Chapter 1: Another Reason

"Sometimes, very rarely. A person will survive the impossible."

Foreword: This takes place in the chronology of the game regarding Valkyria Chronicles and after book 20 of the manga regarding The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi

The Imperial Kylandarian Republic, the names Ray Zenji and Laura Kylani are my personal creations. Characters and Nationalities of other series' such as The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi and Valkyria Chronicles belong to their respective owners.

A terrestrial planet, mostly temperate, Eden Class, Telemetros System, Planet ID, Tortana, Current Occupants:Various Human Nations, Previous Occupants:Valkyur Regency

A smoking crater remained at what used to be a military fortress, in it's center was a woman, uniform charred but intact enough to keep modesty.

Selvaria Bles.

She barely managed to open her eyes though was unable to do much else, her breathing raspy and sparse, she felt as if her body had been drained of it's life though somehow she was still alive though barely, perhaps on death's door and all that was left to do was wait for it's embrace.

Selvaria recalled that she had unleashed the final flame. She also began to feel what little life she had slipping away, her eyes becoming harder to keep open as she remembered all the times she had fought in battles, killed others in the name of someone who now that she continues to ponder in her final moments, held little if any regard for her. She had allowed herself to love him and in return was cast aside like a broken toy once her use as a weapon was no longer seen by him.

Was it worth it? She asked herself this, barely managing to rest her head to the side, looking at the vast destruction caused by her powers, perhaps it would have been best if she were born a normal human, perhaps then she would have a family or at the least someone who cares.

She let her eyes close, awaiting death's embrace and after a minute, heard a distorted voice before slipping into unconsciousness.

It said "Imperator, we've found her, she doesn't look like she'll live much longer."

A year later, unknown location.

The air was stale, as if she were back in a lab.

Her eyes opened rapidly, she found her arms and legs restrained, on the white ceiling was some kind of disc embedded in the tiles, making a light pulsing sound.

Selvaria was able to move her head, her breathing was normal as she looked around, she was in what seemed to be a hospital room, her clothes had been replaced with a hospital gown and her hair was slightly longer, an IV was in her right arm which along with her other arm and both her legs were restrained by some kind of fiber strap which wasn't leather or her strength would have been able to tear it which she then noticed that she felt no longer at death's door but rather invigorated as if she had never had a day better than this, she noticed a mirror to her left, her hair was white, lacking the slight blue tint to it which made itself known when her powers were active, her crimson red eyes remained normal, not glowing like they usually do in a stressful situation.

A voice made itself known. Clear and male.

It spoke from her right to which she turned her head as it said "Oh good, you're awake.".

Selvaria gave no verbal response, cautiously observing the person by her. He was in a military uniform, it was similar to an Imperial General's uniform but slightly different, the usual gold accents also had red accents alongside them, the majority of the uniform was pitch black like EEIA (East Europan Imperial Alliance) uniforms though there was no clear ranking insignia. He lacked any headwear, his hair black, his eyes dark brown and his skin color similar to that of a Darscen though not exactly, it was a brighter shade and also more tanned slightly.

His body seemed unfit for military service, a lack of any distinct muscle tone though the uniform could be hiding that however at the same time he was definitely lightweight, he was standing and was likely the same height of herself. His bearing reminded her slightly of Maximillian, perhaps he was nobility.

He noticed her observations of him and he then said "Relax, I saved your life. According to the blood tests you're a Pureblood Valkyrian, you executed a technique known as the Cobalt Sacrifice but lost control of the energies, if you were not a pureblood you would have perished with not even ashes to remain. My name is Raymond Zenji, you can call me Ray."

Selvaria managed to speak with a normal voice, saying "My name is Selvaria Bles, how long have I been unconscious?". Ray took a look at the ceiling for a moment before looking straight into Selvaria's eyes, saying "You've been out for 305 days, nearly a year.".

Selvaria stared for a moment, she was out for a whole year and thus was in the dark of what had happened after her sacrifice. She spoke again, saying "What of the war? Did we win?" Ray shook his head and said "The East Europan Imperial Alliance and the Atlantic Federation are still at war, Gallia and the Empire have a cease fire agreement, Prince Maximilian and his invasion failed and ended with his death at the hands of a Gallian Milita Squad, currently Gallia is in a state of civil war regarding the revelations that Cordellia is in fact, Darscen. Everyone believes you died when you used your full powers, an empty coffin was buried in an Imperial War Cemetary two weeks after your supposed death."

