Chapter 1
Old Enemy returns
300 years later.
Yggdrasil
Terra 2 report
Begin
To understand the current situation on Terra 2, one must look to the past. 500 years ago, the mortals began to recover from the second impact and the failed third impact. The population began to increase significantly, soon reaching its pre-second impact levels, but with much less land to live upon. By 2225, it became clear to the mortals that their planet could no longer sustain the vast population. It was decided to construct several colony ships and send them out into the stars. It was decided in a meeting of the Council of Heaven that several gods and goddesses would go along with to observe and report. It was further decided that a council member would be chosen to oversee each colony ship to its destination, its arrival, and eventually, the colony itself as the population grew. Wish granted was also suspended until the colonies became functional as Kami-sama wanted the mortals to make the planet livable, without help from divine hands. I was told to watch over the ship know as the Mesopotamia. I placed onboard 2 of the Guardians of Heaven and my own daughter to keep watch. The Guardian's had been placed under my control, as Kami-sama trusted no one else more then his daughter. As the craft neared the planet that would become known as Terra 2, I was informed of possible demon sightings on board. Since the battle for the heavens, there have been several incidents due to rogue demon activity. It was a rogue demon which initiated the failure of the computer onboard the Mesopotamia. A shuttle was launched, but with only 6 mortal males onboard. It crash landed onto the planet. The remaining crew were all killed off by the malfunctioning computer. Only Dr. Lorelei was spared, as the computer apparently was in love with her. She was eventually forced into hibernation sleep by the computer. At first it seemed as if the Terra 2 mortals would be written off, but they proved us wrong. They increased their numbers through cloning, and began to build a civilization. Unfortunately, they were unable to clone a female, as no female DNA existed. The mortals did create robots, which they called marionettes, in the image of females. But these marionettes, like many machines, lacked emotions. For the next 300 years, the mortals of Terra 2 existed this way. The 6 city-nations flourished and their populations grew. However, around the 300th year of life on Terra 2, war clouds began to gather. As in much of mortal history, one man felt he could rule all, and that man was Lord Faust of Gartlant. It was during this time that a mortal named Otaru Maimya found 3 Saber Marionettes. Unlike normal marionettes, Sabers were designed for battle. But these Sabers were built for a different purpose. Installed within each was a device known as a maiden circuit, which allowed these marionettes to posses emotions. The intention was to allow the marionettes to develop and mature to the point that they might be used as an artificial female, to secure the release of Dr. Lorelei from the Mesopotamia computer. This was achieved, though it left the mortal Otaru Maimya heartbroken. Mesopotamia eventually released the marionettes back to Maimya. The ship has remained silent since. At the time of this report, peace now reigns on Terra 2, and clones of Lorelei are being produced. It will not be long before Terra 2 becomes a normal world, much like the other colonies. I look forward to the day it does, for that will be the day the wish restriction will be lifted from Terra 2, allowing us to operate in conjunction with the other offices. Until that day, we shall remain on guard against the rogue demons, who will stop at nothing to prevent Terra 2 from reaching Wish status.
Report recorded by
Belldandy Morisato
Class 0 Goddess, Type 2, Unlimited
Member Council of Heaven
Terra 2 Representative
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Things were getting back to normal in Japoness. The plasma storms that had threatened the entire planet had subsided to the point that they no longer existed. Life was returning to normal for the people of Japoness.
Otaru opened his bedroom door and step out into the living area. Cherry was moving about preparing breakfast, while Lime was watching the TV. Bloodberry was nowhere in site.
"Good morning." Otaru said as he sat down at the table.
"Good morning Master Otaru." said Cherry as she set his breakfast down in front of him. Lime raced over and grabbed Otaru in a hug.
"Morning Otaru!" she shouted as she hugged him.
"So where's Bloodberry this morning?" asked Otaru.
Cherry let out a sigh. "She was out drinking again with Panther. She didn't come back until late."
"Again? Well, at least they're getting along." Otaru glanced at the clock. "Wow. I'm going to be late for work." Otaru raced over and grabbed his things. "Lime, remember you, Cherry, and Bloodberry are supposed to stop by and see Lorelei today."
"YAY!" shouted Lime jumping to her feet, "I'm gonna visit Lorelei. I'm gonna visit Lorelei."
Otaru watched Lime dance around for a moment. He then shook his head and opened the front door.
"OTARU-KUN!!" Otaru found himself wrapped up in the arms of Hanagata. "You wouldn't leave with out saying good-bye to me, would you?"
Otaru tried to pry Hanagata off. Finally he turned and looked to Cherry. Cherry, having expected this to happen, brought her frying pan crashing down on Hanagata's head. Hanagata crashed to the ground. He lay there in a heap for only a second as Lime lined up her kick.
"This one's for the game!" shouted Lime. She ran forward and punted Hanagata between two tall trees. Lime raised both her arms in the air. "And the kick is good!"
Otaru shook his head and then quietly left for work.
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Sitting on top of one of Japoness's taller buildings, a man with red markings on his face watched Hanagata fly through the air, creating a crater when he landed.
"What fools these mortals be." He muttered.
"Sir?" The man turned to look at the two Saber Marionettes he had brought with him.
"Nothing," he replied, "continue to observe the primary objective."
"Yes sir."
He then turned and joined the watch on the primary objective, Castle Japoness.
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Several Hours later.
Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry walked through the gates and entered Castle Japoness.
