("Chapter's pretty long this time, but I've gotten to a part of the story where I want to have the chapter stop at a certain point. If you can guess the biggest reference...s made in this chapter, give yourself a cookie!" - A hungry author.)

(Recent edit - Just some mistakes here and there, including calling Steamax 'Steambox.' Enjoy that free reference.)


Down in the sewers under Leanbox, Thomas had joined with Ultradimension's Neptune, and the two robots Affimojas and Steamax in a mission to rescue some mysterious individual. The individual had been responsible for being a nuisance to the robot invaders holding down Leanbox. For the group, it was in aid to spring them out of their own captivity. Owing some of that debt, and due to the individual's impatience, the four have taken a hidden path into the sewers, heading their way close to the Basilicom, where Neptune suspects the person is held.

We return to a battle, already in progress. Unlike the majority of battles they had with weak rats, we see the group engaging against what look to be... camels? Why are these camels in the sewers? Why are there goofy-looking knights similar to those riding Dogoos on top of these camels? Why are the camels green and spitting out acid? Why am I asking these questions when I've seen land whales and visual novels as monsters in this world?

Unlike the Dogoo Knights, the knights sitting atop the Sewer Camels wielded a long spear, and made use of their reach to pester the group, keeping them away while their camels were getting ready to spit some more acid. It became frustrating for someone like Thomas, who couldn't get close without a spear trying to jab him.

As Neptune and Steamax tried to fight off a few of the camels, Thomas found himself struggling with one. Getting around the camel in the short tunnel he was currently in was hard enough, but he also had to contend with both the knight and the camel. Approaching from the side, Thomas found the spear aim right at his head, and was quick enough to pull back and avoid the stab. Going directly in front was also unwise as the camel would try to bite him if he got close.

Thomas gritted his teeth, once again going to the side and trying to force the knight's spear away from him. If he could just get an opening, he likely thought, he might inflict some damage. Moments after he parried an attempted stab, however, the camel turned its face and tried to spit right at him. Thomas eeped, dodging and rolling back to avoid the acidic spittle, but it was enough for the knight to recover and refocus his spear towards Thomas.

However, just as this happened, a large metal fist came across from the other side, slamming into the knight's armor. The punch was strong enough to knock the both the knight and camel down. With the Sewer Camel down, Thomas took this moment to recover and chop down at it with his sabre. Thomas panted briefly before turning to see Affimojas return to a standing position, and gave the robot a thumbs up while catching his breath, "Appreciate the assistance, Affimojas."

"Happy to oblige," Affimojas replied, "You did look like you needed it."

"The monster was a little annoying," Thomas admitted, "I still have much to learn about battle."

Affimojas nodded, "I see. Do you think you will be able to hold on your own for this mission?"

Thomas winced, "I sure hope so." Looking to change the topic, Thomas joked, "If you like, I can lend you one of my weapons, and you can take the vanguard."

Affimojas sounded a little taken back from that, "Uh, that would not work so well. No offense intended, but your blades would not fit well." The robot showed how his hand would likely dwarf the blade's handle.

Thomas laughed weakly, "Ha, you, you have a point."

"Unfortunately, my weapons were confiscated," Affimojas noted, "I may be able to lend a literal hand, but I will still need to rely on your help. Do you understand?"

"Don't blame you for not wanting to fight," Thomas nodded.

"Uh, well, there is that, too," Affimojas said hesitantly, looking over the hand he punched with. Some of the acid from the camel managed to 'ruin' some of his armor, though with minimal damage. He wriggled his fingers, "When this is all over, I am going to get some cleaning and polishing done."

Thomas checked through his inventory, though he smirked at the last line, muttering, "Yeah. I hate sewer levels, too."

Meanwhile, Adult Neptune was tearing through the rest of the monsters like she was slicing through bread pudding. She easily dodged the enemy attacks from knight and camel alike, using her two blades to parry and counter against the knights. Steamax, for his part, provided support with his ninja arts, adding a few elemental attacks to keep the enemy off-balance.

Steamax hopped back to avoid a last, desperate charge by the final Sewer Camel, barely avoiding a spear. Just as he got up to brace himself, Neptune pulled out her pistol to finish it off with a few well-aimed bullets.

"That was a close one," Steamax noted, "I thank you, miss Neptune."

Putting her weapons away, Adult Neptune beamed in the thanks, "No problem, Steamy!"

"Psh~!" Steamax did a spit take, or whatever was the robotic equivalent, "S-S-S-Steamy?"

Neptune tilted her head at the reaction, seeming in thought about something, "No? I'm trying to think of a new nickname. I wasn't too keen on 'moody ninja', anyway. So, no go on Steamy, huh?"

"A n-nickname isn't really needed," Steamax complained.

"Nonsense!" Neptune retorted, "Nicknames give everyone a little light. Come on, we've worked together, it's only natural!"

"You just saying it is natural doesn't make it so," Steamax grumbled.

Neptune grinned, "Well, it's natural for me, then. Now, let me think." She went off into listing a few ideas from the top of her head, in no particular order, "Steamy, Hazy, Steamer, Jirocopter, Steam Press, Misty, Steam Sale, Smokey, Ken, Steamed Ham, Kid Yang, Barrel!, Mister Internet Ninja, Little Scamper..."