Selvaria was both shocked beyond belief and angry as well, her sacrifice did nothing and the world believed her dead. She tried to free herself of the straps, attempting to use the emotional distress to activate her powers, instead the device on the ceiling merely pulsed at a faster rate, seemingly matching her strength though she was able to free her left hand from it's restraint and grabbed Ray by the throat whilst noting that he wasn't concerned at all.

She spoke firmly and threateningly, saying "Where am I? If you value your life you'll answer my questions.".

Ray did the impossible, he simply walked backwards, his throat phasing through Selvaria's grip as if he had become intangible temporarily, his eyes flashed golden for a moment before returning to their natural dark brown shade as he rubbed his throat. Ray then said "I would have answered those questions merely for the asking. You are 80 miles above the surface of Gallia, in a ship capable of space travel.".

With those words said Ray activated some kind of device on his wrist, activating a display on the wall which showed a high altitude aerial view over most of Europa, yet alone Gallia, the clouds covered parts of the area and the blue sea was so distant there was no glimmer, night was over half of the continent. If she didn't feel as if she were a prisoner the sight would be beautiful and even in this situation, it was breathtaking. More shocking was the display however, it seemed formless yet so vivid in color and realism but it wasn't a window, it was being projected by what she noticed as a screen on the wall.

Selvaria just stared at the sight of the planet below in disbelief when someone else entered the room, a woman who was likely Selvaria's age, she had the same height as Ray and was Caucasian in features, her eyes a bright green and her hair a very dark shade of brown, she was wearing a uniform similar to Selvaria's old uniform but contained different ranking insignia's which were unfamiliar, on her left hip was a longsword in a black leather sheath, the woman spoke, saying "Imperator, we're ready to leave the Telemetros system now, no signs that we've been detected by Regency long range sensors yet but we should leave now."

Ray replied "Very well, set course for Helena Station in the Sol System." The woman nodded her head affirming the order as well as giving a salute, a nametag on her uniform said Laura Kylani. After the salute Laura left the room, presumably to carry out her orders.

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

Ray resumed his focus on Selvaria who was beginning to calm down and was now focusing her attention on Raymond, she was wary of moving her right arm because of the IV which was, to Ray's knowledge infusing her with nanomachines to not only assist her recovery but also inoculate her from bacteria and diseases not native to her own planet as her immune system would have no defense against it and because of the Psi-Inhibitor on the ceiling, she wouldn't be able to burn out the illnesses with her powers.

Ray spoke, saying "Well, back to our conversation, I have no intention of harming you but at the same time I am taking precautions. The device on the ceiling is designed to inhibit your abilities as a Valkyur, no matter how hard you tried you couldn't use your powers, not even if critically injured. Such devices are short range however as once you leave this room, you will be able to access your powers though I suspect you lack the knowledge and experience on how to activate them without being injured as unlike ordinary Valkyur, purebloods can harness their powers at will once they learn how. I saved your life and only ask one thing in return."

Selvaria was now deep in thought, to her world she was dead, the only person she cared about was dead and she was in no position to fight as Ray seemed to have the power to phase through solid objects at will, the title the woman called him by, Imperator. Was it a rank in his nation or perhaps was he truly the leader of a nation capable of travelling across the heavens? More importantly he had described something that never occurred to her, that she could access her powers without injury. She had no purpose anymore it seemed except to ask what this man wanted. If he was indeed the leader of a nation then he was the youngest she had ever seen, he was probably no older than 17 on appearances.

She decided to speak, saying "What do you want from me?" Ray made a slight grin and replied "I offer you the position of a Praetorii(Pray-Tor-Eee). Part of my personal guard effectively. I will train you on how to harness your full potential and in exchange I ask for five years of loyal service from you. After those five years you are free to leave or if you wish, stay."

Selvaria nodded in affirmation, it wasn't that she was quick to trust but rather that she had been given a second chance by this man and she had decided to make the best of it.

