"We have received your message, we're glad to hear you are all safe and have encountered no problems, and also there's much enthusiasm and we can't wait to begin preparations as soon as the morning arrives."
Rose's message didn't take too long to arrive to them, just enough time for the others to receive theirs, and spread the news.
"We'll try to get everything done as soon as possible, and we can't wait to reunite with you all too."
The group wasn't the same without them, they assumed.
"Keep your eyes to the sky, we're coming."
And they were coming here to stay.
Just like all of them.
"It really is happening." Anemone let the words come out of her mouth before she could stop them.
After all this time…
"If someone told me a few years ago that I would have traveled to another planet in search of a new home, where we could live in peace, I could have laughed." Jackass added. "But now I want to laugh for a whole other reason." she flashed them a bright smile.
"I am just too happy!"
As were the others, she assumed.
She was just better than her current companions in expressing feelings openly.
But the looks on the other's faces told everything that was needed, they too couldn't stop smiling, even those more serious like Robin and Cattleya.
The human must have been having all kinds of thoughts, actually.
But none she voiced.
Also, even White, for as guarded and self-deprecating as she usually was, had her mouth curled upwards through all this time.
Perhaps, once this would be done, she could finally feel that she could move on from the mistakes she made in the past, and start a new life where she could be the person she wanted to be.
Away from that planet that like Robin said long ago, mostly brought only pain and despair.
She'd seen far with it.
"There's nothing else to do but wait, for now." Cattleya brought them back to reality, but from the tone of voice she felt as eager to see her friends again as they were.
But for the time being she offered to take another tour of the island to take more notes.
Something they could all agree on.
At least it kept them busy.
These past days passed more slowly than they would have liked, they had seen all of the place by now, checking it multiple times over, but there wasn't too much else but to wait.
And the anticipation was killing them.
Never thought that they would ever be so nervous.
Well, they had been nervous when they met Aokiji, but it was another type of the same feeling.
At least it was the positive one.
Right now the girls were sitting on the shore watching the sunset.
Jackass had wanted White to sit at her side with much insistence, the woman still wasn't fond of showing that she actually had a liking to the crafty Resistance woman, but she knew how to break the Commander's hard exterior.
At the same time not too far, Anemone did the same, but with much less words taken to convince Cattleya to lie down with her head on her legs. The Scanner had still been analyzing things and she wanted her to take a much needed break to relax.
The redhead too was a bit shy when it came to receiving affection openly, but she still accepted it, as she allowed her girlfriend to gently stroke her hair.
And Robin?
She sat by as well, not having anything else to do.
She did feel a bit left out, since Freesia wasn't here with her still…
Watching them only made her hope that she'd get here safely as soon as possible.
The human lay down on the grass, watching the sky turn red, and the stars begin to shine.
Wait…
It was too early to see the stars yet!
Did this mean…
She sat back up immediately, shooting up straight under the eyes of her companions.
"Look." she pointed to the sky as more and more lights began to show themselves in the distance.
And then closer, and closer still.
"It's them!" Jackass shouted, as all of them stood up like Robin did, waving their hands at the traveling pods made their way towards land.
They made it!
It was the only thing they could think as the first people landed, rushing over to them.
They made it!
They were here!
Robin could barely see the figure in the smoke that the pods made, but in a flash she was tackled to the ground from someone that she didn't even need to look at who it was.
The familiarity of her arms was enough to tell.
And the long mane of white hair only confirmed it.
"Freesia… I…"
She couldn't even say that she missed her, that the rogue showed her just how much she also missed her, silencing her with a long and heartfelt kiss, not caring who saw it, knowing that no one would ask.
They only parted ways once neither could breathe anymore.
Robin wrapped her arms around her as she sat up, Freesia straddling her.
"I waited way too long for this to happen."
And the human could say the same, but instead she just held the rogue tighter to her body for a while longer, enjoying the moment.
At last, she would no longer be jealous of the other two couples.
She watched the others, Cattleya was pretty much stuck in Lily's arms, with both Lycoris and Amaryllis wrapped around her shoulders, and it didn't look like the Scanner was willing to get out of that situation with them anytime soon.
One could say that she was enjoying this.