Steamax cringed inwardly with each potential but random nickname, leading up to Neptune stopping and pointing at him. "How about I call you... Thief?" Neptune asked cheerily, "I mean, that's what you did as a ninja, right?"

"You went with Thief?" Steamax asked in a perplexed manner. At this point, he wasn't sure if Neptune was trolling him, but wouldn't be too surprised. He knew full well of Neptune's teasing habits, regardless of dimension.

Neptune glanced up, still looking to be in thought, "Sure, why not? I think I can get away with calling you two 'Affy and the Thief'. Oh, sounds like an old sitcom, I like it already."

Steamax responded to this negatively, "Calling me a thief on top of that?"

"Yep!" Neptune smiled cheekily, "That's what happens! Once you steal and become a thief, that's your name for now on. So, whaddya think?"

"I liked Steamy better," Steamax grumbled.

"Steamy it is!" Neptune quickly changed back, her smile widening at her switch, as if she anticipated Steamax's complaint. Whether the nickname would actually stick didn't matter, as Neptune was clearly teasing at this point.

Returning back to the other two, Thomas blinked as he spotted something in his inventory, "Uh, sir Affimojas? Remember what I offered at the beginning of our business meeting?"

Affimojas stopped everything, focusing on Thomas with a sense of urgency, "By the great makers! After all this time, you still have it?"

"I did get back my inventory after I was captured," Thomas said, jumping a little by the sudden change in tone that even he would notice, "After all that's happened, oddly enough, I still have it."

Affimojas remained stiff, as he was unsure how to react next. Eventually, he asked, "May I see it?"

Thomas shrugged a little, pulling the item, a box, out of his inventory, "I was going to give it to you after the meeting, anyway. So, yeah, here." He carefully handed it over to Affimojas' free hand that wasn't contaminated so much by icky sewer water. If Affimojas had expressions, he would be grinning for ear to ear. Instead we were treated to an audible gasp from the big robot as he looked over whatever Thomas offered.

Steamax, trying to move away from Neptune's teasing, swiftly moved to Affimojas, looking over his shoulder, "General? Is that what I think it is?"

"It is, Steamax," Affimojas stated triumphantly, showing the face of the box to his friend. A figurine could be seen through the display at the front. "Though it certainly lacks in posability, this rare, handcrafted, limited-edition figure of Lady Vert created for the release of Four Goddesses Online is finally within my grasp. Notice the emphasis on each and every detail that was put into this one, Steamax. Clearly, such a person could only be someone who studied greatly from the school of busty blondes!"

"Oh~!" Steamax exclaimed in awe, "Are you sure you want me to be looking at this?"

"Steamax, do not be foolish," Affimojas responded, "Even though you have moved onto another school, you will always be welcome as a fellow man of culture!"

"General!" Steamax exclaimed, clearly moved by his friend's response, "I will never forget your kindness!"

While the two spent time, uh, looking over Affimojas' new addition to his collection, Neptune raised an eyebrow at this, walking over to tap Thomas on the shoulder. "Hey, uh, Tommy?" Neptune asked, "Mind if I ask how and why you got your hands on that?"

"Hmm?" Thomas blinked at Adult Neptune, and shrugged, "I had a few business contacts, and since sir Affimojas' tastes were... uh, well-known, I thought I would offer a token of goodwill." He paused, then said, "Maybe this was a bit much."

"I'm more surprised you kept that in inventory for so long, ya weirdo," Neptune saw an opportunity, teasing him.

Thomas sweatdropped, "That was not a purchase for myself!" He grumbled, "Even if I wanted to, that hobby's too expensive for my budget."

Before Neptune could joke further, she was rudely interrupted by the voice on her communicator crackling to life. Neptune grimaced as she brought the communicator back out, the voice coming in more clearly, "H-h-hey, could you get me the name of this individual? I've been looking for some little Noire figures and thought-"

As though everyone in the group was in-sync, they all answered with a blunt, "No."

"Psh, fine," the voice said, trying to act dismissive, "Be that way. I was only asking..."


Adult Neptune finally led the group to an end of a tunnel. At first, there was concern among the others that Neptune's sense of direction led them to being lost in the complex sewers. However, Neptune still looked as confident as she was much earlier. She stopped in the midst of the tunnel, glancing to one side before stopping.

Neptune pointed at the wall, which looked like any other brick-layered surface. Walking to the wall, she squinted at the surface before turning her head to Thomas, "Hey Tommy, could you spare a moment?"

"Hmm?" Thomas curiously walked over, looking quizzically between the wall and Neptune.

"Could ya help me with a little push?" She asked as she moved her hands to the wall, motioning Thomas to move beside her. Thomas complied, putting his hands on the wall next to Neptune's, and began to push. He felt something give way, and pushed a little harder, as the two slowly opened a secret passage.

Thomas kept pushing, while saying in an aside to Neptune, "Don't tell me? This is some ancient passage built by people avoiding the mad king?"

Neptune shrugged, "Maybe. I just know this passage exists." After one last push, the passage was now fully open, enough for everyone to get through.

Entering inside, the group encountered a seemingly empty area, with a giant rope attached to the ceiling. The ceiling itself looked to be several stories up, and there were large sliding doors on one side. Thomas noticed the placement of the door, and asked, "A lift?"

