Yep, we're getting a route split even in the Expansion Scenarios! And with every route split, we've gotta see everyone off!
Expansion Scenario Interlude 1 – Unite By Separating! DREAM's New Battle Begins!
"You're really going to the other world alone?" Cobray exclaimed when he heard Janus' plan. He was in the newly-repaired Granlif Ceadei in a forest clearing a few miles away from Zifell Manor. One of Tara's parrots was perched on his shoulder while Tara, Kurou, Al and Cobray stood in the clearing itself.
"The guy who hijacked Granlif Ceadei soaked its hands in innocent blood," Janus said, "and everyone in the Earth Sphere probably knows that. No amount of explanation will change the people's minds in this environment."
"Footage of the fight was all over TV and the web," Tara added.
"But the people of the other world obviously won't know, so its reputation won't matter," Al said. "A smart decision, Janus." Kurou nodded.
"And now that the new OS was installed, no one can ever hijack it again," Granlif's pilot said. "At least not without bypassing the biometric checks and rewriting the whole thing from the ground up."
"Maybe Kira Yamato could do it," Tara quipped. "He's really good with this sort of thing."
"That's all well and good," Cobray said, "but how do you plan to get to the other world? I thought your mass-production TZIM and TZUM couldn't cross between dimensions."
"You'll see in a second," Janus said with a smirk before turning to the bird on his shoulder. "Okay, Ibis!" The parrot flew off his shoulder, phased through Granlif Ceadei's cockpit and then shifted back to its true form – that of a young caelceti. As Ibis unfurled its nearly six-hundred foot wingspan, it opened its mouth and let out a series of chirps, whistles and moans, causing a large section of the air to start rippling as if it were water disturbed by a falling stone.
Cobray's jaw dropped when he saw the creature appear, though Kurou and Al simply smiled. Apparently even a Time Diver could experience new things once in a while.
"First time seeing a caelceti, huh?" the sorcerer pilot of Demonbane said, leaning over to Dis Astranagant's pilot. "This one is just a baby. You should see how big they can get as adults."
After several moments, a huge rainbow Threshold opened up. Granlif Ceadei flew up and landed on the winged whale's back, then turned to his friends.
"I'm off, everyone. Take care."
"Stay safe, Jan," Tara called up. "Don't go dying on me again, okay?" Janus simply chuckled a bit, making his machine give a thumbs-up. With that, the caelceti folded its wings closer, then entered the portal. After a few seconds, the Threshold closed and fizzled out of existence.
"You're okay with this, Tara?" Cobray asked. "Letting him go by himself? And what do you mean by dying on you again?"
"Even dying and falling to Hell couldn't stop him from getting back to her," Kurou commented.
"Yeah," Tara said, only to do a double-take as she suddenly realized what the sorcerer had just said. "Wait, you knew about that?"
"Didn't you tell us?" Al said. Tara scratched her head.
"Maybe I did," she replied after a bit of thought. "But I just can't remember. I'll just chalk it up to magic if I didn't."
"So, now what?" Kurou then asked. "You're going to start contacting everyone you fought alongside?"
"Just the ones in the core forces," Tara replied. "Of course, I can't force them to join up if they don't want to. But I'm sure most of them will join once we tell them what we're up against..."
Back in Kamina City, Rossiu managed to get a direct line to Char and Haman, who were now taking up residence in the former Zabi family residence on Side 3's main colony of Munzo. With Axis gone, it was only natural that the two leaders of the Colonial Republic reside where Zeon Zum Deikun had first set up his own republic.
"So you've determined the source of the unrest?" Char said with some surprise. "On Earth AND in space?"
"We believe we have," Rossiu said, "and it's thanks to these two." The monitor turned to show Joshua and Rim.
"Hello, Lord Char," Joshua said respectfully. "You too, Lady Haman. I'm pleasantly surprised that you two are working together so closely in this world."
"What do you mean by 'this world'?" Haman asked, tilting her head.
"It's as you suspect - these two are from a universe that is neither our own nor the Celestial Calendar," the leader of Kamina City explained. "They claim to have fought against the very enemy that is inciting the terrorist attacks alongside DREAMers who existed in their world, including you."
They have no proof of their past with us, Char thought, but somehow I don't think they're lying.
"One of the perpetrators of the most recent attack claimed to be working 'for the glory of the King of Ruin'," Haman said grimly. "Are you speaking of this same 'King of Ruin'? "
"That's correct, as far as we can tell," Joshua said.
"We have reason to believe that the King of Ruin, who Joshua and Rim call 'Perfectio'," Rossiu said, "is an Outer God that is trying to enter our reality, but only has a toehold at the moment."
Another monstrosity like Nyog'Sothep, Char thought, shuddering as he remembered that desperate final battle.
"You have my full support in this endeavor," he then said, standing up. "I'll lend you whatever forces you need."
"We don't need just any forces, Lord Char," Rim said. "We need you...you and the other pilots who fought as part of DREAM's core forces."
"You mean like Quess, Chara and the Puru sisters?"Haman asked.
"And you, Lady Haman," Rim replied. "Any of the others will be fine, but the more the merrier." Char and Haman looked at each other.
"Very well," Char said, "But understand that I can't force any of them to fight if they really don't want to."
"I do understand," Rossiu replied. "But if they're anything like how they were back then, I'll wager they'll join us freely..."
Ruri sighed as she returned to her quarters on the Nadesico-B and slumped in her chair. She had just finished stopping another terrorist attack, this time by anti-Natural forces who were plotting an attack on Copernicus City, the Celestial Calendar's answer to Von Braun – man's first and largest lunar settlement.
She didn't get long to rest before she got a call. But when she checked to see who it was, she noticed that the call was encrypted. Omoikane, however, immediately recognized the encryption algorithm, and quickly put it through.
Sure enough, it was an old friend...Tara.
"Hiya, Ruri!" Tara said.
"Lady Zifell," Ruri said, her voice only slightly raised to show her surprise. "It's good to see you, but how did you know the way to contact this vessel?"
"I've got my ways," the Knight said with a wink. "So, do you like being captain of your own ship?"
"To be honest, I'd much rather be living with Akito and Yurika," Ruri replied.
"I know," Tara said with a sad sigh. "It's been over three years since they disappeared. I was hoping to have a peaceful time at university myself, but the world is still too chaotic to let us rest. But then again, we all knew it wouldn't be easy. That's why..."
"Let me guess," the Nadesico-B's captain interrupted, "you're getting the team back together? And you need the Nadesico-B as a flagship?"
"You catch on quick," the Knight replied with a smile, "not that I'd expect anything less from you. Anyway, we've got reason to believe that the different terrorist groups are all being aided or controlled by a common force...one of a similar threat level to Atik Yomin."
Ruri felt her entire body begin to tremble as she realized what her old comrade was implying, but showed no other sign of her fear.
"So we're uniting to meet this threat as one?" she asked.
