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Somewhere (local time: Mid-afternoon)...
"Nē-ya...?"
A croaked moan escaped the Trickster of the Show as the rather rude mosh band now dancing the Charleston on her brain made her eyes tear, she reaching up with one hand to feel the bump that developed over her ear. "Itte...!" hissed from her lips before she felt something touch her hair, then she relaxed as the energy of a PAA's healing functions washed over her skull. "Damn...!"
"We're on Yaminokuni," her once-clone twin reported as she kept her PAA in place to reduce the swelling thanks to Tariko Katabarbe hitting the deckhead of Aruka Ran's scout ship cockpit when it collided with another vessel in hyperspace moments before. "I was able to teleport us off just as we came through the warp gate in Muzlim Madiina. We're just outside the city itself right now."
Tariko blinked. "The others...?"
"Oyuki, Ran and Benten are unconscious in the cockpit," Tsuchidō Otome reported. "Ditto with the boys. The ship was boarded by local security just as the event horizon stabilized and it was safe to approach. I can't sense whoever was piloting the other ship, though." She glanced off into the eternally dark skies over the third world of Hika'aki — so guaranteed thanks to very thick dust clouds that constantly blanketed this world from its blue giant star's light — towards a widely-spread faint glow in the near distance. "Koishii and Ten-chan are unconscious; they're imprisoned in the central palace downtown. No doubt, given the time of day, Rupa will wait for tomorrow to do the ceremony."
Tariko grimaced as she felt the lump over her skull decrease as the blood vessels there were mended. She wouldn't try anything just yet with her powers due to needing a chance to sleep this off. "So far, so good...even if Prince Useless is playing right to damned script." A snort escaped her. "Then again, knowing him and that equally useless old fart he always dotes over, they'll be happy that Lum's friends are on the planet to serve as 'witnesses'." She shuddered slightly as a hollow wind flowed past their position. "Damn! Forgot how chilly this place gets at times...and I'm Nesetimtuto-mem to boot!"
The Eternal One giggled. "I called Sakuya-chan and the others to warn them what happened. Nii-ya passed out while he was giving some new shipgirls that joined the fleet recently a tour of the starships our friends are building for us. Matsunaga Ryōko-san was called in to look over him, but..."
The other woman sighed. "Only surefire way to cure that is him getting Gifted..."
"Tariko?!"
Otome perked, then turned...
"Hey, Carla!" the Trickster of the Show called out, waving. "Was that you we bumped into?"
A grunt answered her from the local woman in the hooded black cloak that was common dress on this planet. "Yeah!" the silver-haired beauty with the blue-grey eyes declared as she moved to kneel beside the tending Otome. "I was trying to switch paths to come out behind one of the moons when you showed up. I thought you were going to dump that Oni that claims she's your 'wife'."
"Sadly, her local friends on Earth insisted I join the fight scene," Tariko noted before she waved to her companion, who gave the local girl a nod of greetings. "Oh, this is one of my clone-twins if Ika hasn't given you the reveal scene just yet. Otome-chan, Carla Jesanbin. Carla, Tsuchidō Otome."
"A pleasure, Carla-san."
Carla gave the raven-haired woman a quick look-over. "Azriel, huh?! What the hell were that Oni's 'most faithful' thinking of when they tried to pull Gift thievery of all things on YOU of all people?!"
"Niphentaxians don't think, remember?" Tariko wryly noted.
"Is there a place where Nē-ya could rest for a bit, Carla-san?" Otome asked.
Carla nodded. "Yeah, my grandmother's house is nearby."
"Excellent..."
At the third Sol-Earth libration point, that moment (Tōkyō time: Tuesday, mid-evening)...
"Oh, man...someone get the number of that asteroid that hit me...?"
"TEITOKU!"
Moroboshi Ataru blinked as his eyes flew wide open, then he yelped as a mass topped with a head of long silver-blonde hair glomped him. "Oi!" he cried out before noting the black hairband within those flowing locks with the golden kanji 第六十一駆逐隊. "Suzumi-san..." he whispered before a smile crossed his face as worried sobs escaped the reborn third of the Akizuki-class air warfare destroyers, his hand coming up to gently stroke her hair and calm her down. "Oi, oi...I'm okay," he soothed.
"Though we should REALLY push a Gifting on you, Ataru-han."
Hearing that welcome voice with its mixture of western Kantō and Ōsaka accents, he looked up at a rather aged face framed with centre-parted brown hair done in side twintails, said face pierced by dark yet quite wise brown eyes. Said head was over a body that had the same level of development as any of the older destroyers now living on Ōmure-jima, a reflection of the reborn Imperial Navy's fourth aircraft carrier's rather unique silhouette. "Konban wa, Ryōko-san," Ataru moaned as he reached up to allow Matsunaga Ryōko to grasp his hand. "Sorry to have you dragged up from Kyōto like this, but those idiots that pulled Onē-chan into their rescue scene decided to crash their ship."
That made the reborn THG Ryūjō hum. "Aren't you worried about Tariko-han?"
"Otome-chan's with her right now," Ataru admitted as he reached up to rub his forehead. "And while I'm pretty tempted to go to Yiziba and get this done right away, I don't want to make a choice that ends up making this whole insane scene even worse than it already is." He looked down at the sobbing Akiyama Suzumi. "Oi! Oi! Cut it out, Suzumi-san! I'm not permanently crippled!"
The adopted native of Yokosuka (where she was built) and Kyōto (where she had been asked to base herself out of the Kantai Magical Association's headquarters while she helped investigate things at the Shimogyō Academy) chuckled. "Oh, Suzumi-tan's got it bad for you, Ataru-han!" she teased.
That made the adopted native of Nagasaki (where she was built) and Kitakyūshū (where she had been effectively buried as a breakwater after the war) yelp as her pale cheeks turned a dark red shade before she chuckled as the others now in the captain's cabin aboard THU Akizuki laughed. "G-gomen...!"
"Your concern for Ataru-san is noted, Suzutsuki-dono," Itō Yoiko declared from the large table where the commanding officer of the star destroyer would host her senior officers for briefings, the adopted native of Maizuru making a beckoning motion with her hand. "In the meantime, let's allow Sempai to finish her examination of Ataru-san while you're briefed on Friday's planned events."
"H-h-hai!"
Swiftly scrambling off Ataru, Suzumi headed over to stand beside her older and younger sisters Tokina and Motoko. Being projected over the table was a hologram of the Akizuki itself, various information boxes indicating her considerably powerful weapons suite. "So what exactly does Teitoku have in mind concerning our deployment, Sempai?" the elder of the Akiyama sisters then asked.
"You will reform the full 61st Destroyer Division to serve as anti-small craft defence to the battle line being commanded by Roberta-san and Luisa-san," Yoiko advised, waving to Roberta Ansaldo and Luisa von Bismarck. As the Akiyama sisters nodded, she added, "Once you're done here, I want you to proceed to where Teruzuki foundered; that's off the northwest coast of Guadalcanal not far off shore. The fact that Teruyo-san didn't react to the others who sank in that vicinity being salvaged and Gifted over the last few months mystifies me; the Little One did visit the southern end of New Georgia Sound several times in the wake of her helping recover Fujiko-san." Here, she indicated Fukushima Fujiko — who teleported up from Washington at Saeru Hinako's behest when the Living Spirit of Innocence had sensed what just happened to her brother and sister — with a nod of her head.
"Hai, Sempai's right," the first modern destroyer added. Tapping a control of the table, she brought up an image of the infamous "Ironbottom Sound" to reveal shipwreck positions. "If you can help Teruyo-san return to duty, Tokina-san, you should also try for Kumasaka Makiko-san and Takako-san — Makigumo and Takanami — who went down just to the east of Cape Esperence here and here."
"Should we bring Nami-san and her division with us, Sempai?" Akiyama Motoko wondered.
Fujiko nodded. "That's a good idea. Ne, Kodachi-chan, you ever feel anything wrong when you were here?" she wondered, pointing to where the fourth of the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers foundered.
Hamamoto Kodachi shook her head. "Nah, Fujiko-chan. Makiko-chan and Takako-chan were real sleepyheads after I was Gifted, poi." She scowled. "What about the American ships here, Sempai?" she asked, pointing to the locations where warships from the United States were sunk in that time.
Yoiko sighed. "I've no idea. Let me contact Yvonne-san."