Anemone too was wrapped in one of those bear hugs from Daisy and the rest of her Resistance comrades, but Rose, who was still holding a hand on her shoulder, had a really proud look on her face.
Jackass on the other side was happily fist bumping the other Scanner of the group, and sharing smiles.
One again, White stood alone, but this time not for too long.
Rose walked up to her, doing the same thing she did with Anemone, and gently patted her shoulder, but it was Sunny that looked at her with a smile.
Perhaps they were finally warming up to her a little more…
Was this really a time of change?
Yes.
For once she wanted to believe.
"Hey Freesia, aren't you forgetting someone?" Lycoris called out, still holding an arm around Cattleya, neither Amaryllis nor Lily had moved away yet either.
Oh right.
Well she didn't forget about her friend, not at all, but she had missed Robin so damn much…
The other girls moved away just enough so Cattleya could open her arms for the Attacker to settle herself into them. While Robin shared a very tender hug with Olivia as she did so.
"I'm so glad you are safe." obviously the Operator must have been referring to their unfortunate encounter. But this wasn't the time to think about it.
And then with the twins came over. "We've got to fix you up now." Popola said, taking Robin's bandaged hand into hers. Cattleya had done her best, but now it was their turn.
And from the tone it almost sounded like they were looking forward to it.
Perhaps they just wanted to spend time with her, now that she'd been absent for so long. They had been good friends since the beginning when she saved them after all.
Luna smiled at them all, hanging close by, a bit awkwardly, but Robin knew well she wasn't too open to physical contact.
But she still appreciated the thought.
"We missed you." Amaryllis told the Scanner, as she held Freesia. "Our little group just wasn't the same without you."
"I can imagine…" she smiled sweetly at them. They didn't know just how much she missed them too.
But if she wasn't good at showing it, she could still hopefully make them proud.
There were things they still didn't know.
"I believe I have something to give back to you all." the redhead took off the mantle she'd been holding on her shoulders through all this time, she looked at it for a moment, before giving it back to its previous owner.
Thinking about it, she indirectly had been wearing something from Anemone, even though it wasn't meant for her.
Freesia took it back, and placed it on her shoulders, watching as Cattleya also removed the veil from her head and gave it back to Amaryllis, so she could attach it back to her right shoulder.
"Have they been of use at least?" the Attacker asked. "Did you feel less lonely?"
Cattleya nodded, she didn't need to say more.
What she did was to reach for the dagger strapped to her leg, holding it towards Lycoris, who only tilted her head in confusion.
"I gave this to you, why are you giving this back too?" it was meant to be a gift, no?
"I appreciate the thought you had, but I believe I no longer have a need for this." though Cattleya hoped the Gunner wouldn't feel offended.
That's why she stepped back from them a little, and before anyone could ask anything she made her lance appear in a flash of light, twirling it lightly with one hand.
"I believe I may have something better now." and, that belonged to her.
She no longer needed to borrow anything.
Upon seeing her with the new weapon, even the rest of their group came over to see it.
"Where did you find it?" Gerbera rushed over to inspect the lance, knowing well how much she loved weapons. "It's beautiful! Look at all the pretty gems!" she commented, her eyes shined at the sight.
"Her name is Tears of Wisdom, and previously it was in the hands of that Marine Lieutenant we met, and that we dealt with." she wasn't quite proud to say she stole it, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
She still had used it to save that little kid too.
That she'd never regret.
"Did you kill him?" Lycoris asked, eager to know the answer, and only grinned more when Cattleya nodded. "Cool!" she put her arm back around the Scanner's shoulders.
"Now that I look better, you seem a lot more confident than you were, I can see it in your face." even Dahlia pointed it out to the point that the redhead wondered if it was that much obvious.
"I am."
And she was not lying to not make them worry this time.
No need for that anymore either.
So many things changed, and so many fears she had left behind on this trip.
"Well, this makes staying behind so much better." Clover grinned at her before covering his mouth, looking between the Scanner and Robin.
He probably was not supposed to say so.
"Don't worry, she knows." about the fact they decided he'd stay behind to let Cattleya build confidence, and they both did the right thing, seeing her now.
"We had a long chat at dawn one day." the redhead confirmed it.
"But the lance is not all you wanted to show." Anemone gave a knowing look to both her girlfriend and her blonde sister. "Isn't that right, Olivia?"