"That's the plan," Tara replied. "The authorization is working its way through the UFN Security Council now...it shouldn't take too long."
"Shall I try to recruit Amano and Maki to our cause?"
"Hikaru Amano?!" Tara exclaimed excitedly. "That would be absol..." But before she could completely go nuts from the excitement of seeing her fellow Gekiganger fangirl again, she stopped herself.
"Well, it would be great," she said, having calmed down. "Just don't force them." Ruri smirked slightly – even after three years, Tara was still the same Gekiganger-obsessed fangirl.
"I wouldn't dream of doing that," the Nadesico-B's captain replied.
Judau sighed as he let his Gundam float during one of his routine patrols. It had been over two years
since he had seen any of his friends other than Roux, and there hadn't been any major attacks out in the vicinity of Jupiter. The only threats he had faced in his time protecting the Jupitris II were occasional lone Invaders, and not even the huge squid, starfish or worm-like ones.
Thus, the only highlights of his time at Jupiter outside of these rare attacks were whenever he got a message from one of his war buddies, or whenever supplies arrived. Because Perceptual Teleportation required that there be a person to actually perceive something, objects couldn't be sent by themselves using this method. Instead, they had to travel the full distance, meaning it was a long wait.
The Newtype certainly had no love of war, but he'd take any sort of real excitement at this point.
Suddenly, an alarm started sounding in the cockpit.
"That's odd," Judau muttered. "It's still too early for the shipping container to show up, is it?" He mentally brought up a map detailing the container's trajectory – the psycommu inside his machine allowed him to interact with the ship's software using nothing but his brainwaves.
"Nope – it's on schedule," he thought out loud. "Maybe the ZZ-GR is malfunctioning?" He mentally switched to a screen showing his machine being scanned – the ZZ-GR. It was actually a sort of downgrade from the ZZ Gundam, with different shoulder armor, five propellant tanks for longer flights, and legs made from a GM III. It wasn't suited for killing angels or eldritch abominations from beyond time and space, but it was plenty capable of dealing with single enemies.
"No malfunctions, it seems," Judau said after the scan was done. "Maybe there IS something there." He decided to check in with the Jupitris II - his machine projected a laser beam meant for communication toward the massive vessel he was floating around. A few moments later Roux, who was wearing a blue skullcap with a dark blue star on it, appeared on-screen.
"Hey, Judau!" she said. "Working hard out there, or hardly working?"
"Has the Jupitris picked up anything, Roux?" Judau asked. "The ZZ-GR got an alert."
"No," the purple-haired Newtype said; "But I found out that there's a special present for you in our latest shipment. It seems like you ordered it six months in advance."
"I have no idea what you mean," the ZZ's pilot replied. "Besides, you're gonna get scolded by the captain for hacking into our systems like that."
"I wonder if it's from another woman," Roux said snidely.
"No way!" Judau exclaimed, almost appalled at the idea.
"You never change, do you?" Roux giggled. "Maybe you should open up my present first, then." Judau looked around his cockpit – there was supposed to be a wrapped package inside.
"Your present?" he said awkwardly as he started to look around his cockpit. "Let's see...um..."
"Don't tell me you lost it?!" the girl exclaimed angrily.
"I know it's here somewhere," the ZZ's pilot said as he looked more frantically. Just then, an alert for another message popped up.
"I'm sorry for ruining your fun," the captain said. As the new image feed tried to open, Roux seemed to grab it and try to force it closed.
"Hey, don't butt in!" she cried. Judau sighed and mentally closed the window, switching it to "sound only".
"It's about the unknowns," the captain continued.
"Unknowns?" Judau echoed. "So more than one object appeared in the path of the shipping container?"
"Yes," the captain said. "The closest one appears to be a mobile suit, and its pilot asking for protection from the Jupitris. It hasn't identified itself, they claim to be from the Colonial Republic of Zeon. The other unknowns seem to be pursuing the mobile suit."
Odd, Judau thought. What would another mobile suit be doing all the way out here?
"Their acceleration profile is odd," the captain added as Roux tried her hardest to get back into the conversation; "They're not Invaders, demons or mobile suits - so we can't seem to make out exactly what they are."
"Well if our visitor is looking for protection," Judau replied, "we'll oblige."
"I agree," his superior said. "I'll authorize you to use your weapons to protect the friendly unknown and for self-defense. Any other decisions will have to be made as you go. I have complete trust your judgment as a Newtype combat veteran.
"Cut it out, Captain," the ZZ-GR's pilot said; "You're exaggerating."
"Lieutenant Louka will sortie in the Zeta Gundam and remain near the Jupitris," the captain continued. Roux, having heard this, suddenly snapped to attention and saluted.
With that, Judau turned his machine around, readied its double beam rifle and activated the thrusters near three of the five propellant tanks.
But as he flew toward the location of the unknowns, he felt a sensation of dread that he hadn't felt since the end of the war against Atik Yomin.
This feeling, he thought; It's just like...
But he shook it off.
"If I overuse the thrusters," Judau muttered, "I won't have enough fuel to make it back."
Suddenly, he could make out what was approaching: a silvery, football-shaped object with small wings, and it was being pursued by six Lamalices, four small ones led by a pair of Lamalice Canas, all of them firing beams of dark energy. When one of the Lamalices' beams struck the wing of the silvery object, it automatically split apart, revealing a purple, onion-shaped object that quickly split as well, revealing something inside...a dark purple mobile suit.
As he closed in, he saw numerous smaller objects fly from the mobile suit and fire beams at the pursuing horrors.
"Funnels...a Quebley?!" Judau exclaimed. As if to confirm this, the mobile suit flew right near his cockpit, allowing him to get a view of the suit. It then stopped, turned around and focused its funnels on attacking the Lamalice Cana, which managed to avoid the beams with surprising ease. Meanwhile, Judau took aim with the ZZ-GR's double beam rifle and fired a larger shot, forcing the eldritch horror to back off.
"Stop!" the ZZ's pilot said; "If we keep fighting, we won't have the energy to make it to the Jupitris!" But the pilot of Quebley didn't seem to hear. It tilted forward, opened up its shoulders and started to charge forward.
"Stubborn little..." Judau grunted as he turned the ZZ-GR around and grabbed the dark purple mobile suit. He then began firing his own thrusters to push it back. It took a minute of pushing, but the Quebley's pilot finally got the message and took off toward the mining vessel.
But when Judau checked to see how much his fuel had depleted from that tussle, he saw that the worst had happened.
"Aw, nuts," he sighed. "Now I've done it – I don't have the fuel to make it back. Guess I'll be drifting between planets now." For a moment, he sat silently in his cockpit. This allowed one of the approaching eldritch horrors to get close enough to fire off a beam shot at him, striking one of his propellant tanks. He then turned around and fired off several shots of his own, destroying one of the small Lamalices. This caused one of the Lamalice Canas to accelerate toward him and grab the ZZ-GR's legs with its tentacles.
