RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Aftermath (8th day)

[Gabriel]

The Eucharis could be floating with a few dozen kilometers. After a few seconds the ship began rotating until it faced the Hoshi. On board the Hoshi a male's voice could be heard coming through the communications channel. "Hoshi, this is the YSS Eucharis requesting permission to dock per orders from Yui-Taisho. Please acknowledge."

The Eucharis began slowly approaching the Hoshi. Its trajectory showed that the operator intended to dock with the Hoshi via the Eucharis' port side. The speed was slow enough to allow time for a response to the docking request without getting uncomfortably close to the other vessel.

 

[Tom]

Tom gave a deep bow to those in the room and then began his report.

"The technology you hold in your hands, Taisho, is from a yet undiscovered race of aliens named the Varin. It is an extremely foreign substance that yielded very little from our preliminary scans."

"Despite its glassy appearance, it appears to be a very organic technology which blurs the lne between the natural and the artificial. From visual observation alone, the substance bears similarity to the veiny structure of plants. There is a clear liquid within these veins, but it does not appear to circulate. Running electricity through the panel itself creates a cobalt-blue glow through the vein structure."

Tom turned his attention to the object in the Taisho's hands, letting the information sink in a second before continuing.

"This sample was retrieved by Ichigo-Heisho in the central control chamber of Amaya's Gate. It's purpose--and we deduced this from field experience and enemy interrogation--was to process the functions of the main control console. Now, this would seem obvious if not for two surprising bits of information. First, the plate's adapters allow it to be plugged into conventional NovaCorp computer systems, which suggests a potential compatibility with our own technologies. Also, despite its fragile appearance, the plate's inner workings and processes are extremely resilient to interdimensional fatigue, which is probably why they were used in the gate in the first place. Unlike any technology in our current possession, these plates are capable of maintaining the fine control functions of the gate despite the massive interference in the area. It's a real boon for them, and that's only scratching the surface."

He shook his head a couple of times with his eyes closed before he opened them again.

"The Varin, it seems, are the ones who, so many years ago, discovered the Dark Mishhuvurthyar and helped them to become a space faring race. Although the Varin are not involved in the war against the nations of this galaxy, we can assume that they and the Dark Mishhuvurthyar species are friendly and have probably shared more technology over the years."

 

[Wes]

"I see," Yui said, putting the alien artifacts back in their container. Any information on the Dark Ones was welcome. "During your operation, did you recover any other notable technology, intelligence, or enemy personnel?" the Taisho inquired.

 

[Fred]

@With Yui:

"Indeed, we have," Kotori gave the Admiral a nod. She then turned, looking around, until she added: "Let's start with this."

The black-haired Taisa grabbed on another container, briefly strained to drag it closer to the group, and then unfastened it before flipping the lid.

Inside was a skeletal corpse, flesh burned away so that only a few calcinated residue were left on what Yui recognized as impervium bones. The skeleton was nearly whole except from damage done to the side of the skull, where a large hole had been plasma-burned into the otherwise nearly indestructible substance. There also were a pair of zesuaium kamas, each chained to the other.

It wasn't a container, so much as a coffin. The coffin of an old foe.

"Miharu fought against Eve's flagship, the Takumi, and managed a narrow victory," Kotori said from where she crouched besides the skeleton, looking up to Yui. "As her ship broke up, Eve teleported unto Miharu along with Meni and Mani."

"Eve was piloting a larger mecha that was the Daughters of Eve answer to the SMX Ripper, a gargoylish machine they called an 'Akuma'. Meni and Mani each piloted a Black Mindy, and had at their disposal a special souped up version of the older Mindy Prime's aether saber-rifle that was mated with a more advanced version of the Mindy Mark Two's forearm shielding."

"My crew fought off the invaders. Eve had nowhere else to run so she was attempting to take over my ship as a starting point to salvage her plans to take over Yamatai. The trio's fighting prowess alone was hard to deal with, but they had advantage of incredible foresight, psionic-in-nature, on Eve's part as well as her NH-23 capabilities which had our computers constantly assaulted with her attempts to take them over."

"In time, we partly circumvented her uncanny foresight, defeated her two lieutenants, and forced her out of her warmachine. Even then she was powerful, cutting through my people with her kamas... until my Black Knights read through her movements and tightened a noose that ended with Tom Freeman shooting her head with his Daisy's plasma rifle."

