Hello back to the story! Previously on…Following the successful bringing of Veterans Alliance, the Goddesses and their allies now turn their eyes in the direction of the Technocrats, another resistance group. To do that, they travel to the moon of Sanghill, where the most of Technocrat activity was reported. They send Yuko to gather the information on that, but unfortunately, she's not really successful in that.
Now, before we start this chapter, reviews.
To end5: Thank you as always. And yeah, it's like that in real life as well. There are bad and good people on both sides.
Alright, with that done, let's get this thing going.
Chapter 13
February 14, 2257 G.C.
14:55
Baldris Fair Hotel, Sanghill
Tashima paced back and forth through the hotel room, with his hands behind his back. He was making circles, walking from one end of the room to another, with Goddesses sitting on the bed or some chairs looking at him.
"Why are you walking around like that?"Neptune asked.
"I have…a bad feeling, that's all."corporal replied.
"Bad feeling?"Noire asked."About what?"
"About Yuko?"Vert guessed.
Tashima nodded.
"She knows how to take care of herself."Blanc said."If she didn't, she would not last long under Imperial control."
"I know that, but…you know."Tashima shrugged."It's the bad feeling only siblings can feel."
"It's been just five hours since she left. I'm pretty sure that finding an illegal resistance organization on an occupied world is a tid bit hard."
"I know. I still feel something is off…"
As Tashima was saying it, suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The five looked at each other and Neptune stood up, approaching the door. She pressed the button and the door slid open, revealing one of the hotel's workers with a package in her hands. She looked at them and cleared her throat.
"Excuse me, but there is a package for you."she said.
"For us?"Neptune asked."From who?"
The hotel worker shrugged.
"We don't know. We found it at the doorstep of the building with a note that it's for you."
Neptune looked at the package again and grabbed it.
"Um, thanks."she said.
The hotel worker bowed and left, while Neptune closed the door and approached the bed, on which she put the package. Everyone quickly gathered around it, looking at the cardboard box with a note on it.
"What do you think it is?"Vert asked.
"It could be anything."Noire said."From an empty box…"
"…to a bomb designed by Imperials to kill us the minute we open the box."Blanc said.
Everyone looked at her.
"What?"Lowee's CPU tilted her head.
"Don't jinx it."Noire said.
The five looked at the box again, trying to figure out what to do with it. The silence grew more and more unbearable. Everyone thought of possible things that could be in the box, from the most harmless to the most deadly.
"You know? I think that if we don't get the answer just by looking at it."Tashima stated, crossing his arms.
"Agreed."Neptune said and before anyone could say anything, she simply grabbed the box and opened it.
And once she did, everyone gasped in surprise.
Inside the box was laying a folded jacket, identical to the one they were wearing. Tashima slowly reached for it and pulled it out, unfolding it.
"This is Yuko's…"he said.
"A-Are you sure?"Neptune asked."There might be a lot of such jackets around…"
"No, this is certainly the one."Blanc said."There is this oil stain on the left wrist. Just like on the one Yuko was wearing."
"You really paid attention to that?"Vert asked, crossing her arms.
Blanc glared at her.
"I don't pay attention to your bags only."she growled.
"Oh, really?"Leanbox's CPU replied, tilting her head.
"Guys, this is not important."Tashima stated."Something must have happened to her. Maybe she was kidnapped? Or maybe…Or maybe…Crap, I can't think straight!"
"Wait, there is something else."Noire noticed.
She reached into the box and pulled out a small piece of paper.
"What is it?"Neptune asked.
Lastation's Goddess opened it and started reading:
"The person owning this jacket is not harmed. We know you search for us. Come to this location and then we can talk and you can get your friend back."
"Who could've write that?"Neptune asked.
"'We know you search for us…'"Blanc said, rubbing her chin, then she widens her eyes."The Technocrats."
All four looked at her.
"What?"they asked.
"They must be the ones responsible. There is no other option."Lowee's CPU stated.
"But why would they do it? And how could they know we're searching for them?"Tashima asked.
"That's what we must find out."Noire stated firmly."We need to go where this address tells us and then we'll find out."
