Chapter 27 Ultimatum
/CRITICAL WARNING/TIME TO COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE: 60 SECONDS
/MEMORY/LOG/REPLAY FILE: 201611190900
/LOG/UNKNOWN: "Heyyy! Heyyyyyy! You're back! You came-"
/LOG/TARGET ACQUIRED: DESIGNATION INDIA-09-20161119
SPECIES: HUMAN
AFFILIATION: *UNKNOWN*
GENDER: F
AGE: 18
HEIGHT: 157CM
WEIGHT: 57KG
HAIR: CORAL PINK
EYE: BLUE
ARMAMENT: NONE
ACCESSORIES: RED BOW
/LOG/RECOMMENDED ACTION: NONE
/LOG/INDIA-09-20161119: "Oh…Ehehe, excuse me, I thought you were…someone else…"
/LOG/JAMES: "…"
/LOG/INDIA-09-20161119: "Well! Welcome to the neighborhood! My name is Sayori, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
/LOG/UPDATE: INDIA-09-20161119REDESIGNATEDSAYORI
/LOG/JAMES: "…"
/SYSTEM ALERT/TIME TO COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE: 30 SECONDS
/LOG/SAYORI: "Umm…So you're moving into the house next door…?"
/LOG/JAMES: "…"
/LOG/SAYORI: "I-It's okay if you don't want to say anything…I know meeting new people is hard…I really struggle with it myself."
/LOG/JAMES: "…"
/SYSTEM ALERT/TIME TO COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE: 10 SECONDS
/LOG/SAYORI: "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you…It's a bad habit I can't seem to break…If you'd like me to leave you alone…then…okay…"
/LOG/RECOMMENDED ACTION: NONE
/LOG/JAMES: "…Sayori…"
/SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT/UNABLE TO RECTIFY
/FATAL ERROR: UNIT OFFLINE
Location Not Found
Not for the first time, James Klein was dead. Not for the first time, he'd been torn apart, bleeding out on a hard surface. Not for the first time, he'd died because of Sayori.
For the first time, it wasn't exactly clear what came next…
There was a clear indication that neither he nor Strayed were welcomed anywhere. Banished above, expelled from below, condemned to return to war, always war, only war.
How long…how long had they been at war? Since their very first kill, the very first kill, so long ago that all they had was a stone and blind rage, condemning them to an eternity in war.
From stone, to spear, to sword, to musket, to rifle, to battle tank, to Muscle Tracer, to Armored Core, they must have killed with every weapon they could think of.
Dying again and again, by spear, arrow, sword, bullet, gas, bomb, missile, plasma, laser blade. Stabbed and shot and beat and choked and eviscerated and burned and crushed and torn apart and…bleeding out…on a tarmac.
It was clear that they had lived, and killed, and died, and repeated, over and over, ad nauseum, fighting on battlefields far and wide, for all of eternity.
That was their legacy, their monument of sin; a mountain of billions of corpses piled to a nauseating height in a sea of cold, black blood.
Lining the path up the grotesque pile of broken flesh were people…no, they were killers, and they were family. With burning orange eyes and sadistic smiles, they caried such titles as Infantry, and Cavalry, and Hoplite, and Centurion, and Knight, and Mamluk, and Musketeer, and Rifleman, and Resistance, and Pilot, and Tanker, and Raven. Men and women of every era and every army, taking such grand pleasure in their endless task of adding to the pile.
At the top of the pile they had all made together, his grandmother and mother stood, smiling ear to ear, so proud, and eager to tell him and Strayed one thing they must hear.
"You…are not finished."
Chrome Medical Laboratory/July 30th
As it was, it was far more difficult to permanently kill a Lynx when they were outside of a NEXT.
/RE-INITIALIZING/
/. . .
/UNIT: ONLINE
/WARNING: CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED
/COMBAT EFFICIENCY: 2%
/RECOMMEND AVOIDING COMBAT UNTIL COMPLETELY HEALED
/. . .
*ERROR*
/SUBSYSTEMS INCOMPLETE:
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Where the fuck are my hearts? Was the first thing that crossed his mind as he became conscious. Strayed gave a disapproving and tired growl from somewhere behind, agreeing.