Kotori took a brief breath and concluded: "When she fell, I destroyed her mind. This is not her final death - but this is the death of her most powerful body. Eve has ST backups spread around three hidden safehouses we know the location of. Furthermore, while it is likely she has already awakened, we also have a complete listing of all her fundings: including several front companies and a list of the contacts she has relied on these past decades."

"We have all the tools we needed to decisively finish her off," Kotori declared. "Once we return to Yamatai, my people can take care of it. They killed her at the pinnacle of her strength before; they can end her once and for all."

@Eucharis:

"Eucharis, this is Hoshi," a pleasant female voice answered Ramiro. "We are ready to receive you on our aft airlock."

The Plumeria-class gunship approached the late Miharu's auxiliary craft, which was less than half the length of Hanako's warship.

It took some care to line up the port airlock to the smaller ship nonstandard aft end, but Hoshi's navigator helpfully had her vessel go to an all-stop. The two finally smoothly docked.

 

[Wes]

"Then you are already planning on an operation on Yamatai as your next mission?" Yui asked, looking over Eve. They had fought since Yui was a teen.

 

[Fred]

Next mission? Kotori briefly reflected on Yui's words. It didn't feel like a 'next mission' so much as resolving what loose ends still needed to be tied up. Still, she humored the Taisho.

"Yes. As soon as we are done here and return to Yamatai, I plan to settle our unfinished business with Eve."

Kotori closed Eve's makeshift coffin. Yui didn't look all that interested in claiming the body. That was fine: Kotori understood several of her crewmembers were interested in the impervium skeleton for trophy purposes.

The amber-eyed Taisa stood up. "There is still the matter of Melisson's involvement and how we managed to bring back survivors of the Second Draconian Fleet. Would you like to have the details as to what transpired?"

 

[Wes]

"Of course," Yui replied. She was mainly listening at this point, although she briefly pondered what Kotori's tale would be like if it was told in an epic poem for warriors to pass down through the generations. Surely this was a time of importance in the biggest war Yamatai had ever fought. She looked at Kotori and imagined what the small captain would look like in chrome gold as a statue.

 

[Fred]

Kotori nodded. She took in a steadying breath and continued.

"Eve and Melisson had once been allies of convenience. The machinations that brought the body I have into use was Eve's way of dealing with Melisson without getting her hands dirty with direct confrontation. Melisson, in the same fashion, found her own ways of disposing of Eve."

"We hunted Eve, and she knew it, so, she left clues for Miharu to follow," Kotori explained. "Those clues lead us to Amaya's Gate. However the outcome of the battle went, though, Melisson had planned from the beginning to swoop in and seize the Second Draconian Fleet for her own use."

"If Eve survived, she would just have destroyed her, albeit not as permanently as we have. If we survived, she'd give us a congratulatory pat on the head and then go on her own way, secure in the knowledge that we were spent and likely could do little against her."

"Melisson assured us that with our goal complete, we could head back home as heroes. She claimed she was going to do nothing that would hinder us. But I've never been inclined to put much faith on words spoken by a creature that considered my kind as either children, marionettes or playthings. Going back home then was accepting that she would enslave the wills of the millions of people in that fleet without doing anything about it; that was not going to happen."

"What I saw was an opportunity. Melisson's flagship was powerful and certainly outclassed my crippled Miharu, but her destination was a place where she would solely rely on power reserves, and where zero-point energy and aetheric weaponry would not function."

"That's how the fleet got trapped - back in the Draconian war, their initial combined salvo caused so much interdimensional fatigue that they slipped into a realm where scalar radiation would not generate aether. The CDD bubbles that could've saved them were solely dependent on aether power which was not available... so they all became trapped."

"Melisson's flagship was prepared for the journey, but her shields would be compromised and her large weapon arsenal largely unusable. Miharu had ampler energy reserves than most Star Army ships back then and even in her state stood a better chance that many of surviving in that time-frozen realm. Melisson's position would be precarious and Miharu had the unique opportunity to strike at her in a way even an entire strategic strike pool could not."

"It was a chance I took. The Shlarvasseroth shattered Amaya's Gate at its passage. I ordered my ship through before the portal's entryway collapsed."

