledyr Yaddon Wirak, and leading the Riaxen Federation is Great Leader Hixer Zed, who replaced the recently deceased Mirdlay Lexin.

                The Black Suns are led by Supreme Commander Sallas Jeran. Under her are the four Master Generals, each commanding one of the four sectors of the PMC: commanding Sector 1 is Master General Brennon Greant, commanding Sector 2 is Master General Sike Regek, commanding Sector 3 is Master General Icarisyth Anar, and commanding Sector 4 is Master General Chikkid Frigth. Black Suns policy states that the Sectors can supersede each other – Sector 1 supersedes Sector 2, which supersedes Sector 3, which supersedes Sector 4. This implicitly makes Master General Greant the second most powerful commander in the organization after Jeran.

                Of far more infamy than any other galactic leaders are the six Drakkar Faction commanders. The Drakkars are a chaotic and oftentimes malevolent race split into six ever-warring factions, each distinct both physically and in abilities, and led by a seemingly immortal commander. Leading the Exemplar faction is Exdominor, leading the Sursum faction is Surdeus, leading the Multis faction is Mulmagnus, leading the Humanus faction is Hualtus, leading the Telum faction is Telregina, and leading the Prolatio faction is Prosusicivious. Each of the factions are individually capable of fighting the CSA to at least a stalemate, and each of the leaders are capable of decimating entire armies on their own; the most threatening of them all by far, however, are Exdominor and Surdeus, who both possess egos the size of the galaxy itself and nearly have the military (and individual) power to back it up. The only thing preventing the Drakkars from conquering the galaxy is their own in-fighting – each faction hinders the rest just enough that the CSA can successfully defend against them all. 

Chapter 36: Meaning(less) Action

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“Ha, I knew I’d find you here.”

“Oh man, you managed to spot me from clear across the cafeteria,” Davídrius drawled, “what an accomplishment.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Christeané retorted as he dropped his tray of food on the table across from Davídrius and took a seat. “You’re always sitting over here, by yourself.”

“Has it not occurred to you that I might actually want to be by myself?”

“’Course it has.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Hard to talk to you if I’m not.”

“…Keh,” Davídrius smirked despite himself, and then shook his head wearily. “You’re ridiculous, you know?”

“That’s what they all say,” Christeané responded around a mouthful of food, “Better than being an asshole, I’d say.”

“Blunt as ever, I see.”

“Eh, you’re getting better. I heard you actually apologized to Kevérin yesterday.”

“Oh, so you actually were referring to me when you said asshole, tch. …Wait, you ‘heard’ about that? How–?”

“He told me. He actually asked me if you were okay; he seemed to think something had happened to your head, heheheh.”

“Of course he did,” Davídrius deadpanned, “Alright, so, yeah. The whole thing with the Dark Ayas made me realize I wasn’t really being too friendly, so I decided to try and change that.”

“Aww, that’s adorable.”

“…And this is why I keep to myself. I get mocked no matter what I do.”

“I’m not mocking you, I’m applauding your progress!”

“Uh huh. Sure ya are.”

“Though,” Christeané began again after swallowing, “If you’re gonna apologize to Kevérin, I think you should apologize to Rebehka and Kaoné, too.”

“…I’ll think about Kaoné. She still has a worldview that I fundamentally disagree with, so we’ll have to see. What’d I do to Rebehka, though? I haven’t said much to her since… since, uh…”

“And that’s exactly the problem. Weren’t you supposed to be practicing fencing or something with her? According to Siyuakén, you’ve been blowing her off.”

“Well… I guess, yeah. I guess I have been wasting her time, huh…”

“It doesn’t have to be a whole thing, just say sorry. I’m sure she’ll forgive you. She’s great like that.”

“And you’d know, because…?”

“Aside from the fact that I’ve known her and Siyuakén for longer than you, I think it’s probably safe to say that I can read people better than you can.”

“Bullshit, I can read people just fine.”

“Hah, I have to agree with Christeané here.”

“Eh?” Davídrius and Christeané both turned their attention to the end of the table, where Rebehka was standing, food tray in hand.

“Mind if I sit with you guys?” she asked.

“Sure,” Christeané replied, patting the stool next to him.

“I’m surprised to see you here without Siyuakén,” Davídrius remarked.

“Well, I was going to have lunch with her,” the Cryotechnic responded, “But when I went back to the office to get her, she and Kaoné were in the middle of… a much-needed conversation, let’s call it. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“’Much-needed conversation’?” Davídrius echoed incredulously, “About what?”

“…It’s nothing,” Rebehka shook her head, “You don’t need to worry about it. What were you talking about before, though?”

