Gamindustri, in the era after the ASIC crisis, was largely regarded as a period of peace. Peaceful coexistence between the annexed states of Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox was miraculously accepted by the masses, thanks in no small part to Gamindustri's goddess, Nepgear.

Yet, one could equally argue that, as a result of this peace and lack of rivalry, Gamindustri as a whole has stagnated. All competition ceased, and with it, all hope of rapid technological progress. Simply put, society may on the surface have seemed fine with the sudden change in power structure, but the underlying suffering of stagnation was rapidly becoming a prominent issue.

No progress.

No resolution.

Life under Nepgear's planeptune slowly ground to a halt as the penny dropped for most people. Questions, important ones, ones that were neglected in the shallow anticipation for peace began to surface.

Some thirteen years after the expansion of Planeptune, Nepgear looked down from the top of the highest tower, her eyes morbidly ignoring the stunning view.

She knew this was inevitable. One day, the world will realise. Hence she tried, harder than anyone else, to maintain the status quo. If she was really lucky, the truth would be dismissed as slandering lies produced by disgruntled citizens.

But that'd be too easy, wouldn't it..?

As the young goddess gripped the metallic railing with a trembling sigh, the refined sound of the towering, opened door behind her being knocked on brought her back attention back to reality.

"May I have a moment of your time, Nepgear?"

"Ah, Kei…" Without turning around to face her oracle, Nepgear greeted her. "Don't tell me…did we just lose more shares?"

"Yes. We've lost shares for the third month straight, some 10% down this month. If this decline continues-"

"It won't. I'll fix it."

"I have every confidence you will, but-"

"I just said I'd fix it, so won't you leave it to me? Or has it reached the point where even my oracles no longer believe in me?"

With a dismissive reply, Nepgear began her slow retreat back to the confines of her office. Her every step on the marble tiles made a hollow echo through the grand workplace, the sterile silence making her solitary march all the more lonely.

Elegantly sliding into her arm chair, she briefly stared at her immaculate desk, moments before the papers flooded in. The equipment neatly laid out on it were taken from the desks of her former friends, rivals and allies. In other words, they were most likely the last remaining traces of Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox in existence. These heavy thoughts would weigh her down every time she touched this table. It served as an unforgettable reminder to her, of the people who had paved her path, and even laid their lives down for it. All to satisfy her rash, immature whim.

As Nepgear ran her finger along the letters proudly engraved onto the stationary, she felt a familiar ache wrench at her heart. It hurt. Extremely so. So much so, she felt the strength leave her limbs. With a small smile, she embraced this crippling longing.

To be able to smile like this…even when I'm suffering as I am…

She sighed, disgusted by the thought that she could still consider self-pity a possibility for herself. She had chosen this path. Out of all solutions, she had selected the path of conquest. The bloodiest, most painful path.

I'm so messed up…

"Kei…"

"Yes, Nepgear?"

"Bring in the papers."

Watching her stoic secretary walk in with the same, remarkable stack of documents, Nepgear reached for her pen.

Ahh…let's go through the motions today as well…


"...And done."

With a fatigued sigh, the young girl dropped her pen some hours after she first sat down.

"Good work as always, Nepgear."

An encouraging reply came from behind the tall stack of paperwork that slowly lumbered towards her.

"You're joking, right?"

"Hmm?"

"Put those down, Kei. I'm not touching that pile any time soon, so save your breath."

Nepgear arced back and reached to the skies, feeling the blood circulate through her stiff body. Casually turning her head to the tall panes of light purple glass which made up the walls of the top floor, she suddenly stood up.

Watching a sole dove circle the glass tower before diving down into the abyss that was the city below, a question crept into Nepgear's mind.

"Say Kei…"

"Yes, Nepgear?"

"How much are you and the others hiding from me?"

Her eyes trying to keep up with the dove's flight, Nepgear casually let her deepest concerns slip from her mouth.

"I don't for a second believe that, after such a leadership, the only thing that fell was shares. If I alone could outperform four CPUs…"

Kei stood without a word and averted her gaze.

"So…can I hear the truth? Can I know the actual state of…this nation? Or do I need to step out, see how bad things have become for myself, for the first time in goodness knows how long?"

With an irritated sigh, Kei nodded and began speaking.

"I'll brief you simply, a full explanation is just inefficient and will serve only to ruin what lingering optimism you have left. The economy's just falling apart with the drop in shares, the lack of new games only serve to prevent a recovery. The long awaited 8th generation consoles and the endless 'delays' just cause public morale to continue its spiral downwards. Also, the riots have been harder and harder to silence-"

"…Riots?"

"Yes. It's one thing when the old conservative uncles, drunk on cheap booze, calls you out for changing their way of life as you did, but this isn't the case. No one is sharing this vision with you anymore, not after what they see it actually being."

Nepgear coolly strutted towards the translucent walls of the tower, casting her gaze down at the city below. Even from afar, she could tell, it was no longer the same city, the same nation that she had come to love. With the total loss of the previous chemistry, the happy-go-lucky spirit had been sucked out of the people, slowly but surely. It was reflected in the way the balance of power was so totally shifted towards Planeptune. As Nepgear's position strengthened over time, more and more shares poured into the district directly under her control. It was only matter of time before the line was evidently drawn in the sand.

What remained?

The goddess stared out indifferently at a small dividing border, running along the length of her capitol. Directly beyond it lay the crumbling ruins of former superpowers, now home to countless slums and the black market. In the width of a two lane street, such a disparity between qualities of life could be seen.

She had, effectively, plundered her former rivals' territory for the good of her own nation. This was the true face of her rule.

So what?

Why try to hide it from me?

"…As if I didn't know it from the start."

In a pitifully quiet voice, she uttered her bitter retort.


A crack of thunder roared through the grey skies of a long abandoned no man's land. Spiralling out from nowhere, the ground began to crumble. A vivid, orange glow flowed through the rapidly spreading cracks. Within seconds, the climate had adapted itself to suit this post-apocalyptic environment. Howling gales swept through the land, spreading the suffocating heat far and wide. The air was dry, the sky a murky black smear.

Within this cauldron of nightmarish weather, a shadow slowly emerged.

"This time…there will be no escape."