Thanks for the responses! Have an infodump.

The acronym for Valvrave is canon, by the way. And if I understood the official site of the show right, the school had 3000 students, so I'm basing the numbers on it. Also, I didn't know what name to use: "kamitsuki" or "holy spirit". I ended up tossing a coin about it. The latter won.

3: Grip on reality

To say she was devastated would be an understatement. A huge one, more like, Saki reflected as she approached the two girls sitting in the hallway leading to the hangar. Shoko-san was curled into herself, her hands gripping her hair. Her crying was silent but visible, sobs moving her body irregularly. Akira-chan was next to her, as hopelessly helpless as usual, wanting to offer comfort but not really knowing how to, if Saki was to guess.

She had visited the dormitory everyone was at and had gotten something to eat and a change of clothes, now in her school uniform and a pale woolen knitwear jacket. She had intended to go back to Carmilla, to oversee the repairs and help the guys somewhat, but had stopped right at the corner of the hallway when she had seen the other girls.

This might have counted as eavesdropping, if there was anything to listen to. What made her halt, she wasn't sure of, but it might have something to do with the fear she was fighting down. Fear of lashing out at her friends in anger. Fear of doing something unforgivable to them.

Saki wasn't violent like that. She knew it herself, so why was she so afraid?

It was like she had multiple conflicting personas. One wanted to scream, wanted to throw things, wanted to someone hurt like it hurt her. One wanted to break down, just cry, cry until the whites of her eyes were red and all the tears dried out.

Worst of all, she wanted to give up. Just lie down, end this bad dream. This wasn't reality. No reality was this cruel on one soul.

All this was fueled by the girl having her own world broken into pieces in the next corridor. Or no, it wasn't just her—it was all doing of the cruel mistress, destiny herself pushing her down. She had gained and lost so much, her victories achieved with steep prices and loss was unexpectedly experienced time and time again. Her childhood a memory made of terror and bitterness, her dreams crushed by the corrupt adults, her friends dying one by one or lost because of a change in events.

The world had wanted to kill her.

She wanted to stop being the ragdoll thrown for feeble amusement.

Eyes wet, she changed her destination. Saki couldn't face Shoko-san in this turmoil. Not yet. The evening was close.

It was a sad sight, to see 40 students and two teachers looking like dead on their feet. It had been over than an hour since their arrival and while everyone had been fed, they still needed a week worth of sleep. Many still wore the school uniform, even if it was sullied with blood and dirt, meaning they had had no time to change or couldn't have done it on their own. Some had gotten their own non-uniform clothes on, hoodies and other comfortable pieces. They needed all the comfort they got.

Hastily prepared random chairs were scattered behind the girls' dorm, just next to the windows of the dorm rooms themselves. Those who couldn't walk were helped to their room window, so they could participate in the meeting with everyone else. No one was above the second floor, so no shouting was necessary. The air was tense, with nervous, even fearful students shifting in their seats with unease. Few spoke with their friends and others, speculating and reassuring each other. Some were still talking while standing up and the last of the people made their appearance one by one. The two teachers were having a discussion about something.

Notably Rukino Saki and Renbokoji Akira had been placed to the side, either because they opted to do so or the peer pressure had made the choice for them. Close to the pilots sat the ones aware of their condition, not afraid the slightest of them. Their fear was more angled towards their unsure future.

Sashinami Shoko sat silent in the middle of the broken circle of chairs. She seemed to be gloomy, but to anybody who had come to be reassured by her, she flashed a smile that couldn't quite reach her eyes. She appeared determined when she wanted, but clearly felt the opposite. It was also influencing the students– when the head of the state didn't know what to do, who did?

The module was shifting into night-mode, emulating an evening with a drop of few degrees. The setting sun was bathing the scenery in yellow and orange hues. The first Valvrave unit was visible from their meeting place, red paint glinting in the last rays of the sun.

