Isaac stepped aboard the Z-23. He didn't expect much, but he needed to know what Vengeance was up to. Isaac walked through the corridors towards the Captain's quarters. Looking at the floor, Isaac saw wires and cables running through the halls leading back the way he came.
"Vengeance?" Isaac asked as the Siren peeked her head out of the door to the Captain's quaretes.
"Isaac." Vengeance said.
"How are things going?" Isaac asked as he slipped off his bloodstreaked helmet.
"Liebling?" A voice caused Isaac's blood to run cold as he froze in the hall.
"Come, Isaac. She can't leave the room." Vengeance said.
"Isaac made his way slowly to the room and looked inside. Standing by the door was a display, just like Norfolk, but instead of Norfolk being the one projected, it was Nimi.
"Nimi?" Isaac asked as he looked at the display in front of him. His eyes began to water as tears of joy fell down his cheek.
"I don't know how... but yes. It's me, Liebling." Nimi said as tears rolled down her face.
"My theory was correct, Isaac. That ring was enough to maintain all of her memories and personality, as well as how she sees herself. Her body however..." Vengeance said as she pointed to an empty bed.
"When I came to begin working, the body was gone, the only remains were a small pile of greyish dust." Vengeance said.
"Right now... even this is a miracle. I'm sure if we get you the materials, you can recreate her body." Isaac said.
"You already know that I'm working on it. I just need cubes. But this is a special case. Blank cubes from the ore won't work. They need physical data, as in cubes that hosted a body, that way I can help Nimi translate her view of herself into her new body." Vengeance said.
"So I would need to find a cube from a Kansen?" Isaac said dejectedly.
"Not precisely. I know a bit how the Explorers are made. They do have cubes. But if you make one mistake in extracting it, it will shatter. It was Alpha's security feature against you." Vengeance said.
"So if I get the body of an Explorer, we can use their cube?" Isaac asked.
"She will feel a bit of discomfort for a few days after the cube is used since it has to be rewritten to fit her, but yes. We get the cube, she gets her body, rigging, and control of her vessel back." Vengeance said.
Isaac wiped tears from his eyes and gave Nimi and Vengeance a smile.
"Cubes... those I can get." Isaac said as he held his shotgun in a heroic stance, causing Nimi to giggle happily.
"My Liebling. Always playing the hero." Nimi said softly as she went forward to be within arm's reach. She touched his gauntlet and her display disappeared.
"Wait, what?!" Vengeance said, clearly distressed by Nimi's sudden disappearance.
"Nimi. Stop it, you're scaring her." Isaac said as Nimi appeared on his wrist.
"Now I can leave my ship until we manage to get a cube. Don't worry, Vengeance. As long as Liebling brings me back here, I can switch back to the main projector." Nimi said.
"You humans and Kansens always find new ways to make me rack my brain." Vengeance said as she held a hand over her chest as if feeling a massive feeling of relief.
"But like this... I can be close to my Liebling." Nimi said softly as she looked up at Isaac.
"Alright. It's not like we can go any further without the cubes... so I guess it will have to do." Vengeance said as she sighed and got back to work.
Isaac walked out of the room and turned down the hall. He sniffled a bit more as he wiped away his tears with his free hand.
Nimi looked up at Isaac and he looked at the display of his lover with eyes filled with tears.
"How is everything going, Liebling?" Nimi asked softly.
"You can't just ask me that." Isaac said softly as he smiled at her.
"If it makes you feel better... the pain stopped. I didn't feel pain in my last minutes." Nimi said softly.
"While that makes me happy, It'll make me happier when I can hold you in my arms and never let you go ever again." Isaac said as he touched the head of her display.
"I can kind of feel your touch in a way. It feels like a tingling sensation on my head, Liebling." Nimi said, her display clearly enjoying the head pat.
"I will never let anyone else die. None of you girls will die if I have a say in it." Isaac said as he refused to move further.
"Liebling. The very fact that you are alive means my sacrifice was not in vain." Nimi said.
"Actually..." Isaac said.
"Liebling... please tell me you used that time to escape." Nimi said.
"I remember picking up your body... and Oceana giving the order to fire on us. I fell from a seven story building... after that, I woke up in a hospital bed." Isaac said softly.
"Isaac Garner! You're such an IDIOT!" Nimi cried out.
"When she killed you... I felt like a part of myself would never be the same." Isaac said. "I couldn't just leave you there. At that moment... my world collapsed and I wanted nothing more than to die." Isaac said softly.
"You're an idiot... but you're my idiot." Nimi said softly.
"It gets worse." Isaac said.
"Isaac... what happened?" Nimi asked.
"Apparently in the aftermath of your death, I ordered the entire city to be wiped from the map. Akagi and Intrepid had already launched their fighters, strapped with enough ordinance to sink a fleet." Isaac said.
"Liebling. Don't say you did it." Nimi said.
"Odin relieved me of command in light of the incident. Thankfully she pulled my command before Akagi and Intrepid followed through with my order. She and the other commanding officers held a tribunal earlier today to determine if I was worthy to keep my command." Isaac said.
"Liebling... I am disappointed in you." Nimi said.
"They said the charges are no longer relevant since the order was given in a state where I had no memory." Isaac said.
"So you completely blacked out?! How did you get back to base?" Nimi asked.
"According to the medical reports... Adrenaline and rage." Isaac said. Nimi looked at him with soft and forgiving eyes.
"I die for a week and you go and almost blow up a city..." Nimi said softly as she shook her head.
"I guess you can't leave me unsupervised." Isaac said with a laugh.
"I guess I can't. Let's find those cubes so I can beat you back into shape. It seems you still have much to learn." Nimi said as she put her hand on her hip.
"You looks so cute when you do that." Isaac said softly.
"I do it because I know you like it." Nimi shot back.
"Did you want to go out and see everyone?" Isaac asked.
Nimi shook her head.
"It took me quite a long time to get back to trusting those on my ship currently. The only reason I'm like this now... is because I trust you implicitly. You're my Kommandant. But you are also my husband above all else." Nimi said as her display sat on his wrist.
"Then I guess it'll be me and you going and searching." Isaac said.
"Take the bulins!" Nimi said softly.
"Why?" Isaac asked.
"I know how they are... They are the only ones besides you I trust implicitly right now..." Nimi said softly.
"Did you want to return to your room?" Isaac asked.
"NO!" Nimi cried.
"Okay. I was just asking." Isaac said softly.
"I died... So it only makes sense that I would want to be with people I'm comfortable with." Nimi said softly.
"You're right. Let's go grab the bulins then. We might be able to find an Explorer corpse to take a cube from." Isaac said as he walked above deck and into the port.