“Oh, you mean why I mentioned you and Siyuakén?” Christeané smirked.

“Wasn’t anything,” Davídrius declared stubbornly, “Nothing at-agh?!” He suddenly flinched and then glared at Christeané, who had just kicked him in the shins.

“The two of you are getting along just as well as ever, I see,” Rebehka remarked amusedly.

“Hell of an idea, kicking a Superspeed Introtechnic in the shins,” Davídrius deadpanned, his scornful gaze set directly on Christeané.

“Oh, get over yourself,” the Superstrength Introtechnic replied.

Davídrius sighed wearily. “Fine, fine, alright.” He then turned to Rebehka. “I’m… sorry, for skipping out on our swordplay practice.”

Christeané suddenly chortled, and was immediately decked by Rebehka.

“Don’t even pretend that hurt,” the Cryotechnic stated flatly.

“Yeah, no, I deserved that,” he replied cheekily.

Rebehka sighed wearily before turning her attention back to Davídrius. “Apology accepted. Do you want to keep up with the lessons?”

“Eh… sure, guess so.”

“You know what this means, then, right?”

“Uh…” Davídrius hesitated, unsure of what to make of Rebehka’s question. “…what do you mean… ‘what this means’?”

Rebehka only grinned and laughed quietly to herself in response. “Meet me in the practice room after work.” She then glanced over at Christeané. “You too, Master Offender.”

“Ooh, insulting twist on my rank. Clever.”

“Just what are you tryin’ to get at, here…?” Davídrius replied uneasily.

“Don’t worry,” Rebehka chirped, her expression dialed back from a shit-eating grin to a mere smirk, “I’m sure some of the lesson will have actual practical value.”

“Wait, ’some’–?!”

“Hey, it’s Siyuakén and Kaoné!” the Cyrotechnic spontaneously changed the subject as she began waving over the two Chaotics who had just entered the lunchroom.

“…Bah,” Davídrius scowled, “More people. I mean, it’s not like I sat way over here by myself because I wanted to be alone, or anything like that. Psh. That’d just be silly.”

“You’re right it would,” Christeané smirked, “C’mon, who’d want to avoid friends like us?”

“’Friends like us’,” Davídrius snorted, “Hah, right. Who would…”

*             *             *

“I’d like you to share less information with Hero Machina from now on.”

“What?” Kievkenalis paused, glancing between Archoné Culana and General Rantéin confusedly. “…Why?”

“If your compatriots are anything to go by, the NSD is nowhere near as secure an organization as I first expected,” Rantéin explained, ignoring the Archoné as he willfully dived into the sandwich he was holding, “I find it increasingly difficult to trust this international endeavor.”

“Well, okay, but why sabotage it then?” Kievkenalis questioned, “Don’t you want it to do better?”

“I do, but not if it costs me confidential RPF information.”

“But… that information has led to two of our most significant missions.”

“Missions that Hero Machina handled remarkably poorly. If Nikéyin chooses to continue to put her trust into such a group, I’m not sure I can trust her.”

“She actually shares many of your concerns, Sulan.”

“…What?” the General turned to glance at Culana, “Then why–?”

“I convinced her to give them one more chance.”

Rantéin facepalmed and sighed audibly. “Damn it, Pallan, is it too much to ask that you tell me these things?”

“I’m the Archoné. I don’t have to tell anyone anything,” Culana declared, though the faintest tone of cheekiness could be detected in his voice.

“So…” Kievkenalis spoke up uneasily, “Am I–?”

“I’d still like you to be wary of what you share, Captain,” Rantéin insisted, “If what Pallan says is true, then perhaps my loss of trust in Nikéyin herself is unwarranted. But I still don’t trust the NSD – in the least, I don’t trust your little ‘Hero Machina’ group.”

“But I do,” the Chaostechnic countered.

“That’s… great, Captain, but your opinion doesn’t matter here.”

“If I think you’re being unreasonable, it does. There’s precedent for RPF officers sharing information to third parties if it’s mutually beneficial, and those officers not being punished. Remember the Kai’dan thing? That was only two years ago–“

“Captain,” Rantéin interrupted, “Those cases don’t apply to this situation. Those were about direct, immediate threats to the third party. The information you’re sharing, on the other hand–“

“Is directly related to the well-being of the entire galaxy.”

The General paused for a second before hanging his head in exasperation. “…Is this something in the Oraculm?” he asked wearily, glancing over at Culana.

“It is indeed,” the Archoné nodded.

“…How many times are you going to allow me to make a fool of myself?”