Everyone nodded.
"Agreed."Tashima said."If this is our only way of finding what happened to Yuko, then yes. Let's go."
"Already?"Neptune asked."I wanted to just laze around for a bit longer."
All four glared daggers at her.
"Alright, I was kidding. Let's go."
With that, the five quickly left the hotel and went towards the designated place.
And once again, they didn't notice hooded figures following them.
February 14
15:21
Barracks of 78th Infantry Brigade, Sanghill
Captain Resin Aster slowly trotted through the corridors of the barracks of his unit. His mind still returned back to the mission earlier this day. He got reprimanded for basically making the whole mission a success. He wanted to scream, wanted to hit things, like a little child. But he knew he couldn't. Or else, his whole life and career and most importantly, his family, would end up in front of a firing squad. He just had to deal with it.
For now, he was walking towards the briefing room, where all commanders of the unit were called, apparently for another mission. Captain had no idea what was it gonna be about, but as a soldier of the Empire, he had to take part in it.
Walking into the briefing room, he noticed all other squad leaders already there, including Kilt and Estro. Passing by the vicious captain, Aster sat down next to Estro. He glared daggers at Kilt, sitting to his left.
"Don't worry about him, man."Estro said in a whisper."He's just a jerk."
"I know. Still, he almost led us all to death and I'm the one getting punished for saving the mission from that robot shit."Aster growled.
"Welcome to Aristian Empire."Estro said, patting his arm.
As they were talking, the door on the other side opened and colonel in charge of their brigade walked in. It was pretty rare to see him, so it was quite a surprise. Colonel walked up to the podium and stood in front of it.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen."he said."Glad to see you all here. Let's cut right to the chase."
He started pressing some buttons on the podium and the screen on the wall turned on, presenting the logo of Imperial Marine Corps, which soon turned into a map of Sanghill. A location was marked on it.
"The operation earlier today turned out to be much better than expected."colonel said."While a slight majority of the terrorists died, we still managed to capture and interrogate a large amount of them. Most of them, however, did not survive the interrogation."
For some reason, nobody seemed surprised by that.
"But we managed to gather a lot of information from them."colonel continued."Including one that interests us the most."
He zoomed onto the marked part of the moon's surface.
"We know the location of the terrorist cell's HQ on the moon."he said.
Immediately, everyone started murmuring and whispering. Aster could hear how excited they are. That they will finally be able to root out the terrorists from their home.
But for some reason, Aster didn't feel this excitement.
Meanwhile, colonel pressed more buttons and the 3D model of a facility appeared on it.
"This is an old thermal plant, one of three that once took care of powering the city."colonel explained."However, this one has been abandoned not long after we arrived into the system. It's been derelict since then. Apparently, not as derelict as we expected. We sent scout units to check the area out and this is what they found."
Soon, numerous red circles appeared on the model. Aster was pretty sure that knew what they were and colonel's words only confirmed it.
"Apparently, the terrorists managed to secretly turn the whole facility into a fortress."he continued."We're talking missile launchers, turrets, mines and even some lower powered railguns, which still pose a threat to most armored vehicles."
Some people whistled, while others again started whispering and murmuring. Aster was certain, that the assault on this facility would be bloody.
"We could, of course, strike it from orbit, but the scouts also discovered, that the reactor is actually still emitting large amount of power, which upon destruction would be released with a power of 10 megaton nuke."
People gathered gasped.
"This is why we decided to perform a direct assault."
That was what Aster feared the most.
"We will be striking with full force. Our entire unit will go there. We will additionally receive support in form of two tank companies from 1st Armored Raiders Battalion."
Even more murmuring and whispers. Even Aster was impressed. 1st Armored Raiders were a real elite. Based in another base here on Sanghill, they were always sent to action when the toughest challenges needed a tough answer. They were the ones who single handedly put down an uprising a year ago, while the 78th was pinned down in it's own barracks. Nearly 600 people managed to take out 6000 rebels. Something like that did not come from just luck. It came from skill.
And unrestricted brutality.
"There is another thing."colonel continued."We will be having a special guest join us in this operation."