Kotori then gestured toward Yukari. "I'll let my first officer - our navigator - describe how the pursuit after Melisson went within that place bereft of time."

 

[Doshii Jun]

"Yes Taisa," Yukari said, then recounted the tale in Yamataian.

"Upon entering the gate, we encountered debris from ships destroyed by the Shlarvasseroth entering the Blue Rift dimension. We suffered a collision that severely weakened our structural integrity, but after pausing to assess our situation, we tracked the path Melisson was carving.

"We elected to pursue her without weapons ready, in order to maximize our capacitors' lifespan. We approached at the fastest speed we could safely reach without risking another crash and continued the pursuit."

Yukari paused. Images of what came next, images she had not had the presence of mind to recall, came back. Her first attempt at words caught in her throat. The next was better.

"As we traveled, we saw ship debris from the Shlarvasseroth's path, which was our guide. As well, we encountered crew from those vessels. They were frozen in time, leaving us unable to see them until they entered the range of our CDD. When they did, they were reanimated with whatever injuries they suffered from Melisson crashing into their vessel."

Yukari decided not to leave it at that, and instead opened an image panel behind her shoulder about two meters from corner to corner. The visuals from the ship were replayed for Yui to see. She needed to know how her people died, and for the others watching ... she made a silent apology.

"It was not long before we discovered Shlarvasseroth's sublight engine exhaust. We pursued it. During our run-up, however, we were attacked by four Type 31A Bomber Pods left by Melisson to exterminate us. We were able to destroy one of the pods before we were hit by a glancing blow from an anti-matter torpedo."

Yukari recalled Miharu's final words. Some had been lucky enough to heed them; others had not.

"Miharu suffered catastrophic damage. She was disabled, but Hoshi was able to maintain her presence. The Taii-san was able to destroy the remaining battlepods, which gave us a clear avenue to reach Melisson. Upon entering 100 kilometers of the Shlarvasseroth, we entered her real-space bubble and slowed down to assess our options. Melisson, from what we could determine, was facing the YSS Empire, from which the Mistress-Taisho-sama of that era commanded the fleet."

A shaky image of Kotori putting her NSP under her chin and ordering Yukari to make a choice. She did not let that image leave her mind. No one needed to see it.

"Melisson quickly destroyed the Empire, sending the Mistress-Taisho-sama's soul out of her body, where it was trapped by the Taisa. The Taisa was nearly incapacitated by the event, but the decision was made to kill the Mistress-Taisho-sama's soul and continue the pursuit.

"With limited power reserves and no weapons, the Taisa elected to harden the forward hull with internal forcefields and ram the Shlarvasseroth. We made one hard engine burn to provide the required velocity. Melisson replied too late to stop us, and we successfully rammed Miharu's remaining hull."

She paused once more, as if to consider her words. "If it would please the Mistress-Taisho-sama, I beg to offer a suggestion."

 

[Wes]

"You may speak freely," Taisho Yui said, electing not to dig deeper into the technical details. It was the Miharu crew's time to speak; she could fill in the details later.

- - -

Meanwhile, Shosho Hanako and her first officer Jalen Sune appeared in the Hoshi's airlock doorway as it opened.

 

[Fred]

Hoshi's rear airlock was relatively close to her cargo holds. The conversation Yui was having with Kotori and her officers was within earshot.

 

[Doshii Jun]

Yukari stiffened a bit. She could feel the danger of her words.

"Miharu, who was our home, delivered us to safety. Her avatar, Miharu Mara, died to facilitate our escape with the fleet. If any tribute must exist as a testament to our mission, it must involve Miharu. It must pay respects to our home.

"She means more to us -- all of us -- than any individual achievement or accolade. Yamatai would have fallen without her."

She then bowed. "Thank you, Mistress-Taisho-sama, for allowing me to speak."

 

[Wes]

Yui nodded in response to Yukari and then gave a respectful nod to Hanako as Hanako approached the group, dressed in her black coat uniform and flanked by her first officer.

"Taisho Yui," Hanako said after a bow. "Taisa Kotori, it has been a long time! Welcome home to you and your crew." The Shosho then waited for the debriefing to finish before saying anything else.

"Please, continue," Yui told Kotori.

 

[Nashoba]

Sune followed Hanako remaining at her side as was appropriate. He bowed when Hanako did and then straightened and listened.