“As many times as it remains to be amusing,” Culana smiled cheekily.

“Sometimes I wonder how I ever became friends with you,” Rantéin shook his head wearily, “You’re insufferable now, I can’t imagine how you’ll be in twenty years when you’re a crotchety old man without a care in the world.”

“I’m sure you’ll be just the same, Sulan.”

“Aye, but I plan to retire by then. You can’t say the same.”

“Oh? You’re telling me you’re just going to abandon the RPF at some point in the future?”

“Pallan…”

“I jest, I jest.”

“Um…” Kievkenalis spoke up quietly, “What’s the final verdict…?”

Rantéin sighed again and wiped his brow before turning his attention back to the Captain. “…Fine. Continue as you have been. But I still want you to think about what you’re doing. If you ever begin to suspect that your fellow members of Hero Machina are non-trustworthy, begin withholding information accordingly. Understand?”

“…Not sure if that will be necessary, but yes, I understand,” Kievkenalis nodded.

“Alright, then. You can go,” the General watched as the Captain stood up and left the room before turning to Culana. “Is it really too much to ask that you share these things with me?”

“How am I to know what information you need to know if you don’t tell me?” the Archoné shrugged.

“I can’t know what to ask you for if I don’t even know you have the information!”

“Quite the predicament, then, hmm.”

“Oi… alright, at least tell me this, Pallan: how significant is the information the Captain is sharing – the task that Hero Machina is doing?”

“…I honestly cannot say, Sulan,” Culana responded quietly, “The tasks they do are indeed important. How important, well… only time will tell.”

*             *             *

5 Hours Later

“Alright, what’ve we got here… eh? Siyuakén?”

“Don’t ask me,” the Electrotechnic replied as she leaned against the practice room wall, observing the two Introtechnics as they entered. “Rebehka told me not to tell you what we’re doing. She wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Oh boy, a surprise,” Davídrius deadpanned, “I love surprises.”

“Relax,” Christeané remarked, stepping further into the room after removing his shoes and poking the mats with his toes, “I’m sure she has a great idea.” He glanced around curiously, inspecting the sizable sparring room. “…Huh, this is actually a pretty meh setup.”

“Well of course you’d say that, coming from East Nimaliaka…” Siyuakén snorted, “…wait, have you never been in any of the recreational facilities?”

“Just the gym… and that Chaotic Range over at the western base,” Christeané shrugged, “Never much reason to come to one of the practice rooms. I always practice with my hammer in a proper, Chaos Energy-rich environment. …Wait a minute–!”

“Ah, so you’ve figured it out.”

The three Chaotics in the room turned toward the entrance, where Rebehka was standing, holding a bag of staff-like objects over her shoulder.

“So, that’s what we’re doing,” Christeané smirked, “CENT field training, huh?”

“Exactly,” Rebehka nodded, stepping into the room and depositing the bag to the side of the doorway. She then glanced between Siyuakén, Christeané, and Davídrius, with her gaze lingering on the latter. “Given what’s happened on the past couple missions, especially back on Teghica, I figured we could all benefit from some refreshers about fighting in a CENT field. I’ve already turned on the room’s generator.”

“You activated a CENT field–?!” Davídrius growled, tensing and stepping back defensively, “The fuck? Why the hell didn’t you tell me you wanted to just strip away all our powers?!”

“…It’s just a CENT field,” Rebehka frowned, “It’s not permanent. And it won’t harm you–”

“Won’t harm me my ass. The only thing CENT fields are good for is disabling Chaotics so you can trap or kill them. They aren’t training tools!”

“Relax!” Christeané insisted, “They can totally be training tools. We’re in the middle of a fortified military base anyways; we’re in no danger here. Not to mention that any attack on the base would automatically shut the CENT fields off.”

“…Tch,” Davídrius scowled, “…Alright. Fine. I’ll go with it today. But that’s it.”

Rebehka glanced toward Siyuakén uneasily, who responded with a shrug. “…Are you sure?” the Cryotechnic questioned as Davídrius approached the bag of staves, “If it’s really that much of an issue, then I can turn the field off–“

“No. I’ll be fine,” he responded stubbornly before snatching up two of the staves and crossing to the opposite side of the room. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“If you say so,” Rebehka replied uneasily, and then glanced down at the two staves in his hands. “Hmm, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“What?” the Introtechnic glared at her, and then down at his hands, “…Dual wielding? I do it all the time.”

“No, what you do is wave two swords around at high speeds,” Christeané snorted, “Calling it ‘dual wielding’ would imply a level of skill.”

“Thanks for your resounding endorsement,” Davídrius deadpanned.