Ignoring the shivers that ran through the spines of several shipgirls present at her mentioning the infamous Grey Ghost, the seventh carrier of Operation Z tapped a control to send out a signal. A moment later, a holographic screen appeared off to the reborn carrier's left. "Enterprise."
"It's me, Yvonne-san. Any information on any of your old fleet mates that fell in New Georgia Sound during the Guadalcanal campaign? Given the times the Little One passed through the area..."
"We got some people back," Yvonne Swanson confirmed as a separate screen came up with names listed. "Basically, everything destroyer and up that went down in Ironbottom Sound reported back to duty; we're still missing older destroyers turned into personnel transports. Heck, even New Orleans and Minneapolis came back...and all they did was get their bows blown off during Tassafaronga."
"Any of them can command their starship-selves?"
The reborn second of the Yorktown-class hummed. "I can give you Atlanta and Juneau; Frances Thomson and Georgie Whidbey," she announced. "The commodore will sign off on it. You going to use them as AAA leads for the destroyers escorting Roberta's and Luisa's wolf pack?"
"They would be wisely used there, Yvonne-san. I'm sending the 61st Division with several friends to the Sound to retrieve three strays that haven't answered the summons to return to Tennō's service."
"Teruzuki, Makigumo and Takanami, you mean?"
"Indeed so."
As many destroyers shivered at how all-knowing the adopted native of River Vale was, Yvonne chuckled. "I'll get Frances and Georgie to head over to where you're at for mission briefing, Yoiko."
"I'm in the commanding officer's quarters on the Akizuki at this time."
"Right."
The link with USS Enterprise was cut. "Evil...!" Matsuo Miki hissed. "She's EVIL...!"
"Enough, Mikuma-dono!" Yoiko snapped, making the reborn second Mogami-class heavy cruiser snap to attention with a yelp of fright. "Now is not the time for that foolishness! The alien gaijin wouldn't care what nationality we have should they decide to strongly protest our having such a large starfleet. Go over to your other-self and ensure all is ready for Friday! The rest of you as well!"
"Hai!"
People immediately raced out of the captain's cabin, pulling out their PAAs so they could teleport off to their starship namesakes and do what was just bid of them by the representative of Fujita Hiroshi. By then, the reborn THG Ryūjō was helping the shipgirls' spiritual admiral up into a sitting position. "How many starships equivalents do we have to get the girls, Fujiko-chan?" Ataru asked.
Fujiko perked. "Enough for several divisions, Shirei-kan," she answered as she scanned through a holographic list. "Akizuki, Teruzuki, Suzutsuki and Hatsuzuki from Division Sixty-one. Akatsuki, Hibiki, Ikazuchi and Inazuma from Division Six, of course. Fubuki, Shirayuki and Hatsuyuki from Division Eleven; Murakumo was added to that one. Ayanami and Shikinami from Division Nineteen; we added Amagiri and Sagiri to that group. Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Yayoi and Mochizuki from Division Thirty. Satsuki, Fumizuki, Minazuki and Nagatsuki from Division Twenty-two." Here, the adopted native of Maizuru who had by default been given the unofficial responsibility equivalent to the old Royal Navy post of Captain of Destroyers hummed. "But we're sending Hatsue-chan, U-chan and Mocchi to escort Ten-chan back to Uru with Hatsuyuki, Uzuki and Mochizuki." A grin crossed her face as Yoiko smile in approval. "Yoshi! We put Miyuki into Division Eleven, Kikuzuki into Division Thirty and Mikazuki into Division Twenty-two. We can't pull Division Seven from the carriers, but we could sub in others just in case."
"Kasumi or any of the Asashio-class? Maybe any of the Shiratsuyu or Yūgumo-class?" Ataru probed.
Fujiko blinked, then tapped controls on the table, the on-board systems scanning the reborn destroyer's mind to learn what was being asked. She scanned the readout that came up before looking over. "We have all of Division Two available: Murasame, Yūdachi, Harusame and Samidare. None of the Asashio-class or Yūgumo-class — much less any of the Kagerō-class — are fully operational."
"Sugoi poi!" Kodachi called out. "I can get all my sisters up so we can take helm lessons, poi!"
"I'm not sure I'm willing to fly a THREE MILLION TONNE spaceship into atmosphere, Sempai!" Suzumi protested before she perked as her sisters squeezed her shoulders. "Nē-san...Mokoto-san...?"
"We actually let the Avalonians on the ships do the driving, Suzumi-san," Akiyama Tokina advised. "Besides, we'll have two cruiser leads with us who are AAA experts. Don't worry about it...!"
Flashes of PAA-driven teleportation made people turn to look...
"You asked for us, Captain Itō?" the bustier Caucasian near-lookalike to Matsunaga Ryōko then asked as she and her companion, a tomboyish woman with silver hair in a bob cut and chestnut-brown eyes, smartly saluted the seventh carrier of Operation Z, they getting salutes from all the destroyers.
"Ah! Atlanta-dono! Juneau-dono!" Yoiko called back. "Our apologies for drawing you away at this time, but we have three young strays who need to be found and returned to service near Guadalcanal."
Hearing that, Frances Thomson exchanged knowing looks with Georgie Whidbey before they crossed their arms. "And the Littlest Admiral's now with NCA and his crew in Chocolate City preparing for the big reveal scene concerning the lar'beke," the adopted native of the City in the Forest finished while the namesake of the capital city/borough of the Last Frontier snickered. "So what's the plan?"
Ataru chuckled before he gave a pouting Ryōko a knowing look...
In a certain famous residence in Washington (local time: An hour before breakfast)...
"AH-CHOO!"
"Gesundheit, Hinako!"
A moan escaped the Living Spirit of Innocence, she nodding thanks as the personal footman to the President handed her a box of Kleenex. "Someone's talking about Hina, Charlie-san," Saeru Hinako protested before blowing her nose. "Hina only hopes that nothing's going wrong with the shipgirls...!"
"Your bro-bro's got a good head on his shoulder, ma'am," Hallie Lamson noted as she gave the native of Niigata a sympathetic look, reaching over to squeeze her hand. Both were currently in the Cabinet Room enjoying food while they waited for the staff of the West Wing to get things set up for what would clearly become one of the most earth-shattering public press briefings in recent years.
Even more so than what happened the previous October...
"Hai, Hina knows that Onii-tama will help Fujiko-chan and the others if they need it, Hallie-san," Hinako assured the adopted native of Burlington in Iowa. She sighed. "Hina just hopes that Onē-tama's alright with just Otome-chan on Yaminokuni. With the way Lum-san acts at times..."
"Is she really that bad?"
The cosmic empath hummed, rocking her head to and fro. "Well, when she's not trying to claim Onii-tama as her husband, Lum-san's pretty okay. She can't cook or do a lot of things boys in Japan say would be good for a wife to do even if Onii-tama really wouldn't care for that, but she does care a lot. It's just that after Onii-tama wound up in his battle doll body, he really started to treat her badly. That would make most girls just walk away from him in the long run." As the reborn fourth of the Mahan-class destroyers nodded in understanding, Hinako reached over to sip some tea. "But Lum-san stayed. Many would say that she really does love Onii-tama, but Hina's always felt that she sees him as her personal property, not a person with his own dreams and desires." She shook her head.
"She wants to own him, you mean," Hallie noted. "Like a slave."
"Hai..."
"Hinako!"
Both perked, then turned towards the secretary's office. "What is it, Leo-san?" Hinako asked.
Leo McGarry took a deep breath; he just walked in from the Oval Office. "Could you come over to the lobby for a moment, Hinako?" the White House chief of staff then bade, clearly annoyed. "We seem to have a problem with a whole bunch of shipgirls that just showed up out of nowhere, AGAIN!"
Both got up to follow the veteran fighter pilot out of the Cabinet Room. "How come I didn't pick up on them, Major?" Hallie demanded, addressing the veteran fighter pilot by his Air Force rank at the time of his retirement. "If they're shipgirls, they should have called out...!"
"Whole place was proofed against any sort of magical or metahuman attack by General Raeburn over the years, Commander," the Chicagoan replied as they walked past the Oval Office on the route that went around the Roosevelt Room to the main lobby of the West Wing opening to the north. "You need to be at the level of Captain Swanson or Captain Haight-Ashbury to sense these things."
As the reborn destroyer nodded, they made their way past McGarry's own office as well as that of Vice President John Hoynes to step into the lobby. Standing there was Josh Lyman, who was currently watching over seven teenagers dressed in the modern sleeveless battlesuit design used on Yiziba, they possessing the standard accoutrements on their tops indicating they themselves were American destroyers. All seven spun around to watch who came in, then one squealed. "LAMSON!"