Bloodberry let out a yawn. "I still don't see why you got me up so early. We made it on time."
"It still took you two hours to get ready," replied Cherry, glaring at Bloodberry. "And we are actually a half hour early. I just told you we were running late so you'd hurry."
"YOU WHAT!?" Bloodberry turned and returned the glare. "I oughta...."
"Hi Tama! Hi Baiko!" came Lime's voice.
Bloodberry and Cherry both turned to see the Imperial Guard standing nearby, watching them.
"Oh..Hi Baiko, Tamasaburo." said Cherry quickly.
"You are expected." replied Baiko, "Come with us."
The Guard led the 3 girls into the castle. Across from the entrance, a lone figure peered around the corner of a tower along the wall and watched. She wore an outfit that seemed to be almost like a uniform, topped off by a helmet on her head, which had a tinted face shield that covered the upper portion of her face. As she watched the marionettes disappear, a small smile came to her face. She then turned around and slowly began to scan the city. She gripped the roof a bit tighter as a strong wind whipped by, blowing her blue hair in front of her face.
"I hate this part of the job." she muttered.
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The Guard led the girls into the reception room.
"Lorelei," said Baiko, "Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry have arrived."
Lorelei smiled, "Thank you Baiko, you and Tamasaburo may do your patrol now."
"Yes, Ma'am." With that, the guard turned and left the room.
"Lorelei!!" Lime raced over and grabbed Lorelei in a hug.
"Hello Lime." She then nodded to the other 2. "Cherry, Bloodberry."
After the girls had sat down, Lorelei turned to them.
"So," she said, "what have you been up too?"
"What do you mean?" asked Cherry. "Otaru said you needed us for something."
"Well, yes and no." replied Lorelei, "You see, I really don't get to leave the castle, and the only people I get to talk to are the men working on the clones, and Baiko and Tamasaburo. Unfortunately, there are some things that I really don't want to talk to the men about, and talking to the Imperial guards is.....rather frustrating."
"Why is that?" asked Cherry.
"Unlike you three, they don't have maiden circuits. That makes them......difficult to talk to."
"What about Tiger? And Luchs?" asked Lime.
"Don't forget Panther." added Bloodberry with a smile.
"Nothing against them," said Lorelei, "But they still have a lot to learn, also Baiko still does not fully trust them."
"I see." said Cherry quietly.
"There is something else though..." Lorelei turned to Lime, "Lime, could you go to the kitchen and get us some drinks."
"Ok!" Lime got up and quickly ran off towards the kitchen.
Lorelei waited until Lime was gone before turning to Cherry and Bloodberry. "I also wanted to find out how Lime was doing after what happened to Marine."
Bloodberry let out a sigh, "She still misses her. Sometimes she calls out to her while she's asleep."
Cherry nodded, "She doesn't say anything to us about her, but we know she's still hurting." Cherry was unable to say more as Lime arrived with the drinks.
"Thank you Lime." said Lorelei with a smile. "So how is Otaru doing these days Lime?"
A big smile came to Lime's face as she began to talk about her favorite person.
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The man glanced at his watch.
"Alright, time to move out." He turned and faced the 2 Saber Marionettes behind him. "You know what to do."
"Yes sir." the two Sabers quickly moved off and left the roof. The man stood up, turned and looked back at the castle.
"Soon," he said, "I will prove myself to you, my Lord. By eliminating the clones, and their template." A sudden whirling noise reached his ears. He quickly jumped off the roof. Three throwing stars slammed into the spot where he had stood. Landing further down the roof line, he turned and spotted a marionette standing nearby.
"The Imperial Guard." She said. "Baiko."
"And her partner," The man turned around to see another marionette had come up behind him. "Tamasaburo. Why are you here?"
The man smiled. "I'm not your primary concern." He pointed towards the castle. "They are." 2 groups, 3 Saber Marionettes each, ran towards the castle. Baiko and Tamasaburo looked at the marionettes, back to the man, and then back to the marionettes. The man gave them an evil smile. "Their getting close...better decide quickly."
Baiko nodded to Tamasaburo, who then launched herself off the roof towards one group of marionettes. Baiko turned back to the man. "We will meet again." She then took off towards the second group. The man smirked at her retreating form.
"I don't doubt it."
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Lorelei and the 3 girls were still having a pleasant conversation when an explosion rattled the castle. They ran to the balcony to see a group of Saber Marionettes charging onto the castle grounds.
Cherry turned to Lorelei. "You stay here. We'll handle this." Cherry, Lime and Bloodberry quickly leaped from the balcony. They landed just in front of the charging Sabers.
"I don't think you have an invitation." Bloodberry said as she ran towards the lead Saber. She threw a punch at the Saber, but it ducked out of the way.
"Huh?" Bloodberry found herself off balance. The Saber quickly swept its foot out, causing Bloodberry to come crashing to the ground. Bloodberry jumped back to her feet and threw a series of punches. Each was dodged by the Saber. As she threw one punch, the Saber grabbed her arm, and tossed her. Bloodberry crashed to the ground
"Damn," muttered Bloodberry, "These guys are quick."
Cherry soon also found out how different these Sabers were as she was tossed against the Castle wall. Lime was also having a difficult time with her Saber as she was moving as fast as she could, trying to avoid being hit. The lead Saber continued to head towards the Castle doors, when Tamasaburo landed in front of it, her sword drawn.