This piqued everyone's interest.
"Lady EVEa herself will join us. She will be in charge of the operation. She already arrived on the planet and she'll join us on location."
Some people couldn't stop their surprised gasps. They were gonna be joined by Imperial Knight. It was pretty rare to see lady EVEa out of her seat of power in Leanbox. It was pretty much the same with other Imperial Knights. They only left their residences when situation demanded it, like during some rebellions or when the Empress called them. To think they were going to fight side by side with her…
"Operation starts at 2000 hours."colonel said."See you there."
With these words, the briefing ends and colonel proceeds to leave. Officers and NCOs then stand up and also start leaving the room. Aster and Estro walk side by side. They knew each other since the basic and they had always had each other's back.
"So, we're finally gonna deal with the Technocrats?"Estro more states than asks, hands behind his head.
"Seems like it."Aster replied."Maybe once we deal with their base here, it will be easier to deal with whatever else they have around the system."
"I hope so. These bastards were a pain in our ass for too long. Just like others."
Aster barely suppressed a wince. He and Estro may have been buddies, but while Aster was a native Gamindustrian, Estro was a full-blooded Imperial. And while Aster felt some kind of sympathy for his fellow Gamindustrians who decided to rise up against the Imperial rule (he couldn't show it openly, of course), Estro grew up in pro-Imperial family long before he even came to this system. And while they were friends, Estro denied Aster any information regarding what had happened before the Empire decided to invade the Gamindustrian System. It seemed as if all Imperials were tied by some kind of law or decree to never speak of what happened before that.
"Let's just go and get ready."Aster sighed."We have to present ourselves in front of the Imperial Knight, right?"
"Indeed, buddy."Estro said and laughed.
With that, the two went on to get ready for the operation.
February 14
18:06
Sanghill, Industrial District
"Thanks for the ride."Tashima said, throwing the money to the cab driver.
"No problem, folks."the driver replied.
The five watched as the van they took drives off into the distance. Next, they looked around the area they were at.
"Are you sure this is the place?"Neptune asked.
"The address checks out."Noire replied, looking at the sign on the crossroads.
"Okay, now what?"Vert asked, looking at the numerous industrial facilities, from factories to power plants, around them."We're here, so who wants to meet us now?"
"I have no clue."Tashima said."But whoever they are and if they dis something to Yuko…"
The four Goddesses noticed him clenching his fist so hard his knuckles went pale. They completely understood him. The Tashima siblings found each other only recently and didn't want to lose each other again. Truth be told, the situation would be the same with them and their sisters. If anyone kidnapped or hurt them, half the system would be laid waste to.
"Don't worry, Tash. If they did something to Yuko, then they'll have to deal with all of us."Neptune said, hitting the inside of her hand with her fist."After all, you have the power of four Goddesses on your side. One of which regained her ability to transform even."
"Well, I guess you're right."corporal said."Then maybe let's…"
Before Tashima could end his sentence, two clangs were heard and two can-shaped objects rolled into view. Next, they opened and a green-ish gas started getting released from them. It quickly covered the area and made the five cough.
"What…is this…?"Noire asked.
Tashima coughed and felt his eyelids getting heavier.
"Sleep…gas…"he said, his eyes almost closed.
He looked at the Goddesses and saw that Neptune was the first to go, followed by Blanc and Vert. Only he and Noire were standing at the end. This allowed them to notice two people walking towards them through the cloud of sleep gas, with guns in hands. They tried to take up a fighting stance, but before they could, the two figures were at them and slammed the butts of their riffles into their faces, knocking them out.
Some time later…
Tashima had no idea what was happening to them after they were put to sleep by the unknown assailants. But what he knew happened, was that after some time he felt a waterfall splashing on his face, causing him to wake up. He started looking around and moving his limbs, but he noticed, that he's tied to a chair in a dark room.
"Stop making so much noise."an annoyed voice said.
Corporal stopped moving and just then noticed a figure holding a bucket which he used to spray him with water. It was a man, around two times the height of Tashima. His face was grumpy and had an annoyed look. Tashima also noticed, that the man had numerous cybernetic implants, including one, red eye looking at him. This could only mean, that they were held by…
"The Technocrats."he said.