As far as L-elf knew, the bomb scare regarding Hito had done the trick. He had taken a look inside and the body double was still present and untouched. His brief visit to the dorms the students were occupying made him note he was being avoided, too. He had gone there to make a check on who's actually alive, how many are injured and how badly and what they would need for efficient treatment. Ordering medical equipment and other easily transported utilities, like rations, made a credible cover for the order he had placed with A-drei. That way he could convince the pilots to attack the delivery ship later.

Clock slowly ticking down to seven, L-elf made a mental checklist on what he intended to reveal tonight. Honesty was his best option, excluding what made him try and save a member of the Dorssian royal family and the fact that Haruto was still struggling on.

Satisfied with his checklist and the headcount, he rose up from his seat which he had taken from the far side.

"We need to declare a quorum. Prime Minister, would you?"

The place fell silent and heads turned towards standing L-elf, who had changed out of his white uniform and switched to the school one.

Those who had not taken a seat yet moved to take one. Then Sashinami stood up. "The quorum is met. The meeting is official and can begin."

It was odd for L-elf to stick to formal meeting procedure. Even odder was how such a free spirit like Sashinami knew the procedure. L-elf had probably told her.

Satomi was uneasy. He knew what this meeting was about – hell, who didn't know – but was still nervous. This, here, was a turning point he didn't wasn't ready to face. All had gone to dogs, this whole day and the whole academy and the whole New JIOR thing. He knew what the Dorssian refugee was planning and wasn't really against it, seeing his sister gave her support for it. He was happy for her, happy that she might find a place outside the confines of a room or a Valvrave.

But he would be in denial if he said he didn't fear this. Losing the run for prime minister had been a bitter experience. He could have lead the country, stopped the massacre before it even began!

Well, he wasn't sure about the leading. Or the whole 'students are monsters, let's kill them all,' thing, as he didn't have all the facts.

"You have questions," L-elf stated, "and you will have answers. First is news. Tokishima Haruto and Yamada Raizou have fallen in the line of duty."

A collective silence was his answer. Satomi's silence was one of shock, comprehension slowly dawning. It explained the solemn pilots and Sashinami's fragile state. It explained why there wasn't a boisterous orange-haired delinquent shouting about being Thunder.

First shock fading, there were multiple reactions. Murmured questions, some anguished faces, shaking heads. Takahi beside him had clutched her hands in front of her chest, grimace on her face. Satomi saw Otamaya put his head in his hands leaning forward. Iori and Midori were sitting at the edge of their seats, looking like they had seen a ghost.

Satomi glanced at Akira, who was watching the ground. She already knew, he realized, assuming from her lack of reaction. Next to her Rukino was stubbornly still, her eyes wet but not actually crying.

L-elf let the mutterings die out before continuing. "I will explain everything from the beginning, meaning the first Dorssian attack."

"Actually, let me start from even further," said Kibukawa-sensei with raised hand. He stood up and waited for a reaction from L-elf, who nodded. Curious heads turned toward the teacher.

"JIOR declared their neutrality, but they were developing weapons in secret. One of the projects was the 'VAmpire Link Vessel Rune Activation Vital Engine', or as you know it, the Valvrave project."

Shocked murmurs were heard, but Kibukawa-sensei raised his hand as a sign for quiet. "Valvraves are alien technology, developed for a while now. For the project, a module was to be produced. The Module 77," he explained, naturally taking the role of a teacher. The students remained silent, either of shock or fascination or both.

"The module was to have JIORan military personnel as the secondary citizens. Every resident of this module was part of the army somehow. The prioritized citizens, meaning non-military ones, were the students of the Sakimori Academy.

"Here's the kicker about the students: they were classified as important because they were supposed to be pilots for mass-produced Valvraves. The students were made specifically to pilot them. The civil life on this module functions as a cover for weapons research and development facility."

Satomi was still. Shock had frozen him and his trail of thought. This, just – it ran deeper than he ever could have guessed. Of course it was weird for a school to have weaponshidden away, but it was just downright baffling that the module – their home, Module 77 – was a lie. Lie solely dedicated to protecting the Valvrave project from public eye.