"You will not pass." She quickly swung her sword at the Saber. The Saber dodged the swipe and took several steps back as Tamasaburo pressed on with her attack. Cherry took that moment to quickly scan the attacking Sabers.
"They're Gartlant Sabers!" she shouted. "But there are areas on them that are shielded from my sensors."
"Great," muttered Bloodberry, getting back to her feet, "More leftovers." A loud shout caused both to turn. Lime hurtled through the air, crashing through 2 trees before slamming into the castle wall with a loud crunch. She then slowly slid to the ground.
"Lime!" Bloodberry turned to face the Saber that had tossed Lime. "Alright, Now I'm mad!" Bloodberry charged the Saber. They were soon locked together, both trying to overpower the other. Cherry started to run towards Bloodberry, when the remaining Saber slammed into her. It held her to the ground, choking her. Cherry felt her consciousness slipping away as her systems began to shutdown. Just as she was about to shutdown completely, a blur slammed into the Saber, sending it flying. Cherry turned to see Luchs next to her.
"Wha....What are you doing here?" asked Cherry as she slowly got to her feet.
"Nice to see you too." said Luchs with a smile, "We heard the explosion and came to investigate. Panther and Tiger are with the other Imperial Guard fighting another group of these....things."
"But they're Gartlant Sabers!"
"If they are, they sure aren't now." Luchs raised her hand. Three glowing blades appeared. "And soon they'll be scrap." The Saber she had just knocked down was getting back to its feet. Luchs flung the blades at the Saber. They ripped through the Saber as if it wasn't even there. The Saber fell to the ground, spitting sparks.
"Nice." said Cherry, staring at Luchs handy work.
"1 down," said Luchs, "2 to go." She started to turn towards the one that Bloodberry was fighting, when Cherry let out a gasp. Luchs turned to see the Saber that she had just hit slowly rising from the ground. The wounds that she had inflected upon it had healed over.
"OK...." Luchs said, "Now it's getting interesting."
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On the other side of the Castle, Baiko, Panther, and Tiger found themselves out of their league. No matter what they tried, the attacking Sabers countered quickly and easily.
"Any ideas?" asked Panther as the Sabers surrounded them.
"No." Baiko answered quietly.
"Me either," added Tiger, "That regenerating thing eliminated anything I thought up."
"Great." muttered Panther. "Well, if we're going to go, I say we charge them."
"Very well." replied Baiko.
"On three," said Tiger. "One........Two......Th"
As Tiger began to say three, one of the Sabers shattered in a massive explosion. Baiko, and the 2 Saber Dolls were tossed across the street. Tiger slowly raised herself to her knees and looked up. A figure in a gray uniform stood facing the Sabers. The figure wore a helmet with a face shield that covered the upper part of her face, and revealed little else. She kind of reminded Tiger of one of the types of Marionettes Gartlant used for espionage. She even had red hair.
The newcomer and the Sabers slowly began to circle each other. A staff flashed into existence in the newcomers hands, to the surprise of Tiger and Panther. Baiko's face remained neutral.
"Alright Dolls." muttered the newcomer, her voice dripping with hate, "Let's see what you got."
Tiger was now surprised even more. The new Marionette had spoken with emotion, which meant she had to have a maiden circuit.
The newcomer raised her staff at one of the Saber. A blast of energy shot out of the end of the staff. The blast slammed into the Saber, causing it to explode. The remaining Saber stared at the newcomer before deciding to retreat.
"Oh no you don't!" shouted the newcomer, "You won't get away from me Doll!"
The newcomer charged at the Saber. As she got close to the Saber, she jabbed the staff into the ground and vaulted into the air. Her foot smashed through the back of the Saber. As it exited out of the front, it pushed a glowing red orb out with it. The Saber crashed to the ground. The newcomer walked slowly up to the glowing red orb, she seemed surprise to see it, but that surprised was replaced by a very grim expression. She waited until the orb had gone dark before picking it up. She looked at the orb for a few seconds, then vanished in a loud thunderclap. Tiger turned and looked at Panther.
"Did I just see that?"
Panther nodded.
"What kind of Marionette was THAT?!"
Panther shrugged, "I have no idea."
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Back at the entrance,
Bloodberry, Cherry, Luchs, and Tamasaburo were backed up against the wall. Each had various injuries that emitted sparks every so often. The Attacking Sabers lined up and began to slowly march towards the 4. They were just steps away when a stiff wind came up. The wind became stronger and began to spin about the attacking Sabers, creating a tornado. The Sabers tumbled about inside the tornado faster and faster. Finally, the tornado turned and spat out the Sabers directly at the Castle wall. Two exploded immediately. The remaining one slowly wobbled to its feet. Luchs, Cherry, and Bloodberry stared at each other in shock.
"Nice toss." came a voice. The 3, along with Tamasaburo turned to see 2 female figures standing together. One was in a gray uniform, the other was in blue and white robes. Both wore helmets with face shields that covered all but the lower part of their faces. The one in gray had long blue hair, the other had brown.
Brown turned to blue, "Thanks," she said, "but I was hoping to get all three."
"Who the hell are you?!" shouted Bloodberry. Brown and Blue both turned and looked at Bloodberry.
Blue said something in a language that none of the marionettes understood. Brown nodded. She turned and raised her hand. An energy ball formed in her palm and shot towards the last Saber, which was promptly destroyed. Blue then placed her hand on Brown's shoulder. Both vanished in a thunderclap. The 4 marionettes continued to stare at the spot for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground. On top of a building overlooking the castle grounds, the man watched the 3 strangers eliminate his Sabers.