"Nuts, we're right in the path of the shipping container!" he grunted as the Lamalice Cana started to squeeze his machine's legs. His monitors, still active thanks to his fusion reactor, suddenly picked up something – an orange metal container.
"The shipping container!" Judau exclaimed when he saw it on his monitor. "Is it a birthday present?" He did a quick scan of the container's contents...and grinned widely when he saw what was inside.
A Core Base, used by the Enhanced ZZ Gundam.
"That's my Leina!" he said, his heart surging with hope. "For this, I'm gonna take a chance!" He did a backflip and ejected the GR's legs, sending the Lamalice flying...
Right into the container's path.
The speed of the object, though traveling at well past Earth's escape velocity, was not enough to pierce the Lamalice. But Newton's third law of motion kicked in as the Lamalice absorbed the force of the blow and was sent spiraling away, while the container itself broke apart, exposing its contents.
Judau then used the last of the ZZ-GR's remaining fuel to fly over to the Core Base and combine with it...restoring the ZZ Gundam to its true power, and giving it another full propellant tank. He then let fly a barrage of missiles and several beam rifle shots, annihilating the Lamalice Cana.
"Goooooo!" Judau cried as the Enhanced ZZ Gundam surged forward at near full speed to give chase to the remaining Lamalices.
And it was just as well that he did – the horrors had already reached the Jupitris, and were launching attacks on it even as the Zeta Gundam opened fire on them, protecting the Quebley as it landed on the mining vessel. ZZ Gundam took aim and fired at one of the small Lamalices, destroying it in one shot.
"No, you don't!" he roared as he drew one of the ZZ's beam cannons, using his Newtype powers to make it form an extremely long beam saber blade. As the remaining small Lamalices fired beams at Roux, the blade sliced through their blasts, causing them to fizzle out. He then landed on the ship and swung his Hyper Beam Saber, slicing through them all in one strike.
"Where's the last one?!" he said, looking around. He suddenly saw it, but not with enough time to dodge – it fired off a pair of dark globs that began to rain dark energy on them.
"Damn it, the ship!" Judau grunted. Suddenly, he saw the Zeta Gundam leap toward the Lamalice, and then begin to glow with a pink aura as it extended its beam saber blade...something Judau had only seen Kamille do.
"Whatever you are," Roux cried as the Zeta powered through the rain of dark energy, "LEAVE US ALOOOOONE!" Zeta Gundam then swung its blade, which extended to be nearly as long as Judau's, and sliced through the monstrosity with surprising ease, causing it to explode dramatically.
"Nice one, Roux!" Judau exclaimed as the light from the Lamalice's death faded. When Roux turned to come back, she saw the Quebley that had sought them out was standing near one of the side airlocks, and it was clearly shut down, and a little damaged from their enemy's last assault.
"Ah, good," she sighed. "Our guest already got out." With the battle over, he finally noticed that a message was waiting for him – it apparently had appeared the moment the ZZ's upper body connected with the Core Base. He opened the message, and smiled when he heard Leina's voice, even if it was a recording.
"Happy birthday, big brother," she said, "I know you left with only the ZZ's A-parts after the war, but there's a lot of violent unrest going on on Earth, so I'm sending you some brand-new B-parts in case the chaos reaches you out there. Please use it to protect the Jupitris. A lot of people pitched in for this, by the way."
"Now that was a present," Judau laughed after the recording ended and started to get out of his seat to stretch his legs. "This birthday has just been full of surprises."
"Did you find my present?" Roux said. "The cake I made for you?" The ZZ's pilot looked around and saw a box wrapped in pink paper and topped with a white bow underneath his seat.
"Oh yeah, here it is," he said as he picked up the package. "Right where I left it."
"I hope it didn't get crushed in the fighting," the Zeta Gundam's pilot said. But as he held the box, Judau suddenly thought back to his sister's message, and to the weird enemies he and Roux had just fought. He then opened a channel to the Jupitris' bridge.
"Hey, captain," he asked. "How full are our helium tanks?"
"About three-quarters, Ensign Ashta," the captain said. "Why do you ask?"
"There's a lot of violent unrest going on back home," the Newtype answered. "I think we should return to the Earth Sphere now with what we have."
"I agree with Judau," Roux commented, having opened a communication link to the bridge; "If the chaos consumes the Earth Sphere, there might not be anyone to use the helium-3!"
"I don't know," the captain said. "How bad could it possibly be?" Just then, a metallic banging could be heard from the captain's end. There was silence for a moment.
"The new arrival wants to be let in?" he said. "Very well." The sound of a door opening could be heard, followed by a new voice.
"Hello, Judau Ashta," the voice said.
"Puru Two?" Judau exclaimed.
"I'm Puru Twelve, actually," the Quebley pilot said. "Lord Char and Lady Haman sent me to find you. They need you and Roux Louka to come home as soon as possible."
"Why did they feel the need to send someone?" Roux said. "They could have just sent us a radio transmission, now that the practice of scattering Minovsky particles is banned."
"I volunteered," Puru Twelve said. "So, what is your answer?"
"Well, if the leaders of the Colonial Republic say they need us, I think we should," Judau said with a little smile, excited at the idea of getting to return home early.
"Very well," the Jupitris' captain said. "Return to the Jupitris so we can begin our departure procedures."
"Glad you're okay, Roux," the ZZ Gundam's pilot said with a happy sigh.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Roux replied with an almost seductive smile. "It's poker night after all, and it's MY turn to make the chili."
"You're darn straight!" Judau replied enthusiastically, licking his lips and grinning widely...
Look, we still have the three of us, and DREAM has enough firepower as it is! Why do we need to get the old crew back together?!
That was what Harry had said just before Ruri rang the doorbell to the small studio. The woman who had answered the door was none other than Hikaru Amano...the mangaka behind the critically-acclaimed revival of the Gekiganger 3 manga, which supposedly retained the spirit of the original anime while simultaneously appealing to a broader audience.
Now Harry and one of his fellow Nadesico-B crewmen, a former Jovian soldier named Saburota, were gawking at the pages of the next issue, while Ruri and Hikaru were discussing the matter of getting everyone in DREAM back together.
"Considering the threat we're dealing with," the captain said, "we can't use regular enlisted soldiers. We need people with experience fighting the kind of enemies DREAM has faced." Hikaru pursed her lips for a moment as if in thought.
"Sure, okay," she replied after a few seconds. This reply got the attention of the two enraptured young men.
"Now that didn't take long," Harry quipped.
"But don't you have your serial to manage?" Ruri asked. Hikaru giggled awkwardly as she scooted her chair closer and her expression turned to one of desperate joy, as if she had been lost in the desert and just found an oasis.
"Oh, thank god you're here," the mangaka groaned joyfully; "I'm way behind, my deadline's tonight, and all my assistants went and got sick at partieeeees!"
The captain and her two crew soon found themselves engulfed in the world of writing and drawing manga in the least appealing way possible...