Kibukawa-sensei let his words sink in before continuing. "This will probably hurt, but I'll be frank. By saying you were made to pilot them means exactly that. You all are… produced," the hesitation to use the word was evident, "to have the genetic requirements needed to pilot a Valvrave."

Produced. Produced to pilot. Like cattle raised for milking and meat. Sheep nurtured to give wool. They were supposed to be animals for JIOR to use.

Satomi was sick to his stomach, his understanding making him wish for some kind of ignorance.

But it was ignorance that had gotten them into this mess, wasn't it?

His reaction was shared with many students, confusion and despair making them more restless. Swallowing this kind of information so suddenly was hard, Satomi knew from experience now. Akira had a shocked expression, meaning even her in her clever hacker ways hadn't uncovered the truth.

"Doesn't that mean we're monsters, after all?" An angry male voice shouted. A new wave of confused questions hit the teacher, who now raised both of his hands in an attempt to calm the students.

"Don't call them that!"

Everyone turned their heads to see who the new speaker was. It was Sashinami, Satomi realized, when she rose up with her shoulders tight, clutching the hem of her skirt. She glared at the whole crowd. "Don't go calling your fellow students like that. Not when they're the ones protecting us!"

Few students looked ashamed, some like they might protest. Satomi glanced at Akira, who had a considerably good poker face on, but he couldn't help noticing how Rukino twitched in irritation or in anger.

"No, you are not immortal," L-elf interrupted before a fight broke out, effectively getting the attention back at himself. "While you are modified, you are normal humans. Until you decide to pilot a Valvrave unit. We don't know how, but they change something inside you, making you more resistant to dying. Not truly immortal, however – I don't know if you will age, but the best way of killing a pilot is by blowing them up."

The blunt words made people grimace, silence falling once again. L-elf continued his calm explaining.

"All the units are fueled by so called runes. Those runes are things like memories, DNA, speech, emotions – in other words, information. That's why the best source of runes are humans. Runes must be acquired by the pilot of the first unit, who collects these runes by biting a human. Those runes are somehow transferred to the first Valvrave unit. Other units use Mirror Engine, and the first unit distributes the collected runes to them."

The heavy words made almost no sense to Satomi. Runes, information, whatever – why wasn't it public knowledge? It would probably revolutionize industries, daily lives, make spending energy no concern. Instead they were fuel for weapons. And the process of getting runes seemed… icky.

"The Phantom, the ship you saw during the broadcast, is indeed here. We took over it on our way from Earth because we didn't know what threat it could have posed to us, if we left it alone."

It had caused a threat by just being there. Whoever had sent it had to know what was inside. The Earth crew had decided to tell about the Phantom after the catastrophic conference, but somehow the journalists found it. It was too convenient.

"Those humans inside the ship were locked to a machine that collects the runes from them forcibly. We don't know how, since it is alien technology, too. But we know what those aliens are. You might have seen it: the Dorssian leader was being possessed by one."

Who hadn't? After things had calmed down momentarily, people watched and discussed various news reports. Dorssia tried to disclaim the video, saying it was doctored, but did everyone actually believe them was unclear. The Wired network was on fire with differing opinions. Satomi knew it was true, since he had heard the plan from Tokishima and witnessed L-elf wearing the bloody uniform earlier.

But aliens as an explanation sounded so flimsy. It wasn't unbelievable, seeing the whole Valvrave thing, but it still felt odd.

Various students looked lost, questions waiting to be voiced and answered to, but L-elf clearly planned to go through the whole story without stopping.

"Those aliens are called Magius. This is second-hand information, but according to a Magius Tokishima met, they came to Earth few centuries ago. They need runes for food and have no bodies, so they jacked humans to survive here, switching hosts when the body became too old. Met with resistance, they formed a council consisting of Magius and humans.

"That council concentrated on keeping their existence hidden, while securing runes for themselves. Along time, they became too influential. They have possessed and non-possessed people loyal to them in high positions such as the Dorssian leadership. I came up with a plan with Tokishima to reveal them to the world."