"Damn." He muttered before vanishing in a fireball.
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A half hour later.
Otaru stood next to Lorelei in a chamber deep inside Castle Japoness. In front of them, the 8 marionettes stood against the wall, held there by special equipment, as they were repaired. Otaru looked worriedly at Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry. Lorelei saw his look and smiled.
"Don't worry, they'll up and about in a few hours."
Otaru nodded, "Any ideas who did this?"
"Actually, Yes." She led Otaru to a table where the only surviving Saber body lay, a giant hole punched through its chest. "This is one of the Sabers that attacked."
Otaru stared at the Saber, "It looks like a Gartlant Saber."
"It is, or at least was. This one's been modified."
"How?"
Lorelei brought up a schematic on a nearby screen. "Someone added new components. Many of which I can't even begin to identify. There is also the matter of a power source."
"What about it?"
"Both Tiger and Panther said when that other Marionette attacked it, it kicked a red orb out. I believe that that orb was the power supply."
Otaru looked at Lorelei confused. "An orb? This gets stranger and stranger."
"You mean having the Saber repair itself after taking sever damage isn't." Lorelei let out a sigh, "This all sounds familiar to me somehow. Like I read about this somewhere before." She turned and looked back at Otaru. "I'm going to go through Baiko's and Tamasaburo's databases ands see what I can come up with about these Sabers and those other Marionettes. Faust is on his way here to help. In the meantime..."
"Yes?" asked Otaru.
"Get some rest." ordered Lorelei, "It won't do them any good if they wake up to a tired and restless Otaru."
Otaru smiled, "Alright."
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The man stood before his lord's throne.
"The Sabers?" asked the Lord.
"They performed as expected my Lord." replied the man. "But....."
"But?"
"They were easily destroyed by those.....Goddesses."
The Lord stood up and walked towards his minion. "Do not worry Gamorr. These were just the prototypes. The next time our Sabers battle, they will be the production model."
"Yes my Lord." Gamorr replied rather quietly.
The Lord noticed this. "You have a problem?"
"My Lord, I still do not understand why we must use these......machines."
"Because our numbers are still few. 500 years ago, I led much of Hell on an invasion of Heaven. We took it and held it for a week, before our misguided brothers restored Heaven to its previous owners. Our forces were scattered. It took 150 years before we were able to restore our forces. But we are still outnumbered by the Gods and our misguided brothers. Thus, I intend to increase our forces using these, machines. Soon... the heavens will once again fear the name of Draco."
"But sir," replied Gamorr, "One of the Goddesses left with an intact...."
"So what?" said Draco, "It will only cause more fear amongst them. In the meantime, you still have a job to do."
"Yes my Lord."
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Rei and Sayoko stood inside an office in front of a desk. Behind the desk sat Goddess Class 0, Type 2, Unlimited Belldandy. She wore a tired look on her face.
"So, the Demons have begun acting up again." Belldandy let out a sigh. "I almost wish Mara had been wrong. Do you know what their target is?"
Sayoko nodded. "We think it is either the clones, or Lorelei herself."
"300 years ago....This office almost ceased to exist because of rogue demons." said Belldandy, "Now with the possibility of Terra 2 becoming a normal world with the introduction of the female...they strike again. I don't need to tell you how important this is. The clones and Lorelei must survive."
"Yes Mother." replied Sayoko.
"Yes Ma'am." Rei said as she nodded.
"I'm afraid that's going to be tougher then you think." Came a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Asuka walking into the office.
"What do you mean?" asked Belldandy.
Asuka walked up to the desk, "I knocked this out of one of those Dolls." She placed the red orb onto the desktop. "One guess what it is..."
Belldandy, Rei and Sayoko stared at the orb in shock. Finally, Rei found her voice.
"An S2 engine?"
Asuka nodded. "Things just became more difficult on Terra 2." She turned to Belldandy. "Any chance of the stooge or my Husband joining us on this one?"
Belldandy shook her head. "Touji and Shinji are still out on another assignment. Best I can do is see if I can get another God or Goddess to join you."
Asuka let out a sigh, "I suppose that would help, but I was really hoping to see Shinji again."
Belldandy smiled. "You think I want to be here? I'd rather be at home with Keiichi, just as I'm sure Touji would like to be home with Hikari....unfortunately...this job comes with long hours...." Belldandy let out a sigh. "I'll inform the council. And I'll talk to Mara. In the meantime......"
"Watch the castle." finished Sayoko, "of course we will Mother."
"That and watch yourselves." added Belldandy. " It's been 300 years, but Lorelei might remember you from Mesopotamia."
"Yes Ma'am/Mother"
Sayoko, Asuka and Rei quickly vanished. Belldandy sat at her desk, staring at the S2 Engine.
'Asuka was right though...... Things have become more difficult on Terra 2.'
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Author's notes: This fic will not be out as quickly as past ones. Not only am I working on this fic, but I am continuing to work on the fic that occurs during the 7 year gap at the end of NG:G. Also at the urging of a fellow author (cough dennisud cough), I am working on a fic for Ryoma's Christmas Evangelion Fan Fic contest. Hopefully I will have that ready by the deadline. I do have it mostly done....I'm just having a few people on the Anime Planet pre-read before I send it in.