Six Days later, Helena Station, 200 feet below the Martian Surface. Sol System - 1500 Hours (3:00PM) Local Time (The Facility running on a 24 hour time shift despite being located on Mars which had shorter days)

A pair of metal doors slid open in opposite directions revealing three people. In the center of them was Ray Zenji, Imperator of the Imperial Kylandarian Republic, a galactic power with territorial boundaries spanning 43% of the galaxy though because of the sheer number of stars, not all of this territory was colonized or in effective use, the solar system they were in was not part of this territory but rather instead considered a protected area, completely surrounded on all angles by Kylandarian space, from the point of view of the Earthborn people in this station, The Final Frontier was already scouted, surveyed and settled long before Terrans had officially set foot on the very planet they were on now.

To Ray's right was Laura Kylani, to his left was Selvaria Bles, now in a uniform much like Laura's only with a different rank insignia pin as she had only recently been recruited, feeling very similar to what she felt when Maximilian first took her from the lab she was kept at, cautious yet grateful.

Selvaria's hair now had it's slight blue tint as she was no longer in the presence of an active Psi-Inhibitor, on her left hip was a rapier blade in a black leather sheath, similar to her previous sword which sadly was vaporized a year ago when she activated a power Ray had mentioned could be used without the risk of death if properly controlled.

Ray had explained to her that amongst the valkyur there are those known as "Purebloods" who have even greater levels of power and could survive incredible injuries which would otherwise be fatal to humans and ordinary valkyur.

He had also explained that they are not lost to history but rather a thriving galactic monarchy which holds territorial boundaries averaging 23% of the Galaxy's regions, being in an upper quadrant and bordering several minor galactic powers and having a very thin border with the IKR, that border being an expanse of space without stars or planets known to the galaxy as the Ne'Meann(Neh-Mee-An) Expanse, most of which is under Kylandarian authority.

As time passes the three make their way to a meeting room in the facility, joined by another person, his hair orange, his skin tone bright and wearing blue tinted glasses, a white lab coat, purple lab gloves and black shoes. He spoke, saying "Imperator Ray Zenji, a pleasure to meet you once more. This must be the Valkyur I was told I would be meeting. My name is Dexter McPhereson, CEO of DexCorp and aside from the top brass of the United States and Russian Federation, the only person aware that Earth is not alone in the galaxy, or at least the person absolutely sure of it and having evidence to support it."

Selvaria simply replied "Selvaria Bles, I have recently joined the ranks of the Imperator's Praetorii. I was told he often seeks non-nationals as his personal guard."

Ray nodded as the three sat down in chairs at the table, saying "Specifically I choose gifted individuals for the role of Praetorii and Praetorians though statistics proves that most of these individuals are usually from underdeveloped planets such as Earth and Tortana. On to business, Dexter I assume you have gone over the details?"

Dexter nodded and said "Yes, in the event that SEELE does successfully capture either of the two Shinjin DexCorp is to participate in a joint raid on Tokyo to retrieve them alongside the Southern Martian Confederacy and the Imperial Kylandarian Republic. Personally I dislike the idea of the Martians participating as because of the popularity of H.G. Well's War of the Worlds book on Earth, the idea of life on Mars being hostile is known to them and worldwide panic would occur even if it was only one city under attack, furthermore even if the attack was surgical like the plan details, the city itself would be thrown into chaos at the sight of their Generation 3 Fighting Machines. Personally I'd rather we seek help from the Western Martian Republic as they have devices more suited for surgical strikes."

Ray nods and says "I understand your concern but the western Martians aren't exactly our closest ally, more of an enemy of my enemy ally. Also we must keep into account that despite deflecting those old Valkyrian Automatons SEELE still has their hands on what they call Evangelions. They are confirmed to have three capable of combat action, designated as EVA-00, EVA-01 and EVA-02 respectively, furthermore they are working on Project Zeus more openly so we suspect they are planning on making a move soon. In the event we have to engage those devices in open combat we will have to go all out, that means no more ignorance is bliss for the Earth."

Dexter sighs, accepting the reality of the situation, SEELE is one of the few groups on Earth capable of surviving a low scale Kylandarian Intervention, DexCorp being the second and his rival Mandark's DarkCorp being the third. Dexter then says "In regards for these two Shinjin, what are you planning to do with them? I highly doubt you intend to kill them or you would have done so already."