He received a powerful slap on the face, which almost tore off his head. The fact that the palm of his hand was made of metal certainly didn't help.
"Silence. You can speak only when you are told."the man said.
"Come on, Cero. No need to be so angry."another voice said.
Tashima looked in that direction and saw a figure standing in the shadows. Considering how angular it looked, it wasn't hard to notice it was a machine.
"But only these works on the bastards."Cero replied.
"We're civilized, unlike them."the machine replied, walking out of the shadows.
Now Tashima could take a better look at the machine. It was a similar, combat-type body as Steamax used, but in different color scheme, being gray and blue. The machine was taller than the man that slapped Tashima, but only by a head. On it's back, the machine had a strapped sword.
He came up to Tashima and knelt in front of him.
"Now, Mr. Imperial."the machine said."What brought you here?"
Tashima looked at Cero. The man nodded, telling him he can speak.
"We're not Imperials."Tashima said."I'm corporal Tashima, I represent the resistance cell known as Unbreakable Ore. We…"
The machine lifted his hand.
"Unbreakable Ore?"he asked."Never heard of them."
"We just recently started moving out of the outer asteroid belt."corporal continued."We're trying to unite all the resistance cells to…"
"Boss, seriously, why are we even listening to this pig?"Cero asked."Maybe we'll get something from the others?"
"Others?"Tashima asked.
Cero smiled and Boss only made a giggle-like noise. Machine snapped it's fingers and before long, five more lights lit up on the ceiling, revealing five more chairs, with Goddesses sitting on them.
And Yuko.
Seeing her, Tashima quickly widened his eyes.
"Yuko!"he exclaimed.
And received another slap on the face from Cero.
"Speak only when allowed."the big man told him.
"Screw that!"corporal shouted."What did you do to her?! I swear, if at least one strand of hair fell off of her head…"
Another powerful slap, this time almost tearing his head off.
"So, you know her?"the Boss asked.
"Of course I do! She's my sister!"Tashima shouted back.
Boss did something that could be compared to raising an eyebrow. Next, he looked at Cero and nodded at him. The big man turned and approached Yuko. He grabbed her by the head and leaned her head back. Next, he pulled out a knife from a sheath on his back and put it to the girl's neck. This made Tashima shout with fury.
"Keep your hands off of her!"he ordered.
"We will, once you tell us everything we want to know."Boss said."And if you don't…"
Cero pressed the blade a bit more to Yuko's neck.
"…you can tell your sister goodbye."Boss finished.
'You motherfucker…"
"Tsk, tsk. Nope, none of that."Boss said."Now. Riddle me this. Why are you looking for us? Our men said, that she was trying to find us. Why?"
Tashima looked at Yuko with a knife to her throat. Truth be told, he didn't expect their first meeting with the Technocrats to go like this. So he needed to calm down and adapt to the situation. This was one of the first things they were taught at the boot. You had to be flexible and adapt to situations.
He took a deep breath.
"As I said, I'm corporal Tashima."he said."I represent a resistance cell known as Unbreakable Ore. We've been active in the outer asteroid belt for some time now, raiding enemy ships and getting their supplies. Although recently, we've started moving out of our normal area of operations. We plan to unite all the resistance groups in the system to form a united front against the Empire and finally push them out and overthrow the Empress. We already managed to form an alliance with Veterans Alliance and now, we'd like to do the same with you."
There was a moment of silence, as Boss most likely processed everything in his mechanical mind. Finally, he shook his head.
"Really?"he asked."That's the best you could come up with?"
"But it's the truth!"Tashima exclaimed.
He looked at Cero. He pressed the knife so hard, that a drop of blood went down Yuko's neck. Corporal felt panic.
"Sorry pal, but that doesn't sound very convincing."Boss continued."How can such a small group even dream of doing something of that scale?"
"Allow me to answer that."a new voice joined.
Before Boss and Cero could realize what was happening, a flash of light blinded them. When the light and blind subsided, the two widened their eyes, seeing one of their prisoners transformed and floating above the ground, looking at them.