Old Enemy returns
300 years later.
Yggdrasil
Terra 2 report
Begin
To understand the current situation on Terra 2, one must look to the past. 500 years ago, the mortals began to recover from the second impact and the failed third impact. The population began to increase significantly, soon reaching its pre-second impact levels, but with much less land to live upon. By 2225, it became clear to the mortals that their planet could no longer sustain the vast population. It was decided to construct several colony ships and send them out into the stars. It was decided in a meeting of the Council of Heaven that several gods and goddesses would go along with to observe and report. It was further decided that a council member would be chosen to oversee each colony ship to its destination, its arrival, and eventually, the colony itself as the population grew. Wish granted was also suspended until the colonies became functional as Kami-sama wanted the mortals to make the planet livable, without help from divine hands. I was told to watch over the ship know as the Mesopotamia. I placed onboard 2 of the Guardians of Heaven and my own daughter to keep watch. The Guardian's had been placed under my control, as Kami-sama trusted no one else more then his daughter. As the craft neared the planet that would become known as Terra 2, I was informed of possible demon sightings on board. Since the battle for the heavens, there have been several incidents due to rogue demon activity. It was a rogue demon which initiated the failure of the computer onboard the Mesopotamia. A shuttle was launched, but with only 6 mortal males onboard. It crash landed onto the planet. The remaining crew were all killed off by the malfunctioning computer. Only Dr. Lorelei was spared, as the computer apparently was in love with her. She was eventually forced into hibernation sleep by the computer. At first it seemed as if the Terra 2 mortals would be written off, but they proved us wrong. They increased their numbers through cloning, and began to build a civilization. Unfortunately, they were unable to clone a female, as no female DNA existed. The mortals did create robots, which they called marionettes, in the image of females. But these marionettes, like many machines, lacked emotions. For the next 300 years, the mortals of Terra 2 existed this way. The 6 city-nations flourished and their populations grew. However, around the 300th year of life on Terra 2, war clouds began to gather. As in much of mortal history, one man felt he could rule all, and that man was Lord Faust of Gartlant. It was during this time that a mortal named Otaru Maimya found 3 Saber Marionettes. Unlike normal marionettes, Sabers were designed for battle. But these Sabers were built for a different purpose. Installed within each was a device known as a maiden circuit, which allowed these marionettes to posses emotions. The intention was to allow the marionettes to develop and mature to the point that they might be used as an artificial female, to secure the release of Dr. Lorelei from the Mesopotamia computer. This was achieved, though it left the mortal Otaru Maimya heartbroken. Mesopotamia eventually released the marionettes back to Maimya. The ship has remained silent since. At the time of this report, peace now reigns on Terra 2, and clones of Lorelei are being produced. It will not be long before Terra 2 becomes a normal world, much like the other colonies. I look forward to the day it does, for that will be the day the wish restriction will be lifted from Terra 2, allowing us to operate in conjunction with the other offices. Until that day, we shall remain on guard against the rogue demons, who will stop at nothing to prevent Terra 2 from reaching Wish status.
Report recorded by
Belldandy Morisato
Class 0 Goddess, Type 2, Unlimited
Member Council of Heaven
Terra 2 Representative
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Things were getting back to normal in Japoness. The plasma storms that had threatened the entire planet had subsided to the point that they no longer existed. Life was returning to normal for the people of Japoness.
Otaru opened his bedroom door and step out into the living area. Cherry was moving about preparing breakfast, while Lime was watching the TV. Bloodberry was nowhere in site.
"Good morning." Otaru said as he sat down at the table.
"Good morning Master Otaru." said Cherry as she set his breakfast down in front of him. Lime raced over and grabbed Otaru in a hug.
"Morning Otaru!" she shouted as she hugged him.
"So where's Bloodberry this morning?" asked Otaru.
Cherry let out a sigh. "She was out drinking again with Panther. She didn't come back until late."
"Again? Well, at least they're getting along." Otaru glanced at the clock. "Wow. I'm going to be late for work." Otaru raced over and grabbed his things. "Lime, remember you, Cherry, and Bloodberry are supposed to stop by and see Lorelei today."
"YAY!" shouted Lime jumping to her feet, "I'm gonna visit Lorelei. I'm gonna visit Lorelei."
Otaru watched Lime dance around for a moment. He then shook his head and opened the front door.
"OTARU-KUN!!" Otaru found himself wrapped up in the arms of Hanagata. "You wouldn't leave with out saying good-bye to me, would you?"
Otaru tried to pry Hanagata off. Finally he turned and looked to Cherry. Cherry, having expected this to happen, brought her frying pan crashing down on Hanagata's head. Hanagata crashed to the ground. He lay there in a heap for only a second as Lime lined up her kick.
"This one's for the game!" shouted Lime. She ran forward and punted Hanagata between two tall trees. Lime raised both her arms in the air. "And the kick is good!"
Otaru shook his head and then quietly left for work.
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Sitting on top of one of Japoness's taller buildings, a man with red markings on his face watched Hanagata fly through the air, creating a crater when he landed.
"What fools these mortals be." He muttered.
"Sir?" The man turned to look at the two Saber Marionettes he had brought with him.
"Nothing," he replied, "continue to observe the primary objective."
"Yes sir."
He then turned and joined the watch on the primary objective, Castle Japoness.
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Several Hours later.
Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry walked through the gates and entered Castle Japoness.