“He’s right, though,” Siyuakén added, “Actually using two weapons at once is really difficult. You manage to make up for your lack of skill with your speed, but–“

“I’ll be fine,” Davídrius declared stubbornly, “I’ve never fought  in a CENT field before, but it can’t be that different for an Introtechnic.”

Rebehka smirked. “Are you sure about that?”

“Enough with the damn questions,” the Introtechnic scowled as he dropped into a fighting stance, “C’mon, let’s do this already!”

“Well, if you say so,” the Cryotechnic’s smirk spread into a grin, “Ready… mark!”

5 Minutes Later

“Ow… oooowww… ow ow ow…”

Rebehka stepped back and straightened up as she glanced down at Davídrius, who was lying on his back. “That’s 10-0, my favor. Still sure about everything you said?”

“CENT fields won’t harm me my ass,” the Introtechnic groaned, “This is why you wanted to do CENT field sparring, innit? You didn’t want to teach me shit, you just wanted to beat me up.”

“I didn’t ‘beat you up’, I simply… showed you the error of your ways.”

“Like hell you did,” Davídrius scowled, “…dammit, help me up.”

Rebehka stepped over and grabbed his hand before yanking him to his feet. He immediately grimaced and held his back in pain. “Goddamn…”

“Man, that was quite the show, Davídrius,” Christeané smirked, “CENT field fighting is just like regular fighting, huh? Does this mean Rebehka can kick your ass on a regular basis?”

“Shut it.”

“I hope you at least see now that there’s a significant difference,” Rebehka commented.

“…I guess,” Davídrius muttered, “But even then – I’m bigger than you, and I’ve got longer reach! How the fuck did you take me down so easily?”

“It’s because you don’t have any skill,” Christeané marched forward and snatched one of the staves from Davídrius, “That, combined with the fact that you weren’t expecting to be slowed down as much as you were. CENT field fighting is completely different from regular fighting for Introtechnics – you have to keep in mind that the strength, speed, and reflexes you’re used to, are no longer there. The difference between what you expect and what actually happens can actually kill you, and it’s more relevant to Introtechnics because our powers are more second-nature and instinctive than, say, Cryotechnism.” He then waved Davídrius away. “I’ll show you the correct way to fight as an Introtechnic.”

“You’re pretty confident, I see,” Rebehka remarked.

“I’m from East Nimaliaka, of course I’d be confident,” Christeané smirked, “Our Introtechnics are better than the average Chaotic anywhere else!”

“Alright, that’s it,” Siyuakén grabbed a staff of her own and approached Rebehka, gesturing for her friend to back away. “Enough with the shit-talk, I want to see what you can actually do.”

“’Shit-talk’? Ha! You have no idea how much I’ve trained, both in and out of CENT fields,” the Master Lieutenant replied, “Buuut, if you think you can beat me, well, feel free to try!”

“I’ll do more than that,” Siyuakén taunted, “I’ll have you on the floor, just like Davídrius!”

“…You know, in another context–“

“Ready, mark!” Siyuakén lunged toward Christeané, her staff stretched forward. He immediately and successfully dodged to the left before swinging his staff laterally. Siyuakén quickly whipped her staff to the side, blocking Christeané’s blow and immediately following through to swing the staff down on top of his head – which he instinctively blocked by grabbing the staff with his free hand.

“That counts,” Siyuakén smirked.

“Bah…” Christeané scowled, “…I haven’t done this in a while. You have to give me some time to warm up.”

“Hah, you want to take a moment to do that?”

“No, that last point was fine,” Christeané backed into a fighting stance, “C’mon! Ready, mark!”

This time Christeané lunged forwards, the sheer power behind his move knocking away Siyuakén’s staff when she tried to block. He immediately swung his staff to the side in an effort to hit her, but she bent over backwards just far enough to evade the swipe and then followed through the motion with a full backflip, landing on her feet just in time to block another attack from Christeané. She then moved to counter-attack, but Christeané dropped into a crouch and then swung out with his leg, knocking Siyuakén off of her feet. He lightly tapped her with his staff as she lay on the ground.

“You’d knock me to the ground?” Christeané grinned.

“…Shut up,” Siyuakén muttered as she jumped back to her feet, “Alright, next round wins! Ready, mark!”