The Operator didn't know if Cattleya ever revealed about the trade, but surely now she had confirmation that at least she must have spoken about it.
"Well… the best way to explain this would be that the machine barrier is… no longer in my hands." though she had to say that she did miss it, but she knew the decision had been for the best.
It had been interesting, while it lasted.
"Us Number 21s are burdened by a constant feeling of hopelessness. I learned to be stronger because of my designation of Battler, but Cattleya didn't. I didn't want her to feel like a burden so I offered her a way out." and Olivia did not regret it.
Just looking at her sister's face was enough to tell that she was happier about herself now.
"I didn't know I would be finding a weapon a while later, but the barrier had been helpful against that Admiral." it hadn't been extremely effective, but it had been enough to leave a mark.
And allow them to escape, and save both White and Robin.
They'd probably be all dead if she hadn't had such power in her hands at the right time.
"I knew I would be leaving it in capable hands." well better than hers. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I only ever managed to use it effectively only one time."
Being a Scanner, Cattleya knew how to read situations better.
It was one of her many purposes, for the sake of the people around her, and for herself.
Like it or not, Olivia didn't have too much experience on the field either, even though she could fight.
"Yes, but don't feel bad about this, we all have different talents and ways to do things." Robin told her. "Besides we do have something for you too."
"Something for me?" the blonde frowned at her acquired daughter.
"We found a weaponsmith at the second island we've been, I needed someone to repair my lance, after they tried to rob them, including my weapon, we dealt with them, and he spoke about having a couple of swords he would like someone worthy to have, in exchange of his help." Cattleya explained, the blue spear disappearing in threads of light back in her inventory.
Olivia pointed to herself. "Me?"
Once again why would they make her name?
"Well, who else fits as a kind protector? And a woman even?" Robin asked her, knowing well she had no other answer, because she knew this as well as she did.
"Well…"
"If I am not mistaken, you're the only one of this group that still doesn't have her own personal weapons." White walked over, stating the truth.
Olivia still held the two YoRHa Blades she had, her own and Robin's former one.
"It would be nice if you too had your own set of swords." Sunny took the other blonde's hand, almost begging her to accept this. "At least give them a look." she pressed on.
Olivia turned away, unable to handle the big puppy eyes her girlfriend was giving her.
She knew how to get through her too well.
And she could feel the other's eyes on her waiting for an answer.
"Fine… I will." not like she had a choice in the matter, didn't she?
It seemed that things were already decided beforehand, and nothing she'd say or do would change them.
"All of you having your own set of weapons that distinguish you will give your team a strong image." Rose pointed out. And by now, even Freesia's Type 40 set of swords was unique, given White was unwilling to try to replicate such dangerous weapons again.
Given the high chance to kill the user.
It was a wonder that the rogue could use them, and has held them for years, but she was full of surprises, the Resistance Leader learned it soon enough.
"Our team? There will be more?" Clover asked, he knew they had gathered plenty of data, but would there be as many androids again as there were in YoRHa before?
"That would be the plan, the resources of this island should be enough not only to build our own place, but also to rebuild many of our old companions. I hold the data in my brain, and should I have died I left a backup on a disk I gave Rose, for safety."
One could never be too safe, especially someone that knew too much like White.
That was why she had a plan B.
And should she have perished at the hands of the Admiral, then all the more reasons to think ahead.
To support the words she just says, Rose took out the disk in question. "It's right here, safe and sound in my storage."
"And how are you going to explain to them all of this?" Freesia frowned.
They had been through so much, other than the fact that other YoRHa units knew a different truth from them. There was that, then Robin's story, their story, this planet's story.
It was a lot.
Did she have a plan for all this too?
Not to mention, they could not trust White anymore, and she needed it if she intended to remain their Commander.
And a better Commander than what she'd been, that was.
"It'd be as easy as what I did to give Robin her new combat data, we are androids, no?"
Right, true.
She could just make up a set of new data made to serve this purpose.
"Does this mean… does it mean that you could bring back the rest of our former squadron?" Amaryllis quietly let the question get past her lips.
"I could but…" how could she explain it? "Your personal data had been deleted once you completed your mission, the only thing that was kept was combat data so…"
"Even if you were to bring them back they would have no memories of them." Robin finished the sentence, knowing it'd be hard to say, but it needed to be said regardless.