Hallie awked as the reborn eighth of her class lunged over to nearly snap her in half with a hug. "Hey! Jeez, Cony...!" she moaned as Gwenaëlle Conyngham, another reborn Crossroads test ship who actually survived both the Able and Baker shots only to be scuttled two years later off the California coast, began to sob. "Jeez...! Not in the White House, you stupid leprechaun...!"
"Hallie-san, you stop that! Gwenaëlle-san was worried about you!" Hinako scolded, making both McGarry and Lyman smirk while the other destroyers instantly focused on the pretty Japanese child who seem to radiate peace and happiness. "Besides, Kōchō-sensei would understand why Gwenaëlle-san would be crying on seeing you! You got sunk in the first of those baka-baka tests, remember?!"
"Indeed she did, Hinako," a familiar voice called out, making people turn as the effective leader of the free world walked into the lobby, shielded as always by the head of his Secret Service protection detail, Ron Butterfield. As all the destroyers sensed who he was — they automatically snapping to attention to salute him, even the wet-faced Gwenaëlle, who pulled away from Hallie — Josiah Bartlet nodded before he took in the names on the newcomers' crests. He then focused on a beautiful amethyst-eyed girl with long red hair, she forced to wear bifocal protective goggles. "Commander Mahan, welcome back," he called out as he offered his hand, which was taken by the adopted native of West Point and Staten Island in New York named in honour of one of America's great naval strategists.
"It's good to be back to serve, Mister President," Almira Mahan declared with a blush and a smile. "I managed to get some of my class back here, but the whole lot haven't answered the call to return to arms. I remember sensing the young lady here pass by on occasion..." — she indicated Hinako — "...but since I didn't know the war had ended, I didn't react until I picked up signals from near Okinawa."
"All the Operation: Iceberg casualties, Mister President," McGarry advised.
Bartlet nodded. "Well, please be assured, any sort of war with Japan is simply unthinkable these days, Commander," the former governor of New Hampshire declared before offering his hand to the reborn sixth of her class, a brown-eyed girl with shaggy sienna-shaded hair to her shoulders. "Welcome back, Commander Reid. I assume you allowed yourself to be Gifted the same time as your sister."
"Aye, sir!" Chantelle Reid affirmed with a daring grin. "Couldn't let the Old Lady here sail alone in such weirdly different hulls than what we were used to before those crazy kamikazes got us."
"Don't knock it down, Reid," golden brown-eyed Stella Cassin noted before she took the president's hand, she tilting her long pony-tailed dark brown hair about in a manner that didn't seem actually proper for a reborn destroyer who served before and during World War Two. "Even if the Japanese were tossing away pilots left, right and centre during those times, you had to admire their passion."
"No insults towards them, Commander Cassin," Bartlet warned.
The adopted native of Philadelphia and Vallejo in California (where she was built at the Mare Island Naval Dockyard) nodded. "Aye-aye, sir!" she affirmed as she let the president's hand go.
The others who came to the White House today were introduced. Along with Gwenaëlle, there were Stella's silver-haired, brown-eyed fellow Pearl Harbour veteran Jessica Downes: the wholesome brown-haired, brown-eyed girl-next-door type Jasmin Shaw; and the wild-looking blonde, blue-eyed Baylee Cushing. Once Bartlet greeted the raven-haired, brown-eyed Gwenaëlle, Almira glanced at Chantelle, who nodded before she fell in behind their commander-in-chief, earning her a curious look from Butterfield before the native of Baltimore privately smiled at the move by the adopted native of Norwich in Connecticut and Kearny near Newark to better shield his charge. Bartlet didn't seem to notice even if Hinako sensed the former Dartmouth economics professor knew what was going on; despite him projecting the public image of being more a thinker than a doer, the president wasn't the least bit leery to the idea of unleashing all sorts of hell on people that deserved to be put down right away.
With that, everyone was escorted out of the lobby towards the Oval Office. "We're about to have a public briefing concerning the truth of people like yourselves, ladies," Bartlet explained to the newcomers. "The whole issue with Yiziba, the Goa'uld..." — he smirked on sensing the newcomers' eyes light up on hearing THAT race's name — "...and what we'll be asking you girls to do in the future."
"There's a Stargate on this planet, sir?" Almira wondered, falling back on her namesake's strategic and tactical knowledge to analyze what was happening and prepare a proper response to same.
"Two of them are here, Commander," McGarry answered. "We've got one operational at a continental defence headquarters complex used by the Air Force; the Army Air Forces as you'd know them." As the destroyers nodded, everyone stepped into Bartlet's work office, then were waved to the couches to relax themselves, with Hinako taking the place opposite the president himself. "The other one is with an ally of ours in Korea who's working to get the communists in the northern half of the peninsula straightened around, either by reform of revolution." As the destroyers scowled, the chief of staff added, "Turns out, she's the current incarnation of an ally of the woman who created your new bodies."
"Tan'gun, you mean," Almira mused, nodding. "That's good. The Healer always had good thoughts about him, especially after he moved to clean up the mess the lar'beke made of Asia as a whole."
"Oh, you'll like this new one, Mahan," Hallie advised. "She believes in true socialism, but she's willing to do anything to make sure the people who aren't 'worthy'..." — here, she made finger quotes — "...of being part of the 'true' proletariat able to live and advance as best they could."
"Will we be asked to assist her if needed, Mister President?" Jessica wondered.
"At my order only, Jessica," Bartlet advised.
Understanding nods answered him. "Aye-aye, sir!" Jessica and her sisters chanted automatically.
"Oh, I got something to tell you guys," Hallie then spoke up.
"What's that, Hallie?" Gwenaëlle wondered.
As the civilians in the room smiled on noting the shipgirls shifting over from using their old ship names — now their family names — to their given names, the adopted Iowan declared, "You should have been with us a couple hours ago where Admiral Saeru lives over in Japan. We got Texas back around the same time Nagato and the other sunk at Crossroads salvaged themselves, then charged into space to capture a whole ha'tak and its crew, including the so-called 'god' in charge!" As the other destroyers squealed in delight, Hallie added, "Emily — Texas, I mean — teamed with Admiral Saeru's sister Admiral Osamu to make a perfect Texas barbecue complete with this crazy Canuck way of serving French fries. They mix the fries with melted cheese curds and pour GRAVY over it, plus add slices of beef!"
Seven pairs of jaws dropped in awe. "Whoa...!" Baylee whined. "We missed THAT?!"
"Hina thinks Shirayuki-chan saved some, Baylee-san," Hinako assured.
"Not in the White House, Hinako!" Bartlet advised.
A scrunched face answered the former governor of New Hampshire from the native of Niigata. "Oh, Hina knows that, Kōchō-sensei! Hina can't stand the smell of that nasty naquadah stuff, especially after it's cooked over meson-treated wood that Shirayuki-chan uses in her picnics! Pew!" She waved the air before her nose as if she was confronting a condensed bubble of that repulsive odour.
"The Japanese girls like us have an admiral, sir?" Jasmin wondered.
"Admiral Saeru's really nice bro-bro, Jazzie," Hallie affirmed, thumbing Hinako. "Get this: He was asked to defend Earth against another pack of invaders from a world full of umale — as our adopted countrymen gladly call them — and won by the skin of his teeth. He got the Medal of Freedom because of that — it's the civvie version of the Medal of Honour — but returned it back in April!"
"Why?!" Almira demanded.
"Ataru — that's his name, Moroboshi Ataru — felt he hadn't earned it, Commander," Lyman answered. "It's an insane, stupid story that Hinako here can fill you in on, but you best be ready to fight in a couple of days just in case these people get upset at the presence of so many Yizibajohei here."
The other destroyers hummed before they perked after the first of their number to be sunk as a target post-war sent them some mental images. "Oh, THOSE creeps!" Stella spat out. "Yeah! I remember a version of the Healer ready to move to wake us up when they came along and did their 'invasion'. Good thing it didn't go through; they looked even more breakable than the lar'beke did."
Laughter escaped the others in the room before a knock echoed from the secretary's office. "Good morning, Mister President," Deborah Fiderer called out as she walked in, followed by Charlie Young and C.J. Cregg. "The wolves are gathering in the Press Briefing Room, I'm afraid."
"We have the speech finalized, Mister President," Cregg added as she came over with a small pile of sheets to hand to Bartlet before she turned to gaze on the considerable crowd in battlesuits. "Oh, my God, Hallie! You reproduced?!" the Ohioan wondered, crossing her arms in amusement.