"Something like that. This old passage leads close to where we need to go," Neptune stated, "We have to go to the doors at the top floor. You'll see why once we get up there?" She went to the rope and gave it a tug, before looking to Thomas, "It's not too much a fall if you drop, but anywho, can ya climb?"

"Can I climb?" Thomas asked incredulously, repeating to himself, "Can I climb, she says. Can I climb..." He grimaced a little, "What is with all these situations where I have to climb? But yeah."

"Alright, so you wouldn't mind going first?" Adult Neptune said, offering him the rope. It appeared to be secured to the ceiling.

Thomas blinked, snapping out of his brief distraction, "Uh, yeah. I'll head up first." Taking the rope from Neptune, Thomas immediately started to scale up the wall, and Neptune moved back a little as the others watched.

As Thomas was scaling up rather quickly, Steamax took the moment to quietly ask, "So, miss Neptune, mind telling us exactly why you brought him along?"

Adult Neptune hummed for a time, before shrugging, "He interests me."

"In-interests you?" Steamax stammered, trying not to sound too loud, "Are we talking about-"

"Mayyyybe," Neptune said lightly, "I dunno. Saw the guy running off and holding off a bunch of robots on his own. Thought he could be useful. Didn't know he was with the other CPUs. Can't help but be a little curious."

"He did not seem have to that much strength," Affimojas interjected, "Are you sure now is a good time to be 'curious'?"

"Made it!" Thomas called to the people down below, letting the rope go once he got the door open and went inside, "Coast seems to be clear."

Steamax hopped a bit in surprise, "Already? That was a quick climb."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Neptune muttered, before saying, "I call dibs on the next climb!"

Walking over to the rope and giving it a few tugs, she then turned towards the two robots, joking, "Now you two better not be peeking while I'm climbing, because-"

She blinked, realizing the two already turned around to take another look at the figurine. "General, we're in a predicament. Is it possible to keep the box closed and still check out every detail?"

"Hmmm, how shall we proceed? Perhaps if we tilt this, slowly," Affimojas went with this plan, holding the box up for both to look over, and slowly tilting it.

Neptune smiled wryly, "Oh, sure, there's a cute girl nearby, but your attention is on 'someone else.' Right."

She began her climb, as Affimojas muttered to his friend, "If we had our inventory, we could've gotten a camera out."

"I heard that," Neptune said aloud, to which the large robot sweatdropped.

"Let us remain focused on this figure," Steamax replied, as the two continue their looking, all while waiting for Neptune to finish her climb.

Meanwhile, Thomas had gone into the dimly-lit room, looking about. The entrance was out of the way, with a warning sign about what was beyond. Elsewhere, however, there were tables, couches, and even a vending machine still active within the room.

"A break room?" Thomas pondered, looking around for any signs of activity, or a camera. Even though Neptune led them through relatively safe waters so far, he still was worried about any surprises.

Thomas glanced at the other door leading out from the break room, before looking around again, seeing the goods from the window of the vending machine. At this point, Adult Neptune was nearing the end of her climb, popping her head up into the room, "Ooh, the vending machine's still working here?" Neptune hopped up and got into the room, turning around and calling down, "Alright! You guys are up!"

"I... guess?" Thomas kept looking around the room even as Neptune turned her attention to the vending machine. "This looks like a break room. Are we at the Basilicom?"

"Not quite," Neptune said, "Though we are close. Oooh, hey, I got some credits. Want something? How about some chocolate?"

Thomas shook his head, "I'll pass, much as part of me wants to taste actual food again."

"Hmm, alright, was just offering," Neptune shrugged, idly playing around with her sleeves, "Anywho, we're in a break room because, well, these robots don't take breaks."

"Too bad," Thomas said dryly, "If they did, I would suggest attacking while they were resting."

Neptune feigned shock, "How cruel! I bet you would attack while they were having lunch!"

Thomas raised his eyebrows, "I'm a little sore over their launching this firewall crisis unannounced at a time of peace." He grumbled, "Oh, and everything else since then."

"Right, well hold off on that revengeance," Neptune insisted, slowly reaching for her communicator, "We'll have our chance soon enough."

Thomas closed his eyes, humming quietly in the affirmative. Meanwhile, Neptune tapped the communicator a bit, "Hey, uh, mister mysterious voice." She paused, before mocking a quote, "Mister 'always been listening' not on the line?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," the voice crackled to life, "Just trying to remain cozy here. Where are you now?"

"Break room on the top floor," Adult Neptune spoke, as she moved towards the other door to slowly open a crack, "we'll move closer, but I need to know if there's any things ahead."

The voice sighed, "I get it. Sheesh, even for my own rescue, I need to help you guys."

"Perhaps we should turn back and let him rescue himself since he thinks so lowly of us," Thomas commented dryly.

"Oh, don't be such a sour lemon," the voice responded, "I wish I could break out on my own, but I actually do need your help. Why, just now I found out that the top floor is clear."

Neptune cut in, "Alright, that's all I need to know. Hang in there."

"Not like I have anywhere else to go," the voice said matter-of-factly before the communicator clicked off.