Bloodberry let out a yawn. "I still don't see why you got me up so early. We made it on time."
"It still took you two hours to get ready," replied Cherry, glaring at Bloodberry. "And we are actually a half hour early. I just told you we were running late so you'd hurry."
"YOU WHAT!?" Bloodberry turned and returned the glare. "I oughta...."
"Hi Tama! Hi Baiko!" came Lime's voice.
Bloodberry and Cherry both turned to see the Imperial Guard standing nearby, watching them.
"Oh..Hi Baiko, Tamasaburo." said Cherry quickly.
"You are expected." replied Baiko, "Come with us."
The Guard led the 3 girls into the castle. Across from the entrance, a lone figure peered around the corner of a tower along the wall and watched. She wore an outfit that seemed to be almost like a uniform, topped off by a helmet on her head, which had a tinted face shield that covered the upper portion of her face. As she watched the marionettes disappear, a small smile came to her face. She then turned around and slowly began to scan the city. She gripped the roof a bit tighter as a strong wind whipped by, blowing her blue hair in front of her face.
"I hate this part of the job." she muttered.
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The Guard led the girls into the reception room.
"Lorelei," said Baiko, "Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry have arrived."
Lorelei smiled, "Thank you Baiko, you and Tamasaburo may do your patrol now."
"Yes, Ma'am." With that, the guard turned and left the room.
"Lorelei!!" Lime raced over and grabbed Lorelei in a hug.
"Hello Lime." She then nodded to the other 2. "Cherry, Bloodberry."
After the girls had sat down, Lorelei turned to them.
"So," she said, "what have you been up too?"
"What do you mean?" asked Cherry. "Otaru said you needed us for something."
"Well, yes and no." replied Lorelei, "You see, I really don't get to leave the castle, and the only people I get to talk to are the men working on the clones, and Baiko and Tamasaburo. Unfortunately, there are some things that I really don't want to talk to the men about, and talking to the Imperial guards is.....rather frustrating."
"Why is that?" asked Cherry.
"Unlike you three, they don't have maiden circuits. That makes them......difficult to talk to."
"What about Tiger? And Luchs?" asked Lime.
"Don't forget Panther." added Bloodberry with a smile.
"Nothing against them," said Lorelei, "But they still have a lot to learn, also Baiko still does not fully trust them."
"I see." said Cherry quietly.
"There is something else though..." Lorelei turned to Lime, "Lime, could you go to the kitchen and get us some drinks."
"Ok!" Lime got up and quickly ran off towards the kitchen.
Lorelei waited until Lime was gone before turning to Cherry and Bloodberry. "I also wanted to find out how Lime was doing after what happened to Marine."
Bloodberry let out a sigh, "She still misses her. Sometimes she calls out to her while she's asleep."
Cherry nodded, "She doesn't say anything to us about her, but we know she's still hurting." Cherry was unable to say more as Lime arrived with the drinks.
"Thank you Lime." said Lorelei with a smile. "So how is Otaru doing these days Lime?"
A big smile came to Lime's face as she began to talk about her favorite person.
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The man glanced at his watch.
"Alright, time to move out." He turned and faced the 2 Saber Marionettes behind him. "You know what to do."
"Yes sir." the two Sabers quickly moved off and left the roof. The man stood up, turned and looked back at the castle.
"Soon," he said, "I will prove myself to you, my Lord. By eliminating the clones, and their template." A sudden whirling noise reached his ears. He quickly jumped off the roof. Three throwing stars slammed into the spot where he had stood. Landing further down the roof line, he turned and spotted a marionette standing nearby.
"The Imperial Guard." She said. "Baiko."
"And her partner," The man turned around to see another marionette had come up behind him. "Tamasaburo. Why are you here?"
The man smiled. "I'm not your primary concern." He pointed towards the castle. "They are." 2 groups, 3 Saber Marionettes each, ran towards the castle. Baiko and Tamasaburo looked at the marionettes, back to the man, and then back to the marionettes. The man gave them an evil smile. "Their getting close...better decide quickly."
Baiko nodded to Tamasaburo, who then launched herself off the roof towards one group of marionettes. Baiko turned back to the man. "We will meet again." She then took off towards the second group. The man smirked at her retreating form.
"I don't doubt it."
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Lorelei and the 3 girls were still having a pleasant conversation when an explosion rattled the castle. They ran to the balcony to see a group of Saber Marionettes charging onto the castle grounds.
Cherry turned to Lorelei. "You stay here. We'll handle this." Cherry, Lime and Bloodberry quickly leaped from the balcony. They landed just in front of the charging Sabers.
"I don't think you have an invitation." Bloodberry said as she ran towards the lead Saber. She threw a punch at the Saber, but it ducked out of the way.
"Huh?" Bloodberry found herself off balance. The Saber quickly swept its foot out, causing Bloodberry to come crashing to the ground. Bloodberry jumped back to her feet and threw a series of punches. Each was dodged by the Saber. As she threw one punch, the Saber grabbed her arm, and tossed her. Bloodberry crashed to the ground
"Damn," muttered Bloodberry, "These guys are quick."
Cherry soon also found out how different these Sabers were as she was tossed against the Castle wall. Lime was also having a difficult time with her Saber as she was moving as fast as she could, trying to avoid being hit. The lead Saber continued to head towards the Castle doors, when Tamasaburo landed in front of it, her sword drawn.