Opening his eyes, May came into view, her face crossed in a thinking and observant scowl. She then lifted something just out of focus. Looking down to where she was working…
Oh… May lifted the enlarged and augmented heart of a Lynx in front of her face, turning it about in her hand as she did so. Looking down further, his chest had been split open, and was left emptier than was agreeable.
"…" Giving a breathless sigh, he laid back down tiredly, his entire body sore and strained.
"Oh, you're finally awake." May remarked sarcastically. Rather roughly, she shoved his heart back into his chest, the connectors put back in place with unnecessary force, causing him to squirm uncomfortably.
"…!" He would have raised his voice in protest, but found that he could not.
"Don't worry about that, I disconnected your voice control. I'll put it back in place when I finish…probably." May informed him with a scarred lung in her hand, which she shoved roughly into place.
"…!"
"Let me remind you how…ironic…it is that I am helping you right now." She uttered calmly, in opposition to her violent actions in replacing his organs. "You killed all of my friends…Don Colonel, Mrs. Theresia, Takafumi Arisawa, Wong Shao Lung, Roadie, and Lilium Wolcott…all dead by your blades." She hissed hatefully, her nails scraping against his spine from the inside. "And now, you have me fighting a war to protect your human friends…"
"…"
"It isn't fair, that you would enjoy killing my friends while I have to save yours…" Sneering, she leaned down close, her eyes staring into his, unblinking. "If it were not for that sweet little girl you have no business associating with…and the horrific place I find my profit to lay…then I would be entirely too pleased to keep you to myself…so that I might tear you apart over and over and over." She whispered hatefully, a hand reaching high in his chest to squeeze his windpipe shut.
"…" He choked wordlessly, not breaking eye contact with her until she released his windpipe.
"As it is…I'm sure I'll be able to torment you in other ways…" May promised as she held up his stomach, that she had repaired to a usable state. "Now hold still, there is still much work to be done on you." She smiled disconcertingly.
Chrome CIC
In an office filled with servers, screens, and a holographic table, Monika grimly read the news of the last day.
Chinese Encirclement of Okinawa Nearly Complete, US Fully Evacuated
Russian Armada Pressuring Hokkaido, JMSDF Stretched Thin
United States Breaks Mutual Defense Treaty, Ending 57 Year Alliance
Of course, she was most worried about her friends, and the effect they were having.
Multiple Gun Battles in and Around Tokyo, Over a Hundred Foreigners Killed by an Unknown Force
Day of Unknown Terror in Tokyo, Millions Report Feelings of Overwhelming Fear
Hundreds Report Sound of "Millions Screaming in Pain" Centered in Japan, Reports as Far Away as Europe
Why? Why was the world falling apart now? Why did it involve Sayori? It was two and a half years too early for the Thirty-Years War, so why did she feel…that things would continue to escalate, until the whole world was involved?
By her side, Yuri anxiously read with her, trying to keep track and take notes, hoping to make some sense of the events before them. Looking down, she ran her fingers through Natsuki's hair, as she cried into her lap, certain that Sayori was lost to them…and that James was dead.
She could not fault her for such an opinion, as James's broken and blood drained body, limply draped over May's shoulders, was in a truly abysmal state. May's indifference to it was also disconcerting, as she could easily be planning to harvest him for parts as much as help him, and her vague statement of "much work to be done" had not helped in that regard.
So it was rather surprising when the door swung open, with a scowling, injured, and tired looking James entering, followed by a disinterested and neutral May.
"J-James!" Yuri cried out in surprise. His left hand and face were heavy bandaged, with just his black and orange eyes peering out, staring ahead. His expression, where it could be perceived, was exhausted and stoic, and his gait equally so.
"James! I thought you were dead! T-That connection we had was…cut." Natsuki stood quickly, some hope bleeding through her words.
"Oh…good."
"Good? Good! James you almost died again, and all you can say is 'good'!?" Monika shouted.
"But I did die."
"…What the hell is wrong with you!?" Monika yelled, pushing him. Surprisingly, he collapsed backwards into May, who then pushed him slowly into a standing position. "Wha…James…how badly were you hurt?" She asked more tenderly at his collapse.
"Critically."
"…" Sighing, Monika gently grabbed him by both shoulders. "Please…be more careful. Losing one friend is too much to bear…"
"James…is Sayori…?" Yuri asked, fearing an answer.
"She's alive."
The three humans jumped at his answer.
"R-Really! H-How can you be sure?!" Natsuki begged for an answer.
