Beginnings

Welcome to the redone version of All Aboard the Nautilus! If you've been following what's been happening to New Adventure, you'll know there are some changes going on in there. You'll also notice a semi-old note from Wes Sirius saying that he has cancelled All Aboard the Nautilus. Well, after some discussion and writing, I'm working with Wes to make All Aboard the Nautilus for all of you. This story is co-written with Wes, who writes when he does have free time. Hopefully you will enjoy what we have written so far, and know that we are still planning stuff and making sure the details here don't contradict the new changes in New Adventure.

Disclaimer for the whole entire story: we don't own anything besides OCs. And the story.

Oyster Orphanage. A place where children, left by their parents or guardians, could live together in peace. A place they can all call home, where they can come to feel safe from the dangerous things that lurk outside. However, that was what this place would have been described as several years ago. Now, the place is a rundown mess, the Octarians in charge of the whole thing not bothering to repair it. The building is falling apart, and so are its inhabitants, who constantly fight for survival. Here, there are two groups: the strong Octarians, who are the more tougher and faster ones, and the weak Octarians, who aren't as capable. Constantly, they fight, searching for every day necessities. But the people in charge don't care. As long as the building still earns some money for them, they could care less what goes on inside.

The wooden planks creaked under Octavia's feet as she ran and ran, clutching tightly onto a bag of sandwiches, which she managed to get from a nearby restaurant. While bread was something most wouldn't really care for, here, a basket of bread was a jackpot. But having something valuable like this, she already knows she's an immediate target.

"I have to get this to Nemo and the others. If I fail, we could be starving for the rest of this week…" Octavia told herself. As she ran, she can hear her own footsteps make constant noise on the wood floor, which hasn't looked so great in several years. They're old, and it looks as if they might just rot and bury her beneath the ground, as if the Octarians weren't already deep enough. But she ignored her thoughts, because now she can hear them. Above her, the ceiling was open. Some new wooden planks were put on the pipes, but they weren't put there by repairmen. They were put there for easier transportation among rooms.

"Oh cod, they found me. I'm almost at the basement, I just have to-" Octavia felt a weight slam down onto her back, knocking her over. The bag with sandwiches fell from her hands and tumbled to the ground, inches in front of her face. She reached to grab them, only for her attacker to grab her wrist and twist her around, making her face him.

"Did you think you could hide!?" her attacker, a navy blue Octoling boy shouted into her face. She swung her other free arm at him, her hand connecting with his jaw and making him fall over. He quickly recovered, and just as she was about to make a run for it, he grabbed her ankles and pulled her back to the ground. He swung at Octavia, but she luckily dodged his strike and punched him in the gut. This did little to stop him, and he swung again. His second attack was slower, giving her just enough time to get out of the way and kick him off. She leapt up and tried to punch him from above, but he rolled aside and caught her by the arm. She grabbed a nearby plank of wood, which had been broken, and aimed the sharp side toward him and jabbed it into his shoulder. He stumbled back, holding his injured shoulder as it bled. His gaze then fell on Octavia once again as he tackled her, grabbing her neck and slamming her against a nearby wall. The walls, weak from age, started to cave in when her back was pressed against it, concrete dust flying all over. The Octoling then raised her up, scraping her back against the wall. She grasped his arm, trying to keep herself from choking as he tightened his grip.

"Heh, looks like you weaklings got stronger! Might as well give up though, because only one of us will get out here alive, and it ain't gonna be you."

"W-why can't w-we share food…" She pleaded among tears.

"You want to share? So more weaklings like you can go around and weaken our race? Nuh-uh, not happenin. Not after we lost the Great Turf War." The Octoling glared at her. Out of instinct, she started to flail her legs around, eventually kicking the plank of wood deeper into his shoulder wound. The wound started to bleed even more, and he cried out in anguish and pain. Angrily, he punched her in the stomach, making her curl up. She could feel immense pain as he punched again and again.

"Pl-please...stop…" Octavia begged weakly. The Octoling didn't stop though, and then he raised his arm for another hit. But before he could strike again, someone grabbed his attention by tapping him on the shoulder. He quickly stopped and spun around, only for the other half of the plank to get shoved into his face. The sharp end ruptured out the other side of his head, and his dead body fell to the ground, dropping Octavia. She held her neck and gasped for air, thankful to be free of his grasp. Octavia looked up to see several Octolings running to her, with a maroon one throwing his arms around her in a hug.

