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Manhattan, the Woolworth Building/Headquarters of the United States Department of Magic, Sunday 1 April, suppertime (Tōkyō time: Monday 2 April, an hour before breakfast)…
"Hai! Hina's here!"
"Oh, thank Merlin!"
Hearing that from the middle-aged now auror racing towards her, the current incarnation of the Living Spirit of Innocence, Lomroer'bem ("Suiki"), perked before she looked over, then she waved. "Ah! Wilkinson-sensei!" the seven-year-old native of Niigata with the sandy brown hair in high twintails and the eyes of pure amethyst that seemed to radiate peace and contentment to all who viewed them called out in Japanese, knowing her suit's universal translation systems would ensure the older woman now approaching her and her companion would hear that statement in English without need of translation spells. "Hina came as soon as Mama woke Hina up after you called! Is everything okay?!"
Auror Sergeant Stephanie Wilkinson could only laugh as she leaned down to hug the cute child who inherited one of the greatest cosmic powers that had first risen on the World of the Forge over two millennia before in the unimaginable holocaust known as the "Dawn of Power". "I really wish it was alright, Hinako!" the many-times granddaughter of British North America's third Minister of Magical Affairs — still seen as the third "magical president" of America by some circles in the United States despite all the history lessons taught at places like Ilvermorny to make current generations understand the TRUE relationship between the Department of Magic and normal elements of the government of the United States of America — admitted as she waved Saeru Hinako towards an elevator, the cosmic-powered broadcast empath's companion immediately falling in behind her. "But given what you did a couple weeks ago when you were touring the Solomon Islands, the sooner we got you involved in this, the better."
"There's an American shipgirl, you mean."
That made the native of Philadelphia's magical quarter jolt before she focused her mage sight on the taller, older woman in the white-and-blue jumpsuit that had teleported into the Woolworth Building with the Spirit of Innocence. Once she got a good mystical look at the being who was now known as the Blizzard of Death, Roerike ("Fubuki"), Wilkinson tried not to cringe. It was difficult, of course. Then again, to encounter a person who looked to the normal viewer like a wholesome Japanese teenager with dark brown hair in a stubby ponytail and brown eyes…while possessing the mystical echo of an over 388-foot destroyer of all things that massed over two thousand TONS…!
"You're…Miss Fukushima Fujiko, aren't you…?"
"That's Commander Fukushima," the adopted native of Maizuru — where she had been built near the start of the Shōwa Era as Tennō Heika Gunkan Fubuki — coolly interrupted, which made the auror cringe and sent shudders through the bodies of everyone currently in the Department's central hall overhearing this by the CHILL in her voice. "Of the Japanese Self-Defence Force Special Service List, Sergeant Wilkinson." A light smile crossed her face as Hinako covered her eyes with her hand, shaking her head at such stupid silliness. "As so ordained by His Majesty…"
"Whoa! Whoa! WHOA!" a new voice with a flat Yankee accent instantly cut in from Fujiko's starboard aft. "Jeez, Little Snowfall! What's with all the negative waves, huh?! Don't you know by now that Little Sunshine can't take that bad stuff?! Don't be so freaking square, sister! You're WAY cooler than that!"
That cause Fujiko to yelp before she and Hinako both turned around…
…then they gaped on seeing who had just teleported herself up from the Auror bullpen in the basement levels of the Department's main headquarters complex. Taking in the more traditional battlesuit in reds and soft golds with pretty flowers on the top and the lower leggings, necklaces with Buddhist prayer beads and pearls slung around the neck of the nicely-curved older teen with the long brown hair held down by a bandana decked with freshly-cut daffodil flowers and green eyes under protective goggles whose expressiveness reminded Hinako of her most powerful friend, the Spirit of Innocence blinked before she focused on the official Navy ship crest poised over the transformed warship's heart.
"'USS Long Beach. Cee-Gee-En-Nine'," the native of Niigata read the gold words on the blue stadium ring before she scratched the top of her head in confusion. "Um…"
"'CGN', Hinako-chan," Fujiko supplied. "'Cruiser, guided missile launching…'" — here, she paused as she gazed on the newcomer, a gulp surging up her throat as she added — "'…nuclear powered'."
Hinako blinked several times before she moaned. Even if she had just finished the second year of elementary school, she was smart enough and knowledgeable enough to realize what was going on and what made the Department of Magical Law Enforcement here in America scream for her to visit in the middle of her enjoying spring break. "Sensei, where are the baka-bakas that did this to Fujiko-chan's and Hina's new friend?!" she then politely asked, waving at the reborn first nuclear-powered surface warship as she gazed at Wilkinson. "Hina's got to go yell at them now!"
The auror chuckled. "Right this way, Hinako…"
Minutes later, in the third sub-basement…
"Baka…!"