"I can feel the tiny bit of Strayed she is carrying. It wasn't anything like our connection was, just enough to tell me that she is alive, and her direction." James explained calmly.
"Then, where is she?" Monika wondered eagerly.
"North."
"…Is that it!? That's all you know!?" Natsuki shouted disappointedly.
"Yes."
"…I think a better question would be 'why was she taken?'" Yuri suggested.
"I am…uncertain." James looked down grimly. "I can understand myself and May, but Sayori was a noncombatant, and wasn't involved with our activities…"
"Could it be that…since she knew you…since we all knew you…that made us targets by whatever enemy that you've been fighting?" Monika suggested.
"…" James quietly hissed to himself.
Rather abruptly, his phone started to ring. Slowly reaching to retrieve it, he hissed silently at the Caller ID. Sayori. Putting his finger to his lips in the universal "hush" symbol, he got everyone quiet and anxious.
Setting the phone down, and imputing a command, he then answered the call.
"…" He waited patiently.
"Klein." An older man's voice stated.
"…" In response, James breathed loud enough to hear.
"I thought you might still be alive. You've yet to disappoint me. You can call me, 'The Investigator.'"
"…"
"I've been watching you for a while now. Long enough to know that you…are not human."
"…"
"But, of course, my superiors would not believe me, so what am I to tell them?"
"…"
"Naturally, they are furious. Furious that you and May have entirely stalled their well laid plans that took years to implement, years of building alliances between neighbors and former enemies."
"…"
"I will be frank with you…they are going to order me to kill Sayori, in retribution for what you did."
It was then that James made a mistake, that would cost everything.
"If you harm her, you will invoke the wrath of ORCA!" He bared his teeth while shouting.
"Hollow threats from an unknown group, you surprise me Klein. Ah, but I am curious to see what you will do. Truthfully, I do not want to kill this girl; I detest harming civilians, but I will not have a choice soon. I've been ordered to let you know that she will be killed in the next twenty-four hours. However, if you can make this 'ORCA' known the world over, then I might be able to keep her alive for significantly longer. That is the best I can do."
"…Then I will accept your challenge." James announced, assuredly.
"Until we meet again, Klein." Then the phone hung up.
"Forty-four degrees, thirty-two minutes, twenty-seven seconds North by one-forty-six degrees, fifty-nine minutes, twenty-six seconds East." James uttered utterly calmly as he read the phone.
"…What?" Natsuki scowled in confusion.
"Got it." May stated in response to James as she typed into one of the computer stations. "Iturup Island, one thousand two hundred and fifty kilometers North North East."
"W-Wait! You know where Sayori is!" Monika asked in astonishment. "That's great! Then you guys can rescue her!"
"…" James and May shared a knowing and somber look.
"…What's with that look…?" Yuri wondered out loud, worrying.
"We will not be able to effect a rescue for a number of reasons-" May started to explain.
"What the hell do you mean?! You guys are the scariest and deadliest people in the world!" Natsuki reminded them.
"True, but we are also mortal. James is in no condition to fight, he's barely alive now as it is, and will need months to properly heal." May explained the first reason.
"O-Okay, but what about you May…? You can use that super weapon, the Next…?" Yuri suggested.
"I wasn't expecting to need the AC so soon…It will require at least three days to re-install the reactor and armor." James explained the second reason. "We only have twenty-four hours to save Sayori."
"Okay! So forget you, forget the AC, we still have May…can't she do something?" Monika pleaded.
"Technically yes…but just looking at the most recent satellite photos…" May explained as she brought up an image of Iturup Island. At the extreme Southern end of the island, between a volcanic peak to the South and a bay formed from a caldera to the North, was a red dot, on a plateau/valley, representing Sayori's location. As the image was updated, the empty plateau was actually the site of an airfield, the runway running East to West, with cargo planes and helicopters in hangers and the red dot centered on a side mounted building.
"Where the fuck did that come from?!" Natsuki shouted in angered surprise.
"…" With a sigh, Monika realized what must be happening. "May, can you zoom out this image to include Hokkaido, and any military ship?"
"Sure." May nodded at the request, imputing the commands. South of the city of Nemuro on Hokkaido was eight destroyers of the JMSDF, heading Northward. To the extreme East was a missile cruiser and four destroyers of the United States Navy, moving slowly Eastward but within range to observe. To the North, just South of Iturup…
Was the entirety of the Russian Northern and Pacific Fleets.