The Taisho of all the Star Army standing only a few feet from me. Not something I ever expected when I joined the Eucharis. Fortunately, I am only here as a matter of protocol. Hanako and the others will do most of the talking. But I will pay attention to what is said, and more importantly what is not said. he thought as he started watching the exchange going on and paying attention to any body expressions.

 

[Fred]

@Hinoto:

With the ships docked, Hinoto then turned to attend to Nyton's previous request. Handing command of the bridge to Miyoko the white-maned avatar stood from her seat and left for the corridors that would lead her to the 'commotion' Rolf had warned Nyton about.

Past the decon room she came into the bay, and there she beheld a mix of people - a good number of them armored and most where of sprite origins.

Her frown drew her eyebrows together akin to storm clouds over her gray eyes. "What's the meaning of this? Why did you go and don armor after the battle was over?"

@With Yui:

Kotori was staring at Hanako.

She had, of course, realized in the back of her mind that the Eucharis connecting with Hoshi would mean she might see Hanako. Seeing Hanako now was arresting. It was like bringing things full circle.

Kotori had, as a junior officer, been exposed to the rebels siding with Eve and Black Spiral. She had begun to fight against them, her side chosen but her feelings not unsympathetic. It had taken the capture of Hanako and she, and the sight of Hanako tortured for her failings that had first stoked her hatred of Black Spiral and that then-nameless interrogator.

Her mission, her quest, had been fueled by guilt. That her few attempts to stand strong against the interrogator had ended up with Hanako being hurt and violated. Though she eventually had made the cause her own as she became more personally involved in it, it had still ended in part with Kotori exacting revenge for the one whom adopted her and made her a younger Ketsurui sister.

Kotori's stance on the Ketsurui and her place in them had evolved through time. At first, she did not understand how Hanako could make that commitment to her - they had shared captivity, but had actually not spent all that much time knowing each other. Kotori had seen it as generosity, and felt she would have to struggle to earn it.

In time, Kotori's own focus in her crusade and her growing confidence became balanced with her sense of the fallibility of the Ketsurui clan. How it was powerful and influencial, but was not keen on being tempered or noble in the face of its jingoism - an extreme display of selfish patriotism with a self-centered view of the universe.

It became her interpretation that the Ketsurui name was one borrowed by the 'Kitsurugi' clan to honor the deceased war hero Ketsurui Chiharu. They had let Kotori share it not out of pity, but because her presence in the clan would help improve them.

It was not an overt cause for arrogance, so much as an understanding that she had a place in the universe, and it was hers. She was a Ketsurui, had acted as one of the clan's princesses in a way that would bring prestige to the name. Most of her dreams had been shredded apart in her quest, but she had that.

Kotori had left Hanako as a child, hurting her with her absence so that she could hurt those whom had hurt Hanako a hundredfold. She returned as an adult, having weighted right and wrong, having experienced triumphs just as much as losses, and having emphasized with Hanako's mantle of authority.

Kotori could only spare Hanako one look as she returned the bow given in greeting and then acquiesced to Yui's request. The look Kotori's amber eyes gave was hard to read simply because there was so much to express. It was one that showed more maturity and understanding born from different and yet shared hardships. It was one that welcomed Hanako back into her life because Kotori felt capable now of being her sister.

Then it was Yui whom had Kotori's attention. Kotori first decided to backtrack, and give Yui more understanding on Yukari's request.

"The bomber's torpedo that struck us as we hunted the Shlarvasseroth more than grievously damaged my already crippled vessel. It marked a point of no return where I knew Miharu would not be recuperable. It made me understand that my home would soon be gone. It destroyed the MEGAMI, which was Miharu's mind."

"I do not refer to my ship as 'The Miharu', but just 'Miharu'. To us, Miharu was a person, a living home that gave unconditionally and supported us during our trials. Out of anyone, Miharu saw her destruction coming, and her last telepathic message - registered by us only after the AI was gone - was that if we had any respect for her, we would not allow her to become our tomb."

"Even in her death, her shattered shell gave me a way to pursue a slim chance at victory. The flagship was beyond our ability to defeat, but our actual target was Melisson's progenitor, the Dark Mishhuvurthyar that was nicknamed the 'Infection Queen'. If we could penetrate the Shlarvasseroth's armor, I could have people sent inside to decide that battle by cutting the head of the snake. Without the Infection Queen, the attempt to subvert the millions of warships in the Second Draconian Fleet would be in vain."