Kira entered the room he shared with Lacus just as she was hanging up her phone. Mr. Pink and the other Haros were bouncing up and down as they were wont to do while she was sitting on her bed.
"Who was that, Lacus?" he asked.
"That was Tara Zifell, of all people," Lacus answered. "She's trying to reunite DREAM's core forces."
"Really?" Kira said, his eyebrows raised in surprise; "I mean, it would be great to see everyone again, but what kind of threat would require all of us to get back together?"
"She told us that it's a threat on the same level as Atik Yomin," she replied. "It might very well be the Outer Gods." Kira shuddered a bit.
"Fighting something like Nyog'Sothep again," he said. "Now that's scary. I was hoping we were done with them three years ago." Lacus nodded.
"You know," she then mused, "there are times I wish we didn't have to hide the truth about the existence of the monsters from Outside. You know how I hate having to lie to people."
"Lacus, let's not forget what we learned about reality from that fight," Kira warned. At this, Lacus' expression turned grim, almost depressed.
"You mean that everything that has happened, is happening and will happen in our multiverse is nothing more than the fleeting, momentary dream of the Great God, who is both blind and without mind," she said, her head bent down; "Or that our ultimate demise will come when everything is devoured by one of its equally mindless children...and no one outside will miss us?"
"Lacus..." Kira said, sitting down next to her – he hadn't seen Lacus look this down in a long time, and it always bothered him. She looked back up at Kira with sad eyes.
"But every time I think about revealing that truth," the songstress-turned-politician continued, "I realize that the world would go mad with despair if it had to confront that reality. To keep the flame of hope alive, they can't ever learn that."
"C'mon, Lacus," the Strike Freedom's pilot said, taking Lacus' hands into his owns; "People aren't that weak."
"I'd rather avoid testing the truth of that," Lacus said. "That's why I'm going to ask the rest of the Council to authorize mobilizing certain units within our forces...including you and the Eternal..."
Over two years had passed since Yoko began her teaching job on that small island. It was a quiet and simple life, full of small joys. To the people of that island, she was just Yomako, and that was enough for her.
The children there had taken to her very quickly, especially a little boy with a bowl haircut named Naakim. As she gazed out at a tall tree near the schoolhouse where she taught, Yoko recalled the day he had climbed up to the top to retrieve a bag that his father had left him, only for him to freak out at how high up he was. She remembered tearing the hem of her dress so she could climb up after him, and seeing the border between day and night from the top – the setting sun in the west, the rising moon in the east. Naakim reminded her a lot of Simon...or was it of Janus? She remembered them both with equal fondness, and wondered if their lives were filled with the same small joys as her own.
However, when Rossiu contacted her and asked her to rejoin, she was ambivalent about leaving her new life behind to fight in another war.
But suddenly, her joy was shattered by two blasts of water from the shore, followed by the sound of stone cracking, heralding the arrival of two hulking Gunmen – a bull-type and a snake-type. The bull was holding half of a lighthouse.
"If this kid's life means anything to ya," the pilot of the bull Gunmen said as Yoko arrived on the scene, "you'll all bow down before da King of Ruin!" Upon looking a little closer, she and the villagers spotted a little girl cowering at the top - she had brown hair in a thick twintails style and wearing a white dress with large blue spots.
"Maosha!" a woman, the girl's mother, shrieked in terror.
"Why would we do that?!" an old man exclaimed. "We have no reason to..." The Gunman holding the lighthouse waved it around, causing Maosha to slip and slide around the top of the structure.
"If that's your answer," the pilot of the snake-type said, "then you're all dead meat!" The robot opened up several hatches on its shoulders and fired off a barrage of missiles, first damaging the schoolhouse and setting it ablaze.
"Stop it!" Naakim cried.
But the snake Gunman fired off another barrage, destroying the tall tree Naakim had climbed that day.
And seeing these two things destroyed was enough to awaken the warrior that had slept in Yoko's heart since the war's end.
"They'll pay for this," she muttered as she rushed off to the small hut she had been living in.
"C'mon, bow!" the pilot of the bull Gunman said as the snake Gunman's head moved closer to Maosha. "Or do you want to see this girl die?!"
Meanwhile, seeing Maosha in danger seemed to awaken a power within Naakim...something he had been holding back since he arrived alone on the island shortly before Yoko did...
And something Yoko told him was a power he didn't need to be afraid of anymore.
"Let...her...GO!" he suddenly roared. His body began to swell and change, becoming more monstrous. By the time the change ended, he was only a little shorter than the Gunmen, and now resembled a greenish-gray, bloated yet muscular creature of vaguely humanoid outline. His head was like an octopus with far more than eight tentacles, while he had wicked claws on his fingers and toes and the wings of a great dragon. He had no less than three eyes on either side of his monstrous head, while the child's human face protruded from its snout, just above the tentacles.
Naakim was a Devilman, albeit one who had not heeded Akira Fudo's call to arms.
But the people of the island had not fully accepted the equality of humans, demons and Devilmen, and now found themselves shrieking in terror at what the little boy had become, even as he lunged at the Gunman holding Maosha hostage, smashing it with a fist, only to fall flat on his face afterward – he was not used to controlling his enormous demon body. What was more, he inadvertently knocked the girl to fall from the top of the structure as it crumbled to pieces.
Thankfully, someone was there to catch her: Yoko. She was riding her motor scooter, which had rocketed up toward Maosha, allowing her to back in the outfit she had worn during the war, and had her old sniper rifle slung over her back. She landed safely, and placed the frightened girl on the ground next to her parents.
"Miss...Yomako?" Maosha whimpered as she looked up at her teacher.
"Stay back, kids," Yoko said to her class. As Naakim got to his feet, he gazed down at her, and then remembered something from his textbook:
She was in one of the pictures. She was a member of Team Dai-Gurren, who had defeated the Spiral King and freed those who lived underground so they could return to the surface...
A hero.
"Who the hell are you?" the pilot of the snake Gunman said.
"I am a teacher," Yoko replied bravely.
"Don't make us laugh!" the pilot of the bull Gunman said, "the only real teacher in this world is the King of Ruin!" Meanwhile, Yoko glanced over at the fallen Naakim.
So, you've finally let it out, she thought. Don't worry, I'll defend you once this is over, even if no one else will.
"This will be on the test," the sniper then said as she cocked her rifle, "pay close attention."
Meanwhile, Naakim managed to struggle to his feet, and watched in awe as his teacher began her assault.
"First, you don't wreck buildings," she said. The snake Gunman lunged at her with a snake head on its arm, which she leaped over and rode up, firing her rifle straight down into it as she ascended.
"You don't take children hostage," Yoko continued as the bull Gunman tried to strike her, only to strike his companion instead. She fired off several more rounds, this time into the bull Gunman.
"And you don't threaten people with violence," she concluded as her scooter landed on the ground. She cocked her rifle again, ejecting several empty shell casings.