"Oh for fucks sake!" Monika cursed, reading off the ships assembled. Eleven destroyers, two cruisers, two nuclear powered battlecruisers, and a sixty-thousand-ton fleet carrier.
"Shit…" Natsuki muttered quietly.
"C-Could a Next defeat this many enemies?" Yuri fearfully asked.
"Certainly, however, we will still need three days to make it combat ready." James responded.
"And that's two days too late…so…is Sayori going to die…?" Monika reluctantly asked.
"…No." James realized, having an idea. "There is another way we can ensure Sayori's continued survival. He said that if we could make ORCA known to the world, then he could keep Sayori alive."
"O-Okay…so you just need to make a statement…trade your secret for Sayori's survival?" Natsuki wondering, guessing one option.
"No, nothing so simple. It will be a statement of sorts, but it will be made in blood." James announced. May frowned, unblinking, and knowing what was to come.
"…You'll have to commit a terrorist attack, won't you?" Yuri surmised.
"Exactly. We will launch tactical missiles that I've built into cities, and take responsibility for the destruction."
"W-Wait a second…doesn't 'tactical missile' mean…?" Monika hesitated, dreading the answer.
"…Nuclear…" Yuri confirmed, whispering fearfully, loud enough to be heard.
"N-N-No! That's too far!" Natsuki shouted.
"Dammit! Why? Why did you build nuclear weapons?!" Monika demanded.
"I thought you said…t-that you couldn't get any Uranium…?" Yuri wondered.
"Correct. However, at the end of the twenty-third century, a process for achieving nuclear fusion without the use of fission materials was discovered. I simply built these bombs to use that process." James explained. "As for 'why', why wouldn't I build nuclear weapons?"
"How many did you build?" Monika hesitantly asked.
"Twelve fifty-kiloton devices."
"W-Well…at least they aren't using nuclear material…so there won't be any fallout, right?" Natsuki asked.
"Correct."
"That's…not good." Yuri grimly announced.
"What do you mean? Wouldn't there being no fallout mean people wouldn't suffer afterwards?" Monika questioned her.
"Well…yes…but all Uranium and Plutonium is mixed with different isotopes, creating a sort of nuclear fingerprint that can tell where the material was mined or processed at." Yuri explained. "If a bomb went off without this nuclear fingerprint…then it would signify that an aggressor, in this case James, has the capability of building advanced nuclear weapons without using any fission material, and that…"
"That could cause an escalation of fear and anxiety…oh my god." Monika paled. "We…we could be what starts the war…"
"A massive nuclear attack by a previously unknown power…" Natsuki realized as well.
"Using advanced nuclear weapons that could be built at any time without warning…" Yuri added.
"Would terrorize and destabilize the world, paving the way to starting the Thirty-Years War." Monika summarized. "If we do that…billions will die in the coming wars…the Armored Core…the Great Destructions…the Lynx…we would cause all of these things to happen by trying to save Sayori."
"B-But what do we do? We have to save Sayori!" Natsuki begged.
"Of course we do, but we can't do it this way…there has to be another way to save Sayori without using nuclear weapons." Monika thought desperately.
"Guys…" May muttered, down casted.
"James…please tell me you have something else…a weapon or something that could be used or traded for Sayori's life?" Yuri questioned him.
"Guys." May stated more firmly.
"I do not believe so. As it is, using the nuclear weapons will certainly-"
"No! Under no circumstance can we use nuclear weapons to save Sayori! We'll find another way, we have to!" Monika countered.
"Guys!" May shouted, getting everyone's attention. "There's something I need to tell you all…something I've been keeping secret for a while."
"…What is it, May?" Monika wondered, hoping it might be some good news.
"Tomorrow…is the day ORCA declares war against the world."
"…Ah, yes, it is the anniversary of that…err, reverse anniversary?" James shrugged.
"Yes, I remember you said that, July 31st, 2450, right?" Yuri quoted.
"But what does that have to do with Sayori, May?" Natsuki wondered.
"No…not just 2450." May shook her head. "2017."
"I-I don't understand." Monika hesitated.
"In twenty hours, ORCA will declare war against the whole world." May promised darkly.
"B-But how…how can you possible know that?" Natsuki stuttered in surprise.
