Chapter 13 - The Test Model

Day 17

Lastation - restaurant

At lunchtime, the party gathered at Chian's restaurant when she gave them news about her plan for the Expo.

"I've finished my test model for our showcase at the Expo."

Chian laid out an eccentric looking sword with a one-bladed edge out on the table. Soren found it to be a rather functional looking blade, though he notices what looked like a few tiny gears around the hilt. Both Neptune and IF looked at the blade with interest too.

"You're really going?" Compa's words caught everyone's attention. "The Expo's run by the Parliament now. You might not even have a chance to get them to look at your stuff."

"I can't back out since I've invested so much already. Not going is no longer an option." Chian looked at her creation before adding, "Besides, Lady Black Heart has the final say. The Parliament can't defy her."

"Huh, so if the goddess is there, the judges or whoever's actually in charge will have no choice but to be fair, right?" Soren asked.

"That's what I'm counting on."

"Is she even going to be there? The Sanctuary people are ignored by the Parliament side, right?" Neptune asked.

"It's nothing for us to worry about. The Expo isn't the Expo without the main guest. The Parliament wants more authority over the Sanctuary. It's just a power play. No point if there's no goddess through!" Chian gave a shrug before she went on, "Back to the topic at hand. I wanted to ask you four to work at my booth, since we're showcasing weaponry."

IF suddenly looked indignant as she sputtered, "Wh-What? No! I won't lower myself to become a booth babe for show!"

"With outfits too?" Soren asked with raised eyebrows, earning him a punch from IF. "Ow, okay, okay!"

"Haha, no, it's not like that. I want you to demonstrate the weapon's functions. You're all used to handling weapons, right? I'll let you even keep it as a reward after the Expo ends!" Chian told them.

That caught Neptune's attention as she looked at the sword on the table. "Oh, so what kind of sword is it? Is it powerful? Does it have a hidden function where it can shoot laser beams? "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, let's do it! We get free stuff! We spend a lot of money maintaining and enhancing our weapons, as well as getting new ones. Wouldn't it be totally rad not to have to pay for once?"

"Well sure… but, no! It sounds like a chore and it's still kind of embarrassing. You agree, right Compa, Ren?" IF asked.

"But Chian is asking for our help and…we need powerful weapons to fight monsters…" Compa replied timidly, as if torn in her thoughts.

"Um, I won't be up at the front, would I?" Soren asked Chian.

"No, you'll help with all the behind the work stuff."

"Ah, sounds good to me."

"Ding-ding-ding! Match end! Three against one, so majority definitely wins. Iffy, you will join us because we're a party!" Neptune announced.

"…It's irritating to have stupid, gullible, moe girls in my party sometimes. Plus the idiot dog."

"Hey!"

That's when Chian picked up the blade and held it out to the party. "Here's the test model, Mech Sword Armas. I'll be basing a few other weapons on this model, after I work out a few things."

"Are you for cereal?-! Don't you need it to display at the Expo?" Neptune asked.

"…You do know what a 'test model' is, right? I'm making the real item now, as well as the others. I want you to use the test model to find anything that needs improvement. I'm basically asking you to test it for me." Chian explained.

"So, we find any defects and report to you, right?"

"Basically…but don't use the term 'defect'."

"The correct term here would be 'bugs', right Chian?" Soren suggested.

"Bugs? What would insects be doing in a sword?"

"…Forget it Neptune."

"Yes, and please, list the problems on a piece of paper for me to look at too." Chian replied, giving Neptune an odd look.

"Hmm, when should we call in to report?" IF asked.

"Let's see, the Expo's not for another few months, so, test it for thirty days before reporting back. You four are going to the other landmasses right? I want to see if it's durable enough to work in different environments."

"Wow, that's a tall order, but we can make it." Neptune cheered as she held the test model in her hand. "Let's go try this baby out!"

Quick as ever, Neptune ran out making Compa shout, "Nep-Nep, hold on!"