"Class dismissed," she said as both Gunmen exploded. "You fail." But when the explosions died down, the bull Gunman was still there and functional, albeit heavily damaged...and the pilot, a pot-bellied though skinny middle-aged man with orange sunglasses, was really out for her blood.
"I'm gonna smash ya, ya little bi..."
But Yoko didn't need to look back or even dodge – Naakim lunged at the bull Gunman again, this time with his entire body. He then pounded the Gunman a few times with his fists, finally disabling it, then plucked the hapless pilot out of his cockpit with his face tentacles.
Yet the Devilman was able to overcome the instinct to shove the man into his demonic form's mouth, and held him in his tentacles instead, as if waiting for instructions from his teacher.
"Thank you, Naakim," Yoko said in the tone she used when she was in the classroom. "Now, I'd like you to help me teach another lesson – this time to everyone on this island."
"Yes, Miss Yomako!" Naakim said, his voice mixed with a gurgle, but clearly his own. His tentacles lowered the man toward the ground, but kept a tight hold on him.
"Judging by the looks on your faces," the teacher began, "most of you aren't fully aware of what the new reality is in this world, so today I will teach you."
She picked up a stick that was lying on the ground and walked up to the man in Naakim's clutches.
"In this world," Yoko began, "the Demon Tribe, humans, Beastmen and those in between – people like Naakim – have created a new definition for what it means to be human." She then pointed the stick at the man.
"This, class, is a being that looks like a human, but is not," she said. "Can anyone care to guess as to why?"
The adults looked at each other in confusion, but Maosha raised her hand.
"Yes, Maosha?" Yoko said.
"B-because he's a big meanie who doesn't care about other people?" she said meekly. Yoko smiled.
"You're absolutely right," the teacher said before turning her attention back to the group at large. "This man had absolutely no qualms about using our darling Maosha as a hostage to achieve his goals. People like him, who refuse to accept the value of others' lives as being equal to their own, are the real monsters. Of course, we should give them a chance to change their ways."
She then gestured to Naakim.
"Meanwhile, Naakim here tried to protect everyone, including me. What does that say?" Everyone in the village nodded in understanding as Naakim felt a tear of joy drip down his face. Meanwhile, Yoko's thoughts turned to the being the two intruders had demanded the islanders worship.
King of Ruin...whoever you are, I won't let you steal people's happiness any more!
This would be the first time that the former Evangelion pilots had been to Nerv's headquarters. Without Lilith, the Black Moon, or the threat of the Angels, there was little need for Central or Terminal Dogma, so they had been quietly sealed off. The only thing related to the old Nerv that was really still used were the hangars where the Evangelions and Wunder were stored.
Misato was waiting patiently at Gendo's old desk when Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Kaworu, Hikari, Kensuke and Toji entered. The room was now much better lit, and contained none of the ominous symbols that it had when Shinji's father had occupied it. As they sat down in some folding chairs in front of the desk, Nerv's director wasted no time in getting down to business.
"Glad you all could come," Misato said. "I know you're very busy with school and all, but this is important."
"If it's for you," Kensuke said with a sigh, "we'll do whatever you ask us!" Misato giggled a little – at least Kensuke hadn't changed that much.
"Listen guys," she began, "I've been asked by the UFN to unseal the Evas so they can be used again. Since you're the only ones who can pilot them, that means you'll have to go into battle again."
"Why do they need the Evas?" Asuka asked. "We don't have to worry about the Angels anymore, right? We beat Atik Yomin, too!" Shinji, however, continued to listen quietly.
"Do you remember the enemy we faced in our very last battle three years ago?" Misato continued. This sent a wave of alarm through everyone in the group.
"Are you sayin' that we have t' fight dat Nyog'Sothep thing again?!" Toji exclaimed.
"Based on what I've been told," Misato said grimly, "we may have to face something similar before it's over."
"You mean another Outer God?" Rei said; "One like my big brother's father?"
"Hopefully not," the director of Nerv said, "but we should prepare for that possibility. Of course, we won't be the only ones involved. Our old comrades from DREAM's core forces will be fighting alongside us."
As she looked over the group, everyone except Kaworu seemed to look apprehensive. Her heart sunk.
"Of course, I can't force you to fight," she said. "I'll just assume your silence means..."
"Count me in," Shinji said, rising to his feet.
"Shinji..." Misato gasped. She had known Shinji had grown manlier in the years since the war, but she never imagined that he would volunteer like this. Just then, Asuka got to her feet.
"If that dummkopf Shinji's going, then so am I!" the redhead proclaimed.
"I'll go too," Rei said as she stood up.
"I still want to see what happens to this world," Kaworu said as he stood up. "Even if Shinji-kun had opted out, I would have still joined the cause."
"Where Ikari goes, we go!" Toji proclaimed as he and Kensuke stood up as well.
"Amen, brother," the otaku said eagerly, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulder and raising a fist up. Hikari sighed and stood up as well.
"I suppose I'll go too," she said, "if only to make sure Toji doesn't do anything stupid while I'm not around." Misato smiled widely, her eyes starting to get misty.
"Thanks, you guys," she said; "And welcome back..."
Several weeks had passed since the last attack from Perfectio's minions, and the Universal Century side of DREAM was fast gathering its former numbers. The Ra Cailum and Nahel Argama were stationed just on the outskirts of Von Braun, ready and alert for the arrival of friend or foe.
Thus, Bright Noa was there when a strange portal appeared in the sky.
"A dimensional distortion has just appeared from eleven o'clock, distance 500," an operator said; "It's enormous!" The crew manning the ship was different from the ones who had fought in the war two years before – there were two Devilmen in their midst.
Could it be...? Bright thought. Sure enough, the portal opened, and out came a young caelceti...Ibis, with Granlif Ceadei on its back.
"What...is THAT?!" one of the crew exclaimed.
"It's beautiful," the Devilman in the group gasped. The winged whale drifted downward and landed softly on the rocky soil, allowing its passenger to hop off.
"The machine doesn't match anything in our records," another human crew member said. "But it seems to be hailing us."
"Put it through," Bright ordered. "It's not an enemy, that much I can say." The monitors flickered as an image appeared – Janus.
"Hey, Captain Bright!" he said. "You came to greet me!"
"It's been over two years, Olendra," Bright said.
"Three for me," Janus replied. "You know how time flows differently in our two worlds. Listen, there's something I have to tell you...it's really, really, important."
"Come to the officer's lounge on the Cailum," he replied. "There's something I need to tell you as well."
"Roger," Janus said. "I'm preparing to dock."
The Celestial Calendar world's DREAM was also having good luck gathering its core forces together. This group had chosen to gather on Macross, and it was in one of the giant space colony's massive hangars that Tara, Kurou, Al, Cobray, Mamoru and Kaidou were all waiting for the arrival of Tara's friends.
"Look!" Mamoru exclaimed as he saw a pink ship enter the hangar and touch down; "It's the Eternal!" The group hurried over to greet the occupants of the ship.