"While I was hiding from James during the ORCA rebellion of our time, I was hired to defend an expedition into the deep underground, protecting League scientists and archaeologists from ancient A.I. weapons and rogue settlements in long abandoned sectors." May started to explain.
"They sponsored an expedition during a time of war?" James questioned.
"I didn't question it. The money was good, and it kept me away from you." May smirked. "Anyway, one day while some technicians were recovering data from an ancient communications terminal, there was evidence of a message, sent by ORCA, dated from July 31st, 2017."
"Are you certain?" James asked with genuine surprise.
"There was no mistake. It was a very specific message, and a very distinctive name. It was authenticated as a real message from ORCA…then promptly classified and the technicians on the discovery sworn to secrecy on the threat that I would tear them and their families apart."
"I see. What was the content of the message?" James inquired.
"I…will withhold that information. I need to test to see if one of the details is what I think it is. But it was a clear declaration of war against the world." May stated.
"I see, very well." James then turned to face Monika. "Then the rest lies with you, Commander."
"Wait…you're asking me…you want me to start a nuclear war?!" Monika's hands started to shake. "That's insane!"
"Yeah! You can't force her to do something like that!" Natsuki defended.
"Monika…" Yuri looked at her sadly. "As much as I hate it…as much as I don't want you to do it…I don't think there is any other way we can save Sayori…"
"I await your orders, Commander." James nodded to her.
"No…no…NO!" Monika cried. "That's not something I can do! I can't!"
"Monika…" May grinned sadly. "I did promise you would have to do something like this, didn't I?"
"I-I!" Monika clutched her hands to her heart. "I need a moment alone…please…give me some time. This is…too much right now."
Exiting the command center, Monika quickly stepped out, running down several halls, then collapsing deeper in the facility, crying. She didn't want Sayori to die, but she wasn't sure she could do what needed to be done to save her either.
Strayed, James, and May were right, she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. She was only an eighteen-year-old girl, who had often struggled to get Yuri and Natsuki to agree on literature preferences and writing styles. Now, she was being asked to start a war, that would drag humanity down to the darkest depths of despair, apocalypse after apocalypse, and create such horrific monsters such as May, and James, and Strayed.
If only she were smarter, or read more books about command, or talked to someone who knew how to lead troops into battle…
There was someone who knew how to lead troops into battle, who had led ORCA to victory against the world before, someone who had left her a message she had yet to open.
Hastily retrieving the phone James had given her, she opened the message from Thermidor.
"Greetings, Maximillian Thermidor here." The recording began, as one of the most dangerous men who had ever lived spoke to her. "If you are listening to this message, then Strayed has completed the Closed Plan, and has found you worthy of continuing ORCA's crusade against The League."
Monika had to wonder if James…and Strayed as well, thought her truly worthy to lead them in war like they expected.
"The League never intended for ORCA to continue existing after completing the Closed Plan, so moving forward, you will have no allies, you will be fighting alone, because that is the duty to which we have been entrusted."
It was too much, too much to bear for any person. Too much to ask of them.
"It is certain that your actions will change the world, the stain of it left for hundreds of years to come. No matter what you chose, to utterly annihilate The League, or to make peace with them, know that you should commit to it with every fiber of your existence."
Her actions would change the world in such horrific ways…in more ways than even Thermidor knew.
"I leave you to the unenviable task that I could not complete. A word of advice, passed down from generation to generation, for doing this work that must be done: 'Pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe.' Go now, and see to it that this world never forgets the name of ORCA."
The message ended, and while moved at the honor of being selected to change the world, she could not allow herself the selfish and cruel pleasure of saving a single life at the cost of humanity's future.
Then, she remembered something, another line from Mazel's notes. Finding the file on Strayed, she scrolled down to the line in question.
"Throughout their service record, Strayed has taken many missions that it most certainly hated, whether they be Eviction Contracts or missions advancing the power and reach of The League. Yet in each instance, Strayed never complained, and never hesitated in doing the work it was offered, and doing it to the best of it's abilities. Perhaps that is the only admirable thing about Strayed, that it will always finish what it starts."
How…selfish of her. She had already made a promise she could not dare break, and only hesitated now to keep her own hands clean. James had never hesitated from doing what was right, even when it would only damn him further beyond salvation. Even knowing the cost, Monika steeled her heart, and decided to do something right for once.
Reentering the command center and closing the door behind herself, Monika looked to her friends, who waited on her word.