"This can't be…"Boss said.
"Yes, it can."Black Heart said."And now you better listen to what we have to say, or I promise, that you will pay dearly for hurting anyone of us."
"You were awake?"Tashima asked.
Black Heart smiled at him.
"Yeah, I woke up from all that slapping they gave you."she replied.
"Well, haha…"Tashima laughed dryly.
Boss looked at the two of them a few times, trying to come up with the best solution. Finally, he looked at Cero.
"Cero, leave the girl."Boss ordered.
The big man looked at his boss and then back at the girl he held at knife point. Finally, with a growl, he let her go. This also caused Yuko to stir and wake up. She looked around and upon noticing that she was bound and gagged, she widened her eyes.
"Don't worry, everything's under control."Tashima told her.
Yuko seemed to calm down a bit, but she still looked at the two Technocrats holding them captive.
In the meantime, Noire started cutting the ropes bounding the rest and waking them them up.
"Ahh, what happened…?"Neptune asked.
"We got put to sleep, captured and almost tortured."Black Heart replied, cutting the ropes bounding Blanc.
"Oh, so the usual."Planeptune's Goddess summed up.
"Nothing about this is the usual."Tashima pointed out.
"I'm just trying to keep the mood up."
"Whatever."Black Heart rolled her eyes, freeing Yuko.
Once she was free, the girl quickly took out her gag and ran up to her brother. She quickly started untying the rope holding him.
"I'm so sorry for getting you in trouble."she said.
"No, it's fine."Tashima replied."We would come to help you no matter what."
When all six of them were already free, Goddesses quickly summoned their weapons and pointed them at Cero and Boss. Machine just lifted his hands in a defensive gesture, while Cero still seemed ready for a fight.
"Now, now. No need to get so fighty…"Boss tried to diffuse the situation.
"You're the one to say it, after you kidnapped us and wanted to torture us?"Neptune asked."No thank you."
"We just didn't know who we were dealing with…"
"Talk whatever you want!"Blanc exclaimed, her eye flashing red."Now, if you don't wanna turn into a scrap metal, you better cooperate!"
"Of course, we…"Right then, Boss stopped."Sorry, I need to answer a call."
The six looked at each other and nodded.
"Just don't try anything."Black Heart said."Or else…"
Boss nodded and accepted the call.
"Yeah…Yeah, Zingo here…Aha. Yeah. No, everything's under control. Prisoners?"He looked at the six."Well, they aren't so prisony anymore…Reinforcements? No, there's no need. No need for putting them to sleep again. And no need for lethal force use. Rather…better prepare some good food for our new guests."
There was a moment of silence.
"Yes, I'm serious, damn it! Now get to work!"Zingo growled mechanically.
He ended the call and looked at the Goddesses and Tashimas.
"Well, um…Our acquaintance may have not started well…buuuut, I do want to make up for it."
"In what way?"Tashima asked.
"How about dinner?"
Everyone could swear that if the machine could smile, they would most likely see the most seductive smile they could ever see in their lives. The six looked at each other again and after a second of thought, nodded.
"Alright."Tashima said."But as stated above, no tricks."
"How could I?"Zingo shrugged."Cero, go and prepare everything."
Cero looked at the whole situation and after a few seconds, he nodded and left the room. Once he was gone, Zingo looked at the group.
"So. You like what we did with the place?"he asked.
February 14
19:45
The Technocrats' HQ, Sanghill
Not long after, the group was walking behind Zingo, who led them through the corridors of the base. On the way, they passed by numerous other people, some being machines in various bodies, from combat to normal, mining-used, people with numerous mechanical enhancements and normal people, with no machinery in them. It was more than clear that what was being told about the Technocrats and what their beliefs were was completely true. Which was both interesting and in some parts, terrifying.
"You know, I don't feel really comfortable among them."Neptune whispered.
"Stop worrying."Tashima said."They are like us, just…upgraded."
"Still, I don't like the way they look at us."Yuko said.
She mainly referred to a man with a cybernetic, telescope eye which they just walked past.