The Eternal, Cobray thought as a ramp dropped down from the bottom of the ship, that must mean those three are aboard. Sure enough, the very trio walked down the ramp.
"Kira! Lacus! Andrew!" Tara said excitedly.
"Nice to see you in person again, Your Grace," Lacus replied, starting to curtsy.
"Quit it, Lacus," the Knight said, "There's no need to be so formal with me here. We're friends." Lacus smiled.
"Mamoru, Kaidou!" Kira said. "I hear you guys are piloting GaoGaiGar's successor now!"
"We are," Mamoru said. "Hopefully we'll be able to use it to rescue big bro Guy and the others!"
"Is the Archangel on its way?" Kaidou asked.
"Yeah," Andrew said. "They're swinging by Orb to pick up Athrun and the Infinite Justice."
That's right, Cobray thought; Kira and Athrun got upgraded versions of the Freedom and Justice Gundams in this world. I wonder how the ones in my original world are doing.
"What about your sister?" Tara asked.
"Cagalli's sitting this one out," the Strike Freedom's pilot said. "She says that she wants to focus on defending Orb." Tara nodded in acceptance – she had expected at least a couple of people refuse her call...not everyone had the desire to go up against the Outer Gods a second time. Lacus, meanwhile, turned to Kurou, Al and Cobray.
"Who are these people?" the pink-haired Coordinator said; "Aren't you going to introduce us, Tara?"
"Oh, yeah," the Knight exclaimed, embarrassed at having forgotten them. "This is Kurou Daijuuji and his partner, Al Azif - and this guy is Cobray Gordon." Kira looked back and forth between the different members of the trio.
"Funny," he said; "I feel like I've met you all somewhere before. Do you get the same feeling, Lacus?"
"Maybe we have, Kira," Lacus replied with a gentle giggle. "But it's a pleasure to meet you all the same."
So, they're retained a little awareness about their existences in other worlds, Al thought. This is certainly encouraging. Just then, Paul looked up and called out.
"We've got another ship incoming!" he said. The group turned and saw the Nadesico-B flying in and come in for a landing.
"So, that's the Nadesico's successor, huh?" Kira said, putting his hands on his hips. "I know who the captain is, but this is my first time seeing this ship for myself." Just as the Eternal did, the ship touched down and put down a ramp that allowed its crew to exit safely. Moments later, Ruri, Hikaru, Harry, Saburota and a few other people came down the ramp...the other pilots and crew of the old Nadesico, including Izumi, Minato, Megumi and Jun.
"Ruri!" Mamoru called out.
"Hello again, Mamoru," the silver-haired captain said; "You as well, Kaidou." Meanwhile, Hikaru looked past her captain and spotted Tara. The two fellow otakus rushed toward each other, grabbed hands and starting hopping up and down like giddy schoolgirls.
"Taraaaaaaaa!" the Aestivalis cried joyfully.
"Hikaruuuuu!" Tara replied ecstatically. They then squealed in unison.
"Some things never change," Izumi sighed, watching the two.
"Like your singing, Maki?" Ryoko quipped. Izumi frowned, but said nothing else.
"Your hair is different, Ryoko," Lacus said. "Why did you change it?"
"This is my natural color," the Aestivalis pilot replied before turning to Tara. "Say, where's your main squeeze, Zifell?"
"Yeah, where's Janus?" Mamoru asked. "I'm surprised he's not with us."
"He went back to the Universal Century world to see if he can recruit our friends there," Tara replied.
"Really?" Kaidou said. "But didn't we close the Thresholds forever?"
"We did," Tara replied with a wink, "but Jan and I have ways of getting to the other world."
"Considering the gravity of the threat we're facing," Kurou said, "we may need the help of your friends in the Universal Century world." Ruri looked up at the sorcerer, then at Al and Cobray.
"Oh, who are you three?" she asked. "I don't believe we've been introduced."
"I'm Kurou Daijuuji," the main pilot of Demonbane said, "and this is my partner, Al Azif." Al waved pleasantly.
Another Ruri, Al thought. Their faces are kind of similar. I wonder if there's a connection somehow.
"I'm Cobray Gordon," Cobray said. "Tara's told me about you and the rest of the Nadesico crew."
"Are you three all pilots?" Ruri asked.
"Indeed," Al said proudly; "Kurou and I pilot the incredible Deus Machina Demonbane!" Ruri looked around, and spotted Demonbane standing nearby, with Dis Astranagant standing next to it.
"It's not the one with the impractically long knee pads, is it?" she said. Al glared at her, but said nothing.
"Don't mock it," Tara said; "That thing is an absolute powerhouse. It would definitely give Neo Granlif a run for its money." That assertion raised eyebrows among everyone assembled, save for Mamoru and Kaidou – they had seen its power firsthand, after all.
"Well, if the threat is truly as dangerous as I've been told," Lacus said, "then any help will be appreciated."
"Then the awesome-looking black and gold one must be Cobray's!" Hikaru chimed in.
"That's my Dis Astranagant," Cobray said. "It's the only one of its kind in all the infinite cosmos." This also surprised the group.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryoko said. "If there are infinite universes, then there's no way that only one of something can exist at a time." Tara and the three others looked at each other.
"I guess you guys should know more about these three," she said. "But let's wait for everyone to arrive first."
In Shamna's mind, the weekly sacrifice of one of her own people was quite the bargain for the continued patronage of Keisar Ephes, and for Zilkhstan's renewed prosperity. The victim this time was a little girl that lived in the captial of Grahlbad – a homeless orphan that Shamna figured no one would miss/ As an added bonus, the Spirit Emperor seemed to enjoy the taste of souls in the depths of despair - something that was hardly in short supply.
Shalio, however, viewed his sister's actions with a great deal of distaste.
"Is this really what's right for our kingdom, sister?" Shalio whispered to her as they watched Keisar feast on the girl's soul. "Sacrificing little children?"
"She would have died of starvation anyway," Shamna replied. "At least she has become a part of something far greater than anyone on this planet."
As Keisar finished his latest meal, he suddenly began to murmur ominously.
"Is something the matter, great Keisar?" the queen asked uneasily, worried that her sacrifice wasn't good enough.
"Our enemy's forces are gathering," the entity said as he rose to his feet. "They are preparing to move against us."
"So soon?!" Shalio exclaimed in dismay. "But we have yet to gather enough strength to match them!" But the wicked Spirit Emperor simply chuckled.
"It is a problem I anticipated," he replied, "and shall solve presently." He waved his six hands in a sweeping motion, causing the entire room to disappear, surrounding them with a black void, with Keisar somehow producing light by which the two humans could see. As they floated there, the siblings saw Keisar Ephes open his arms wide as he bellowed out a command:
"Come to me, my Neshamah! Come forth, my Million Favored Ones!"
For a few seconds, nothing happened. But then the darkness seemed to tremble as over a million mecha appeared from the void. Anyone who had seen the machines used by the Theocracy of Arubboth would have recognized them – they resembled the ones used by the Aerogaters division, though mixed among them were orange machines with twin cannons on their shoulders and bladed wheels on one of their arms.