Thomas grumbled a bit under his breath, before sighing, "My apologies, miss Neptune. I should not have spoke during that conversation."

Neptune kept her smile up, "Nah, it's no biggie. If anything, it just gave him a bit of a push. Or not. I don't know for sure." She emphasized the last sentence as she pointed to the communicator.

"Ah, I see," Thomas kinda got the gist, given that the voice was 'always listening.' Neptune appreciated the push, in any case.

Steamax had just hopped into the room, and turned to kneel down by the entrance and reach down, "Uh, could you two help a little bit? We need to pull in Affimojas."

Thomas winced at the thought. Even with Steamax and Neptune, he was just asked to help lift up a heavy robot. "Uhhhh..." This could take a while.


"I hope for all our sakes we do not have any more of that king of platforming." Affimojas said while they traveled down the empty floor's corridor. Both Neptune and Thomas looked like they just had some heavy lifting. Okay, they did.

Steamax slumped a little, "At least we got you through that. The rope was remarkably strong."

"I'm actually quite light for my build," Affimojas said, feeling a little insecure, "But I suppose it was a struggle for a few humans."

"If there is a next time," Thomas said in a slightly pained tone, "I suggest Affimojas goes first."

"Aaaah, agreed," Neptune concurred, her eyes spinning a little after that bit of work.

Affimojas complained, though he kept his voice low during it, "You would send an unarmed man first into the fray? Have you no sense of shame?"

"You're built like a freaking tank!" Thomas said in a bit of exasperation.

"It is true you have a high amount of HP, General," Steamax couldn't even stand up for his friend here.

Affimojas scoffed, "Et tu, Steamax?"

Neptune shook her head, "Okay, let's calm ourselves." She said this as the group approached enough door, "We're heading into the hangar. Everyone, crouch done and try not to make much noise. You too, Affy."

"Affy?" Affimojas sounded perplexed, though this may just be the reaction to getting a nickname more than anything.

Ignoring him, Neptune bent her knees, along with Steamax and Thomas, and slowly opened the door. Affimojas sighed quietly, but eventually went down on his knees, going for a crawl just so he can be close to everyone else's level. "This is rather undignified. I pray word of this does not spread," Affimojas was feeling embarrassed having to crawl while the others got to crouch walk.

"Hangar?" Thomas mouthed out the words without making much of a sound. He would find out shortly what Neptune meant, as the group walked onto a high platform in a large open space. Thomas felt a small outdoor breeze, and turned his head to see an underground passage heading outside. He could make out the city in the far-off distance, as well as some small flying bits in the electric skies.

Pulling himself back, his eyes set on another sight for sore eyes. He knew it all too well, as did the others, with Affimojas holding himself back from jumping up immediately to reclaim his airship. The airship that had crashed at the beginning of this story had been dragged all the way over here, docked at the hangar and not looking too bad. There were some definite scratches, and one of the wings looked like it was recently patched, but otherwise, it looked to be in decent shape.

The platform had plenty of boxes and other containers, apparently for loading onto the airship, or anything else docked here. Neptune saw this, and led the group over to a series of crates to hide behind, as she could see a few of the jet robots moving down below, landing for some maintenance. It didn't take long for her to notice more of the basic robots lingering around the airship's main entrance below.

Thomas and Steamax sat next to Neptune, with Affimojas trying to blend in with a different set of boxes, looking more like a giant spiky turtle hiding in his shell. Thomas raised a finger to the others, pointing at himself as though asking for permission to speak. Neptune nodded, holding two fingers close to each other to note how much volume she wanted.

Thomas agreed with a small nod, and pointed over at the airship, "Is he, is our 'friend' on board that ship?" Neptune nodded again in agreement.

"It's not surprising," Steamax commented quietly, "When we crashed, the robots that caught us dragged us to a lab close to engineering. They used the equipment there to scan us for information. However, they seem to struggle with everything else, as though they are not familiar with the tech."

"Odd," Thomas blinked at the explanation, "They didn't go deeper and mess with your circuits?"

Steamax shook his head, while Neptune spoke next, "I remembered something about it from the underground resistance. Other than a quick scanning, they just toss any robots they capture into captivity, as they do with humans. It's the friendly monsters that needed the most protection. They look to kill them on sight."

Pondering on this, Steamax continued, "I didn't recall a whole lot during the times I was scanned, but I remember they took a lot of interest in technological advancement. Any new items, consoles, weapons, they were curious about. Next to the CPUs, that was information they sought the most from my memory."

Thomas looked back over the airship, before looking carefully to the robots down below, "Interesting. For now, however, our focus should be getting inside."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Steamax whispered, looking at Affimojas and pointing out something for him. Affimojas looked at where Steamax was pointing on the ship, and gave a thumbs up.

"Is that so?" Thomas said with a tilt of his head, "Possible to get in without getting spotted?"

Steamax thought some more, "Those basic robots won't be difficult, but we need those jets to be preoccupied. As soon as their maintenance is done, they could go anywhere, and we'd be much easier to spot."

Neptune grimaced, "Yeah, right now I'd rather not set off the alarms and face waves of robots coming in, especially with all those jets outside."