Hallie sputtered as Hinako wagged her finger at the White House press secretary. "Claudia-san, that's mean!" the native of Niigata scolded, shaking her head.
"We got to get her to dance the Jackal," Lyman then joked.
"HEY!" Cregg squawked.
"Enough!"
That was Bartlet. "How soon, C.J.?" the president then asked after people clammed up.
"We're ready to go now, sir."
"Alright..."
In Tomobiki at the Toranoseishin Tower, that moment...
"I'M IN DESPAIR...!"
Moroboshi Hiromi yelped on hearing that moaned scream before she looked over her shoulder while a certain ultimate poet/murderous fiend staggered into her private quarters near the top of the building, she followed by the Archangel of Mortality, not to mention five younger people whom Fukawa Tōko had faced on Tōwa Island sometime after the incident at Hope's Peak Academy. "Tōko-san...?"
Margo Black gave the Swift Morpher a helpless shrug as the very distraught Slaughterhouse Poet staggered over to a chair to drop into it, jets of tears escaping her eyes before she buried her face in her gloved hands. Drawn by such a strange act by the person who also called herself "Genocide Shō", the five members of the Warriors of Hope who joined up with the Ultimate Despair in their home universe to combat the Future Foundation then gathered around her. "Monaka-san, what on Earth is the matter with her?" Hiromi asked as she walked over to the nearby kitchenette to prepare some soothing tea in hopes of calming the sobbing Tōko down. "Did something happen to Byakuya-san...?!"
She then yelped as Tōko screamed to the heavens, "IT'S A TRAGEDY...!"
"What?!" a new voice cut in. "Shō-chan's in DESPAIR?! Are my ears working right?!"
The younger dimensional-displaced refugees looked over, instantly brightening on hearing the welcome voice of the Herald of Cosmic Doom. "Junko-onēchan!" Tōwa Monaka yelped as she raced over to warmly embrace Enoshima Junko. "Can you believe it?! Shō-onēchan is feeling REAL DESPAIR!"
"Yeah, I can sense that," the native of another universe Machida mused before she walked over to sit on the seat beside her peer. "Okay, okay, Shō-chan!" she then calmly soothed as she reached over to squeeze the shaking Tōko's shoulder. "Tell you Auntie Junko all about the despair..."
"IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THE TRAGEDY ITSELF!" the native of another universe's Edogawa screamed out, jets of tears shooting from her eyes to hit various objects...which, thanks to her powers, began to smoke ominously as the ebony mesonium within those tears began to burn away at things.
KK-KLONK!
"Lackey!"
A moan escaped Tōko, whose head was smashed down by Margo's elbow. "Th-th-thanks, B-b-Boss...!"
As the woman also known as Doctor Death gestured to repair the damage to their host's bedroom, the main doors flew open, revealing a small group of wide-eyed, horrified people. "Shit! THERE you are, Tōkotchi!" Hagakure Yasuhiro called out before he moved to embrace the shuddering Slaughterhouse Poet from behind. "Damn...I'm sorry I was too late so I could've warned you...!"
A sniffle answered the man who could now call himself on Yiziba the All-Seer of the Future, Yudumti ("Waarzegger"); even if his own spiritual aura indicated his Gifting, the native of another universe's Fukushima was in his laid-back civilian clothes. "D-d-dōmo, Y-y-yasuhiro-kun..." Tōko burbled as she allowed her peer from Class 78 to hold her, allowing her to try to regain some control of herself.
"Can WE have this explanation, please, Yasuhiro-san?"
That was a wryly smiling Hiromi. "It's that idiot Togami, Hirotchi!" Yasuhiro spat as he gave their host a wry look of his own. "Not to mention the jerk who provided those Gift seed crystals to our fans back on Phentax Two to see us empowered. You wouldn't believe what he got Gifted as!"
"What?" the Swift Morpher asked.
"'Scion'."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then...
"Oh, Shō-chan...!" Junko moaned as she added her own hug to her peer's.
The members of the Warriors of Hope winced. "Oh, Onē-chan! That's HORRIBLE!" Utsugi Kotoko breathed out as she moved to add her own hug, she immediately joined by the other four of her group.
Shuddering as she felt everyone's concern for what she just witnessed back on Ōmure-jima moments before that sent her fleeing to the side of the founder of the Ultimate Despair to pass on the horrible news, a bitter laugh escaped the ultimate poet/murderous fiend. "Well, I wish the idiot luck in trying to rebuild his fortune in THIS universe...!" Tōko grumbled as she patted Kotoko's head in thanks before allowing Monaka to hug her while Yasuhiro let her go to allow some of their schoolmates to come up and express their own sympathies. "No money of any form exists on Yiziba and I doubt the Masters of the Bazaar will enjoy the competition if Byakuya-kun actually TRIES to introduce anything there." Ignoring the understanding nods from both Junko and Yasuhiro with her switch of honorifics from her normal "Byakuya-sama" way of addressing the man now known on the World of the Forge as the Master of the Unnecessary, R'berum ("Scion"), the native of another universe's Edogawa bitterly added in a voice of ashes, "He won't have any fortune here on Earth to fall back onto either...!"
"That might not be as true as you think, Tōko-san."
That was Nanami Chiaki, who had followed her template's peers over to Tomobiki to ensure all went well with the master plan being unleashed by their gracious hosts and allies on those who would force Earth to maintain open links with the worlds of the Galactic Federation like Uru. "What do you mean, Chiatchi?" Yasuhiro wondered...before he blinked, then he looked out the windows. "Oh, shit...!"
The others looked themselves. The wide expanses of both the Mendō and Mizunokōji mansion grounds were quite visible from Hiromi's personal apartment. "You mean to say that he might make a move on Mendō?" Koizumi Mahiru wondered. Now as the Unstoppable Shutterbug of Disgrace, Tor'begae ("Sensation"), the ultimate photographer of Class 77-B was now a cosmic teleporter with equal levels of empathy that gave her a sharp "news sense" which would drive her to expose all sorts of scandalous behaviour, which she had done to considerable effective in all her lifetimes since the Dawn of Power; back then, the original Sensation was a combat photographer who gained quite the zest in exposing the horrid evils being unleashed by nations such as Kutotuto on the western equatorial continent.
"Make sense," Yasuhiro noted, crossing his arms. "Mendō himself is being set up for a huge fall come Friday when Lum-chan is sent home with her tail between her legs. Something tells me there's no way in heck he's going to take that down, which might attract attention from the xenophobic-types back on Yiziba who might not have cared for Taritchi's whole casting drive in the first place."
"Hai, there were those on Yiziba who didn't care for 'unclean norms' to be Gifted," Hiromi lamented. "Much that it shames me as much as it does Onē-san, our own great-granduncle is one of them."
People blinked. "Isn't that Neyanege Katabarbe-sensei, Hiromi-onēchan?" Shingetsu Nagisa asked.
"Hai, Nagisa-chan. The one and only Preacher, of course," the Swift Morpher noted, earning her a chorus of sympathetic winces from the people who had been transplanted here from another universe. "He was won over eventually, but he still has a lot of doubts about bringing aliens to Yiziba to see them empowered as a way of keeping the Healer of Destruction at bay..." She held up a finger in emphasis. "IF you believe the Weaponeer's many prophecies concerning the Healer, of course!"
"She's that Avalonian clone of Benten that was made as a living target now, right?" Junko asked.
"Same person, Junko-san." Here, the film-replica of the Trickster of the Show then took a deep breath. "Well, then! Given the gloomy mood that's befallen our friend, Monaka-chan, what would you personally suggest she do to take advantage of her despair to better her life?" Here, she focused on the leader of the Warriors of Hope who helped unleash the Tragedy in the first place.
The current incarnation of the Crafter of Playtime, Damdo-myuo ("Toy Queen"), cutely hummed as she considered that for a moment, then she sighed. "True, now that Onē-san is experiencing true despair, she can really better herself. Even more, allow her Gift to better develop both sides of her as one being!" As people focused on the pre-teen who had been the unwanted and once-abandoned bastard child of the-then president of the Tōwa Group — who later manipulated her sire to help build the Monokuma units that caused so much destruction in the Tragedy — she bit the tip of her thumb in contemplation. "Well, seeing how much Onē-san's never been really supported by her own relatives because they were meanies, I can only propose one thing to help her out of it: A murder spree."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then...
"That sounds like a perfect idea."