And they killed – or tried to kill – the Dorssian leader live, the same way Rukino had been. The list of names on Wired was true, then.

And if those Magius had such a reach, it could mean they could control media. Make sure a show of killing a Sakimori student was released. Make sure a hapless TV reporter found a ship full of enslaved humans in the home of the students.

"We were set up," Satomi whispered, horrified. The closest ones to him whipped their heads towards him.

"What?" Takahi was staring at him too.

"We were set up," he repeated louder. "If those, those… aliens can control nations, why couldn't they control the media? Show people what they want them to see. Like how Rukino can't die and then having that reporter find the ship they most likely sent here is too big coincidence!"

His words cleared up the situation for everyone.

"They wanted us to be hated," Iori remarked with wide eyes.

"They wanted to get us all killed!"

"But why would they want to do that? We didn't do anything!"

Disorder broke out, the students confused of the revelation. Some were crying or close to it, many held their heads in their hands and wild questions flung about. The extend of the manipulation, how they were made to be the beasts in the eyes of the public and the consequences of their actions were punishing thoughts in everyone's minds.

Satomi ran his hands through his hair and leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees. He didn't know why yet, but so many other things were clear now. Ignorance truly would have been bliss.

A gunshot ran out. The crowd quieted immediately, Satomi and others startled. He saw L-elf aiming a gun up on the sky.

"Sit down. I wasn't finished."

The distraught students took their seats again, tense and blinking tears away. L-elf calmly lowered his pistol, clicked the safety on and put the gun behind his back under his jacket, tucked into his pants. So that's why he had the full uniform on, Satomi surmised. Hiding a gun as his ace.

"I suspect we got too close. The Magius I mentioned Tokishima meeting was a dissenter, who wanted to go public with her knowledge and co-exist with humans. Council disagreed," L-elf told simply. "I have met two Magius, the one in the body of Amadeus and one in the body of my former superior. Both had the same thing to say: they want to have world peace and hide their existence. They think of themselves as humanity's protectors. Meaning they manipulate the world as they see fit."

And they wanted a rogue nation in line. Satomi was disgusted but also impressed at some level.

"Then… how did Tokishima-kun die if his Valvrave is still in one piece?" A voice called out from a dorm room window.

Curious cases followed L-elf. "A weakness for the Magius and Tokishima Haruto is their need for runes. Tokishima hadn't fed in a while, so his Valvrave started using his own runes during his fight. He essentially forgot everything, even his own name, before dying."

A brief pause followed.

"It was also how Nobi Marie died."

Confusion was profound in the crowd. She hadn't been a pilot.

"Nobi was a prototype tester. She interacted with the engine of the first Valvrave unit, the experiment made on using runes. She lost her memories, but the experiment was ended before she died. On Earth, to save us, she piloted the first unit for the last time. Her runes were used up."

It made sense, Satomi admitted.

"I will tell what happened, concerning the pilots and Magius, since the first Dorssian attack."

The sun was gone by the time L-elf finished his recounting. Takumi was content to let him do the explaining.

But he noticed how L-elf conveniently left out the reason for why he had dashed off in the middle of their mission on Earth. It had to have something to do with their amazing escape, and while Tokishima had told him generally about a sympathetic Magius woman, he didn't know what exactly she had to do with L-elf.

It had been hard for Takumi to admit what had been going on behind the scenes, but the facts had to be let out. Everyone could now do their own decisions. This whole evening would take a while to fully settle in, but having everyone know would be for the best.

Now he wondered about that magic or something that the Magius and evidently Tokishima-kun could do. It utilized runes somehow, so the thought reminded him about the first unit's pilot's state. It might be the reason behind the sustaining – brain struggled to keep the body and itself alive even in extreme conditions with unconventional methods, such as sinking into a coma. Maybe the other pilots too could do that magic too.

