Reflections on a Maiden Star: Nina

It's a funny thing, a city. I should know. I stood by and watched while the most despicable man of the age destroyed one over the course of a year. In the final days, I was right next to him, and did nothing. That I was still accepted as a member of the Takamachi-Harlaown family after that...well, it tells me just how good I have it with my friends today.

When I woke up, it wasn't like many of the others. No hard ground for me, nor was it a luxurious bed with giant windows and servants wanting to wait on my every whim. Nagi believed he had crushed me. At the time, he was actually closer to the truth than I really care to admit.

Sorry. I always get a little depressed when I think about just how easily he tricked me. Maybe I should start at the beginning.

The room I woke up in was probably ludicrously luxurious by any sane standard on almost any planet. The bed was soft, if not quite as large as it could be, and the room was set up with everything you could want, if not quite big enough. A personal computer - a luxury even among Windbloom's elite, had been set up in one corner, no doubt to help me manage reports. Nagi had planned on me being his slave for a very long time to come. In addition, there was a small table with chairs for entertaining, a chest for any personal posessions I might pick up, and of course a closet.

Really, there were only two problems with the room. The first was that it was actually just a part of Nagi's vast quarters under the palace itself. That's why there were no windows, but more importantly was that escape would be impossible without Authorization. The closet was stocked with nothing but my new uniform, a Meister uniform in slate gray with blood-red trimming. With dismay, I noted the usual white apron had been replaced with jet black. A symbol of what I now was, a truly cursed Otome.

I would like to say I showed some outward sign of how I was feeling. Maybe I could have screamed and destroyed the whole place. Of course, then I would have been made a prisoner to be sure I didn't hurt Nagi. Maybe I could have cried. That might have been better. At least then I would have gotten to go out. I suppose I could have taken the TSAB's route and been horrified I woke up without any clothes, but I doubt I would see the humor later on if it had been me.

Instead, all I did was put on my uniform. I had a job to do, after all.

Nagi's first order was pretty simple. I had been found inside the city, but he speculated the others couldn't have been thrown very far. So, I was left on my own to scour the immediate countryside looking for the others. The first one I found was Shizuru. Strangely, she had been flung to an empty spot in the middle of the desert near the base of the Sprite's Forest. If you visit that spot today, it's a new, lovely terraformed path...but that's really getting ahead. I scooped her up and she was quickly placed in custody.

The second was a lot harder. Nanoha had been found still within the city. And I wasn't the first to get to her. Instead the same gang of ruffians she had beaten off had escaped from jail the night of the Schwarz attack. They'd found her and taken her to a hideout in the canals...in the catacombs in fact.

There's one fewer tunnels on the Windbloom Catacomb Tours these days. I prefer it that way.

Just about the moment I had gotten Nanoha tucked into her new bed Nagi called me. He wanted to observe a ground-breaking ceremony on a new training facility in the city for the Windbloom army. We took the armored limosine - with the handles restored - out to the canal district.

Without a word, Nagi and I got out of the car, and got up onto the podium that had been hastily erected. The army had set up a wide perimeter around the work-site. Other than the company, it looked pretty normal, actually. A lot of heavy machinery lined up near one of the canals, waiting to begin work. I probably wasn't needed, but kept my eyes on the windows just like I had been taught, just in case. To be honest, I don't remember any of Nagi's speech. At the time I'm sure I just didn't care, and it was probably content-free fluff anyway. Some lame effort to justify what happened next.

In accordance with tradition, Nagi dug the first shovel-ful of dirt. That seemed to be the signal. The various construction vehicles immediately roared to life, reaching into the shantytown at water-level and smashing the ramshackle homes. There was no regard given to the people who were living down there. They got out of the way or they were crushed.

Someone in a Windbloom uniform shouted "Any who are living in the development area are now required to leave the area, by order of the Royal House of Windbloom. Those who do not comply will be arrested and deported from the city."

Nagi smiled as he gestured for me to follow. I couldn't watch, even as the shooting began.

As soon as we had returned to the palace, I ran to Nanoha's room. I practically tore the door off its' hinges trying to get to her, and when I did, I was disappointed to see she was still in bed. Still not entirely sure what I was doing, I closed the door behind me, as quietly as possible, and sat down by her.

With her eyes closed, hair loose on the bed, she looked so different from her usual self. Gone was the observant warrior, or the caring classmate. She was completely relaxed and happy, a state that was so hard to truly find her in. Even during her date with Fate, there had been an undercurrent of worry.

Yes, I saw that. No, I'm not telling you what happened. It's private and I was only there to make sure everything went off just so.

I don't know how long I sat there. Nagi was probably busy planning how best butcher puppies or something for the rest of the day, so I didn't get called away. At some point I was called for dinner but just had mine brought to me. There wasn't even a new John Smith yet, so Nagi was probably dining alone too. That suited me just fine. Eventually, long after the sun had gone down, Nanoha's eyes fluttered open.

"You're probably wondering where you are," I told her. "You're in the new palace. I think you've been out cold for about a day after the accident."

"...where's Fate? Where's Mashiro and Arika?" Nanoha forced herself to sit up, flushing and hastily pulling the blanket over her shoulders when she realized what she was wearing - that is, nothing at all.