"We just need a few seconds," Steamax said while looking around the bottom floor. The area down below was more clear compared to the platform they were on. That didn't mean there weren't a few things laying around, from scrap metal to a few electrical devices.

Steamax eventually stopped at a far corner of the hangar, with a couple of familiar-looking barrels. Although they were not the explosive kind, Steamax did recognize that these stored plenty of fuel, presumably to fuel some of the older vehicles that Leanbox had in small supply. Air travel was still a new thing, but Leanbox was the one nation that was leading in that regard. They didn't have massive airships like the one Affimojas had, but they were developing blimps and planes to try out. There was a reason there was a hangar in Leanbox, after all. They even have a small air force of planes! Er, had, I guess.

"If only..." Steamax had an idea, but was frustrated by his lack of items. He then looked to both Thomas and Neptune, "Any of you got cloths and a glass bottle? Some alcohol?"

Neptune blinked, taking the moment to joke, "Is it really time for Steamax to become the drunken ninja master?"

"It's not for me," Steamax grumbled, "I need to make a fire bomb. So?"

"Oh, you need to make that kind of cocktail," Neptune perked up, "No problem! I got one ready for ya!"

"Uh, really?" Thomas was surprised as Neptune dug into her inventory and pulled out a ready-made fire bomb for Steamax.

"Hey, I was working with an underground resistance," Neptune noted, "This sort of item is expected. Plus, I was kinda thirsty this one time and-"

"Just give him the item," Thomas winced, not wanting to know about Adult Neptune's drinking history right now.

Neptune pouted a bit, but complied, and soon Steamax was ready to set off a fire with his ninja art, and toss that flaming cocktail into the corner. However, he waited to give Neptune and Affimojas time to lead Thomas to a part of the platform where they would hop down onto a part of the airship. From there, the group would go along the side of the ship until they would enter an emergency hatch to get inside.

Thomas briefly had a moment where he felt tense about jumping down. Looking down at the airship, he was reminded of his great fall at the beginning of all this and became rather nervous. His skin paled a little and he felt a bit light. This wasn't the first time he had to deal with heights, but all the recent reminders has gotten him concerned.

"Hey, Tommy? You okay? You're losing all your colors," Neptune said with a nudge of her elbow, "A little squeamish over heights?"

"Yeah, maybe so," Thomas admitted, "A few unpleasant flashbacks didn't help."

"Ah," Neptune nodded, before sliding her feet a bit closer to Thomas, and offering a hand, "I'll help you out here. We'll jump together, okay?"

Thomas hesitated briefly, but Neptune was having none of that. Taking the hand, Neptune said, "I ain't gonna bite your face off. Wait, you're not into that, are you?"

Thomas glared at Neptune, who simply smiled back in response. "Relax, Speedy. We got this. I'll make sure we won't meet a bad ending," Neptune whispered softly at him, firmly grasping his hand. Thomas turned a bit red. Oh hey, she's managed to get him some color back. Regardless, Thomas was rather conflicted by all this. He was getting the feeling that this Neptune might be flirting with him. Or teasing. Or both.

With everyone in position, Steamax set off a flame, and tossed the fire bomb well above the robots below, crashed close to the fuel barrels in the corner. The fire bomb did its thing, setting off a small fire that eventually made its way right up to the barrels, slowly heating things up.

One of the basic robots noticed the fire starting, and made a noise to notify the rest, which reacted with caution. The nearby jets were moved to a safer distance while the others were preparing measures to try to douse or contain the fire. Just before it can do anything more, however, the fire set off a chain reaction, leading to an explosion and an even bigger fire.

Steamax sweatdropped, remarking to himself, "Perhaps that was a bit much. I wanted to cause some chaos, not set the hangar on fire. Oh well, I'm out!" And just like that, Steamax darted off, surprising the others just as quickly as he leaped down onto the ship's side first. Affimojas soon followed, carefully looking for the smallest jump he could make before stepping off. He landed with just a little bit of noise, but since the other robots were busy reacting to the fire, they did not notice the large robot hoping onto his own airship.

Finally, Neptune led Thomas on the count of three, using her free hand to count for the both of them, before the two jumped off, landing a bit roughly on the surface of the ship. Thomas tried to keep balance, but Neptune was there to lead him to more stable ground, allowing the two to hold.

To make sure Thomas stayed secure, Neptune pulled him over to her side. "You good?" She kept up her light, innocent tone, "Told ya I'd be of help."

"You know, miss Neptune," Affimojas said in as quiet a tone as he could, "You could've asked Thomas to hold onto my back when we jumped. A jump down would not mean as much for my own body."

"Oh?" Neptune acted surprised, though considering how much she's acting out her line, she might be fibbing, "Truthfully, that thought never crossed my mind. Silly me!" She then gave Thomas' hand another tug, "Let's hurry up and get inside."

Thomas couldn't even get a word in as he was pulled in with Neptune.


The group made it through a secret hatch that apparently Affimojas had built in case of emergencies. He didn't anticipate having to use it to get inside the ship, however. Still, with the robots not being good with security or newer tech, the group was able to get into one of the many rooms on the airship.

Everyone soon recognized where they ended up, given the insane number of breakable crates laying around. Even with the robots running things, this corridor was filled with crates littered around. Heading in, the crew ducked behind the crates, with Affimojas taking a few crates to stack them, creating a bigger barrier to hide behind.