"We should have known since the beginning," Nanami beside him suddenly voiced. She was as shocked as the students, since she basically was the only person in the module to be an adult who didn't belong to the military. Despite her injuries, she chose to sit outside. Although shaken with revelations, she had gathered herself up and was now showing confidence, for the sake of the students, Takumi assumed.

"I-it's horrible that you all are subjected to that… I'm not part of the military, just an ordinary teacher intern. And to have worked to someone who's just using you… for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Her touching words were a small relief – not every adult was out to get them, then. If somebody didn't believe her, they didn't say their doubts aloud. Takumi laid a supportive arm on her shoulder.

"It's true. Nanami here is the only grown-up to be outsider. I'm also sorry," he admitted to the students, wincing lightly, "for putting you through everything and lying all the time."

Earning forgiveness was going to be hard, but it was out now. He wished the students came through to him in time.

Air was heavy around the students. While many questions were finally settled, they still had to think what was going to happen next. Forty people in a big module, drifting through space, everyone around them hostile and waiting, probably going to strike sometime soon. It spelled only more death, if they didn't do take action and fast. Takumi understood the restlessness, feeling unsure himself.

Sashinami, for the first time since her outburst, rose up to speak. "I think everyone here has been fooled by different people. Nonetheless, my actions as your prime minister have been unacceptable. I'm willing to resign from my position."

"What?!" was almost collective reply.

"You can't do that now—"

"Please!" She interrupted. "I'm responsible for the death of, of… of thousands of students! I want to help everyone, not be the one sending you to your deaths—"

"Stop running away!" Takumi realized Rukino was the one shouting now. She rose up fast enough to topple her chair almost over. "Haruto died to save you and now you're giving up?!"

Her angry eruption captivated the students, L-elf only observing impassively. Renbokoji sitting beside Rukino was taken aback and was watching the girls alternately. Nanami was already rising from her seat but Takumi grabbed her shoulder. When she looked at him questioningly he shook his head. Let the girls talk it out, since he knew they both had been close to Tokishima-kun. Takumi was ready to go between them if they started throwing punches.

"I'm not giving up, I'm taking responsibility. I'm not fit to lead," Sashinami insisted.

It only seemed to aggravate Rukino, who now pointed one finger at Sashinami. "Haruto supported you, even when you cast him aside! You're right, you're not a good leader, but for fuck's sake, he trusted you! Trusted you to make the right decision!" She took few deep breaths and crossed her arms, her gaze steely.

"But you run away. He wanted a place where we both could live." It was clear what she meant by both. "You could have carried his dream forward."

The straight words struck Sashinami, who lowered her head and clutched the hem of her skirt again. It seemed like Rukino was of the opinion that Sashinami was more or less to blame when it came to Tokishima-kun's supposed death. In these kinds of moments Takumi wanted to reveal one more truth, the one L-elf made him keep secret. Loss was becoming a permanent fixture in the lives of these kids.

Sashinami in turn took a shaky breath and straightened herself, looking Rukino straight in the eyes. "I want to," she said aloud so that everyone there could hear her. "But it's not my right. If the people want me to step aside, I will."

The declaration stirred unease once again. While the facts were on the table, distrust was still prevalent, making everyone conflicted. Immortal pilots, who needed to feed on humans and said humans living together was uncomfortable thought for many. Takumi knew the idea needed a lot to work, when trust was one of the cornerstones. And trust was the most difficult thing to establish in this environment, between two different levels of food chain.

"I have a solution," L-elf stated abruptly, interrupting Rukino who was about to answer.

"Prime Minister. Shut down the nation of New JIOR."

How many stunned silences can one man cause? Takumi felt like bashing his head against something.

Shoko was… dumbstruck.

L-elf was probably the most logical and rational person on the whole module, at least of their age group. Suddenly wanting to put their lifeline out of business was… it was so against the image she had of him.

"What the hell are you saying?"

"You want us to go back being part of JIOR?"

"That's not going to work!"

The students held a similar opinion. She knew they might want a different leader, was willing to go with the majority – even support L-elf, Satomi-senpai or Kibukawa-sensei – but shutting down was out of the question. It meant they were fair game for any nation or those Magius.