"Octavia, you're okay!" Nemo held her close. "Thank cod, I thought we lost you…" She hugged back, and right behind them was the Octoling who killed her attacker, watching them. Their small reunion would last for only a few short seconds before more Octolings came, jumping down from the ceiling. These kids were more older looking, being taller and stronger in appearance. The one in the front, a purple Octoling boy, walked up, clapping sarcastically.

"Well well well, looks like someone brought us food! Too bad one of our own had to die for it." A wicked grin appeared on his face.

"He was going to kill her." the boy who saved Octavia replied, only getting a small chuckle from the boy as a response.

"Oh man Orcus, you are a special one indeed! Now tell me, are you gonna come back and live with us up here, or are you gonna go live with the weaklings, who could hardly gather food for themselves?"

"They aren't weak. They're just at an unfair disadvantage, so I'm here to give them what they need to survive, whether you like it or not, Owen." Orcus barked back. Owen just shrugged at his former friend's answer.

"Very well. I respect you, Orcus. As for people like Nemo, well...let's just say they can all burn in hell. Let's go. We're done here, boys." Owen ordered his group to follow him, and they went back into the upper floors of the Orphanage. Orcus turned around and helped Nemo carry Octavia as the rest of them headed toward the basement.

"Orcus, you didn't have to leave them to join us. We're just holding you back…" Octavia muttered, still hurt from that fight.

"Nonsense. It's not fair that you guys barely get food, and here I am with everything up there. I came here to help you guys." He insisted.

"Thank you for rescuing me." Octavia mumbled with a kind smile, and Orcus responded with a simple nod. The basement was dark, only lit by a few candles here and there. The whole place was cold, but by now everyone here was mostly used to it. Some blankets and mattresses were scattered all over the floor, where people would sleep. After all, the only beds available were upstairs, where only the "strong" lived. If any of them were to go up, it would be suicide. Orcus got up from his spot while Nemo tended to Octavia's wounds. The rest of the kids there went and took some food. Nemo wasn't worried about someone taking more than they needed, because they all knew to leave some for the rest.

"Where are you going?" Orcus stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at Nemo.

"I'm going to bury the one I killed. I know he was going to kill Octavia, but in here, we're all fighting for survival, and while I do think it was wrong of him to attack her, I don't think I should just leave his body there to rot. He was young too." Orcus explained.

"Need me to help ya?" Nemo offered.

"Actually, yeah, I'd like that. Thanks." and with that, Orcus left the basement.

Two Years Later, Octarian Military Academy…

"Forty one! Forty two! Forty three!" a middle aged Octoling shouted, with many younger Octolings in front of him. They were doing pushups, and after a few minutes, some were already struggling.

"Come on, soldiers! You want those Inklings to splat you like some small fry? If not, you gotta get tougher! Get those muscles moving, and get them to move faster ya maggots!" the commander shouted.

"Yes sir!" Nemo replied, doing another pushup. His arms were starting to get tired, but he kept pushing on, attempting to ignore the pain. One Octoling girl fell to her knees, before throwing up. The Octoling to her left tried to scoot away, disgusted by the sight, while the one on her right tried to help her. The commander walked over to them, giving them a stern look.

"What, is a few pushups gonna kill you? If you can't even manage these exercises, imagine fighting Inkling soldiers! Those suckers'll be lean, mean, fightin' machines, and they'll tear you apart like a ragdoll! You might as well sign up as K-Class!" the commander shouted. The girl was in tears, with her friend trying to get her back to doing the pushups. Nemo turned to another cadet beside him, who was also trying to ignore the pain in his arms.

"Hey, what was he talking about? What's K-Class?" Nemo asked. The guy didn't seem annoyed, and he helpfully answered with an exhausted tone.

"During the Great Turf War, Octarian scientists found out a way to turn your ink sac into an explosive. Traitors or POW Inklings were modified to have these explosive ink sacs and were basically dropped on Inkling cities."