Everyone exclaimed as they stared wide-eyed at their host. "SAY WHAT?!"
In a flash, a wide-eyed Tōko was in the face of the Swift Morpher. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
"I'm VERY serious! And here's the reason why!" Hiromi affirmed before she gazed on Chiaki. "Chiaki-san, did you manage to scan through the information that Chihiro-san lifted off that one Division One agent that was living in town who hurt Onē-san last fall before all the insanity here started?"
The now-organic AI replica of the former representative of Class 77-B nodded. "Hai, the Creator did send that information to me, Hiromi-san. I was able to scan through it. Are you proposing having Tōko-san express her grief by targeting members of that group within reasonable range of Tomobiki?"
"Exactly!" the would-be guidance counsellor affirmed. "Nowhere close to Fūka-jima, of course. Since we have friends there, they'll be the automatic lead into any sort of fight scene that might occur when the leaders of this lot of traitors move to seize control of people such as Mikoto-chan and her fellow HiMEs!" As some of the people awked on hearing a familiar name from what — to them — was a fictional anime series, Hiromi smiled. "Hai, Mikoto-chan is Gifted. She's Gatum; 'Claymore' is her name here on Earth." Ignoring the understanding nods from many people on hearing that particular battle-name, she winked. "And yes, minna-san, she has made quite the acquaintance of that most interesting 'friend' of hers from another dimension you all might be quite familiar with, I believe."
"Any other HiMEs Gifted?!" Owari Akane asked.
"Your own effective namesake, Akane-san," their host answered, making the ultimate gymnast who was now the Mistress of the Crucible, Rikeseke ("Rhuthmós"), gape. "Wait until you hear what she is."
"General Tonfā."
Hiromi awked before she glared at Chiaki. "To paraphrase what Onē-san and others have often said over the last decade, Chiaki-san, you need to seriously work on how you execute reveal scenes!"
The adopted native of Taitō in Tōkyō proper winced. "H-hai...!"
"Damn! Do we have to sign up as recruits, then?!" Akane wryly asked...
On a certain island off the southwest corner of Shikoku, that moment...
"AH-CHOO!"
Grunting after that powerful sneeze escaped her, the native of Beppu on the east coast of Kyūshū shook her head before she turned to gaze once more at the smouldering remnants of the Orphan she just dispatched with her VERY enhanced battle tonfā. Smirking with cold delight as she felt the latest micro-warp that brought that miserable creature of Fūka-jima close off, Higurashi Akane twisted her head and neck around to work out some of the kinks that had developed from waiting in ambush deep within the forest surrounding her current place of education. She blinked as a questioning growl escaped the tiger-shaped Child that bound himself to her shortly after she arrived on this island at the start of the new school year. "Bae, bae, Hari..." she whispered, reaching over.
Hari purred contently as his mistress' fingers gently danced over his techno-organic skin between his ears, the heady smell of the Atom of True Life that flooded Akane's body from head to toe filling his nose, he sensing her delight at having destroyed yet another of the diseased ones sent by the Obsidian Lord as a way of preparing the twelve would-be princesses of the upcoming Festival of Fūka to duel each other before being granted the right to be courted by the master of that dark dimension. Glad that he could understand the much different language Akane learned thanks to her being Gifted as the Dark Warlord of the Centre, Tae R'buodom ("General Tonfā"), the tiger-shaped being moved closer even if his own heightened senses could detect the strange creature hiding nearby.
Akane could sense that being, too. "«Bae, Hari Nelo, bae. I can feel her there as well. Ordered by her fool 'father' to kill you as a way to render me totally helpless...yet she knows now I'm not as 'helpless' as she was first led to believe. No doubt, the pathetic umale from Uru and other planets have frightened her charge's sponsors to the point that they wish to make their invasion right now.»"
She turned to gaze into the darkened forest...
...then evenly smiled as the light of the first quarter moon off to the west glittered off a well-shaped mithril sword being welded by a certain adopted native of the Golden Gate City, the wind flowing through the trees shifting that short-cropped silvery-blonde hair that Akane personally thought was as sexy as the dickens. As Miyu Greer stepped out into the open with her left arm from below the elbow morphed into her main anti-Child weapon, the reborn "president-for-life" of the central equatorial continent nation of Damgatuto who led an ARMY of metahumans to rampage over Yiziba and other planets could only smirk as she sensed the hesitation in the beautiful combat gynoid's lovely amethyst eyes. Given how much work the man who helped Miyu the most over the last few months had changed the being known by her creators via a VERY unimaginative acronym that helped form her given name, it was a good point; had this been BEFORE Grigori Wyszynski got to the adopted Californian with George Andrews' programming upgrades, Akane would have had to destroy Miyu had she attacked Hari.
And that...
...would have been quite the crime.
Akane rather liked the way Miyu was now, thank you very much.
"«Are you going to try it, Miyu Beni?»" the adopted Damgatuto-mem then teased in Yizibajohei, her caramel eyes sparkling with amusement. "«After all, isn't that your Foundation's ultimate goals? Destroy the would-be wives of the umale atona who controls that star near Luna, then sub in a mere CHILD to take their place, thus allow your 'golden millennium' to rise over Earth?»"
As Miyu's eyes widened in horror while her central processors quickly interpreted that statement from her peer — they were in different classes among the high school students at the Fūka Academy — Akane licked her lips as her short ponytail suddenly came undone by unknown means, allowing her umber-brown locks to flow loose to her shoulders. Shaking her head as she slowly sashayed towards the now wide-eyed Miyu, she teased, "«What were you hoping to do this night?»" With a gesture of her hand, she allowed Hari to disappear in a flash of energy. "«Kill my beautiful mount in hopes of making me a normal...thus seeing dear Kazuya killed because he's my supposed 'key', my 'most precious one' whose very LIFE is the payment I must make for losing a fight against another would-be maiden?»"
Miyu remained locked in place, the uncertainty of the moment and the sensory overload of a MUCH different Higurashi Akane approaching her — speaking a language that the adopted Californian was definitely more than sure she had NEVER been programmed to understand! — causing her body to freeze. That was enough for Akane to get right into the other woman's face, caramel eyes locking on amethyst orbs as a hand that was MUCH stronger than normal for a teenage girl snaring her left elbow to force her "Maria" blade away from the reborn dictator's exposed thigh; she had gone into this battle dressed in the uniform she wore as a waitress at the nearby Linden Baum restaurant where many Fūka students — including Akane's oldest friend Kurauchi Kazuya — worked part-time to earn extra money.
Miyu then squawked as Akane's lips devoured her own while the latter's other hand slid around the former's waist to gently feel up her firm buttocks under the dark grey skirt worn by all girls of the Academy's high school classes. "«Ooh...if you're not the most mouth-watering pillow scene seed I've ever seen in ALL my lifetimes, I'll eat my riding crop,»" Akane meowed before kissing her again.
Another faint squawk escaped the combat gynoid as she felt programming that had been meticulously copied into her many processors straight from several Shōzoki seed units recovered by the Searrs Foundation over the decades — fortunately, without MUCH loss in the way of personnel sent to recover said seed units — which overwhelmed her battle programming for something more primal that seemed ALIEN...yet now seemed so RIGHT! Willing her left arm to go back to normal, Miyu probed her tongue into her would-be lover's mouth to commence a playful duel while she moved to hold her close...
KK-KLONK!
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then...
Miyu and Akane looked to the latter's right and down...
...before the former gasped in disbelief on seeing her fully intact arm being held out while her mithril sword — with a perfectly-designed helm that instantly reminded Akane of the Sword of Grayskull, primary weapon of a character from an American anime series she once saw shortly after her Gifting the previous summer thanks to Tariko Katabarbe — now lying on the grass by their feet.
"Um...was that supposed to happen?" Akane asked.
Miyu blinked before she concentrated, her mind keying in her battle programming...
KK-KLANG!
Akane pulled away on seeing what should be protruding from Miyu's elbow. "Your father likes the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I see," the native of Beppu wryly noted as she put her hands on her hips.
Blinking even more as she realized that the weapon meant to be deployed while assuming Ochre Mode was no longer attached to her body, Miyu concentrated again, this time switching to Scarlet...
KK-KLANG!
Add one heavily modified XM214 Microgun! "I...what is happening...?!"
KK-KLONK!
There went her special drilling function! "...to me...this...!"
KK-KRACK!