It had struck her as weird, when L-elf asked for a formally recognized meeting. But now she understood why: he wanted to officially end this.

"W-why would I do that?" she almost yelled over other protests. Agreeing shouts were heard, but L-elf remained calm.

"So that I can establish a new nation. Or, you can treat this as a coup d'état," he said, while casually taking his gun back into his hand, keeping it lowered.

The implied threat made so indifferently was effective. It made everyone wary, even more than before, and it made Shoko worry. Worried for the safety of the people remaining, worried for their future and most of all, worried for their sanity. How did adults handle these kinds of sudden events and were still able to keep going on?

"New nation?" she questioned. That didn't make any sense.

"We have seen how far this democracy has gotten us. I made a promise with Tokishima Haruto to unveil the world; to create a place for humans and holy spirits alike. To ensure success, I'm taking the lead."

"Then what are you suggesting if there won't be a democracy, like we all decided?" Shoko could understand his desire to honor the promise he made, but going this way about it was unusual.

"A kingdom, an empire, oligarchy if needed," he stated.

Meaning he was going to lead one way or another, she could guess.

"Give me the reins and I'll stop the unnecessary casualties, like the ones we have witnessed here," he addressed all. "I can make Dorssia our ally. We could get the uncooperative Magius and the council out of the picture. And it would be a place for everyone."

L-elf could be charming if he wanted, Shoko supposed, or he was just being his own manipulative self. It was most likely a mix of both with some fear added in, seeing he was still holding the gun.

"We're with him," Rukino-san stated. She hadn't sat down again, and now took steps towards L-elf. Akira-chan, clearly hesitating because of the attention she was getting, stood up nervously and trailed after the other pilot. Support from them meant a rift was open.

Shoko understood them with no problems. It sounded wonderful, a place without any hate, and she knew Haruto would have loved something like it. But she was torn between her feelings and her duty once again. When majority didn't want something, it usually meant it wasn't happening. Expect this question was about relinquishing the need for said majority.

What was she supposed to do?

She saw Satomi-senpai rise up, this time. "I'm with him," he declared too. He was following his sister.

Many were hesitant, conflicted about who they should support. This wasn't as clear-cut as the election for the Prime Minister had been. This meant a potential new enemy. Those who didn't necessarily want a new country could be left without a place to be.

Now Takahi-senpai and Otamaya-kun rose up, almost at the same time. Sighing, Kibukawa-sensei followed suit. Nanami-sensei beside him was surprised. She thought for few seconds while looking very concentrated, and finally she stood up little staggeringly.

Questioning glances were thrown around by everyone seated. Both teachers had chosen the new choice. Following them, some students rose up. Some of those stuck in the dormitory raised their hand in a gesture of support. Midori was one of the standing ones, looking determined. Iori sitting next to her was perplexed, and Shoko saw Midori give her a small, encouraging smile. The smile was the icebreaker, and she in turn stood up.

With thirty-odd students standing or keeping a hand up, L-elf had gained the majority needed to make a decision. Granted, as the Prime Minister Shoko still could veto the whole thing, but found herself unwilling. The speech was convincing, and most important of all, it was something Haruto had fought for so fervently.

Shoko smiled. They could do this. She, in a way, was held responsible of her actions with this decision. "So, L-elf the first, what does a kingdom sound like?"

He smirked in reply and put his gun back to its place. "It won't be 'L-elf' the first."

Puzzled expressions took place.

While not a unanimous decision, support from the Prime Minister herself had changed many minds, Akira was glad to see. Infighting would not do well for them.

"I, Prime Minister Sashinami Shoko, declare the nation of New JIOR closed down, effective immediately." Shoko-chan said with a loud voice.

"I hereby declare the foundation of the Galactic Empire and the Module 77 its territory," L-elf continued after her as loudly as she had.

This was it.

So much had been stacked against them, and now they were going to win against those odds. Akira would make sure of it.

She had a press statement to release on the Wired.