"Yuri…Natsuki…you guys should go home. What I'm about to do…I can never be forgiven for. I would not drag the both of you down with me. You have my word though, that I will do everything to save Sayori." She stated slowly.
"Like hell!" Natsuki shouted. "Sayori is my best friend too. She looked past the confident façade I put up and really cared about me. She fed me when I didn't have anything, even when it left her whining. She introduced me to the Club and made me look forward to something, for the first time in a long time. Even if it cost me my innocence, my life, I'm going to give my everything and try and save her. She deserves that much."
"Sayori listened to me when no one else could stomach me…" Yuri started. "Sure, my interest freaked her out, but she would never judge me or look down on me for them, and just continued supporting me and our friendship. She invited me to the Club, and I've never known more happiness than from being there and meeting all of you. I will not stand by when my friend needs my help. You can count me in."
"…Thank you guys…thank you so much." Monika smiled painfully, pulling Natsuki into a hug, and getting Yuri to join as well, sandwiching Natsuki briefly. Looking to James, she nodded. "What's the plan?"
"The plan itself is very simple. We move all of our operations to the company freighter, so that we might launch the missiles undetected. You will make a statement that the world is forced to hear, and then immediately detonate the missiles. During this time, we begin moving the ship into the combat zone, and launch an assault to get Sayori back once we are ready."
"You make a nuclear war sound so simple." Monika sneered slightly, still unsettled by what they were planning. "But do we have to launch multiple missiles? Even one nuclear bomb is one too many."
"Yes, that is for three reasons. The first of which is to prove that we have the capacity to launch several simultaneous attacks, and are thus not limited in resources. The second, is that we cannot simply launch an attack against a single nation, that is not how ORCA operates; we must prove that we have no allies, nor do we need any to win. Lastly, we should inflict no less than one million casualties, in order for our attack to carry the most weight."
"When you say it like that…" Monika reluctantly agreed.
"Ah, but there is one thing. You cannot use your real name when you make your statement." Looking her over, James reached behind her, his right hand tracing the bow behind her head. "Henceforth, you shall be known as 'Commander White' of ORCA."
"…I suppose I have no choice anymore." May announced. Before anyone knew what was happening, May was in front of Monika, bowing on her knee, her right fist over her left heart.
"May!" Monika cried out in surprise at the gesture.
"…" James groaned.
"I declare myself, May 'Smiley' Greenfield, a Lynx of ORCA, in service to Commander White." May sealed herself confidently.
"You asshole." James frowned. "You've invalidated my title."
"True, spiting you was part of my reason." May smiled deviously.
"May…while I appreciate the gesture…why?" Monika wondered, amazed at the actions of the Lynx.
"I've known for a while that joining ORCA would be most profitable to me, ever since you became the Commander. I will say now, that the message that is delivered tomorrow is done in the name of 'Commander White of ORCA', so I had to be sure it was you who sent it." May explained.
"I see…" Monika looked up as May stood, her confident smile placed in her command. Her friends and now subordinates, her comrades and allies, now set on the worst path for the best reasons.
"Now, let us not waste any more time." Monika announced in a commanding voice. "We move forward with the plan to save Sayori…by killing one million people."
Author's Note: Rapid Escalation is coming.
At the point where I was listing ships, just wanted to point out that I did not include any ships under destroyer weight on purpose, as that would add about 40 ships that I would (*cough*) have to write about. I'd still be working on the last chapter then.
Bit of a personal problem I'm having. Work was short staffed so I ended up working 52 hours last week and 48 hours this week. Haven't checked for next week but what that means is I'm behind on chapter 32. So, I'll post chapter 28 at my regularly scheduled time, but then I want to slow down on uploads. Try and upload once after writing two chapters. Also doing this since the last arc is so long and complicated that I don't want to have to edit a chapter that's been posted because of what is written at the end. This means if there is a pause in uploads it is NOT a hiatus, just that I'm working at my best pace. I know what happens now up to the end of the story, so be patient and hopeful for what is to come.
To JaphetSkie: He's been too bullet resistant for far too long. Wanted to remind everyone that he is very mortal, but still very tough. Also, it's less of an ICBM and more of a specialized cruise missile.
Thanks to Cyba-Fyba for the incredible cover art. Check out their other works or support them on sites such as Reddit, Deviant Art, and Twitter.