"We crashed, and Hoshi - my crew - survived. With the Infection Queen already exerting her psionic abilities I could hold her off only for so long... so I sent Suzuka-Shosa with a handpicked squad from my Black Knights to go after our enemy following the internal layouts obtained by the Sakura's crew, while the rest of the crew would protect me from being killed by the masses of Mishhu solders that went after us invaders."

"While my Executive Officer was leading the team, I would have my Tactical Officer, Nyton Claymere, relate to you how that confrontation unfolded. Amongst us, he is one of the most familiar with Melisson herself, and what the Infection Queen was."

 

[Gallant]

In the armor bay...

A Mindy helmet bobbed up, obliquely analytical from where the associated, armored sprite sat forward on the ammunition container, rifle across her knees. If it had been a bare sword, the message could hardly have been clearer.

"Can't you feel it?" came the incredulous voice of Yuzuki, distilled slightly by the suit's voice amplification, "The white noise in the background, ever since the other fleet fell into space, is disturbing. These armors have psionic dampeners which negate it, at least for the moment. We could also see from the overview that the ships switched sides, and we heard the takeover happen, too."

"Kotori-Taisa-sama is still in danger," she continued, "So, we've done what we must to prepare for the worst. Only that, and no more."

 

[Nyton]

"Mistress Taisho." Nyton said before giving her a quick bow. "Our strike team the Black Knights attempted to avoid confrontation during the infiltration. We still met stiff resistance along the way. The very ship may as well have been an extension of Melisson herself. She was aware of our approach despite our caution and met us with special obstacles meant to wear down our forces as well as to 'prove' ourselves for her entertainment."

"One such obstacle Ketsurui Shosho may recall from a previous mission. Apparently the clone of the Taisa had survived the battle over Lor." Nyton said and summoned a volumetric image of the Kotori sharktopus encountered. "We managed to succeed in dispatching her but not without taking a casualty. Rin Miharu was infected by a destructive nanovirus and we were forced to take drastic measures to give her a chance at survival. Fortunately we were soon after able to arrive at the meeting deck I had previously encountered Melisson."

"Once there we confronted Melisson however despite the Taisa's efforts we were unable to attack her. Throughout the entire mission the Taisa was staving off Melisson's mental domination of the entire crew. This time Melisson affected our brains ability to properly send signals to our bodies and we were her captive audience until Hinoto-san teleported a Mindy to disrupt Melisson's concentration. We then pressed the attack but were quickly subdued again by Melisson's overwhelming psionic power. Most of the strike team save for one member were put into multiple forced dream states. Only Nimura remained unaffected and single handedly defended us from several Mishhu who were summoned to dispose of us while giving the Taisa enough time to free us."

Nyton could not prevent himself from assuming his thinking pose as he continued to recall the mission. "Another skirmish ensued between several ghost Mishhu and Melisson. I learned first hand that Melisson's body is fully capable of combat. Her speed and strength can rival an Armor and she also possesses the ability to phase much like the ghost Mishhu. We took three more casualties when Nakamura-Heisho and Gunshin-Hei were wounded along with Nimura during her defense. Melisson retreated and the remaining members pursued her into her private chambers. We attained much intel regarding NMX operations, the Dark Ones or Umbral as Melisson identified her race as, Varin presence in the galaxy and an interesting look at Melisson's personal effects and pastimes."

Nyton managed to condense the mission to this point and still hit several points but he knew he was still taking a bit of time. "When we caught up to Melisson she deployed a Varin weapon system to challenge us." This time Nyton displayed an image of Melisson using the crystalline armor and null weapon. "The battle was intense but we found a way to dispel her armor. Through the fight she conducted pinpoint mental domination over each member at precise moments. The Taisa managed to break us free before any of us committed any damage until we finally bested her. We then turned our attention to her true form."