Christeané lunged forwards again, but instead of blocking Siyuakén jumped back. The moment Christeané’s lunge came to a stop she whacked away his staff and jumped forward and to the left while swinging her own staff to the right. Christeané threw himself to the floor to evade the staff, rolling once before leaping back to his feet just in time to block a blow from Siyuakén. He then allowed her to start several more attacks, easily blocking each of them, before he started a lunge to the left. Siyuakén immediately swung her staff down on the location, but as she did so Christeané slammed his foot into the ground, stopping his left-ward lunge and sending him instead to the forward-right as he smacked the staff out of Siyuakén’s hand. He then swung his staff back toward himself for the point, hitting Siyuakén’s left side, just below her armpit – only for his staff to rebound violently with an audible metallic clang.

Siyuakén quickly stumbled back as Christeané stared at her confusedly. His expression then changed to one of disappointment. “Body armor? Really?”

“…Well, yeah,” the Electrotechnic replied uneasily. She then straightened up and crossed her arms as she stared back at Christeané irately. “We may be in a CENT field, but I’m not stupid; you’re really strong regardless. I didn’t want to get hurt. Good thing, too – if I didn’t have the armor, that blow would’ve cracked a rib!”

“…She’s right,” Rebehka shook her head disapprovingly at Christeané, “You should be more careful. The last thing we need is a preventable injury due to sparring.”

“I–!” he started, but stopped himself and sighed resignedly. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” He then grinned. “I did win, though.”

“…This won’t be the last I hear of it, will it,” Siyuakén deadpanned.

“Nah, I’m not as petty as Davídrius.”

“I’m right here, you know!”

“I’m going to leave before I actually get hurt,” Siyuakén turned toward the exit, “have fun, guys. Rebehka, I’ll meet you at the apartment.”

“Aww, I wasn’t that bad about it, was I?” Christeané frowned and glanced over at Rebehka.

She shrugged. “You were a little over-the-top with that last attack. I don’t know though, I’ll talk to her later.”

“I guess I’ll take my leave then, too,” the Superstrength Introtechnic declared, and then turned to Davídrius. “Remember what I said. Don’t take CENT fields lightly and you won’t end up on your back.”

“Tch,” Davídrius scowled, “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Hah, you can bet on that,” Rebehka grinned.

“Great. Well, ‘night guys.”

Davídrius watched Christeané leave before glaring at Rebehka resentfully. “…How much more abuse am I gonna have to take?”

“Don’t worry,” Rebehka shook her head amusedly, “It’ll be a normal lesson from here on out. I’ve had my fun. Now, first things first, your stance was terrible…”

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 36 ====================

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Data Entry: {null}

Chapter 35: Resolutions

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The Next Morning

“Chaos Strike!”

Kaoné watched as a streak of purple energy leaped from Kievkenalis’s fingers to the shielded wall in front of him. She sighed impatiently and leaned forward, activating the testing room’s microphone as she did so. “Didn’t you already know you’re a Directed type? Why bother testing those moves?”

The Chaostechnic glanced up at her, a large window and energy shield standing in between the two Chaotics. “It can’t hurt,” he replied, “I’ve never heard of a Chaostechnic suddenly picking up a new type. It could’ve been possible that I lost a type on the way.”

“You’ve been through all the key moves in the Directed, Defensive, and Support groups; I think you’re fine.”

“Well that’s what I was checking to make sure of.”

“If you say so…” Kaoné shrugged, “What’s next, then?”

“Explosive, Void, and Sabotage can all be dangerous to test for…” Kievkenalis frowned, “Hmm… Chaos Blade! …Chaos Sword? Chaos Bow. Nope, looks like I don’t have the Weapon type.” He then clenched his eyes shut, as if preparing to be hit by something. “Chaos… Teporté?”

Nothing happened.

“That’s a strike for Movement, then,” Kaoné commented.

“I don’t know about the rest…” Kievkenalis shifted uncomfortably, “…Do you think this room could hold up to Blast?”

“It’s isolated from the rest of the base for a reason…” Kaoné replied, “But, uh… I don’t know if I’d use Blast in here… maybe if you said it really quietly?”

“Even then, it might obliterate everything, assuming I can use it,” the Chaostechnic mused, “Eh… oh, I know.” He stretched his arms out sideways as he called out, “Chaos Shockwave!”

               

Nothing happened.

                

“Aaaand that’s a strike for Explosive,” Kaoné observed flatly.

“You don’t have to watch if you’re bored…” Kievkenalis glanced back at her.

“It’s better than sitting back in the office and being bored…” the Materiatechnic sighed, “Davídrius and Siyuakén aren’t here, either…”

“I know Davídrius has been hard on you, but what’s Siyuakén done?”

“…Nothing, it’s nothing,” Kaoné shook her head, “You don’t have to worry about it.”