They had to know the truth.
"In other words you would have memories of a time they don't, therefore it would be them physically speaking, but not the people you once knew." they wouldn't be the people that knew, and that could potentially hurt them more than leaving them where they were.
"You are still the same because your personality and memories were absorbed from that machine server you were trapped in, it was never deleted. However, if you wish for me to rebuild them anyway, I suppose I can try to grant that." White wouldn't say no, if they wanted that to happen.
After all the pain she caused to those four, she'd do anything to make them happy, for what she could.
She wouldn't refuse if they said yes.
But the final decision was theirs.
She wouldn't oppose either, nor would she impose on them.
They all watched the four YoRHa prototypes share somber looks, surely their hopes being shot down this way was a harsh truth, but better this way than finding out the hard way.
It was silent for a bit, the group letting them think in peace.
"You don't have to decide now." White let them know that they had time.
This didn't have to happen immediately.
Ultimately it was the Scanner that replied, taking the responsibility to speak for all four of them.
"No. Leave them where they are."
A painful, but right decision, for all of them.
"We would love for our companions to join us again, but this could hurt both us and them." with them four remembering, and the others not to, and all of them be burdened from it.
There was nothing good out of that.
For as much as it hurt, it was best to leave them to rest.
And let them live in their memory, instead of seeing a distorted version of them every day for the rest of their lives.
"I understand, and for what it counts, I am sorry." White was no longer afraid to say those words. "It may sound like an excuse by now, but the decision to delete everything but their combat data wasn't mine."
"In fact it had already been decided as the last part of your operation." it would have happened regardless.
She sighed.
She really had wanted to give them a happier way out.
If only there was something she could do that could be worth…
Something…
Closing her eyes, the image of two young twin androids dressed in white appeared before her.
Right…
There weren't just the others of the first YoRHa squadron.
And she had actually thought about telling them multiple times during this trip once they reunited, how could she forget?
Well they had been through a lot, but still…
"There may be someone we could take back from that time though…" it might be worth the shot, after all the two girls were in the Bunker with her.
"Who?" Lycoris tilted her head, but it seemed that she remembered soon after. "Oh, right, them."
"Futaba and Yotsuba. You're thinking about them." it wasn't a question Cattleya made, but a statement.
"It may be a long shot, but they are younger than you all, and have less memories, and most of them were in my presence at the Bunker so… it could be worth a try to reconstruct them."
It'd be hard, but maybe…
Just maybe…
Also White didn't want to lie that a couple of more hands would have been helpful, in managing everything.
After all, those two were the predecessors of Operator types.
But before they only had to help her handle a single squadron of 16 people, so only two of them was enough, but not anymore.
"But again we don't have to decide immediately." Freesia voiced her thoughts before she could say them. "It would make us happy if it worked though." Amaryllis mused.
"We can think about all of this once the island will be built." Rose stated.
There were still many more things to do before even getting there.
One step at a time.
For now they managed to safely make the move, and change the planet they were on.
The rest would come on its own.
But they had to be patient.
"Speaking of data, I'd have something to share too." Clover brought the attention to him, looking at his fellow Scanner type. "Cattleya asked me to investigate something we were already trying to solve before she had to travel here, and I believe I may finally have an answer."
What could be so important still?
"We were trying to find a correlation between the machines and the council." the redhead stated.
"A correlation between the two?" Gerbera frowned, not like she didn't believe it, since machines adapted and grew smarter each day, but…
How could they find such a thing?
"When we were investigating the remains of the Tower we found recordings of some messages." even the ones those two girls in red spoke to him, mocking him.
And Freesia too he found out.
"Before I was too mad to make a connection." because Luna wasn't with him, and all he wanted was revenge. "But with a clearer head their voice started to sound more familiar to me."
"We extracted that data, and confronted it with what you'd define your regular scheduled messages the council would send you from time to time." it had been Cattleya's idea to confront the voices.
And matter of fact, as Clover played the recordings one thing was very much clear…
The voices matched.
In all and everything, same tone, same pitch.