I had to shake my head. "I don't know. I only found you and Shizuru. She's being kept under lock and key...somewhere. I'm not allowed to see her."

I could see Nanoha gulp visibly. "Nina...I...oh I don't even know where to begin."

"Don't!" I screamed at her. "Please, I don't want to know! I don't want to know what happened!"

Nanoha stared at me as if I'd gone insane. Well, she probably had the right. "Nina...don't want to know what?"

I forced myself to be calm, but even then I was clenching my fist tightly enough to draw blood. "Whatever happened between you and father. If you did...something...I don't want to know about it becuase...I just don't. And if you didn't, I don't want to know because everything I've been through today would be a lie...I don't want that. So please....I'm just happier not knowing..."

Nanoha swallowed again. "Nina...I don't honestly know what that was about either. I went to talk about Fate, but the way Sergei -"

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!" I cut her off. "You're lying, aren't you! You lost your privlige to be an Otome! If you didn't, prove it! Materialize right here!!!"

"...is the Shinso working again?" she asked, looking at me so calmly. I just instantly deflated.

"No,"

Nanoha shook her head. "Then I can shout 'Materialize' all night and all day if you'd like, nothing will happen." I almost couldn't take that she was right. "Where's Raising Heart?"

"What?"

Nanoha smiled. "Raising Heart? My Device? She's the little round sphere when in inactive mode.

I gulped. "It's down in the basement. The scientists tried to analyze it, but it knocked them all out. We're keeping it locked up right now."

Nanoha pouted. "Please don't refer to her as if she was just a thing. She's sentient, you know."

"...an AI?"" She had an artificial intelligence the size of a piece of jewelry on her the whole year and I'd never even spotted it. I couldn't have known at the time, but still, the news was crushing to me.

"Yes, an AI. That's probably why she's not letting you analyze her. She knows I wouldn't like it." Nanoha took a deep breath. "May I please have her back?"

I shook my head. "The Archduke won't allow it."

Nanoha bit her lip. "Then...I'm a prisoner here?"

"For the moment. You'll be seeing the Archduke for lunch with his offer," I explain. "Your things have been brought from the school, so wear something nice. I should go. If you need anything, the bell on the wall will bring up the servants, day or night."

"...thank you Nina. I'll try not to abuse it." She said.

I didn't go tearing through the castle, determined to get to the bottom of things. I'm not Nanoha, or even Arika.

So instead, I went to bed to sleep on it. I actually got to sleep in that morning, since Nagi still wasn't ready to leave the palace. Probably just as well, since I found out later the riots weren't over quite yet by that point. He didn't have any appointments, and he wasn't even ready to leave his office.

He was probably just letting me stew, or maybe keeping me in the dark while he picked out the new Smith.

In any event, I literally had no more excuses. It was time to see my father.

Other than the guards at the doors and the hastily-welded bars on the windows, his new quarters were remarkably like his old office and residence in the embasy. The walls were made of the same depressingly-dark metal as the rest of the place, but it looked like most of the furnishings had been brought over or replicated.

"Oh, hey Nina." Father was behind his desk, working at some paperwork just like always. Except for the bottle of brandy on his desk, open and half-empty. I could smell it from across the room.

"...Father, don't tell me you've been..." it was almost enough to make me forget I had come to accuse him of trying to sleep with my classmate.

He just gave me the same smile as always, the smile that had charmed me ever since he adopted me. "Drinking? Yes, I suppose I have. It's not like I'm expecting visitors."

I just stared at him for the longest time, while he looked back at me. I think it was five minutes or so, before I finally worked up the courage to ask. "Father...is it true what Nagi said...about you and Nanoha?" He just....looked at me, like a lost dog or something. "Oh my god, father!?" I screamed out at him. "What the Hell? There's just...there are no words! I can't believe this!"

"Nina, you don't understand!" He tried to interrupt.

"What the hell is there to understand about this!?" I screamed back. "You tried to sleep with someone half your age! An Otome candidate! Th...there's no excuse for this! For even thinking about doing that! I still don't understand why Nanoha was so hell-bent on graduating from Garderobe, but the least of what you tried to do is ruin her!"

His eyes glanced around. I had never noticed that gesture before, but I recognized it as being the same one Nanoha used when she was nervous - he was looking for an avenue of retreat. "Nina, the archduke -"

I slammed my hand into the wooden facade, my enhanced strength being enough to completely shatter the entire door-frame. "Do - don't you dare go trying to pin this on the Archduke!" I restrained myself from trying to throttle him, I still had enough control to know one punch from me would be enough to kill him. "Father, you almost did this. I....I don't know what to say. I'm going to go take a walk."

I did slam the door on my way out.

I don't know how many hours I wandered the halls of the new palace. I think I found someplace to sleep sometime, but I couldn't even tell you that for sure. But a few things struck me. There were actually three different pools, for some reason. I wasn't stopped from going into any of them, but at two of them I was given weird looks. Guess one was for the scientists, one for the soldiers, and one was for us 'important' people.