“…If you say so,” Kievkenalis turned away warily, “…Alright… uh, Kaoné, would you mind if I tried using Nullify on you?”

“What–!?”

“If it works, it won’t hurt you, it’ll just prevent you from using your powers for a short time. It’s the safest way to test the Void type. The Void move itself is too destructive.”

“…Alright… fine.”

“Ha, thanks.” The Chaostechnic then turned back to Kaoné and extended his right hand toward her. “Chaos Targeted Nullify! …Alright, I didn’t really feel anything, but try to do something anyway.”

The Materiatechnic glanced around at the observation room she was standing in. The only loose object was a stool in the corner of the room – which she promptly and easily lifted up into the air.

“So I’m not a Void type either, huh,” Kievkenalis nodded, “I suppose I really did only pick up the Sabotage type. Now I wonder if I can use every one of the abilities…”

“Is this how all Chaostechnics do things?” Kaoné responded exasperatedly.

“Well, yeah. Being a Chaostechnic isn’t like being any other Chaotic, we can’t just think something and do it. All of our attacks are preset and we have to call them, so to be effective in battle we have to know exactly what abilities are at our disposal.” He paused for a moment to stretch. “Hmm… I guess the most dangerous move to test is Oblivion…” He glanced up at Kaoné for a moment, and then shrugged. “I think we’ll be fine…”

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait, what?” Kaoné interrupted, “You are not just going to use Oblivion right here, right now.”

“Ah, don’t worry, you won’t go berserk,” Kievkenalis waved her off, “Your berserk resistance is probably pretty high. You’d only have to worry about me, and I’m sure you could knock me out easily if I went berserk.”

“’Probably’ pretty high? Knock you out easily?!”

“Oblivion doesn’t just instantly send everyone berserk, you know. Think of it like this: every Chaotic has a Chaos Energy capacitor, and when that capacitor reaches capacity, they go berserk. The capacitor discharges slowly with time, and fills every time the Chaotic uses Chaos Energy. The fill rate is determined by the type of Chaotic and their mood. Well, what Oblivion does is it instantly fills that capacitor by some amount, dependent on the Chaotic. So if someone has a really high berserk resistance, they can take a hit from Oblivion and not go berserk, and only have to take a moment to cool down.”

“…I still think I’ll pass,” Kaoné commented warily, “I’d prefer not to put this to the test.”

“Eh, whatever,” Kievkenalis shrugged, “I guess I don’t really see why I’d ever use Oblivion, anyways. I already know I can do Control and Siphon, so the last useful one is… Chaos Negation!” He spontaneously shuddered. “Whoa! There goes all the local Chaos Energy. I guess that worked!”

“I guess it did,” Kaoné deadpanned as she tried to manipulate the stool and failed. “Is that it, then?”

“Looks like it,” Kievkenalis nodded as he headed towards the room’s exit. Kaoné quickly left the observation room and met the Chaostechnic outside the small building. The two then began walking across the base grounds toward the main building.

“Looks like the only thing that really changed was me getting access to Sabotage moves,” Kievkenalis commented, “It’s still really weird though. There’s no precedent for this.”

“Why are you worrying about it?” Kaoné glanced at him incredulously, “Anyone else would be glad.”

“This might actually be a bad thing, though! There’s an inverse – albeit minor – correlation between number of Chaostechnic types and age of Chaotic Self-Destruction…”

“Oh…” Kaoné frowned, “I didn’t know that… but you’re still only twenty! You still have another… twenty or thirty years, right?...”

“Reaching forty is really generous, even for a two-type. I’ll probably be dead by the time I turn thirty.”

“…You don’t seem too distraught about it…”

“Eh, Chaostechnics are taught to expect it. I knew it was coming, and don’t mind too much. But if I suddenly have five less years to live than I originally thought, well, I’d like to know, you know?”

“I guess so…”

“At least I’m not an Explosive type after all. They use so much Chaos Energy even one-types die by thirty, if they aren’t so reckless that they get killed before then.”

“I… didn’t realize Chaostechnics had it so bad…”

“It’s the curse of power. On one hand, we’re resistant to virtually every other Chaotic and can deal far more damage in one strike… on the other hand, we die a lot earlier.” He shrugged. “Eh, what’re you gonna do.”

“That doesn’t make it any better…” Kaoné frowned as the two entered the main building and began navigating their way to the Hero Machina office space, “How– how can you even deal with that, knowing that you won’t live as long as everyone you know?”

“I’d say living longer than everyone you know is worse,” Kievkenalis countered, “But death is death. It happens. I just don’t have as much time as everyone else to make an impact on the world, and I feel that helping out as Hero Machina is doing a lot. I’m satisfied. Happy, even.”