However…
"This voice…" White paled at the realization, she had heard it so many times before…
It was the source of all her pain and distress through all these years…
"You've realized it, haven't you?" Cattleya asked, though there was no need to. "When I dived in your mind and saw those memories of our mission, I had the same feeling, that I had heard the voice before too, so once we were all safe, I took the liberty to send the data of the words the person of the council was saying to Clover, asking him to investigate and compare the things."
Since he could easily access the Tower from Earth, and he had more resources and time to do so compared to her.
She still had to think about the safety of her group first.
He accepted, eager to put an end to the mystery.
She had received confirmation of what they had been thinking all along just the day before…
Once again, the voices matched.
That meant…
"The machines had control of our server on the moon." White stated in disbelief.
And that also meant that they were controlling all of their moves…
That was why they were always a step ahead of them!
"I understand many things now." Anemone sighed, realizing the same things White did just now.
But still, they had surpassed their expectations.
The very same android they had mocked those years ago in that server put an end to them.
Served them right.
"This means they must have been aware of the deal you made with Vegapunk about me as well." perhaps there might have even been their hand behind it.
Robin wouldn't exclude it.
And she wouldn't exclude that they knew what she was all along.
"Considering how machines seemed obsessed with humanity and feelings I wouldn't put it past them that they were just studying us, we were just experiments to make themselves better." and given how much they had played with him for years…
Those red girls were always observing him and Luna, now he knew.
And before them, they had done the same to Freesia and her squadron, or what little was left of it.
He couldn't help but think that they may have been watching Robin too.
Especially with the whole ordeals they both had to deal with Adam, and his obsession.
"Machines before were unable to express emotions, from what you say, those that were once our masters must have been learning from you." Pascal came over, feeling dragged into the conversation because he too was a machine.
But it was true, they had never developed even coherent thoughts before these recent years.
Before YoRHa was built.
"And considering our bodies have machine parts too…" it didn't take much to make two plus two, and put it together, not to Cattleya at least.
"It is very much plausible the machines must have had a hand in a lot of things we did, and considering the war took so long to end, it must have been because they wanted more time to study us." Robin stated. "If they even were able to create android looking machines like Adam and Eve, who's to say that they didn't want to make more of them?"
They just didn't make it in time.
And well, when she meant android looking, she meant human looking too.
Like them.
Silence fell, the mystery was solved, a lot of questions were answered, and perhaps this made it all worse.
And harder to accept.
But…
"This makes us seeking the freedom we deserve even more worth it." Rose broke the silence with this statement. "Isn't it good to know that we no longer will be controlled by anyone? That we can make our own decisions?"
Like coming here.
"Leave the past behind, but learn from it." if it hadn't been for the Resistance Leader then Robin would have said it.
It was one of the things she lived with during the years she'd been alone.
She left Ohara further and further behind her.
But she'd never forgotten.
And never will.
They had a future ahead of them they could decide how it would be.
Robin raised her head to the sky, and her eyes widened, but then she smiled.
While they had been busy reuniting and talking about all these matters, no one truly noticed that the sky had grown dark, and stars were now visible.
Watching over them.
"Look."
As soon as they did the same as she did, various noises of surprise were made.
Most of them still hadn't seen the night sky.
"We're lucky there aren't any clouds today." almost as if it was a sort of lucky charm for them.
This vision…
Yes, it had to be fate.
"It's so pretty…" Lily watched in awe with the others, as she held onto Cattleya's arm still. "I did promise I'd show you the stars."
That old promise…
It had been so many years since she could even think about it.
"We've seen stars before from the Bunker, but it isn't the same as watching them from here." Sunny stated, and being an Operator she was stuck in orbit more than anyone else.
Yet the two things couldn't compare.
This was much more beautiful than what any of them imagined.
"And to think we'll get to see it every day and night now." even though Lycoris stated the obvious, it wasn't as much as one would think.
If someone told them they'd be here years ago, no one would have believed it.
"Let's just enjoy this first night here, we can settle things and leave for the sea tomorrow." there was no rush.
And well, Rose did want to experience this as much as everyone else.
"We should sleep here, in the open, let the stars watch over us."
It had been such a long time since Robin had been able to settle down and do such a thing, without anyone chasing her or wanting her dead.
But now those thoughts were so far away.
So many things had changed, and would change.
But her family would remain at her side, and she at theirs.