And there was her last necessary combat tool ejected from her body, an anti-materializing unit! "This...should not be...HAPPENING...!" Miyu finished, the panic in her voice increasing with every word, before she collapsed, eyes tearing in fright as she tried to will her housekeeping computer to do a full diagnostic of all her systems. "I...how can I...protect Ojō-sama...if I can't...FUNCTION correctly...?!"
"Wow! Never saw a Shōzoki titemyu malfunction like THAT before, Akane-chan!"
Akane breathed out. "Neither did I, Naoko-chan..."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then...
"Naoko...?!" Akane croaked, spinning around...
...then she gargled on seeing the woman approximately her height standing nearby, dressed in a beautiful evergreen jumpsuit in the modern cut, such covered by small groves of flowering plants being played with by various silvery bird-like beings, with branches of sakura-like trees going up the sides of her legs and abdomen to form a bursting flower over her considerable cleavage. Silvery belt and boots finished said ensemble as Akane felt a surge of well-honed wariness flood her while her mind instantly identified the actual person that had spoken with the voice of her oldest female friend from home.
The most powerful of the deadliest enemies the Dark Warlord of the Centre faced in his first life and in many successive lives in constant replays of the counter-rampage to the great general's move to secure the central equatorial continent and bring it all under his own control during the Dawn of Power.
The Cosmic Protector of True Life, R'belim Bolem...
Lady Nature.
As for the newest incarnation of the person who could even move Infinity herself...!
"No...!" Akane hissed, her own eyes tearing as she covered her mouth.
An amused chuckle escaped Takanashi Naoko as she rubbed the back of her shaggy green-tinted hair. "Tadaima, Akane-chan!" the winner of the South Area contest of the Zenkoku Bishōjo Seifuku Grand Prix the previous summer — a woman who, along with seventy-six other contestants, DISAPPEARED after that event without a trace — hailed. "You just wouldn't BELIEVE what happened to me...!"
For a reborn hard-nosed dictator/military leader, THIS was too much!
KK-KLONK!
Naoko blinked after Akane collapsed right into the wide-eyed Miyu's lap, a moan escaping her. "Um...does she normally do that these days, Miyu-chan?" she asked the adopted Californian.
A wide-eyed, helpless look answered the top-level reality warper...
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station near Colorado Springs (local time: Eighty minutes before dawn)...
Astronomical twilight heralding dawn was over the Front Range where the former headquarters site of the North American Aerospace Defence Command was located while the commander of America's most secret military formation rose from his chair. "Good to see you, Jacob," George Hammond declared as his guest grasped his hand. "And you as well, Master Selmak. Please, everyone, be seated."
"We were pleased to come when we heard the incredible news about Hekau being slain, General," one of Jacob Carter's two companions, a beautiful raven-haired, grey-eyed woman dressed as her leader in comfortable robes which seemed more befitting for the classical period in the Fertile Crescent, answered, her voice echoing with the power of the symbiote inside her. "He was a troublemaker."
"How exactly did that happen, George?" the elder Carter asked, his voice normal.
"That, I'm now authorized by the President to tell you and the others of the Tok'ra Council, Jacob," the veteran fighter pilot from Texas answered. "You all know of Isaac Thomas, don't you?"
"The Wise Lone Sage. The current incarnation of Doctor Renaissance," Carter's other companion, a crimson-haired, green-eyed beauty who reminded Hammond of the system lord Morrígan, noted. "Gifted by accident some years ago, he later came to assist you all in your explorations of the Stargate network. We know of him, General. Of what circumstance must he be spoken of here?"
"Danu. Anat. Please," Selmak declared after taking over his host's body.
"You both are Goa'uld queens."
That was Daniel Jackson, who had also been in the office of the leader of Stargate Command when the Tok'ra delegation came. "We would be still considered Goa'uld queens hadn't certain 'friends' of ours betrayed us, then forced us to rethink many of our life choices, Doctor Jackson," the raven-haired Anat said as she gave the chief archaeologist of the SGC a smile, making the New Yorker blush. "Have you been able to do anything concerning Amaunet possessing your wife's body, Doctor? I understand you were able to have her captured and brought here to Earth. According to our spies, Apophis was in quite the rage when he learned what befell his wife sometime ago."
"We have the ways and means — of which the general will explain in a bit — to remove Amaunet from Sha're, Madame Anat," the man who decoded the language of the Stargate explained as he sat back in his own chair. "However, in hopes of averting an escalation of the current conflicts between ourselves and the System Lords, we hope to try to make her peacefully release my wife from her control."
"The only way she'll do that is to take a new body as her host, Doctor," Danu warned. "From what I remember, she'll never consider leaving her current body unless said body is fatally wounded and there is another body close by for her to possess before she herself would expire."
"I think we'll be able to persuade Miss Amaunet to see our viewpoint, Miss Danu," Hammond declared, earning him a surprised look from the namesake of the mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish Celtic myths. "You see, Isaac is not the ONLY adopted Yizibajohei living on Earth." As his guests instantly tensed, their host sat back in his chair. "There are over FOUR THOUSAND of them here."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then...
"How...?!" Selmak hissed as Danu and Anat paled considerably, their memories of the Second Great Banishment from the World of the Forge and the destruction unleashed by that planet's supreme defender upon the Children of the Gods that nearly saw the Goa'uld wiped out flashing through their minds. "The Shatan'af would have gone berserk if they learned the Orak'nou were here...!"
"The Urusians won't be any problem for Earth after Thursday, Selmak," Hammond declared. "That's thanks to a woman named Tariko Katabarbe. Or Tuyuki as she's known better on Yiziba itself."
Jaws dropped right the floor! "TUYUKI?!" Danu exclaimed. "How...?!"
"Tariko was born on Earth, Lady Danu," Jackson cut in. "She fled a loveless home in Japan and was adopted by one of the Nameless, taken to Nesetimtuto over a decade ago. Once she was pre-Gifted to become the new Tuyuki — holding off on the full Gifting until she was mentally ready for it — she then engaged in a massive 'casting drive' that saw over a thousand Terrans Gifted or pre-Gifted."
The three visitors exchanged looks, then raucous laughter escaped them. "I take it you had friendlier relations with the various incarnations of Miss Katabarbe over the years," Hammond mused.
"Oh, we did! We did!" Anat stated as she relaxed in her chair. "I owe a previous incarnation my very freedom for rescuing me from the canopic jar that Ra imprisoned me within. Master Haroga'a was quite annoyed by something Ra did, then decided to punish him by allowing me my freedom while seeing me join forces with the Tok'ra. We took many worlds from the fool afterwards."
"I, too, also owe Master Haroga'a for many things," Danu added.
The SGC commander perked. "'Haroga'a', Doctor? That's Tariko's adopted father, right?"
"He would have been hadn't he died before Mistress Ayone went to Earth to bring Tariko to Yiziba, General," Jackson affirmed. "It surprises me that you weren't made battle dolls, ladies. According to the current Lady Infinity, the late Master Tami did consider doing that for some Goa'uld queens."
"Master Tami wasn't directly allied with Master Haroga'a, Doctor," Selmak warned. "I assume it's much different now, George," he concluded as he gazed on his host's fellow Gulf War veteran.
"The current Miss Infinity, Miss Kasuga Ayumu, was Tariko's first casting drive recruit, Selmak," Hammond affirmed, earning him nods from his guests. "Given the blood relationship between Terrans and Yizibajohei thanks to what Master Keiseiri did all those years ago that first saw that planet settled by humans — not to mention the sheer levels of mesonium deposits on Earth as all of you are well aware of given your past interactions with Rittmeister von Taserich and the late Master Hozan; I'm sure you're also aware of people like President Lincoln and General Raeburn — it ultimately didn't surprise us that Madame Ayone did turn to Earth to seek out the child she never had with Master Haroga'a."
Nods answered him from the Goa'uld queens. "Female Orak'nou have always been more sympathetic to those such as we," Danu noted. "In fact, it was Master Haroga'a's wife Lady Ayone who urged him to use his powers to allow me to be able to bear offspring; I was denied that by Morrígan many years ago." She chuckled. "So...your people are becoming the Fifth Race, eh?"
Jackson perked. "Excuse me, Madame Danu? 'Fifth Race'?"
"A wish from the Ancients, the Asgard, the Furlings and the Nox, Doctor," Selmak answered. "As those races either ascended to higher forms of life or died out, they hoped the artifacts they left behind would be used by a fifth race to bring and maintain peace throughout the galaxy. There are System Lords who believe that the Goa'uld should properly ascend to become the Fifth Race, though given what many have done over the ages, they're not worthy of such a claim. However, Tau'ri like yourselves — with your cousins of the Forge at your sides, I believe — stand a strong chance to assume such a rôle. With what Doctor Renaissance has done alone for all of you..."