This time Nyton displayed the cocoon that contained Melisson's progenitor. "We broke open the container which was also the psionic amplifier it was using to dominate the fleet. Mefpralphra, the true body, then fought us directly." Now an image of Mefpralphra was made visible. Images of the humanoid and insect creatures it spawned were also generated. "Mefpralphra was the most terrifying beast I have ever fought. Not only did it have immense strength, psionic presence, phasing abilities and speed it also spawned these creatures here to harass us. Each monster was a challenge on its own not to mention together. Mefpralphra also deployed the same Varin weapon that Melisson used. The armor could only be briefly dispelled by plasma fire and the void discs were temporarily neutralized by subspace missiles. Nearly everyone suffered immense damage before the Umbral monster was slain. Upon her demise however it then attempted to take us with her by collapsing the entire dimension on us. We narrowly managed to return to Hoshi alive. Every member of the team survived and we even managed to take Melisson alive as our prisoner." he concluded.

 

[Wes]

Hanako's eyes narrowed. "Melisson is onboard," she repeated quietly and angrily, clenching her fists.

"Excellent," Yui praised the Miharu crew. "You have overcome all odds and not only defeated one of our mortal enemies but returned with information that will allow us to better understand and outdo our enemies. If we are to defeat the Mishhuvurthyar, we will need to fight more of these...Umbrals."

 

[Kokuten]

Rolf sat quietly in the medical laboratory, his feet twisted from side to side as he rested with his back against the glass. He was rather idle for his usual demeanor. Melisson hadn't bothered to respond to his last gesture and he was sure how else he was supposed to cheer up the minute monster. The Malifarian held up his blue, armored gauntlet, and stared at his palm for a moment, before letting it clunk to the floor quietly. He sighed.

"Y'know, iff'n it makes ya feel betta', they might kill me too." said Rolf with a shrug, "Juss' sayin'. I'm pretty sure they're diggin' troo' all our files n'shit, n'they'll find out I ain't no original. I ain't had much time t'think about it lately, but thass' still a possibility."

He looked up at the ceiling.

"I wonda' iff'n I should go out fightin' iff'n it comes t'that."

 

[Fred]

@Hinoto:
"That is nonsense!" Hinoto barked, eyes flashing in anger.

Hoshi's avatar took a few stepped forward and lifted her arms, as if to encompass all those in the room. "You are not at risk of being subverted by PANTHEON! Eve never had the power to do so, and neither does PANTHEON! In fact, your ties to Hoshi are far too weak to ever place your free wills at the mercy of anything other. Not to mention PSC is a purely psionic defense - that's apples and oranges as far as PANTHEON is concerned."

"There is nothing forced upon any of your minds," Hinoto hotly continued. "Authority will perhaps make demands of us, and we will be accountable for how much we choose to cooperate. In that, you are equal with the Taisa, and any of the crewmembers Yamatai has assigned to serve with us."

She lifted her chin. "I am not as fortunate as you are. I am tied to Hoshi's CIES. If PANTHEON wants a peek in my mind, it has it. Therefore I've no tolerance to you all surrendering to wild misconceptions. You are afraid. You are mistaken. It is a moment of truth for us, yes, but the Taisa leads us. She has chosen to choose to return home to those she fought for. She has chosen to have faith in Yamatai."

"How can you do less? This is what Miharu died for: our safe homecoming after a successful mission."

"No one should be in power armor, prepared to fight, contemplating fighting our allies. If you are so keen to fight, I understand the gunship we are docked to - the Eucharis - is preparing to participate in the effort to pacify Nataria. You can join them. If not, you will disembark and return in uniform," Hinoto commanded.

@With Melisson:

Melisson made an unladylike snort that strangely echoed inside her tank.

"One of Yamatai's more brilliant engineering minds, Kage Yaichiro, is a clone living a different life from his original. Your Taisa is a clone, living on the life of her original. I would say, given your merit and exploits, that the chances of your survival are likely quite good if you do not make a shameful spectacle of yourself in front of person leading all of Yamatai's space fleets."

@With Yui:

Kotori allowed herself a brief, weary smile. "That would not surprise me, though the situation - as I understand it - is more complex than that."

"You need to understand something before, though, and it concerns the Second Draconian Fleet."

"Mefpralphra - as the Infection Queen called herself - had terrible psionic power that she tapped into ship-scale psionic amplifiers to spread her influence to the whole of the million-ship fleet. It was something I had great trouble facing up to, a strain that would ultimately kill me."