"You will not pass." She quickly swung her sword at the Saber. The Saber dodged the swipe and took several steps back as Tamasaburo pressed on with her attack. Cherry took that moment to quickly scan the attacking Sabers.
"They're Gartlant Sabers!" she shouted. "But there are areas on them that are shielded from my sensors."
"Great," muttered Bloodberry, getting back to her feet, "More leftovers." A loud shout caused both to turn. Lime hurtled through the air, crashing through 2 trees before slamming into the castle wall with a loud crunch. She then slowly slid to the ground.
"Lime!" Bloodberry turned to face the Saber that had tossed Lime. "Alright, Now I'm mad!" Bloodberry charged the Saber. They were soon locked together, both trying to overpower the other. Cherry started to run towards Bloodberry, when the remaining Saber slammed into her. It held her to the ground, choking her. Cherry felt her consciousness slipping away as her systems began to shutdown. Just as she was about to shutdown completely, a blur slammed into the Saber, sending it flying. Cherry turned to see Luchs next to her.
"Wha....What are you doing here?" asked Cherry as she slowly got to her feet.
"Nice to see you too." said Luchs with a smile, "We heard the explosion and came to investigate. Panther and Tiger are with the other Imperial Guard fighting another group of these....things."
"But they're Gartlant Sabers!"
"If they are, they sure aren't now." Luchs raised her hand. Three glowing blades appeared. "And soon they'll be scrap." The Saber she had just knocked down was getting back to its feet. Luchs flung the blades at the Saber. They ripped through the Saber as if it wasn't even there. The Saber fell to the ground, spitting sparks.
"Nice." said Cherry, staring at Luchs handy work.
"1 down," said Luchs, "2 to go." She started to turn towards the one that Bloodberry was fighting, when Cherry let out a gasp. Luchs turned to see the Saber that she had just hit slowly rising from the ground. The wounds that she had inflected upon it had healed over.
"OK...." Luchs said, "Now it's getting interesting."
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On the other side of the Castle, Baiko, Panther, and Tiger found themselves out of their league. No matter what they tried, the attacking Sabers countered quickly and easily.
"Any ideas?" asked Panther as the Sabers surrounded them.
"No." Baiko answered quietly.
"Me either," added Tiger, "That regenerating thing eliminated anything I thought up."
"Great." muttered Panther. "Well, if we're going to go, I say we charge them."
"Very well." replied Baiko.
"On three," said Tiger. "One........Two......Th"
As Tiger began to say three, one of the Sabers shattered in a massive explosion. Baiko, and the 2 Saber Dolls were tossed across the street. Tiger slowly raised herself to her knees and looked up. A figure in a gray uniform stood facing the Sabers. The figure wore a helmet with a face shield that covered the upper part of her face, and revealed little else. She kind of reminded Tiger of one of the types of Marionettes Gartlant used for espionage. She even had red hair.
The newcomer and the Sabers slowly began to circle each other. A staff flashed into existence in the newcomers hands, to the surprise of Tiger and Panther. Baiko's face remained neutral.
"Alright Dolls." muttered the newcomer, her voice dripping with hate, "Let's see what you got."
Tiger was now surprised even more. The new Marionette had spoken with emotion, which meant she had to have a maiden circuit.
The newcomer raised her staff at one of the Saber. A blast of energy shot out of the end of the staff. The blast slammed into the Saber, causing it to explode. The remaining Saber stared at the newcomer before deciding to retreat.
"Oh no you don't!" shouted the newcomer, "You won't get away from me Doll!"
The newcomer charged at the Saber. As she got close to the Saber, she jabbed the staff into the ground and vaulted into the air. Her foot smashed through the back of the Saber. As it exited out of the front, it pushed a glowing red orb out with it. The Saber crashed to the ground. The newcomer walked slowly up to the glowing red orb, she seemed surprise to see it, but that surprised was replaced by a very grim expression. She waited until the orb had gone dark before picking it up. She looked at the orb for a few seconds, then vanished in a loud thunderclap. Tiger turned and looked at Panther.
"Did I just see that?"
Panther nodded.
"What kind of Marionette was THAT?!"
Panther shrugged, "I have no idea."
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Back at the entrance,
Bloodberry, Cherry, Luchs, and Tamasaburo were backed up against the wall. Each had various injuries that emitted sparks every so often. The Attacking Sabers lined up and began to slowly march towards the 4. They were just steps away when a stiff wind came up. The wind became stronger and began to spin about the attacking Sabers, creating a tornado. The Sabers tumbled about inside the tornado faster and faster. Finally, the tornado turned and spat out the Sabers directly at the Castle wall. Two exploded immediately. The remaining one slowly wobbled to its feet. Luchs, Cherry, and Bloodberry stared at each other in shock.
"Nice toss." came a voice. The 3, along with Tamasaburo turned to see 2 female figures standing together. One was in a gray uniform, the other was in blue and white robes. Both wore helmets with face shields that covered all but the lower part of their faces. The one in gray had long blue hair, the other had brown.
Brown turned to blue, "Thanks," she said, "but I was hoping to get all three."
"Who the hell are you?!" shouted Bloodberry. Brown and Blue both turned and looked at Bloodberry.
Blue said something in a language that none of the marionettes understood. Brown nodded. She turned and raised her hand. An energy ball formed in her palm and shot towards the last Saber, which was promptly destroyed. Blue then placed her hand on Brown's shoulder. Both vanished in a thunderclap. The 4 marionettes continued to stare at the spot for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground. On top of a building overlooking the castle grounds, the man watched the 3 strangers eliminate his Sabers.