"Y-y-you can let go of my hand now, um, please?" Thomas finally got to say something once the four hid by the crates.

"Aww, alright," Neptune seemed a little disappointed, but let go anyway, "You did say please. Anywho! Let's get to it! Time for a rescue!"

Steamax quickly interrupted, "Miss Neptune, if I may suggest something. Perhaps you and sir Thomas should move on ahead. We'll remain behind in case you need extra backup. Your job is extraction, after all."

"I was going to suggest you two stay back, actually," Neptune said, "Maybe you can find some weapons around all this junk you could use."

"There are weapons in these crates?" Thomas' eyes widened at that thought.

"I am not sure," Affimojas shook his head, "As you saw outside, they could have all sorts of things in these crates. They may have moved a few things."

Neptune leaned back a moment to think, then nodded, "Alrighty. You two don't go too far off. We might need your assistance at a moment's notice."

Steamax bowed his head, "Please, be careful, the both of you."

"You too," Thomas said, growing more nervous as he followed the still-confident Adult Neptune away from the two robots and into the halls of the great airship.

Meanwhile, Steamax walked over to check on his friend, who sat by the stack of crates, "You think they will need any luck for whatever's ahead?"

"I can not say for certain," Affimojas answered, "I feel as though we have missed a lot since we were captured." He tapped a finger on around his chin, thinking, "That man, Thomas... he feels... different from when we last met."

Steamax hummed in the affirmative, sitting nearby, "Indeed. He did not strike me as someone who would be fighting on the front line."

"You did not fight directly at first, either," Affimojas responded, "At least, when you began your work by my side."

"Ah, well, a ninja is best used to the shadows," Steamax was quick to answer back.

"Yes," Affimojas nodded to his friend, "But you did take on the goddesses, on your own, one time, did you not?"

There was a moment of silence between the two. It was a time when Affimojas had tried to take on the goddesses himself, near the end of their time being villains. Steamax, despite having been chastised and fired by his General, tried to head off the CPUs when they found his airship. It was a bold move, and if not for the actions of one merciful CPU Candidate, he would've met his end. He was loyal, to a fault, to his long-time best friend and comrade.

Steamax, upon this reflection, said, "I... I understand. Then perhaps he, too, has something he would fight for."

"That, and such time adventuring can have an effect on anyone," Affimojas said, muttering, "We all know too well what that could do."

"Let us hope things turn out well," Steamax said simply.

"Agreed," Affimojas said, before the two took another moment to rest and ponder their next move.


Unlike the sewers or the prison, the airship was well-lit. There were hardly any shadows to truly sneak in to keep from being spotted. However, the rooms around the airship provided plenty of cover to hide from view. For Neptune and Thomas, this meant hiding behind more crates, under machinery, or even climbing onto a few platforms, all to avoid being detected. The voice on Neptune's communicator even made sure to mess with any camera feeds. Despite the stress this person was under, he still seemed relaxed for someone in captivity.

It didn't take long for the two to get to the laboratory, quietly walking down the corridor to the doorway and stopping short. Leaning against the wall beside the open doorway, Neptune signaled for Thomas to stay still while she looked inside.

Peeking inside, Adult Neptune saw several basic robots holding out weapons, prodding at a force field surrounding a large metallic capsule attached by many wires into some machinery. Outside of the force field, other robots are busy fiddling with a few terminals in a futile attempt to bring down this force field. Neptune easily surmised that the individual was inside that capsule. Whoever it was, this person was really good with tech if he could somehow turn the tables on his captors like this.

Moving back, Neptune took out her communicator and spoke into it, keeping her voice down, "We're here. I can see your accommodations. Looks a little too cozy."

"You're telling me," the voice responded, though at a lower volume so the robots in the other room don't pick up, "But I need to get out and stretch my legs, you know?"

"There's quite a bunch of metal madness in there," Neptune noted, "Gonna be kinda hard to break you out without being noticed."

"Yeah, about that," the voice said, and already the two grew wary of what was to come next, "I actually want you to go in and break me out."

Thomas narrowed his eyes, saying dryly, "Are you serious? We'll be swarmed with reinforcements. That includes you, by the way."

The voice seemed dismissive of that prospect, "I've taken some precautions. Look, break me out and the reward will be worth it. I've done all this work with the resistance, even helping you out through this journey. Come on, just a little more help. Please?"

Neptune rolled her eyes, but said in an aside to Thomas, "I have to do this, Tommy. We've come this far. Also, he did say please."

"I know," Thomas said with a frown. They got in this deep into enemy territory, after all. After a pause, Thomas asked, "Do we just charge in?"

"I have an idea," Neptune said, "But first, hey there in the capsule, mind bringing down the force field once we make some noise?"

The voice sounded a tad relieved, "I am glad to hear that. Yeah, that's the idea. You won't regret this, I super promise!"

"Super promise?" Thomas mouthed out.

"Alright, get ready," Neptune said, putting the communicator away and taking out her pistol. She spoke to Thomas afterwards, "I'm gonna go in first. Once the force field is down, charge in straight for that capsule. Ready?"

Thomas bit his lower lip for a second, before taking a deep breath. He then said, "Be careful out there."