"It seemed impossible. It was like using my diminutive body - thin arms wide - to block something akin to a tidal wave. I could not keep her entirely at bay from all their minds, but I still fought her. As we struggled, I found a flaw I could use to thwart her."

"She was using her mental abilities to make every member of the fleet feel loyal to her, just like the majority of our soldiers feel loyal and devoted to you, Mistress Taisho. With my meager control, there was still one subtle variable I had the power to change. It was an impossible choice, but with little other alternatives, I took what I saw as the lesser evil."

"I change the point of origin from her to me. I stole Mefpralphra's attempt to steal their loyalties, and made them mine.

"When the Umbral 'Infection Queen' - perished, her dying act was to lay waste to the Second Draconian Fleet so that no one else would have it in their power. Her ship had deployed a super-sized transposition sphere to shift the million-ship fleet out of the time-frozen space and back into our reality gradually... but she then changed that, and instead had the fold sphere collapse on everything inside to destroy us all along with her."

"I understand that it was Melisson, after Suzuka-Shosa spared her life to capture her, which tipped us off about the collapsing fold sphere. It gave us a chance to escape and to attempt to save the fleet from being entirely destroyed. Miharu's sprite avatar, Mara, took it upon herself to be left behind and manually rig one of the main hull's surviving aether generator as a bomb that would disrupt the Shlarvasseroth's transposition array while Hoshi picked up the Black Knights and fled."

"The explosion cost the Mishhu flagship one of its three huge pincers and the power they had contained went out of control, warping space, popping the fold bubble and destroying the flagship along with all the thousands of mishhu, thralls and slaves it had carried. What Mara saved was roughly four-thousand surviving warships out of the millions the lost fleet formerly had."

"We left the scene, moved to the Claw Nebula, and took several days to heal from the ordeal and to come to term with what happened. Kasami-Chujo and the people of the fleet... they began treating me like a goddess, and with every crewmember part my ordained angels. I had the selfless devotion of people willing to put their lives into my hands, their faithful obedience, an tremendous respect... though greater than any gratefulness I would have deserved from saving them."

"We talked about it. Considered the rammifications. Wondered how we would be received home. We were greatly concerned - we had spent so much time being vigilant and fighting on our own, and we now feared that the fruit of our hard labor would deprive us of an homecoming. The thought of SAINT, with its spook agents disposing of indesirables whom knew too much was foremost on our minds. We also feared vipers we knew could still be within our midst - such as the one whom arranged Former-Empress Ayame's suicide: Kikyo and her agents."

"We figured we could be like Eve, and come back home using the fleet's power to reclaim our place. We pondered about following Prince Tio's example and leaving to found a home of our own. We wondered about coming back to Yamatai while somehow concealing the truth about the fleet's new loyalties."

"We explored the possibility of returning them all to normal, but this was beyond the scope of our abilities. Melisson is but a pale shadow of what Mefpralphra was, and even she could not furnish necessary power in grand enough scale to change the people of the fleet back."

"It occured to me that during that period, we had begun to put a lot of stock in Melisson's opinions and forthcoming advice when we interrogated her. It struck me as hypocritical, though, that I had begun to rely more on my enemy than the person - my commanding officer, ally and clan-mistress - whom had sent me out with the orders to fight hard to save the Empire."

"At that point, I decided that we would come back home and report our victories to you. We would present its costs to you. We would retake Nataria to help protect the Empire just as much as news of the deeds would help protect us from being taken out by SAINT spooks. Hopefully, handing Melisson over to SAINT will sate them enough to leave us alone. The matter of the Second Draconian Fleet's servitude to me is no small one, but I decided I had faith that you would still trust me... so I decided to stop being afraid, be honest, and trust you as well. To depend on you."

"The people we saved... what happened to them is wrong," Kotori declared, hands clenching as she spoke with passion about that topic: "I understand the pain of losing a future one would look forward to; I want them to start rebuilding their lives after the time they lost, and I want them to have the freedom to make new dreams for themselves."

"They're beyond my ability to save... but Melisson went straight for the GSS Empire before she made any attempt to subvert the fleet's loyalty. You told me once that you had 'ties to all nekovalkyrja'... it's my hope that if Melisson thought she had to dispose of the Yui-clone first... that you have some ability to intervene where I cannot. That, in time, you can change them to whom they were."