Chuckles answered him. "You haven't seen anything yet, Selmak," Hammond warned...
...before a knock echoed from the door. "Come!"
The door opened to reveal a smiling young brunette woman with the stripes of a master sergeant on her airman battle uniform. "Excuse me, General," Joan Turner stated. "Commodore Dewey has come back from Seattle with her squadron. They have Mister Conrad with them now, not to mention a couple of prisoners from the NID who surrendered to them, plus a Goa'uld scientist who was possessing one."
"Have her come here right now, Master Sergeant."
"Yes, sir."
The door was closed behind the native of Las Vegas, then Hammond turned to note that all three visitors were gaping at the shut portal. "I believe all three of you could sense what she was."
Heads snapped over. "She is RA'KALACH!" Danu exclaimed. "How's that POSSIBLE?!"
"Technically, you'd think of her as Kal'ma Ra'kalach...but they're not Daishi'cha, Madame Danu," Jackson answered. "There was a separate project launched by the Fourth Republic to preserve their culture through the creation of purpose-grown biological androids to save what was left of their traditional society from the ravages of the Age of Gisan'cha. The factory ship itself is now at the third Sol-Terra libration point, cloaked from outside view for obvious reasons. It had been in the possession of those you'd definitely call 'Kek'uld'. The natives of the second world of the Phentax system."
"THEM?!" all three Tok'ra shrilled in outrage.
"Fortunately, Madame Tuyuki had something to say about THAT!" Hammond added. "In the same manner as they 'spoke' to the Urusians concerning an act of Gift thievery three centuries ago."
Selmak, Danu and Anat stared wide-eyed at him...
...before a knock echoed from the door. "Enter, Commodore!" Hammond called out.
The door opened, allowing a silver-haired protected cruiser with the one-star rank insignia of a junior rear admiral to step inside. "Reporting deployment successful, General," Julia Dewey declared with a polite salute before her eyes focused on her commander's three current guests, her nose flaring at the same time. "Oh, who are these three here? The scent's Goa'uld, but quite different...!"
"May I present Master Selmak, Madame Danu and Madame Anat of the Tok'ra Council, Commodore Dewey," Hammond introduced as all three Tok'ra paled on sensing the sheer volcano of power within the body of the adopted native of the capital of the Evergreen State. "Selmak, ladies, I present Rear Admiral Lower Half Julia Dewey, the living spirit — safi'ra to you — of United States Ship Olympia, flagship of her namesake Admiral of the Navy George Dewey at Manila Bay. Reborn in effect with the benevolence of the incarnation of the Healer of Destruction you all faced five millennia ago."
Danu croaked, "The Healer's creations...?!"
"Now! Now! Stop that!" Julia scolded as she gave the namesake of the great mother of Irish Celtic myths an amused look. "You're here under flag of truce, so you don't have to worry about being EATEN." Ignoring the winces all three Tok'ra instantly made at that statement, the flagship of America's shipgirls gazed foxily at her superior. "I do have a couple prisoners for you, General."
"Then let me talk to them, Commodore," Hammond affirmed.
She offered her arm to him, then escorted him out, the others following...
Minutes later...
"Elizabeth Wakefield?!"
The Wise Genius of the Circle of Thought turned, an amused smile on her face. "Don't make it sound like I did some sort of crime, Selmak," the elder great-granddaughter of a friend of Jacob Carter's from years before snidely declared as she gazed upon the leader of the Tok'ra delegation to Cheyenne Mountain before she turned back to her PAA readout. "How are you, Grand-uncle?"
The retired major general shook his head as his own mind took over. "When on Earth were you going to tell ME about this, Liz?!" he demanded as he sat down at the main meeting table in the Stargate Command headquarters complex. Which had been taken over by the native of Sweet Valley and several reborn destroyers, not to mention two large stasis pod-like devices bearing very human cargo.
"The President told me not to until he felt you were ready to hear it," Elizabeth Wakefield answered before she nodded. "Alright, let's drain the gestation fluid from the chambers, then we can get to work awakening Madame Arachne up," she mused aloud. "Rose, where's Michelle with the other prisoner?"
Rose Johnston — she and several friends had helped carry the two Avalonian gestation chambers from a storage area below the Wakefield home in Sweet Valley here to Cheyenne Mountain for this part of the operation — perked before she looked towards the floor. "She's getting her now with her team, Admiral. Problem is, Captain Doolittle's there and she's acting hungry. Can't blame her, though..."
Julia Dewey gazed in the same direction as the eighty-sixth of the Fletcher-class did. "SARATOGA, GET UPDECK RIGHT NOW, YOUNG LADY!" the reborn cruiser barked. "FLANK SPEED!"
As Carter and his two Tok'ra companions winced on hearing the reborn cruiser's barked command while George Hammond and Daniel Jackson shared amused looks, running feet echoed from outside the room, that followed by a blur of silver and reddish-brown bursting into the room, such melting into the image of a very contrite battlecruiser-turned-aircraft carrier. "M-m-ma'am...!"
The destroyers already in the room gave Dionne Doolittle sympathetic looks as the tall woman instantly cowered while the shorter cruiser stormed up to glare into the reborn carrier's grey-blue eyes. "Are your wireless systems down, Captain?" Julia snarled. "What did I order you when we came here?!"
The adopted native of Saratoga Springs in New York and Camden in New Jersey cringed as if she was facing down a VERY ticked off Marine gunnery sergeant. "Not to eat lar'beke, Commodore...!"
"What's this abuse Commander Johnston reported you delivered to the prisoner these people have?"
The reborn second of the Lexington-class carriers shrugged. "She was so WHINY, Commodore! Always moaning on and on about how she'll kill the people here because they took her prisoner, threatened Michelle and the others sent to get her, screamed about the fact that Professor Thomas made the devices that kept her trapped inside Mrs. Jackson's body and I was just trying to SHUT HER UP!"
An eyebrow elegantly arched. "You need to relearn some control and discipline, Captain, especially now that we have quite the interesting plethora of enemies to deal with. Do it or I'll have the President bust you down to ensign by Executive Order!" the cruiser coolly snarled before turning away.
Dionne jerkily nodded, saluting. "Yes, ma'am!"
A knock echoed from the doorway. "General?! Commodore?!"
"Come in, Commander!" Hammond called out.
The door opened, allowing the reborn 108th of the Fletcher-class to fire-carry a whimpering dark-haired woman into the room. "Your prisoner, sir, ma'am!" Michelle Porter called out while being followed by several of her sisters who had deployed to Seattle to deal with the leader of Zeditron Industries.
"By the starboard chamber please, Michelle," Elizabeth called out.
"Aye, ma'am!"
With that, the adopted native of New Orleans dropped the cringing Amaunet into the chair pointed out to her by the head of the Sweet Valley Boosters. As Michelle's sister Hannah Tingey grabbed the possessed Sha're Jackson by both shoulders to hold her down, the three Tok'ra in the room noted the mesonium-lined bracelets put on both her wrists. "Doctor Renaissance's work?" Anat demanded.
Amaunet looked up before her eyes went wide. "Anat! Danu! Selmak! You have to RUN!" the wife of Ra's effective successor as supreme leader of the Goa'uld screamed. "The Orak'nou are here! They'll destroy us like they nearly did five millennia ago! You have to warn the High Council...!"
"THE PRISONER WILL BE SILENT!"
Apophis' wife clammed up on hearing Julia's voice. As Dionne gave the possessed Abydonian chief's daughter a ghoulish smile, the reborn flagship of the Asiatic Squadron over a century before walked around the table to gaze with barest disgust at Amaunet, making the namesake of one of ancient Egypt's primordial gods shrink even further. "Is it ready, Madame Academician?" she asked.
"Ready, Commodore," the Wise Genius of the Circle of Thought answered.
"Fine. Naomi, if you may please?"
"Sure thing, Little O..."
Hannah's hands pulled away as Sha're's whole body suddenly lit up like a sun, making the "normal" people in the room turn away. As the symbiote was pulled out of the Abydonian woman's neck, the gestation chamber bearing a perfect DNA clone of her was telekinetically opened by the Cosmic All-Seer, who had come into the room after Michelle and her sisters. The symbiote — which was struggling hard against the sheer level of godlike power Naomi Haight-Ashbury possessed — was soon placed on the forehead of Sha're's effective "sister" before the energy trapping the hapless Goa'uld queen encompassed the beautiful bioroid made directly to order by Elizabeth Wakefield thanks to stock provided for her by former assistant cultural observers based in and around Los Angeles.