Ray's eyes shift golden as he says "Suzumiya Haruhi and Kazahana Sasaki are both ill-equipped psychologically to handle the realities of the universe though I believe they can be taught the values of leaving things as they are. Sasaki at the least is aware of her powers to a degree though unwilling to use them consciously, Haruhi on the other hand is the real problem, her eccentric personality and childish desire for an over-eventful life has already caused a time loop which repeated itself hundreds of thousands of times though we need not worry about those information based life forms interfering, I have already contacted them and convinced them of a course of action favorable to both of us though if they stray from it, we can easily force them out of the solar system indefinitely."

Dexter lets the information sink in whilst Selvaria continues to ponder on the things Ray told her on the way here.

3 days ago, Interstellar Space.

Selvaria listened closely with honest interest to Ray's words. So far he was the only one with all the right answers about her Valkyrian heritage and more importantly the mindset of the Valkyur Regency, a mindset that made her ashamed of her heritage.

Ray spoke, saying "The Valkyur were originally normal humans but a peak in solar radiation mutated a select few people, the strongest of them the Valkyur call Odin and he was a real person, Earth as I explained used to have many polytheistic religions much like your planet, most of these gods and demigods were in fact, Valkyur. From your own perspective you can understand why as those on Tortana viewed the ancient Valkyur as gods in some cases. The Valkyur Regency grew complacent with their powers, viewing their non-psionic brothers and sisters as sub-human or specifically to clarify, take the discrimination against the Darscen ethnic group on Tortana, and multiply it by 100. The Valkyur don't even consider people without psionic power as sub-human. In history however they have encountered individuals, very rare individuals, who had absolute power. Shinjin utilize closed space through non-psionic means to alter reality, local or universal, at will. This made the Valkyur consider them gods based on the fact that these Shinjin shared the same mindset as the Valkyur in most cases and the Valkyur have a prophecy given to them by the late Shinjin of those days, that one day two seemingly ordinary human women will be revealed as Shinjin and they will either bring peace, or chaos and another male Shinjin will stand against the Valkyur. I can only assume these Shinjin peeked into the future. Selvaria, I will now reveal to you what all my Praetorii and Praetorians know as well as the higher levels of government though I keep this fact a secret from the general population so they don't make me out what I am not. I am a Shinjin, and these other two Shinjin in the prophecy, I have located, they are on the firstworld, the world the Valkyur first evolved and later were forced to flee by the superior numbers of ordinary humans, the planet known to the galaxy, not just itself as Earth in a system recognized in the galaxy as Sol. Every major galactic power recognizes that although life did indeed involve independently from Earth in similar or even exact manners across the galaxy, it first happened on Earth."

Present Day

The meeting was formally over, Dexter had consigned to Ray's plan though kept in mind that an outright invasion of Tokyo was a last resort, once he left, it was just Ray and his two Praetorii.

Ray spoke, saying "Now for the second part of this meeting, amongst us I have a plan regarding how to stabilize Haruhi's personality and erase Sasaki's naiveté. Selvaria will be instructed in the Japanese language as well as enough of their customs so as not to alienate them. Our agents have already began constructing her identity and credentials as a teacher and prior to the beginning of this long operation she will be instructed on Terran history, the class that she will be teaching there as part of her cover. Selvaria, take note that there might be renegade interfaces from the Integrated Data Thought Entity or this new player the Canopy Dominion might take action, in point of fact according to our sleeper agent they have already made a death threat against Suzumiya Haruhi so you may be forced to reveal your powers in front of her if her life comes in danger. Also there is the possibility that there may be Valkyur Regency spies amongst the city and of course SEELE is the primary threat but also you may need to act directly if the other group I told you about, archived by us as Pro-Sasaki may also attempt to transfer Haruhi's energies into Sasaki which they believe is rightfully hers, if so then respond as necessary, with deadly force only if absolutely necessary as this transfer would place Haruhi into the same state I found you in, only we won't be able to bring her back. Shinjin are not all powerful, we cannot resurrect the dead or create life with closed space, believe me, I have tried and failed. Furthermore Shinjin cannot directly affect other Shinjin, meaning I cannot simply wish Haruhi or Sasaki gone or directly alter their memories using closed space, with psionics or technology I could but that requires revelations they are not yet ready for and could cause a reaction faster than the memory wipe could fix. Laura will be replacing North High's Physical Education teacher and I will be infiltrating as a foreign student from the United States, because we are dealing with Shinjin I will need to be directly involved with this operation and as such I'll have to manage the Empire's day-to-day issues from Earth though this is not the first time I've gotten directly involved with long-term covert operations."