I also discovered that the kitchens were fully automated. It was truly a technological marvel, even if it rendered all of Miss Maria's culinary arts classes completely useless to me. The only place any humans figured into the process was the taste-testers. Nagi would need them. I found out that four people died during his stay in the palace on that job.

It was after lunch when I finally found my way back to her room. I waved the guards off and opened the door. She was sitting there, wearing only her night-dress even though it was freezing inside, brushing her hair quietly and looking out the window. It was as if she had never even noticed me come in.

"Nanoha?" This time I knew my voice was trembling.

She smiled and looked over her shoulder at me. "Nina...are you all right?"

"...I'm the one who should be asking you that, silly."

Nanoha stood up and turned away from the window. "Then why are you the one who's crying?"

I was shocked. Slowly, I reached up and touched wet cheeks. "...that...that can't be right." I tried to smile. "I...I can't be crying over that jerk. I mean, he's not even my real father, or anything like that. Wh..why would I care about what he tried to do?" Suddenly, before I knew what I was doing, I ripped my pocketwatch off its' chain. "That's right, Father, WHY THE HELL SHOULD I CARE ABOUT YOU?!" I was at the window in a flash, startling Nanoha and trying to get it open. "Dammit! Why won't this thing open!? Oh, never mind!" I drew my hand back, about to just try to throw the hateful thing out the window.

Nanoha grabbed my wrist. "Nina! Stop! You don't mean that!"

"The hell I don't! He's a monster! He -" We struggled for a moment, and then the watch fell out of my hand and popped open.

Nanoha stared at the portrait of Father in it for a few moments in shock. "Nina...you mean...the man you were in love with..."

"..." I couldn't believe it...why did she have to find out like that? I collapsed, starting to sob into my hands.

Nanoha's arms fell around my shoulders, pulling me into a gentle embrace. At the time, I didn't recognize the language she sang her lullaby in, but later I learned it was from her home planet. At the time, it didn't matter. I just cried, probably for hours, letting out all the stress of the past few days.

When I finally calmed down, Nanoha was still there. I sniffled. "Nanoha...I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."

"It's okay, Nina. The important thing is, what do we do now?" Nanoha gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze.

I shook my head. "I . . . I don't know. But I'm going to talk to Nagi. Maybe...maybe we can still stop this from going any further."

You know, at least I can say I made the biggest mistake of my life when I was only fifteen years old. It probably takes most people decades to screw up this comprehensively.

I found Nagi in the throne room. Right then, I should have grasped what he was up to. There was a mousy-looking man, with a clipboard, with him. His tiny little glasses and short beard marked him out as one of the scientists working on what I knew as "Project V." But that wasn't what I should have noticed.

Nagi was sprawled out in one of the chairs on the dais, nodding at the new Smith and trying to pretend he comprehended what the egghead was going on about. More specifically, he was seated on my right. Traditionally, that would be the queen's place.

But I didn't notice, being too intent on my mission. A polite cough sent Smith scurrying. Nagi looked at me with a slight frown. "What's with the scary face, Nina? We were in the middle of important business."

"I'm sorry, your Highness," I said, attempting to keep things as formal as possible. "But I have to ask you, what are your intentions for this city, and for my friend?"

Nagi blinked, as if he was surprised this would come up. "Is this about that little display in the city? Oh, come on, you know I had to put on a show for the army."

"A show?!" I spluttered out, completely flabberghasted.

That was all he needed to send my head spinning. "Of course, Nina. Schwarz still thinks they're in control of this operation, and I'm sorry to say they're not quite wrong yet. This new Smith's a pushover, but there's still a group behind him making the big decisions. Until I can find out who they are, we do things their way."

"What the..." I tried desperately to get my control back. "You mean to tell me this was all about bringing down Schwarz?"

Nagi smiled. "Well, not at first. Nina, this plan's been going on since before you were born. Before everyone involved now but maybe the Major was born, actually. It's from my father's notes. You know the country's history. The man was an idiot, not good at making much but children. So he tried to make a deal with Schwarz."

I narrowed my eyes to slits. "And you just happened to find his notes, co-opt his plans and turn them back on themselves?"

"Well, no." Nagi shrugged. "I decided I wanted to have a say in Windbloom politics and the original Smith seemed like a reasonable fellow. It's really no one's fault he died, but that put Schwarz into...hm, how to put this....'batshit-crazy' mode. So I had to do some nasty things to stay in the game."

By this point I was trying to find words. It seemed so reasonable, but something just didn't feel right. And then he dropped the bombshell. "Of course, now you're caught up in this too. After all, an Otome and her Master are legally inseparable. I need capable assisstants at my side if I'm going to turn this around. I need an Heir of Windbloom who is strong, competent, and loved. And I need an Otome. Otherwise, I'm sure I'll end up in front of a firing squad."

...and so would I. It was perfect, too perfect. There was only one thing I could say in response. "Yes.....Master."

I didn't go back to see Nanoha. I couldn't. I just took a ride up to the roof, my first in an elevator. It took ages, but it was also my first. I was a little excited. I stepped carefully out onto the maintenance platforms for the main gun. The moon had just started to rise, and with it, my patron, the Maiden Star. I looked up into the sky, and only despair shone back down on me.