"Don't worry, everyone was already told that you are our guests."Zingo said."Which, once again, obliges me to apologize for our rough treatment."
"Apology accepted."Tashima said."So, where are we going?"
"You said something about food…"Neptune said, rubbing her hands.
Zingo gave out a laughing sound.
"Yeah. But before that, there is something more important to do."he replied.
"What can be more important than food?"Planeptune's CPU asked.
"Meeting our leader."
Everyone widened their eyes.
"Wait. You're not the Technocrat leader?"Noire asked.
"No, I'm just his second-in-command."Zingo replied."Our real leader is waiting to meet you."
"By the way, where are we?"Vert asked."You didn't tell us that."
"Oh, right. I forgot."Zingo said."We're in an abandoned power plant on the outskirts of the city. We're keeping it running, but on the smallest possible power, to make sure we won't be detected."
"Well, at least you're resourceful."
"True that!"
After a few more minutes of march, they stopped in front of big, armored door. Zingo turned to them.
"Before we enter…"he said."…I must warn you. What's behind these doors is not for someone with weak stomach."
Everyone risen an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"Blanc asked.
"Let's just say, that we're taking trans-humanism to…new levels."
Nobody said anything.
Zingo, in the meantime, approached the door and opened a panel on it. Behind it was a keyboard with numbers. He quickly pressed some of them, implementing a code. Next, he looked at them again.
"I warned ya."he said.
The door started sliding open.
"Come ooooon."Neptune waved her hand."How bad can it…"
The door slid open fully.
"…be…"Neptune finished.
"Holy shizzles…"Tashima said.
Behind the door was a big room. It was basically empty, except of four rows of small ponds, enough to fit a human. And humans they fitted. Each pond held a human, with numerous tubes and cables attached to them. They were submerged, but seemed to not even notice that, as their eyes were closed and they didn't seem to breath as well.
The group slowly walked inside, past the ponds, looking at the people in them. Suddenly, the whole situation became very eerie.
"What are you doing to them?"Tashima asked, squatting next to one pond."Are they even alive?"
Zingo stopped and looked at them.
"One of the main principles of our organization is trans-humanism."he replied."We try to transcend the limitations of humanity and machinekind as well. And some of us already did it."He glanced at the ponds."In one of the most useful ways. After all…"
Screen on the wall behind Zingo came to life and a single blue line appeared on it.
"…what better way to create a super computer leader, than to connect multiple perfect, biological computers?"Zingo finished.
"WELCOME, VISITORS."the line on the screen said, waving and with a distorted, robotic voice.
It made some of the group jump from surprise.
"What the…?"Noire asked.
"Please, welcome our great leader."Zingo said, pointing at the screen."The META."
Goddesses and Tashimas looked at the screen and then at Zingo and then at the ponds. It was at this moment, that they noticed how people in them have wide open eyes, looking into nothingness.
"Creeeepyyyyy…"Neptune said.
"Agreed."Yuko said.
"WE DON'T LIKE WHEN WE'RE MADE WAIT."The META said."WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS, VISITORS?"
Tashima looked at the Goddesses. They nodded at him. Corporal cleared his throat.
"I'm corporal Shinzo Tashima."he introduced himself."I represent an organization known as Unbreakable Ore. We are on a quest to unite all resistance groups in the system to launch an attack against the Empire and overthrow them. We already managed to make an alliance with Veterans Alliance and now, we would like to make an agreement with you."
There was a moment of silence. Goddesses and Yuko looked at each other, as if they expected The META to evaporate Tashima where he stood. However, none of the sorts happened.
"INTERESTING."The META said in a curious tone."AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL?"
"Because we have something, that can easily help us in it."Tashima turned to the CPUs."Come forth."
The four stepped forth.
"WHO ARE THEY?"The META asked.
In response, they lifted their hands and called upon their weapons. Zingo made a whistling sound, while The META stayed silent for a few seconds.
"ANALYZING."he said."SUMMONING WEAPONS OUT OF THIN AIR. A RARE ABILITY. ONLY PEOPLE CAPABLE OF THIS ARE…THE CPUS."