With these words said, the meeting was over.

The Next Month - Terran Calander, May 7th, 2015

Infiltrating the school was easy enough, in only a month Selvaria had learned enough of history and retained this information effectively to be an effective teacher, it was a nice change of pace from war though she did realize that in time, she may need to draw her blade and with the powers she has now under her control she will be able to avoid the fate she made last time. Laura was Earthborn and had been at Ray's side since before he rose to power and the two were as close as siblings, often being unprofessional in speech when not in a serious situation though the two never had any serious disagreements aside from Laura's concern over Ray directly involving himself with covert operations and in some cases, military engagements.

Ray himself was a mystery to anyone who did not know his past, something he and Laura keep to themselves though it doesn't really show unless someone asks about family. Ray knew Laura since the two were ten years old and their life had been filled with nothing but violence and fear until the day Ray disappeared, only to appear in the nick of time to save Laura from a crazy cult seeking her "sacrifice" and when he appeared, he had a sizable force with him and possessed superhuman abilities, prior to that rescue he was an ordinary human who was like the rest of Earth, ignorant to the state of affairs of the galaxy.

But right now, he was quickly getting bored with the way things were going, perhaps if he manipulated events further he could ease it but then again, he wanted to avoid being noticed too quickly.

Learning about primitive sciences and he already knew Earth's complicated history, even things that weren't in the history books, then came the moment he caught the brunette's attention.

Standing ready to run around the school's track, Laura was near, being the PE Teacher in point of fact, alongside Ray were two other students, this was an evaluation of their running abilities and their stamina.

Koizumi Itsuki.

A man everyone simply called Kyon, his real name irrelevant.

In the sidelines was Suzumiya Haruhi, watching to see how her fellow SOS-dan members will hold up to the transfer student, she already had a mysterious transfer student and that was Koizumi though Ray interested her slightly in the fact that he was American.

It was a hot day for most of the people here though Laura and Ray were in fact, Earthborn in the state of California and thus accustomed to higher temperatures. Laura was of Italian and French descent whilst Ray was mostly latino though his skin tone was a little lighter than that ethnic would be.

The signal was given and Ray who would give off the impressions of being frail due to his weak build was in fact capable of running faster than his two classmates and further than that, after over a full minute of running, showed no signs of fatigue or even any signs of sweating.

As the two minute mark was hit and the exercise finished, Kyon and Koizumi were strained though Ray showed no signs of fatigue, to him this was not because of his powers, this was because of technology. Inside his bloodstream was a complex stream of nanites that regulated his biometrics to the point that he could endure a lot of exercise before beginning to sweat as the nanites compensated for the human body's own inefficiencies.

After gym was past and Ray staring out the window during lunch hour, she showed up with a face filled with intent. Ray turned his head to acknowledge Haruhi's presence though merely did just that, confirming her presence then proceeding to ignore her, staring back out the window to which the brunette responded by grabbing him by the neck tie in front of the other students present and dragging him into the hallway seemingly against his will though in reality he was just playing along, being fully capable of stopping her without revealing his abilities.

Haruhi had Ray held against the wall ironically, in the very same place she did this to Kyon when she recruited (Forced) him to help her form the SOS-dan.

She spoke, saying "You seem perfect for joining my club, the SOS-dan (SOS Brigade), our intent is to find aliens, espers and time travelers and have fun with them. Interested?"

Ray replied "Perhaps I would consider the possibility of it if you would let go of me!" Haruhi decided to simply drag him further towards the club room though halfway there Ray decided enough was enough and he grabbed Haruhi's hand which was gripping his tie and clenched hard enough to cause her a bit of pain, forcing her to let go of the tie, though she turned with a hostile look in her eyes when facing Ray who was fixing his tie into a comfortable position until he realized the nature of her glare to which he then proceeded to remove the tie and stuff it in his uniform's pocket instead, preventing any further choking hazard.

Haruhi spoke, saying "Aren't you bored with the way things are? Are you seriously content with staring out at the window without anything crossing your mind?"