"Same to you," Neptune nodded with a wink, holding her gun at the ready. After a few breaths, Neptune ran in, yelling, "Time to Nep things up!" Some of the robots turned their heads and made a few beeping noises before Neptune began firing. Neptune focused her attacks on the robots poking the force field, keeping her distance while strafing around the room. The robots that haven't been shot up began pivoting around and getting out their own weapons to try to stop the intruder. This was just what Adult Neptune wanted. She could only hope that Thomas didn't get cold feet looking at this unfold.

Thomas shook a little bit, feeling more nervous while he watching Neptune dodge incoming fire before closing in and switching to her dual katanas. He then looked at the capsule, as the path was open enough for him to run to. He squinted at the capsule, looking for anywhere he had to go to open this thing. However, he had to act fast. The alarm system went on and he could hear that weird siren again. He wasn't sure if he'll be able to escape even if he fled now.

"Time for some insanity, again," Thomas clenched his sabre, and started his charge towards the capsule. As though the individual knew, the force field dropped, giving Thomas no obstacle in the way. Although many of the robots were trying to stab or shoot at Neptune, one robot did notice the new intruder, and turned its gun on him, firing a few shots.

"Yikes!" Thomas panicked, running to the side to try and avoid the bullet fire. He then realized he just needed to be at a good range to make this trip quicker, and turned to face the enemy, "Your mistake!" Ignoring whatever damage he would receive, he aimed his weapon, and called out, "Super Sonic Sabre!"

The attack allowed Thomas to move across swiftly, passing by the robot and knocking it away with his attack. This allowed him to close the gap and get even closer to the capsule. Unfortunately, this move got him more attention from the robots that were attacking Neptune, with some breaking off to go after the newcomer.

Neptune, who was a bit surprised by the skill Thomas she hadn't seen yet, saw what was happening, "Hey! My aggro! I'm not gonna let you take the spotlight!" Looking to get the attention of the robots back on her, she called upon the mightiest power in all of the Neptunia series.

"Pudding~!" Adult Neptune said in an even more cheerful tone, calling upon one of her strongest SP skills. Her magic conjured up a giant cup of pudding to plop down from the heavens and onto her foes, drowning them in its deliciousness for massive damage.

"Did she just-" Thomas quickly shook his head of it, having seen enough weirdness, and seeing that it led to disarray among the robots still active in the room. With that, he made it to the capsule, and scrambled to pry it open with his bare hands, using one foot to push himself while he pulled at any sort of opening.

It took a while, but several grunts and pulls later, Thomas managed enough of a crack to finally pull the capsule open, losing his balance and falling on his rear.

Immediately afterwards, Thomas could barely see anything, as someone threw some sort of smoke bomb and caused the room to fog up. Neptune could barely see the remaining robots and struggled to see a figure hop out of the capsule and immediately flee the room, cackling like some crazed lunatic.

Thomas coughed at the smoke, waving his hands around to try and clear things up. "That cackling wasn't, ack, ominous at all," he managed to say.

Neptune held her breath, and sliced through the remaining robots with ease. What made it easy, however, made her wonder. The robots were starting to go on the fritz, with electrical discharges going around their bodies.

Finishing off the other robots, Neptune put her blades away and rushed over to Thomas' side, "Hey, you alright? Did you see anything of that guy who ran off?"

"I'm fine," Thomas slowly got back on his feet, "Stupid smoke blocked my view. Sorry."

"What can I say? I'm a little shy."

The two jumped a bit, with the communicator crackling back to life. Even more surprising, the alarms and sirens suddenly stopped.

Neptune frowned, speaking, "Why'd you bail out on us? It's still dangerous out there!"

"Right now? Oh, don't you worry about it," the voice said happily, "In fact, it's part of my little gift. You saw some of that in action, didn't you, bigger Nep?"

Neptune smiled, though it wasn't her usual cheerful smile, "Oh? What did you actually do?"

"Oh, just gave these robots a little cold," the voice responded, "And since they're all connected to each other, expect that little cold to be a little epidemic."

Thomas rubbed his eyes, the smoke finally dissipating, "You took out the entire robot army by yourself?"

The voice chuckled, "Haha, unfortunately, I am not that effective, and I am afraid that the army will recover at some point in the future. Just long enough for me to get out of this lousy vacation. I'm heading home and taking a good long nap. You all take care of this army from here on in? Great! Kthnxbai."

Thomas blinked, still trying to regain his vision while figuring out, well, everything, "Uhhh, what just happened?"

"Oopsie!" The voice wasn't quite done, "Just one more thing before I go. I'm actually surprised by this, but anyway, I highly suggest checking out engineering and looking around. Your friends are there now, but there's a little more to that. Welp, been nice chatting, take care, buh-bye."

With that, the communicator clicked, finishing whatever was this final conversation.

"I guess we have to get out of here, too," Thomas said.

"We should probably follow that suggestion, though," Neptune remarked, "My Nep sense is tingling."

"Nep sense?" Thomas said wryly, "I don't know you that long, but between this and the pudding, you're about as confusing as the Neptune I know."

"I told you to keep your eyes on me," Neptune teased, "I'm glad to see that you have."