"Wait-, ack, here," Chian gave Soren a piece of paper. "That lists some of details of the test model so you can test it's abilities."

"Alright, we'll see you later then." Soren pocketed the paper and both he and IF ran after Neptune and Compa, leaving Chian by herself.

"I hope this works, else Lastation will fall into a state of desolation…"

Lastation - streets

"I… I think I should go back to that park again…"

Compa's sudden decision made everyone else pause as Soren asked, "Come again?"

"Aren't you all knee-knockin' and scared of the kid?" Neptune added.

"Yes…but, I can't get him off my mind." Compa grew concerned as a forlorn look appeared on her face. "His eyes… They are the eyes of a neglected child craving a loving embrace!"

Soren turned to IF and asked, "I don't remember something like that. Do you?"

"Who knows, maybe Compa's being all sentimental again."

Neptune ignored the back chatter and said, "I kinda figured you'd end up like this. You totally can't ignore people with problems."

"Hmm, you think Compa's gonna make up with the kid?" Soren asked.

"Probably, she'll just keep thinking about it if she doesn't settle things." IF replied.

Lastation - park

The party arrived at the park where they met the boy, but they didn't see him around when they looked.

"I dunno… I don't see him… Maybe he gave up and stayed home." Neptune said as she looked around.

"If he even has a home to go to!" Compa said.

"Wait, since when is this kid homeless?" Soren raised an eyebrow.

"Who knows…" IF focused on looking for the kid, but with the expression on her face, one would think she was bored.

"I'm sure he's a poor child who was beaten and abandoned by his parents." Compa went on with the story.

"By the goddess…"

"Like other children, he wants to play the best games…but he has no money! And I…I acted so cold towards him…!"

"Hey, you ladies and guy are back?"

The boy shows up looking curious to what they're doing at the park, and instantly, Neptune points a finger at him. "Greedy Boy appears! Command?" Then she folded her arms. "What's with that attitude? 'You ladies?-!' You think you're some kinda stud?-!"

"It's times like these I wish Neptune was quiet." Soren muttered.

"C-Calm down. No reason to get so flustered!" The boy raised his hands in defense.

"Hey kid, mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Sure man, what is it?"

"Are you homeless?"

"…No…"

"Were you beaten and abandoned by your parents?"

"What?-! No! Do I look like I was beaten and abandoned?-!"

There was a pause before Soren turned to Compa. "See Compa, the kid's fine. Anyway, what's going on?"

"Hey, I was trying to be her friend earlier since she looked so lonely standing in this park."

"Her friend? Compa's…?" Neptune wondered.

Yeah. I mean, I know I crossed the line when I met all four of you before, but…"

"Huh? Th-Then, about your birthday and…" Compa tilted her head in confusion at the boy's words.

"Sorry. I've already got the newest console." The kid put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "My pops is on the development team, so I always get the newest one right away. The third-gen system has tons of memory!"

Everyone couldn't help but look at Compa, who looked bewildered as IF said, "So that means… Compa…you were sort of being picked on, after all…"

"Poor, poor Compa." Soren added, shaking his head.

"Ah, I better get going. I was invited to an industry party with my dad tonight. Good day, miserable-looking ladies and their guy friend." The boy turned to leave when he looked at Soren. "Hey, you were right. Boobies are as soft as pillows after I bumped into this cute high schooler on my way home. Not to mention the ladies with you all have wonderful racks, just saying. See ya!"

The party watched the boy run off when Neptune suddenly became indignant. "Y-Y-You booger! Are you saying besides my boobs, I look miserable?-! C-Compa, are you…?"

Compa still had that bewildered look on her face as Soren commented, "Wow, a broken Compa, that's a first."

"Nep, Ren, leave her alone. She's about to have a mental meltdown from all the confusing logic going around." IF told them.

"G-Good idea." Neptune nodded.

"Gh…agh…ahhh…!"