Ray replied "No I'm not content with the current state of affairs but I'm also not willing to be dragged and choked by you all the way to wherever you're taking me, I can walk just fine." Haruhi stared for a moment before walking towards the clubroom with Ray following and putting his tie back on.

Upon reaching the clubroom Haruhi opened the door and rather confidently presented to the occupants their new member as if he had directly agreed to join.

Ray spoke, saying "I said I would consider it, I didn't say I would join right off the bat."

The people present aside from Ray and Haruhi were...

Nagato Yuki.

Koizumi Itsuki.

Kyon.

Asahina Mikuru.

Haruhi didn't say anything in response to Ray's statement, choosing to completely ignore him, Kyon merely sighed, Koizumi kept up his smile, Nagato seemingly didn't do much more than acknowledging his existence though Mikuru had a slight expression of shock though thankfully Haruhi was looking in Kyon's direction at the time before she put up a façade of normality.

POV Shift - Kyon

Haruhi was at it again, another forced recruit into the SOS-dan though he honestly was not expecting it because Haruhi beforehand had shown little interest in a new member of the SOS-dan, Mikuru's reaction however piqued his interest as she for a moment seemed to know him and perhaps was afraid of him, he had seen that look before whenever Nagato did something extraordinary around Mikuru.

As time passed Ray had gone along with Haruhi's antics and agreed to join the SOS-dan, once it was down to Ray and Kyon alone however, everything changed.

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

Ray was playing a game of checkers with Kyon. Aside from general introductions the others had gone there way and there was still time for this leisurely game before class, Ray spoke, saying "Tanis."

It was a key word, it triggered memories that were repressed and Kyon, at least for the moment, remembered who he really was, that his entire family was in fact Praetorians and Praetorii with the exception of his younger sister who honestly had no idea what was going on.

Kyon then spoke whilst making a move on the board of checkers, saying "So you've finally decided on a course of action? You do realize Haruhi has, twice, looped the school years back to when I first arrived." Ray nodded, being a Shinjin he was immune to the temporal memory regression much like Nagato Yuki and the IDTE only for different reasons as Shinjin cannot directly affect other Shinjin, including their memories. Ray replied "Long story short, I'm here to steal her away from you. My interest goes beyond recruiting her as a Praetorii." Kyon let slip a few laughs before saying "You? Falling in love? That's something I'd never expect and in the odd case I assumed you and Laura would have started something." Ray dismissed that thought, he and Laura saw eachother as siblings even though they were not related by blood though he could understand how someone would get the idea of unexpressed feelings as their relationship had no restraint, they spoke plainly with eachother and rarely minced words, having seen the crazy side of mankind when they were kids. Although Ray looked 17 he was in reality, over 500 years old and so was Laura, the two having had an unexpected trip through time though whilst Ray chose to have his nanites lock his biological age at 17, Laura chose to keep it at 22 though Ray had recently adjusted the nanites in his blood to allow him to age normally again merely for appearances and Laura had done the same and the process could easily be reversed afterwards.

The Kylandarians had after all, conquered aging and practical longevity was normal life for the human yet extraterrestrial civilization.

Ray then said "Laura and I are close friends but it doesn't go further then that. As for my interest in Suzumiya it is perhaps because she reminds me a little of myself in my younger days. I wasn't as eccentric as she was and to be honest perhaps we are polar opposites in personality but one thing we have in common is that in our youth we had a bit of hyperactivity, Haruhi is still in this stage though I phased out of it long ago. As for Asahina Mikuru however, she is an oddity. We know she is a time traveler but from how far in the future has yet to been clarified, her genetics don't match up with anyone in the registry so she is most likely Earthborn. My question to you is whether or not she's a threat."

Kyon replied "Her younger self isn't a threat but I can't be sure of her older counterpart's intentions. Something must have happened between her current place in time and her future place in time, something that changed her outlook on things. I need to tell you this now however that my feelings for her are genuine, if possible I would like to avoid seeing her harmed." Ray shook his head slightly and said "Oh really? I never took you for the kind who would be torn between two women, what about Sasaki, I recall you confiding in me your feelings about her last time we had a talk"

Kyon didn't reply, truth be told Sasaki was at first just a friend to him but that was to his concealed persona. When his memories weren't suppressed it became something more, his experiences that made him who he was altered his personality slightly when he had access to them just as much when he didn't.