Kaoné paused for some time to think about what the Chaostechnic had said, and then shook her head wearily. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you…”

“That’s not the first time you’ve said that,” Kievkenalis remarked as he opened the office door and stepped inside. He nodded toward Siyuakén – the only other inhabitant of the room at that moment – before turning back to Kaoné. “You know, now that I think about it, you haven’t said much about yourself.”

“Uh, well, that’s… there’s not a lot to say, really, eheh,” Kaoné responded. She covertly glanced toward Siyuakén but immediately looked away when the Electrotechnic did the same.

“It’d still be nice to hear your life story sometime,” Kievkenalis remarked as he approached his desk, oblivious to the exchange between the girls. “Oh, I know! Sometime we should all sit together as a group and share our life stories! It’d be like story time!”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea, actually.”

“Huh? Why not–?” the Chaostechnic began to ask, but suddenly stopped as he glanced down at his monitor. “Oh, whoops, the Archoné wanted to see me ten minutes ago! I better go, sorry,” he nodded toward Kaoné apologetically as he rushed out of the office. The Materiatechnic watched him leave and then turned to her own desk.

“’Not a lot to say’, huh?”

“Uh…” Kaoné paused uneasily before looking over at Siyuakén, who had turned around in her chair to stare at the Materiatechnic stubbornly. “I’m… sorry?”

“You do realize that I’m the Chaotic who had to drop everything and move to Relédiaka because you were moved to Nimaliaka, right?”

“I… I know that…”

“Do you? I had to leave behind my entire family and start a whole different life here, all so you could, what, move to Nimaliaka and start whining about death and killing?”

“I…”

“Don’t get me wrong, I… I do somewhat appreciate the move, since I got to meet Rebehka.” Siyuakén furrowed her brow as she looked away before turning back to Kaoné, her eyes narrowed into a glare. “But that doesn’t negate the fact that for six years I was stuck in a place that didn’t welcome me, learning how to fight and use tools for people who looked down on me just because I wasn’t a native! I could almost accept all this if you were at least making something of the trade, but near as I can tell you’ve done nothing, and you continue to do nothing! And on top of that you lied to me, to make it seem like you had done even less!”

“I– I lied to you?!”

“Back in Treséd, you told me you were conscripted as a Lieutenant. But that’s not true. Kevérin said it first, but I looked it up, and he’s right – you were conscripted as a Chaotic and had to get promoted like everyone else. Why hide that? Was it not a legitimate accomplishment? Did someone take pity on you and just give you an honorary promotion?”

“N-no!”

“Then what’s going on, Kaoné? Don’t tell me you’ve just wasted the past ten years, or I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you. What happened?”

“I…” Kaoné looked down before sighing in resignation. “I guess I’d have to tell someone, eventually…”

Siyuakén crossed her arms impatiently. “Do tell.”

“It’s…” the Materiatechnic began slowly, “I… I don’t know how much this has to do with why the Chaotic trade happened, with why you and I were exchanged, but – it’s important to know, to know why I believe what I do, that is, I mean…” she paused to take a deep breath. “When I was six, when I first discovered that I was a Materiatechnic… I accidentally… killed my parents.”

Siyuakén’s hardened expression crumbled almost instantly. “O-oh…”

“There was no way you could have known,” Kaoné quickly responded, “I mean… as soon as it happened, the Relédiakian government covered it up and moved me to Diaska, an isolated military watch town in the deep south. They kept me there for the next four years, under watch, no adoptive parents, no contact with the rest of my family… it was like they were trying to seal me away, keep me from, I don’t know, doing any more damage, I guess.

“Then the trade happened, and I was moved to Nimaliaka, where I got help and proper care for the first time. I wasn’t even ready to start learning how to properly use my powers until I was thirteen, since I hadn’t used them at all since… since I was six. It was hard, you know? For seven years, to me, being a Materiatechnic only meant accidents – it meant death. It was hard to get over that. But I did, I think, and I was able to start using my powers for more useful things. But it was then that I decided that I wouldn’t kill. I still remember that feeling of loss, back when… when I was six. And, even if I don’t have any personal connection to some soldier I meet on the battlefield, someone does, you know? And I can’t… I don’t wish that pain on anyone. The pain of separation... it’s not worth what could possibly be gained by killing someone. Territory? Technology? The Chaos Ayas? None of it. It’s just not worth killing.” She sighed wearily. “I’m… I’m sorry for the long speech. But… that’s how I feel. That’s what’s happened to me over the past ten years, and I’m sorry I didn’t accomplish more… I really didn’t mean to trivialize your sacrifice. Honest.”