"These are all...mobile weapons..." Shalio gasped, somehow able to see them perfectly well in spite of his near-blindness. "I've never seen the likes of them, though."
"These are the most loyal and skilled servants I have gathered from across countless worlds," Keisar explained. "This deathless army is at your disposal, children of Sirius." The young king grinned wickedly.
"And to lead them," Keisar continued, gesturing down with his lowest right arm, "I present to you this man." Shalio and his sister looked down, and saw that someone had appeared in front of and slightly below them – a man in a gray mask with red accents and a black and gray Earth Alliance pilot uniform. Long, shoulder-length dark blond hair flowed out from beneath his helmet.
"I am Neo Roanoke," the masked man said; "I am at your beck and call, mighty Spirit Emperor."
"Neo Roanoke, who I have called back from the depths of Eden Vital to serve as leader of my Neshamah," the Spirit Emperor intoned, "you are to obey these two children of Sirius. Their commands are to be regarded as my own unless I say otherwise."
"I understand, Spirit Emperor," Neo said. "As one who knew DREAM well, I know all of the best ways to crush them..."
In the officer's lounge on the Ra Cailum, Bright waited for Janus. However, he wasn't alone – Amuro was there with him. He had answered DREAM's call to unite to defend the world against the new threat that had emerged.
"Hello, Captain," Janus said. Bright motioned for him to sit, but Janus shook his head in refusal.
"Before we begin," Granlif Ceadei's pilot said, "I should say that it seems like you've got your own problems. Why else would so much of the old team be back together like this, even before I got here?"
Amuro nodded – Janus was as thoughtful as he remembered.
"Indeed," the Ra Cailum's captain said. "Terrorists have been attacking all over the Earth Sphere. Initially, they seemed to be in protest of the new order DREAM helped establish, but now it seems their objective is simply to cause chaos and rekindle old hatreds."
"That sounds exactly like my world's problem," Janus replied. "However, we've determined that there's a mastermind on my end."
"Really?" Amuro said. "Same here."
"The one behind the attacks is supposedly an Outer God called Perfectio," Bright explained; "His forces were powerful enough to rip Mazinger ZERO's essence out of Mazinger Z and implant it into an Ichinana."
The words "Outer God" and "Mazinger ZERO" immediately put Janus on edge...and the name 'Perfectio' also sounded faintly familiar.
So they're facing down an Outer God too, he thought. Sounds like I'll have to stay here...sorry, Tara.
"Actually," Amuro interrupted; "It seems one of his servants managed to infiltrate the Science Fortress Lab to get close to Mazinger. That person then removed ZERO's essence and then disappeared. That was what the report said."
"Who was this person?" Janus asked. Bright looked down at the report.
"A woman named Naya Lotepa," he said. "We're assuming she's a member of the Demon Tribe that was seduced by Perfectio's words."
Naya...Lotepa, Janus thought. It took him a moment, and then a horrible realization came over him, causing the color to drain from his face.
"You okay, Janus?" Bright said.
Naya...Lotepa, he thought; That's really got to be...
"Is there something you want to tell us?" Amuro asked. "You don't need to be a Newtype to see that you're deeply worried about something."
"He's probably worried about having to fight Mazinger ZERO again," the ship captain said; "I don't blame him, considering ZERO was the one who killed him back then." Janus sighed and nodded.
"Yeah...I still have nightmares about that," he replied, color returning to his face as he latched on to that as an excuse.
Janus knows something about that Naya Lotepa woman, Amuro thought. But I doubt that knowledge would change anything. When he's ready to tell us, he will.
"So, who's joined up with us?" Janus asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Pretty much everyone in our core forces except for Simon, Nia, Chan, Kamille, Fa, Loran, Harry and the Zeorymer pilots have decided to join in," the Hi-Nu Gundam's pilot said.
"I could understand why Kamille and Fa would want to stay out," Granlif Ceadei's pilot said, a little surprised; "but what about the others?"
"Harry Ord wants to stay and defend the Lunar Kingdom," Bright replied, "while the Turn A and Great Zeorymer are sealed up extremely tight."
"Meanwhile, we can't even locate Simon and Nia, let alone get in touch with them," Amuro said. "As for Chan...I'm making her stay out." Bright smirked and gave his friend a friendly elbow jab.
"It turns out Amuro's going be a father," he said.
"Congratulations, Amuro!" Janus said. "I completely agree - I wouldn't want Tara to fight if she was pregnant. Still, that leaves us a little short on firepower without the Turn A and Great Zeorymer." As he said this, the door leading to the hallway opened up, revealing Joshua and Rim.
"Don't worry, you've got us," the pilot of Ganador said. Janus turned around to see who had come in, and was surprised to see two faces he didn't recognize for once.
"Perfect timing, you two," Bright said. "Janus, this is Joshua Radcliffe, and this is his sister Cliana Rimskaya."
"Call me Rim," the girl said.
"They pilot the machines Ganador and Strega, which can combine to make Forte Gigas," Amuro explained. "They were the ones who warned us about Perfectio in the first place, and they claim to have experience fighting him in their original universe."
"Glad to have you on board then," Janus said.
"We've heard quite a few stories about you and your girlfriend in the 'Celestial Calendar' world," Joshua said, "as well as your machines."
"If there's any truth to the stories," Rim said, "then Neo Granlif would have no problem taking out Perfectio!" Janus smiled, but shook his head. Just then, the door opened again, and in stepped the pilots of Shin Getter Dragon.
"Unfortunately, Neo Granlif is gone," he replied, "All I have now is Granlif Ceadei, and it's a far cry from its predecessor."
"Don't worry, there's a new Getter Robo on the team that'll pick up its slack," Kei said. Janus turned and gasped excitedly to see more of his earliest friends from the war.
"Kei! Gai! Go!" he exclaimed.
"Good to see you too, Janus," Gai said. "We kinda missed ya."
"Now that you mention it," Janus said, "I saw a weird looking Getter Dragon when I landed in the hangar. Is that the new Getter Robo?"
"It's not Getter Dragon," Go said, "but Shin Getter Dragon."
"Get this," Kei said excitedly, "it uses both Photon Power AND Getter Rays!"
"Glad that Mazinger Z's still around," Janus said. "We'll need it and Kouji if we're going to tackle Mazinger ZERO." The three Getter pilots nodded as someone else entered the room – Yoko.
"Also, who's piloting Gurren Lagann nowadays?" he then asked. "Last I heard, it's Gimmy and Darry."
"That still holds true," Yoko said. "Luckily, it seems Gimmy's latent Spiral Power is starting to awaken. I heard he used a Giga Drill Break to defend Kamina City." Janus turned and gasped when he saw his first companion.
"Yoko?!" he exclaimed.
"It's been a long time, big guy," she said. "How's things?"