"Wait, so they became living explosives?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Thing is, they were forced to jump off the UFOs, and once they jumped the modification forced them into squid or octopus form. I heard Octavio has banned the making of K-Class soldiers after the War though, so there's really nothing to worry about." the boy explained. They didn't notice the commander had walked up to them, and once Nemo saw him they both shut up.

"What are you two talking about?" He asked sternly.

"We are talking about our dreams to serve DJ Octavio and the Octarian Army, sir!" Nemo replied. The commander just glared at him, making him nervous. If they were caught lying, they could be punished, especially when it was to a superior.

"Well, if you have time to talk, you have more time to do more pushups." The commander sighed and walked away.

"YES SIR!" both shouted simultaneously. The cadets continued their pushups until they were called for lunch period, in which they all rushed out, exhausted, aching, and hungry.

What a day...Nemo grabbed his tray of food from a counter; a basic sandwich with almost no flavor and a basic, tasteless drink. He was too hungry to care though, and wandered around until he found Octavia, who was sitting alone at a table. She moved over to give him room and they started to eat.

"So, how was training today?" Octavia asked her brother.

"Ugh, terrible." He groaned. "My arms hurt like shell and I had to listen to the commander berate us for an hour."

"Ouch. Well, mine wasn't any different. I had more or less the same thing today." Octavia responded. Nemo chuckled, and they both took a bite out of their sandwich. Feeling the sandwich was a bit dry, Nemo got up to get some sauce, which he knew would give it some sense of flavor. He walked over and grabbed a handful of packets, and turned around to see three Octolings he easily recognized.

"Why, look who we have here. Nemo Nautilus, the little punk. How's life away from the Orphanage?" Owen taunted. "You like living here at the academy"

"Shut up and get out of my face." Nemo muttered, prompting Owen to motion for his tall, muscular friend, Oscar Mahishi, to pick up Nemo off the ground, grabbing his head. Nemo struggled, grabbing Oscar's large hand and trying to pry his fingers off his tentacles, but to no avail.

"You might be getting comfortable right now Nemo, but don't think it'll stay that way. I can still make your life miserable for you, so don't think you can go around and act like you're the alpha here." Owen muttered viciously in Nemo's face. He then nodded his head, letting Oscar drop Nemo to the floor. The three of them walked away as Nemo scrambled to his feet and walked back to Octavia.

"What happened? Why were you gone for so long?" Octavia asked, worried.

"Owen is here, and so are his lackeys. And to think we would never see them again…"

"Nemo, you can't be serious. They're actually here!? Like, right now?"

"Yes, that's what I said. Just when I thought life could actually be decent for once, it just punches me back to the ground." Nemo sadly told himself as he slumped back onto his seat and started to squirt some sauce on the sandwich.

"I know for a fact those guys are gonna cause trouble around here. Perhaps we can find a way to get transferred somewhere else."

"Yeah, I'll ask the superiors, but I can't make any promises." Nemo said. Octavia smiled and took a sip from her drink.
"That's good to hear. Minus the last part, but that's still good!"

"Octavia, you're always so positive."

"Heh, guilty as charged. When you have a life like ours, it's good to stay positive. Anyway, we should head out, before we get bombarded with back breaking work." Octavia said and they threw out their trash before walking out of the cafeteria to do things in the free time they had before more grueling training and exercises.

"Come in." The commander ordered, hearing a knock on his door. Nemo walked in obediently, standing straight with a composed posture. His commander had been working on some paperwork, looking through files. He stared at a computer screen, scrolling through more files.

"State your business, cadet."

"My sister and I want to be transferred elsewhere."

"And your reason is?" The commander asked, not pulling his eyes away from the screen that illuminated the otherwise dark office.
"We've worked hard, training at this academy for a while now. I think it's best we get transferred to somewhere that could benefit us further, sir. With your permission, we would both like to be transferred." The commander looked up from the screen. Nemo and his sister, Octavia, were getting better and advancing further than the rest of the cadets under his lead. He felt as if they were leaving too soon, as if this wasn't the real reason they requested to leave. But looking through their files, he could see them becoming fit Octarian soldiers, probably easily becoming part of the Elites.

"Your file here says you're struggling with hand to hand combat, Nemo. Your sharpshooting skills are a little above average, but not by much. Octavia did slightly better accuracy wise, but she also struggles in close combat, more than you. What you're requesting is bogus."