“That… I…” Siyuakén responded dumbfoundedly, her anger completely deflated. “I… had no idea…”

“It’s not a story I share often… I haven’t told anyone else in Hero Machina.”

“I… can understand why.” The Electrotechnic rubbed the back of her neck uneasily. “I guess I was wrong about you. I still don’t completely agree with your pacifism, but I can see why you think that way… but, why lie to me? Why did you say you were conscripted as a Lieutenant, instead of a Chaotic?”

“I, I don’t know… I guess, it was just easier than trying to explain everything that’s happened to me. Just like with you, or Davídrius… most people don’t agree with me, thinking that killing is bad. And back when I was just the rank Chaotic, I was put on a bunch of missions against, you know, against low-key rebels and such, like most low-rank Chaotic squads. And I had to make it through those missions, and just watch as a bunch of people were killed, because they viewed things a little differently… and then I got promoted for not being able to do anything, because the squads I were on were so ‘successful’! I don’t agree with it at all. I’d honestly resign from the military if I could. But, I can’t… So, I guess that’s why I lied to you. I don’t like to think about the past few years of my life, if I can help it… I’m sorry I lied.”

“I… wow.” Siyuakén shook her head wearily, “I… apology accepted, I guess. I… I never expected… I’m sorry, for jumping to conclusions about you. It was just… well, obviously I didn’t have it as bad as you, but the exchange is still a sore spot for me, so I guess I got a little short-sighted about it…”

“No no, it’s fine, I’d probably react the same way, haha,” Kaoné laughed uneasily.

“Well… good that we got that cleared up?” Siyuakén smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah,” Kaoné responded in kind. “…Friends?”

“Sure, why not. Friends.”

“Heh, we got off on a bit of a rocky start, huh.”

“Nah, it only took us, what, three months to clear things up? That’s not terrible, I mean, I’ve held grudges for longer.”

“Uh huh.”

“…Well, it’s past noon, now,” Siyuakén remarked, glancing at a clock on the office wall, “Lunch?”

“Ha, sure,” Kaoné grinned, “Let’s go!

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 35 ====================

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Data Entry: Chaotic Self-Destruction

                Chaos Energy is widely used, and for good reason – it provides far more power than any other form of energy, and even allows for such physics-defying feats as faster-than-light travel and the very existence of Chaotics, all for negligible cost (aside from the spontaneous Chaos Energy Quake). That is, of negligible cost to machinery – Chaotics the galaxy over feel the weight of using Chaos Energy through the looming condition of Chaotic Self-Destruction.

                At its most basic, Chaotic Self-Destruction (often shortened to CSD) is when a Chaotic has used so much Chaos Energy throughout their lifetime that their body begins to tear itself apart, causing a very slow, very painful, and completely untreatable death. The only way to prevent the onset of CSD is for a Chaotic to simply never use Chaos Energy at all – in fact, if a Chaotic recognizes the very first stages of CSD and immediately ceases to use Chaos Energy, they can survive. The first stages are very difficult to diagnose, however, and are often passed long before the Chaotic begins to feel the more significant side-effects of the condition.

                However, most Chaotics do not use enough Chaos Energy to contract CSD before they die of other causes. For example, many Chaotics will instead die in battle. Furthermore, low-energy-consumption Chaotic types such as Introtechnics can even live to die of old age and still see no sign of CSD. The single Chaotic type that CSD is most relevant to are Chaostechnics, since they use far more Chaos Energy than any other Chaotic. In fact, whereas most Nimalian Chaotics will live until they are well over a hundred years old, the average age of death for a Chaostechnic is thirty-five (the average ages of death for the other galactic races are appropriately skewed depending on their lifespan, but in all cases Chaostechnics live for much less time than anyone else). The type of the Chaostechnic, and the number of types they are also affect how soon they start showing signs of CSD. Explosive types die the earliest, simply because explosive type moves are so immensely destructive and require far more Chaos Energy than any of the other Chaostechnic abilities. Chaostechnics with more types at their disposal also tend to die earlier, though many studies suggest this has more to do with the tendency of multi-type Chaostechnics to use moves far more often than their single-type comrades. The single exception to these trends are Chaos Conduits – Chaostechnics who possess the ability to use every single Chaostechnic ability, in addition to another, immensely-powerful move: Chaos Time. Chaos Conduits are immune to the effects of CSD, and will even outlive most non-Chaotics. However, this special type of Chaostechnic is exceedingly rare; never has there been more than one or two living in the galaxy at once.