"Damn." He muttered before vanishing in a fireball.
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A half hour later.
Otaru stood next to Lorelei in a chamber deep inside Castle Japoness. In front of them, the 8 marionettes stood against the wall, held there by special equipment, as they were repaired. Otaru looked worriedly at Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry. Lorelei saw his look and smiled.
"Don't worry, they'll up and about in a few hours."
Otaru nodded, "Any ideas who did this?"
"Actually, Yes." She led Otaru to a table where the only surviving Saber body lay, a giant hole punched through its chest. "This is one of the Sabers that attacked."
Otaru stared at the Saber, "It looks like a Gartlant Saber."
"It is, or at least was. This one's been modified."
"How?"
Lorelei brought up a schematic on a nearby screen. "Someone added new components. Many of which I can't even begin to identify. There is also the matter of a power source."
"What about it?"
"Both Tiger and Panther said when that other Marionette attacked it, it kicked a red orb out. I believe that that orb was the power supply."
Otaru looked at Lorelei confused. "An orb? This gets stranger and stranger."
"You mean having the Saber repair itself after taking sever damage isn't." Lorelei let out a sigh, "This all sounds familiar to me somehow. Like I read about this somewhere before." She turned and looked back at Otaru. "I'm going to go through Baiko's and Tamasaburo's databases ands see what I can come up with about these Sabers and those other Marionettes. Faust is on his way here to help. In the meantime..."
"Yes?" asked Otaru.
"Get some rest." ordered Lorelei, "It won't do them any good if they wake up to a tired and restless Otaru."
Otaru smiled, "Alright."
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The man stood before his lord's throne.
"The Sabers?" asked the Lord.
"They performed as expected my Lord." replied the man. "But....."
"But?"
"They were easily destroyed by those.....Goddesses."
The Lord stood up and walked towards his minion. "Do not worry Gamorr. These were just the prototypes. The next time our Sabers battle, they will be the production model."
"Yes my Lord." Gamorr replied rather quietly.
The Lord noticed this. "You have a problem?"
"My Lord, I still do not understand why we must use these......machines."
"Because our numbers are still few. 500 years ago, I led much of Hell on an invasion of Heaven. We took it and held it for a week, before our misguided brothers restored Heaven to its previous owners. Our forces were scattered. It took 150 years before we were able to restore our forces. But we are still outnumbered by the Gods and our misguided brothers. Thus, I intend to increase our forces using these, machines. Soon... the heavens will once again fear the name of Draco."
"But sir," replied Gamorr, "One of the Goddesses left with an intact...."
"So what?" said Draco, "It will only cause more fear amongst them. In the meantime, you still have a job to do."
"Yes my Lord."
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Rei and Sayoko stood inside an office in front of a desk. Behind the desk sat Goddess Class 0, Type 2, Unlimited Belldandy. She wore a tired look on her face.
"So, the Demons have begun acting up again." Belldandy let out a sigh. "I almost wish Mara had been wrong. Do you know what their target is?"
Sayoko nodded. "We think it is either the clones, or Lorelei herself."
"300 years ago....This office almost ceased to exist because of rogue demons." said Belldandy, "Now with the possibility of Terra 2 becoming a normal world with the introduction of the female...they strike again. I don't need to tell you how important this is. The clones and Lorelei must survive."
"Yes Mother." replied Sayoko.
"Yes Ma'am." Rei said as she nodded.
"I'm afraid that's going to be tougher then you think." Came a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Asuka walking into the office.
"What do you mean?" asked Belldandy.
Asuka walked up to the desk, "I knocked this out of one of those Dolls." She placed the red orb onto the desktop. "One guess what it is..."
Belldandy, Rei and Sayoko stared at the orb in shock. Finally, Rei found her voice.
"An S2 engine?"
Asuka nodded. "Things just became more difficult on Terra 2." She turned to Belldandy. "Any chance of the stooge or my Husband joining us on this one?"
Belldandy shook her head. "Touji and Shinji are still out on another assignment. Best I can do is see if I can get another God or Goddess to join you."
Asuka let out a sigh, "I suppose that would help, but I was really hoping to see Shinji again."
Belldandy smiled. "You think I want to be here? I'd rather be at home with Keiichi, just as I'm sure Touji would like to be home with Hikari....unfortunately...this job comes with long hours...." Belldandy let out a sigh. "I'll inform the council. And I'll talk to Mara. In the meantime......"
"Watch the castle." finished Sayoko, "of course we will Mother."
"That and watch yourselves." added Belldandy. " It's been 300 years, but Lorelei might remember you from Mesopotamia."
"Yes Ma'am/Mother"
Sayoko, Asuka and Rei quickly vanished. Belldandy sat at her desk, staring at the S2 Engine.
'Asuka was right though...... Things have become more difficult on Terra 2.'
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Author's notes: This fic will not be out as quickly as past ones. Not only am I working on this fic, but I am continuing to work on the fic that occurs during the 7 year gap at the end of NG:G. Also at the urging of a fellow author (cough dennisud cough), I am working on a fic for Ryoma's Christmas Evangelion Fan Fic contest. Hopefully I will have that ready by the deadline. I do have it mostly done....I'm just having a few people on the Anime Planet pre-read before I send it in.