"Ugh, whatever, not like I cared or anything," Thomas huffed, trying to blow it off. Neptune's eyes widened at this. Was this Thomas being a little tsun?

Thinking about that, Neptune snorted, "Haha, sure sure. Anywho, let's go check on Affy and the thief."

"The what?"


"General! Behind you!" Steamax exclaimed, as he used his cyclone magic to throw the robot away from behind Affimojas. The two were close to the laboratory when the alarms sounded, and stayed behind to guard the rear. They tried, even while unarmed, to fight off any reinforcements coming in.

"Thank you, Steamax," Affimojas said after throwing one of the robots off to connect with a few others, "I do not think I need to worry, however."

Steamax crossed his arms, watching the General casually punching and tossing 'sick' robots, "So I see. Strange. Just what happened?"

The two robots noticed another person running in, casually slicing the last robot that was standing. The person panted, and jogged over to check on the robots, "Gentlemen... hah, you look in good shape."

"Sir Thomas?" Steamax responded, "What happened? Is miss Neptune alright? What of that mission?"

Neptune, meanwhile, kept a simple jogging pace, joining with the others, "Mission accomplished, I think? Our mysterious individual bailed the moment he got out."

"Somehow, I am not surprised," Affimojas sneered, "The robots seem to be experiencing some difficulties, and the alarms have ceased. I presume this to be his doing?"

Thomas nodded, catching his breath from running too quickly, "Uh-huh... hah, we got time to... hah, breathe a bit. Hah."

Neptune raised her fists, "Oh! Right! Uh, did you two see anything else unusual around here? Our 'friend' suggested we look about here."

There was a moment of the silence, with everyone taking this time to look around. Aside from the engines looking no worse for wear, there wasn't anything that particularly stood out. I mean, sure, there are the usual cursed boxes, crates, and capsules. Wait, hold up...

"I heard capsule!" Neptune exclaimed, "I mean, I see a capsule! Look! Over there!" She pointed to a part of the room that had some scanning machinery surrounding by crates. Yet there was one large capsule that stood out among the piles of junk. The fact that it looked similar to the one that held the mysterious individual was not lost upon Neptune or Thomas.

Thomas looked to Neptune, jutting a thumb out at it, "Worth checking out?"

"Only one way to find out!" Neptune said with enthusiasm, rushing over to try to move all the other containers and boxes aside so she could get to the capsule. Affimojas soon came to assist, using his sheer strength to reorganize the area. Not enough for spring cleaning but enough to clear a path.

"Allow me," Affimojas offered to open up the capsule. Neptune, though kinda eager to do some capsule opening of her own, relented, moving aside for the large robot to go over to check for an opening. Finding an indent, he dug in with both his hands and began to pull. It didn't take too long until he pulled off the lid entirely. The robot even stumbled back with the lid in his hands.

Steamax moved swiftly to his General's side, though his assistance wasn't needed. Affimojas set down the lid beside him so it wouldn't impede his vision of what was in the capsule. The other three turn their heads to the capsule, which had a flash of light before fading as a figure collapsed in front of them.

"An Ultra Rare find," Affimojas said quietly, before snapping out of it, "By the great makers! It's-"

"Vert!" Adult Neptune immediately bolted over to check on the collapsed CPU.

"Lady Green Heart?" Thomas' eyes widened at what he saw. He had seen the CPU's human form in photos, papers, and other material, but this was the first he saw of her in person. However, there was no time for Thomas to take that all in, as Vert was not looking good at all. Her skin complexion looked pale, and it was hard to tell if she was breathing.

"Vert? Miss busty, please be alright!" Adult Neptune said in a panic, "I promised to return the favor of rescuing you! Come on!" She tried to calm herself down, leaning in and checking on her pulse and breathing.

Thomas went over to kneel beside the two, as did Steamax. Affimojas simply lowered his head to watch. "Neptune?" Thomas said quietly, partly fearing the worst had happened.

"She's... she's still breathing. Just barely, but she's alive, thank goodness," Neptune said in relief.

Thomas phewed softly, relieved to hear that. "Does she need any help we can offer?" Thomas asked.

"I'm no doctor," Neptune explained, "But she definitely needs some time to recuperate. Hmm?" She paused, noticing Vert's skin complexion returning slowly. Whatever happened, Vert was already starting to recover.

"They must have held her here to study her," Steamax concluded, "Seems our enemy also had her isolated to keep her from using Share Energy. With her out of that capsule, she could get some of that back."

"That might explain it," Thomas said as he clasped his hands together, muttering, "I pray for a swift recovery." He hoped that this small prayer, combined with his resonance, might help out Vert.

"Mm..." There was a small noise, but it was clear that it came from the weak CPU's lips. Looks like Thomas' hope was correct to some degree, as she was already looking better than earlier.

Neptune saw the situation unfold, and, after some thought, leaped to her feet, "Okay, we gotta get going."

"Right," Affimojas nodded, "If we head back out the way we came in, we might be able to avoid confrontation."

"That's a negatory!" Neptune said, pulling out one of her katanas, "We're not leaving this ship. We're taking it back!"

"What?" Affimojas was surprised by this, "Neptune, what do you think you're gonna do with it?"

"Sir," Neptune said, with a sly grin, "Finishing this fight."