Smiles appeared on their faces.
"HOWEVER…"the machine continued."THIS ABILITY CAN BE COPIED. MANY SCAMMERS PRETENDING TO BE GODDESSES HAVE MANAGED IT."
Goddesses blinked and looked at each other.
"Motherfu…"Blanc started.
"Blanc, calm down."Neptune said."You're right, but such words shouldn't leave a Goddess' mouth."
"See if I care."
"Well, if that's not enough of a proof…"Noire said."…then how about this?"
And with that, there was a flash and when it vanished, instead of Noire, Black Heart hovered in her place.
The META stayed silent for a few seconds, before speaking again:
"ANALYZING. ANALYZING. GODDESS FORM. ONLY CPUS ARE CAPABLE OF IT. COPYING IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. PROCESSING. PROCESSING. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT…YOU REALLY ARE THE GODDESSES?"
Black Heart smiled.
"Yes. Yes, we are."she replied.
"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?"The META questioned."LAST KNOWN INFORMATION ABOUT GODDESSES COMES FROM IMPERIAL HISTORICAL RECORDS. THEY WERE BEATEN AT THE START OF THE ONE DAY WAR AND SINCE THEN WERE NOT SEEN. PRESUMED DEAD BY MANY. YET SOMEHOW, YOU RETURN."
"We didn't die."Blanc replied, crossing her arms."We were taken prisoner and were freed only a few weeks ago."
"HMMM."The META mused."I UNDERSTAND. IN THAT CASE, I AM WILLING TO COOPERATE."
Everyone risen their eyebrows.
"Really?"Yuko asked."It was surprisingly easy."
"Like with VA."Neptune noticed.
"BY ANALYZING ALL TE FACTORS AND INFORMATION, I DEDUCED THAT OUR GOALS ALIGN. IT IS ONLY LOGICAL THAT WE WOULD JOIN FORCES TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF OVERTHROWING THE IMPERIAL RULE. OUR COMBINED CHANCES, TOGETHER WITH VA, ARE CURRENTLY AT…63%."
"That's…good, I guess?"Neptune guessed."I mean, it's more than 50%, right?"
"Still, not good enough."Tashima said, rubbing his chin."And if we got also the Freedom-2-People and Anonimals on our side?"
There was a moment of silence. Some lights blinked and the line didn't move. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, The META spoke again:
"ANONIMALS ARE A GREAT AND TALENTED GROUP OF HACKERS, THEIR ABILITIES RIVALING OURS. MEANWHILE, FREEDOM-2-PEOPLE IS OPERATING ON GAMINDUSTRI ITSELF, WHICH COULD GIVE US AN ADVANTAGE IN FORM OF FRIENDLY SABOTEURS ON THE PLANET. WITH ALL THE RESISTANCE IN THE SYSTEM COMBINED TOGETHER, OUR CHANCES ARE...84%."
Everyone glared daggers at the computer.
"You serious?"Blanc asked.
"YES."the computer replied without beating around the bush."MIND YOU, THERE ARE MORE FACTORS COMING INTO PLAY THAN UNITED FRONT OF ALL RESISTANCE ORGANIZATIONS OF THE SYSTEM. THE EMPIRE POSSESSES BIGGER MILITARY AND SURVEILLANCE CAPABILITIES THAN WE DO, SO EVEN THOUGH THEIR CHANCES ARE SMALLER, THEY STILL EXIST."
"I guess that makes sense."Black Heart said, transforming back into Noire."So, we can count on you in our efforts?"
"YES."
"Woohoo!"Neptune exclaimed."We're amazing! Okay, now, about the food…"
"Of course. Allow me…"Zingo said.
Before he could finish, the entire room shook so hard that the plaster fell from the ceiling and onto them.
"What the hell?!"Blanc exclaimed.
Right then, all lights turned red and alarm started blaring.
"WARNING. WARNING."The META exclaimed."FACILITY UNDER ATTACK. NUMEROUS IMPERIAL FORCES INBOUND."
"Well, fuck!"Tashima shouted.
XXX
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Bye!