Suddenly, a howling scream escaped the reborn Amaunet as she literally burst from the chamber that held her new body before she collapsed, falling out to drop unceremoniously to the floor. As Sha're herself slumped in her chair after being freed from over THREE years being possessed by the Goa'uld, her husband raced over as Hannah moved to keep her up. "DOC! WE NEED YOU!" she barked.
Footfalls heralded the arrival of Kistiñe Heermann y Brown, who moved to examine the stunned Sha're while the energy that had been unleashed by Naomi faded into nothingness, leaving behind a quaking woman now on the floor...with the charred remnants of her original body disintegrating into nothingness nearby. Instantly, Anat and Danu were on their feet, moving to help Amaunet up, then move her into a chair. There was no resistance from Apophis' wife; the dazed look on her face clearly indicated that her soul was trying hard to process what just happened to her. Noting that, Carter gazed on his friend's great-granddaughter. "The Kal'ma Ra'kalach allow THIS?" the being within him asked.
"We liberated them from slavery, Selmak," Elizabeth calmly answered. "They owe us a few favours. And to quote what's often been said on Yiziba, we don't really care for race-wide death scenes!"
As the possessed Carter shakily nodded, an agonizing sob escaped Amaunet.
"I've sinned...I've sinned...I've sinned...!"
She collapsed in on herself as Anat and Danu immediately moved to comfort...
To Be Continued...
WRITER'S NOTES
Yatsura character note: Carla is the main female guest star of the fifth movie The Final Chapter. Her patronymic (meaning "child of Jesan") is my creation.
Translation list and source language: Nesetimtuto-mem — Native of Nesetimtuto (Yizibajohei); Chocolate City — Nickname for Washington D.C. and other locations with large African-American populations (English); Waarzegger — Soothsayer (Dutch); Rhuthmós — Repeating motion/symmetry (Ancient Greek); Bae — Yes (Yizibajohei); Nelo — Prince, honorific used for a non-Gifted man (Yizibajohei); Damgatuto — Literally "Kingdom of the Damga", the analogue to Uganda in Africa (Yizibajohei); Atona — Demon (Yizibajohei); Tuatha Dé Danann — Folk of the goddess Danu (Irish).
Concerning the shifting honorifics as used by Matsunaga Ryōko (THG Ryūjō), I'm following examples seen on Danbooru where she has appeared. While Wikipedia states that the standard Kansai-ben honorific is "-han" depending on the final vowel sound, I've seen both "-han", "-tan" and "-yan" used. So for her and other shipgirls who speak in Kansai-ben, I'll use "-han" as subbing for "-san", "-tan" as subbing for "-chan" with vowel-ending names and "-yan" for "-chan" with consonant-ending names.
Shipgirls introduced or spoken of here. First from Japan:
Kisaragi Nanako-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Nagatsuki [KK-151])
Kisaragi Miyako-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Mikazuki [KK-153])
Hamamoto Hideko-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Harusame [KK-190])
Kumasaka Makiko-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Makigumo [KK-226])
Kumasaka Takako-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Takanami [KK-230])
Akiyama Teruyo-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Teruzuki [KK-261])
All the girls listed above resemble their Kantai Collection incarnations, of course.
And now from the United States:
Captain Cora Sandra Jahncke USN (United States Ship New Orleans [CA-32])
CAPT Grace Lynn Newton USN (United States Ship Minneapolis [CA-36])
CAPT Lavinia Frances Thomson USN (United States Ship Atlanta [CL-51])
CAPT Josephina Georgette "Georgie" Whidbey USN (United States Ship Juneau [CL-52])
Commander Almira Theda Mahan USN (United States Ship Mahan [DD-364])
CDR Serina Chantelle Reid USN (United States Ship Reid [DD-369])
CDR Gwenaëlle Conyngham USN (United States Ship Conyngham [DD-371])
CDR Stella Cassin USN (United States Ship Cassin [DD-372])
CDR Jasmin Shaw USN (United States Ship Shaw [DD-372])
CDR Jessica Downes USN (United States Ship Downes [DD-375])
CDR Baylee Willow Cushing USN (United States Ship Cushing [DD-376])
Frances Thomson (USS Atlanta) takes after her Kantai Collection interpretation. Both Sandra Jahncke (USS New Orleans) and Baylee Cushing (USS Cushing) resemble their Warship Girls interpretations. Grace Newton (USS Minneapolis), Georgie Whidbey (USS Juneau), Stella Cassin (USS Cassin) and Jessica Downes (USS Downes) resemble their Azur Lane selves. Both Almira Mahan (USS Mahan) and Jasmin Shaw (USS Shaw) take after how they are depicted in the fan production Pacific. And Chantelle Reid (USS Reid) looks like Almira's Warship Girls interpretation.
A Captain of Destroyers (short-form Capt[D]) was a shore-based commander responsible for the administration of ships assigned to a destroyer flotilla or squadron in the Royal Navy or any of the Commonwealth navies. When said officer had a seagoing command, the position was designated Capt(D) Afloat. Since she was the first shipgirl summoned, Fukushima Fujiko (THG Fubuki) effectively became the unofficial Capt(D) for the reborn destroyers of the Imperial Navy.
The West Wing character notes: Charlie Young was a regular throughout the series, first appearing in "A Proportional Response" (third episode of the first season). Leo McGarry's rank in the United States Air Force was never mentioned; that he came out a major is my invention. Ron Butterfield was a background character throughout the series, first appearing in "Mr. Willis of Ohio" (sixth episode of the first season). And C.J. Cregg's "dancing the Jackal" (based on the song by Ronny Jordan published in 1993) was first reflected on in "Six Meetings Before Lunch" (eighteenth episode of the first season).
Danganronpa character notes: All the people alive at the end of the anime series Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School (released in 2016) would be seized by the Staff of Gihan and spiritually transported to Ziegler's Cove as revealed in Parts Two and Three; this would include people who were in comas. All who died earlier were "rescued" at the exact moment of their deaths.
Mai-HiME character notes: As noted above, Minagi Mikoto (Claymore) and Higurashi Akane (General Tonfā) were both two of the HiMEs forced to fight during the Festival of Fūka drawn out throughout the series. Hari, as seen above, is Akane's Child; he was slain by Miyu Greer in the story "Rain — Tears..." (anime episode #5), though restored to life in the final story of the series, "Shining * Days". Kurauchi Kazuya was Akane's boyfriend in the series and a background character, literally "dying" in the fifth episode only to be restored in the final episode; given that Akane was Gifted as she was, that such a relationship hadn't developed as well in this story is understandable.
Takanashi Naoko (Lady Nature) is one of the all-too-many characters that appeared in the adult puzzle game/visual novel series Zenkoku Bishōjo Seifuku Grand Prix ("National Beautiful Lady Uniform Grand Prix"), first released by the Lyceen group in 1996 and later redeveloped into a pair of dating simulation games called Find Love. Despite it being relatively unknown in comparison to more mainstream games of the genre, Grand Prix has always been a favourite due to the very wonderful art done on the series by Yamada Masaki, who can be seen on both Pixiv and Danbooru; while I was living in South Korea from 1996-2005, I was able to collect various art books on the series.
Stargate SG-1 character notes: Anat was a character from the MMORPG game Stargate Worlds, which has yet to be released. Danu is a character that also hails from the Living Gods: Stargate System Lords rule book released coinciding with the role playing game based on the series. And Amaunet was the wife of Apophis; she would appear and possess Daniel Jackson's wife Sha're in the pilot episode of the series, "Children of the Gods". This story is set now after the events of "Foothold" (fourteenth episode of the third season); the events of the story "Forever In A Day" (tenth episode of the third season) allowed a different fate to befall Amaunet/Sha're. Finally, the term Fifth Race was coined for Terrans/Tau'ri in the story of the same name (sixteenth episode of the second season).
Yes, President Abraham Lincoln was empowered by Rittmeister Josef von Taserich before his death in 1865, rendering him quasi-immortal in much the same manner as the Undying Lord's first adopted "son" Master Hozan Hirosuke was. Please consult Magic and Canada to understand what happened to the Great Emancipator after the end of the Civil War; such is my take-off on events depicted in the 2010 alternate history/fantasy novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.