"Hmm, you think Compa's reset button is somewhere around her boobs?"

…

*WHACK!*

"Agh, my face!"

"Nice slugger Iffy!"

Lastation - streets

It was nearing the end of the day when Soren asked IF if he could borrow one of her cellphones to access the net. As Neptune and Compa were busy testing out the test model one a bunch of junk and the occasional wandering monster, IF agreed, and went off to watch the two girls.

"Ugh, no news about Sis around Lastation. I hope that I'll find something on Lowee and Leanbox…" That's when Soren came across Noire's blog again and noticed another entry. "Hello there, I wonder what Black Heart's saying this time…

Accessing the entry named 'Planet PR [Environment]', Soren turned up the volume a bit and started listening.

"Hey, everyone. This is CPU Black Heart. It's time to talk about Lastation again. I'd like to discuss an environmental issue today."

"Hmm, this oughta be interesting…"

"To be honest, the air surrounding the downtown and factory areas isn't the best."

"No surprises there. I remember Neptune complaining that it sometimes smelt like a smoker's joint or something."

"We used to get a lot of smog warnings, but since we started focusing on future-proof eco-activity, it doesn't happen as often.

"Three years ago, many top-class engineers moved here from Planeptune since some factories chose to stop making hardware."

"…Now that's news to me. I haven't heard about this three years ago back on Planeptune."

"With their knowledge from Planeptune combined with Lastation's undeniable technology… We successfully decreased the levels of smoke and toxic waste from our factories. That's what I call discipline."

"If this Avenir wasn't making things difficult, I'd say that Lastation is starting to come out of it's 'industrial revolution' phase."

"The Planeptune engineers were pleased to see their knowledge finally being put to good use. Now they're working very hard at their goal: surpass Planeptune. I think some of them will get a second job to do that."

"I wouldn't put your hopes on that Prin…cess…?"

"That's our current stance on Lastation's enviroment. S-Sorry this got all long and preachy. Not that you should complain about hearing me talk. See you in the next update."

Even when the audio log ended, Soren frowned in confusion. "…Why did I mistake Black Heart for Noire? Now that I think about it, they do sound the same… Eh, maybe it's just a case of the 'Other Darrin' at work. No way a goddess would act like how Princess acted."

All of a sudden, there was a loud thud, followed by what sounded like an explosion with Neptune shouting, "Eeeyaah!"

"Nep, what the hell did you do?-!"

"Crap, better see what all the commotion's about." Soren muttered as he pocketed the cellphone and started running.

Day 18

Lastation - Sky Harbor

"So, the test model works, but has a few…bugs…right?" Neptune asked.

Soren had two pieces of paper in his hands as the party stood inside the main hall. One of them had the details of Mech Sword Armas, while the other had notes on the bugs it had.

The test model had a few functions according to the paper, them being the ability to heat up the blade for increased damage and the ability to tear through armor with little resistance. There were also notes saying that Chian was going to add a laser blade option to it, but it kept running into problems.

Suffice to say, Neptune was assigned to wield it for testing, and she was happy to do so. However, Soren quickly noted the problems after she used it on a few job requests. One being that heating the blade took too long and the armor tearing ability didn't seem to be as effective as it should be.

"Yeah, it's functional enough, but I really wouldn't trust it in a tight spot. Maybe Chian should change the design of the thing." Soren replied, "But for now, what do we do now? Any leads on the Key and Jewel Core Fragments have gone poof here."

"Hmm, we should head to Lowee next…" IF said, looking at the schedule. We could stop by Planeptune and head to Lowee from there, instead of just waiting around Lastation for a week."

What wasn't said was that IF was partially looking forward to going to Leanbox, but her other part held it off due to the landmass' history.

"That's okay with me. I want to check up on a few things myself." Compa said.

"Yay, so back to Planeptune we go!" Neptune walked off toward the teleporters making the others rush after her.