Perfectio's eyes flashed open suddenly as he awakened from his apparent slumber or meditation. Ventos and the woman heard their lord stir and turned to hear what he had to say.
"Our enemy is gathering," the King of Ruin said. "They are preparing to move against us."
"Already?" the woman exclaimed.
"Indeed, Glacies," Perfectio chuckled. "Faster than I had anticipated...it seems the lingering presence of the unforeseeable factor prevented me from foreseeing this." Ventos dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
"The fault is mine, King of Ruin," he said apologetically. "If I had been able to destroy those two..."
But Perfectio smiled unnervingly, even patting his subordinate on the head as if Ventos were a child.
"You are forgiven, Ventos," he said. "In truth, I knew that this moment was inevitable when I saw those two arrive in this world. But now that we have the god of demons in our power, I can begin calling upon our forces from beyond." The room suddenly disappeared, and the trio were in a great black void.
"First," the wicked Outer God said as a foul black sludge somehow began to flow outward from where he was standing, "I shall call back the spirits of your former fellow generals, and place them in new bodies." Perfectio's eyes flashed as he raised his arms, and four spirits – dark purple, flaming red, sickly green and off-white – appeared and orbited around the King of Ruin. Then, four vaguely humanoid bodies formed from the sludge Perfectio was generating.
When the dark purple soul entered one of the bodies, it compressed itself somewhat, forming into a short, armadillo-like figure with an orange shell, tan body and dark brown pot belly.
"Guame, the Immovable," Perfectio intoned, "now host to Umbra." The figure looked over its new form with cold, emotionless eyes, though Ventos could sense a hint of dissatisfaction in it.
When the flaming red soul merged with one of the bodies, it swelled up, transforming into an imposingly large, well-built, armored warrior with gorilla features. It wore blue metallic armor with pointed shoulder pads and a skirt, blue metal gauntlets, blue metallic shoes, and a blue hat.
"Thymilph, the Crashing One," Perfectio chanted, "now host to Ignis." Glacies watched as the gorilla-like being flexed and manipulated its new form.
When the sickly green spirit merged with a body, it squeezed and formed into an attractive woman with blue hair, large breasts, and a curvaceous body. However, she had a long, thick scorpion tail and snake-like eyes, one covered by an eye patch over her left eye with the straps coiling all the way around her body and down her leg. The outfit was completed by a loose fitting dress and heels.
" Adiane, the Elegant," Perfectio said, "now host to Contagio." The figure grinned wickedly as it whipped its tail and flicked a serpentine tongue.
When the off-white spirit joined with the last body, it twitched and wriggled until it formed into a pale-skinned, thin human-like figure with a rooster crest, peacock feathers and a flamboyant green outfit with white fur trim.
"Cytomander, the Swift," Perfectio concluded as he lowered his arms, "now host to Aquila." The thin figure looked itself over and frowned a bit. But when the four saw Perfectio, they all dropped to one knee in deference.
"Thank you for returning us to life, Lord Perfectio," Aquila-Cytomander said.
"These beastly bodies shall serve you as we did then," Contagio-Adiane said.
"In truth, we rather enjoy having three-dimensional shapes," Ignis-Thymilph said. Umbra-Guame said nothing initially, but glanced over at Ventos and Glacies as their lord motioned for them to rise.
"I have missions for you four," Perfectio said. "Umbra, you shall be in charge of defending this place from intruders."
"I understand...but may I ask why those are two here?" the Ruina general said after a moment, only slightly emphasizing 'those'. "They were responsible for our previous defeat."
"The Sympathia will not draw us away from the fold again!" Ventos replied indignantly. "I was able to resist its call this time!"
"Our lord has made sure of that," Glacies said. Umbra-Guame glanced over at Perfectio, who looked back with equally cold eyes. Seeing that its lord had indeed done so, the Ruina general turned and waddled away.
"Ignis," the King of Ruin said. "There is a certain man - a Spiral Warrior - that should be eliminated before our enemy finds him. I leave you to track him down." The gorilla general grinned wickedly.
"With pleasure, my lord!" he said eagerly. "This body has memories of being humiliated by that man!" With that, Ignis-Thymilph tromped off as fast as he could. Perfectio then turned to the two remaining generals to give them their assignments...
Based on what the humans who had dug him up had told him, humanity as a whole was able to reach the stars, create space colonies that could house thousands, began the process of terraforming a nearby planet, and even started toying with their own genetics.
Having seen it from a distance, Vree saw it as the equivalent of a toddler awkwardly playing with blocks – mildly amusing to watch, but no more.
While I certainly underestimated the abilities of these shambling apes, he thought, that fool still OVERestimated them. There is absolutely no way they could stand on equal footing to us, especially when they lack the most basic of knowledge about the cosmos!
But as the Elder Thing touched down in a desert waste in the cold of night, his thoughts returned to the she-ape that the others called "Misato", or "Miss Katsuragi". There was something about her that elevated her above the rest. Was it that "spark of limitless potential" latent in all of the apes, as his old friend had ranted and raved about? Had something in his five-lobed brain picked up on it unconsciously?
Vree's tentacle feet suddenly sensed movement in the sand. He whirled around to see another human – a tall one with a long, flowing white beard, a heavily wrinkled face and deeply tanned skin. However, what quickly struck Vree was that his size and build – he stood taller than even him, and seemed to have the fitness of someone at least someone one-third or even one-fifth of his age. More importantly, he somehow noticed the same spark of limitless potential he had sensed within Misato.
To the Elder Thing's further amazement, the old man started making whistling, clicking and piping with his lips...if a bit crudely, the man was speaking the language of Vree's people!
No need to strain your lips, ape, Vree said to the old man telepathically. I can speak to you with my mind.
"That is most kind of you," the old man said. "I had assumed you Elder Things would look down upon us humans."
So you know what I am, the Elder Thing replied.
"Of course," the old man chuckled. "Just as any child should know his or her parents, so should man know that your kind created us..."
The series being used in each route should be obvious, so I'm not going to put them down here. Anyway, let's have a look at what the route split will entail...
-With no clue of where to start in finding Keisar Ephes, Tara's group decides to follow Armitage's lead, which brings them to a mysterious monastery in the middle of the desert! But it seems the forces of Zilkhstan, bolstered by Keisar Ephes' own Neshamah, have it out for the residents of the monks who live within! Can DREAM save the monks and obtain the knowledge they seek? Find out in Expansion Scenario Chapter 5 (Tara): Monks In The Desert! Seek Out The Children of Sirius!
-When Janus' half of DREAM tries to track down Perfectio, it seems that the King of Ruin is also tracking any other serious threats to his plans...including Simon, of all people! And with Ignis, now inhabiting the body of Thymilph, gunning for him, he may find himself in a rather tricky situation! Will DREAM be able to find Simon and save him before it's too late? Find out in Expansion Scenario Chapter 5 (Janus): Digger Under Threat! Enter the Ruina!
Until next time, mecha fans!