Ray decided to let Kyon's subconscious debate on this for a while and sent a small burst of data in Kyon's direction, causing him to regress his true memories and to the sleeper version, he merely played a wordless game of checkers with Ray, and lost it seems.

Night - POV Shift - Selvaria Bles

Selvaria was puzzled at the antics Suzumiya Haruhi had been responsible for. Although Koizumi's organization had influence in the school it wasn't enough to keep the teachers from constantly talking about the Shinjin's eccentric moments and in only a day Selvaria found herself even more puzzled at how someone like Ray could tolerate such behavior though she reminded herself that she doesn't truly know the man, having only been aware of his existence for a month.

Though compared to the horrors of war it was paradise. Despite her calm and sometimes cold demeanor in the past she despised war, hating having to take another man's life, using her powers to kill instead of to help. She only followed Maximilian because of her feelings towards him and as sleep takes its effect on the Valkyur who had finally been able to at the least for a while have a civilian lifestyle in a society more advanced than the previous one, Selvaria found her mind pondering the possibility that she was beginning to feel the same feelings but for the Imperator. Unlike Maximilian, he wasn't aristocratic or overly professional, he acted more like a friend than her superior. It makes her wonder how the rest of her people can view a man like him as the devil in their twisted view of the so called prophecy.

POV Shift - Laura Kylani

Laura always had a hard time falling asleep even in comfortable surroundings, at least when alone. Ever since she was 10 she had shared her nights with Ray, the two being on the run all the time meant they slept when and where they could, constantly being hunted down by insane zealots who believed a sacrificial ritual which would cost Laura her life would somehow stop all evil in the world. At ten years old her closest friend took lives to save her, back then she was an absolute stranger to him and the two lived lives no child should have to go through and when Ray disappeared when they were 15, she feared they had found him and killed him until the moment a year after that, just before a sword went through her chest, a formless shadow killed her would-be-murderer, that shadow then receeded and reformed into Ray's right hand, she remembered the gunfire from the men and women Ray had brought with him, and the words he said upon their reunion reminded her that he was a true friend.

"When I make a promise of that nature, I either keep it or die trying."

Laura slowly allowed sleep to take hold, keeping the bad memories locked away, remembering that the cult can no longer harm her. All those years Ray had protected and shielded her from harm, now she was in a position, an official one at that, to do the same for him.

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

Ray was alone in his new yet temporary residence, laying on his bed, staring at his own hand for some reason.

When he became aware of his true nature he erased his subconscious to prevent accidental use of closed space, as such he never dreams anymore, always falling asleep to darkness until he wakes to daylight although occasionally his direct consciousness has begun to adapt to the role of dreaming though it amounts to nothing more than himself alone in a dimension of either utter darkness or some kind of ethereal white realm where somehow his body shines brighter than the white around him.

To ensure he never dealt with emotional problems associated with war he used the nanites to suppress his emotions though somehow the direct sight of Suzumiya Haruhi broke through the nanites ability to suppress his emotions. Perhaps it was because she was a Shinjin like himself, perhaps they were malfunctioning in some manner that couldn't be detected easily or perhaps Ray's conscious mind has rebuilt a small part of his subconscious and that subconscious mind suppresses his nanites.

He has a plan though, one he must follow through on or Earth's stability is lost forever. The Valkyur seem to be militarizing their border and if they push through the Ne'Meann Expanse in full force then there is a chance Earth will become a battleground between two galactic superpowers.

He shakes his thoughts away, deciding to allow sleep to claim him.

Just before he falls directly asleep however, a sudden image makes itself known to his mind, an image that causes an emotion Ray has not felt since before learning of his nature as a Shinjin.

The emotion is fear.

The Image is Haruhi, age roughly 18, with what seems to be a cybernetic armor covering all but her head, her skin slightly pale.

The prospect that SEELE would get their hands on Haruhi and turn her into a living weapon without free will was in itself a worse fate than having to relive the bad memories of his life with his emotions unsuppressed, all 522 years of them.

He would not let that happen, even if it meant violating the Firstworld Accords with the Transvaal Empire because it would be better to have a galactic war for some 10 or 20 years rather than for SEELE to play with fire in the manner that causes incineration of not just yourself, but all that surrounds you.

To be continued...