Planeptune - streets

"I see some lights. Over there! It's an arcade!" Neptune pointed out.

"No. We're not stopping." IF replied impatiently. IF was leading the party to a hotel as a new experience for the others during their short stay on Planeptune, and wanted to get things settled quickly.

"I-I didn't even say anything yet, Iffy! But that thingy at the entrance… Yup! It's a sticky-pic booth!"

"Sticker pictures? Is that a couple leaving? I bet they were taking flirty pictures in it."

"That must be nice…" Soren mused, watching the couple take the taken pictures from the exit chute.

"Aw, you wanna try it out Ren?" Neptune asked, "We could take some together."

"Eh, I'm good."

Meanwhile, Compa looked at IF oddly and asked, "Is there something wrong with them getting along?"

That's when they saw something a bit unexpected and Neptune pointed it out. "A police guy is approaching them. He's all blah-blah-blah with the boyfriend."

"Hmm, looks like a routine patrol going on to me. Standard questioning and all that." Soren added.

They watched as the police guy suddenly arrested the boyfriend, shocking the girlfriend. Compa couldn't help but say, "He's getting taken into custody! Weird. They didn't look like they were all that suspicious."

"Wow, the girlfriend's standing there in shock. I don't think she knows what's going on though." Neptune commented.

IF looked between the booth and the boyfriend being taken away and wondered, "…Could it be…?"

"What's up with this serious business?"

"I've heard security cameras are set up at ATMs to detect wanted criminals. Maybe that's the case here."

"Doubt that's the case here. Looks like he turned in a lost item and the owner all popped up and whatever! The girlfriend's sighing in relief too. The lady's smiling and shaking his hand." After that, the four continued walking, though Neptune looked at IF, "…So, you're one of them conspiracy buffs, Iffy? You like urban legends and that jazz?"

"…Ugh. Let's just keep walking, okay?"

Planeptune - hotel

"Wow, this room looks so nice!" Neptune jumped onto the bed and started snuggling in it.

"That's nice and all…" Soren mused, before turning. "See you all later!"

"Hey, wait! Where're you going?"

"Need to check up on a few things, meet Torres about something. Stuff like that." With that, Soren left before the girls could say anything.

"Wow, he sure left abruptly." IF commented, "Whatever, he'll be back by the end of the day anyway."

"So…what now?" Compa asked.

"Well, for now, we do what we usually do. Take jobs, defeat monsters, whatever. On an off topic, I'm a bit concerned…"

"About?"

"I've been going through the various forums through the Net, and from what I can gather, the goddess of Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox have descended, but Planeptune's goddess hasn't…"

"Hmm, maybe she's taking her time?" Neptune suggested, "Or maybe she's busy doing something important like we are with Histy!"

Considering who Neptune is, her words are quite ironic.

"Maybe, but Planeptune's Sanctuary people are getting really anxious about it, on top of the increase in monsters. No sign of Lady Purple Heart is making people a bit anxious."

"Hmm, I wonder, have you ever met Lady Purple Heart, Compa, Iffy?"

"No, I'm just a nurse-in-training. Someone like me wouldn't rate the goddess' attention.

"Me neither. And I doubt Ren has either, considering…" IF shook her head and folded her arms. "Anyway, I only know the general description of Lady Purple Heart, something about her having purple hair…"

Compa and IF looked at Neptune's hair as the former said, "Hmm, Nep-Nep as Lady Purple Heart…?"

"Pfft, yeah right. As if Nep could be a goddess. She really doesn't act like it."

"Hey, I can so be a goddess! I just don't want to!"

In the near future, IF is going to look back on this conversation and find the whole thing ironic after what's been told.

Notes: I'm gonna try my very hardest to have this fic done before Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 comes out. I know this is gonna be a tall order considering I have only a month left, but I'm gonna punch through if I have too. Also, if you go to the NISA Neptunia forum, look for Neptunia MK-II Fancomics, they're freaking hilarious.