"But sir, I know we can excel in those areas if we can get to a better academy, where we can be challenged. The cadets around us are...less than average." Nemo said. He had a hard time calling his fellow cadets "less than average". After all, he's been with weak people all his life, and these guys hardly knew how to fight.

"As for your academics, both you and Octavia did better than most here…"

"See? We could prove that we can do better. Maybe being in a different place could help us improve everything else, like our combat skills." Nemo added. The commander thought for a moment before finally answering.

"Very well. I will talk it over with a few of my comrades and see if they agree. If they do, I will notify you. You can leave." the commander ordered. Nemo bowed and left the office, smiling. Although the answer his superior gave him wasn't a yes, he was still happy that there was a possible chance both him and Octavia could go somewhere safer. And like Octavia said, it's best to stay positive, especially in a life like theirs…

Cephalon HQ…

"Octavio, please listen to me. We both know we want to win against the Inklings, no matter the cost. Make them pay, make them suffer as we have suffered down here." Octavio was starting to fall asleep out of pure boredom. He had been listening to his nephew rant for an hour about some "genius" plans he had been working on, projects that could boost their strength.

"I'm not interested. My concern right now is getting Zapfish to power our weapons, domes, and many other technology we have. I'm not going to war with the Inklings, if that's what you're saying."

"But Octavio, once you steal the Zapfish, what if the Inklings attack? You know we have such a disadvantage. Our low power supply, our weapons, our weak troops...we'd be destroyed, even by a small militia!"

"Are you calling us Octarians weak, Augustus?" The king growled, annoyed. "Are you of little faith?"

"You're so thick headed! I know what I'm doing, Octavio! I'm completely aware of what's going on! And I know for a fact my projects can benefit us, both now and in the future. We are no longer the more powerful race. The Inklings found out how to create automatic weapons from us. They've improved their weapons, technology, and could easily overpower us. But give me permission to start these projects, and I promise you a swift victory."

"Many of your projects are unethical and dangerous, not to mention too stupid and unrealistic." Octavio swiftly pointed out. "So what if the Inklings learned to improve their weapons from us? That doesn't matter, what matters is that we get the Zapfish and reactivate the Great Octoweapons to make sure the Inklings don't come launching full scale attacks on Octo Valley. That is enough."

Augustus was frustrated. If he was the leader, he could have easily seen how these projects could help them. The weapons, the soldier enhancements...he would have approved of it all. But he saw Octavio as being too soft on their enemies.

"At least let me try one of my projects, please Uncle!" Octavio just sighed. Good lord, his whiny voice drives me nuts...

"Fine. Which is it?"

"I merely thought of getting the best, most strongest, skilled soldiers from our current military academies, and enhance their abilities, their strengths. Think about it, when the Inklings come fighting us for their precious Zapfish, they'll have to deal with our much more superior soldiers!" Octavio thought for a while, looking his nephew in the eyes. He could see that his nephew was begging for him to approve, he could see the frustration in his eyes. But how could he approve some of these projects when they involved experimenting in such disgusting ways? Augustus is probably naive of the consequences. Perhaps he doesn't know what consequences these experiments could lead to, what devastating outcomes they could have. Of course, he could order the shut down of the project whenever he wanted, being the leader and all.

"Very well, Augustus. I approve of THAT project, and ONLY that one, understand? Nothing else! And if I feel like this project of yours isn't going a way I feel safe about, I will shut it down, whether you like it or not."

"Yes, Uncle. Thank you for listening." Augustus replied. He was excited. Finally, he did it! Now, to just show Octavio that everything I said before is gonna be true. Those bastard Inklings are going to pay, and he will make sure it happens. He ran off, giddy and happy, ready to show his partner, Marina, his results. In the distance, Octavio just sighed, but he also smiled. He loved his nephew, and it brought him joy to see him happy.

"Don't fail me, my boy." Octavio muttered before he crawled off to give his people their daily dose of his beats...

I know the chapter is sort of short, but later chapters will be longer. Know that this reboot, if that's what you want to call it, could be slightly different from the old one if you've read the old one before. As for how often chapters will be uploaded, we really don't have much of a schedule. Thanks for reading, and there might be a QnA later about this story, our collaboration, and other details so stay tuned!