Hearing that exasperated sigh from the young no-maj girl native to Japan who had somehow been "gifted" to inherit the power of one of the most feared race in the known UNIVERSE, the half-dozen very dishevelled men in the dated clothing — seeing that, Fukushima Fujiko and her sisters put the style as common to the Roaring Twenties around the time they had been built in the wake of the Washington Naval Treaty — winced as Saeru Hinako lowered the unrolled two-foot parchment containing a list of over FIFTY confirmed violations of Article IV of the Magical Constitution of the United States of America; that was the part of the document first written in 1787 that affirmed that all natives of the then-newborn republic blessed with magic would adhere to the demands of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Even if Hinako herself didn't really have to worry about such things — as a bona fide metahuman from Japan, she was subject to the rulings of the Tokubeppō, which gave people like her much greater freedom of action than her magic-only countrymen — she knew that something like THIS would have really ruined a LOT of people's days.
Such as her current host and her co-workers.
"Dear gods! You people DO take STUPID PILLS in the morning, don't you?!"
The imprisoned wizards — four members of the Magical Congress from more conservative districts in the old Thirteen Colonies, plus two members of the DMLE known to have strong mugalophobic sympathies — all awked on hearing that from Fujiko's most visibly different sister, Fukushima Mayako, the former THG Murakumo. Before the leader of the group, some fellow whose name the visitors from Japan hadn't got — once Hinako and Fujiko were invited to the DMLE offices at the Woolworth Building, all six of the latter's sisters who were "salvaged" by the Spirit of Innocence and the power of the Seeker's Forge over the last couple of weeks teleported in to make sure their young "admiral" was protected — could scream at the silver-haired teenager with the caramel brown eyes for "speaking above her station", a voice called out, "Hey! Square! Shut the cake hole! The cool folk here don't wanna hear your verbal diarrhea!"
The prisoners gargled as they felt a sharp wave of heat wash over them, making the Fukushima sisters gape in surprise at the transformed USS Long Beach, who had been given the lengthy name "Ellen Naomi Michelle Haight-Ashbury" by the Conservator on her Gifting Friday evening at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. Said adopted native of Quincy in Massachusetts and her namesake city in California was seated on one side of a kotatsu that had been teleported from the Saeru home in Niigata by Fukushima Hatsue, the former THG Hatsuyuki; the shipgirls were enjoying lemon tea some smiling house elves had made for the "All-Seeing One" — as they called Naomi for some odd reason — and her new friends from the Land of the Wa. "Why in the name of the gods didn't you just kill them and get it over with, Naomi-san?" Mayako asked as she thumbed the prisoners, making them awk at such a suggestion from the adopted native of Ōsaka who seemed the most tsundere of the Fukushima sisters. "I'm sure Wilkinson-junsabuchō and her friends would have liked NOT having to deal with the paperwork this mess caused!"
As the aurors listening to this morbidly chuckled at that suggestion, Naomi's eyes twinkled. "Yeah, I could'a turned them into guacamole if I wanted to, Surfer Gal," the transformed missile cruiser noted as she gave the prisoners a gimlet eye. As Mayako flustered on hearing that weird nickname applied to her, the American shipgirl who served in the era of the Summer of Love added, "But since they were too square to realize the Great Spirit of Yiziba wasn't going to let me be made to follow the system like they wanted, it would'a been a waste of good ammunition." As the prisoners wilted on sensing that Naomi considered them too BELOW their notice — an attitude NONE of them were used to encountering from a "no-maj", metahuman or not — she sipped her tea. "'Sides, Papa J's gonna make them see reality about cool cats like us soon once Doc Quahog gives him the lowdown over what happened."
"You mean a Magical Executive Order, don'tcha?" Fukushima Miyuki, one of the two reborn Fubuki-class destroyers who didn't have to worry about getting used to a new name to call herself, grunted as she crossed her arms.
"Of course! They should be worried about LOSING their magic…!"
As the prisoners awked — even the aurors were visibly wincing from that pronouncement — eyes locked on Hatsue, who had a churlish smile on her face. "What does that mean, Hatsue-chan?" her older sister Shirayuki — who, like Miyuki, didn't have to worry about getting used to a new name when she became a shipgirl — wondered.
"Magical Executive Order 9002, I think it's called," the teenage girl with the long hime-cut raven hair and the caramel-shaded eyes answered. "Once someone is identified as a metahuman by the Chief Executive — the President, in other words — or those he delegates, any magical interference in their lives unless cleared by the Chief Executive is seen as TREASON!" She tsked before turning back to her tea while the prisoners all seemed to collapse on themselves; the Department of Magic still made use of the death penalty in some cases, especially for THAT. "Well, no great loss…"
"PEEW! WHAT'S THAT HINA'S SMELLING?!"
Eyes locked on Hinako, who was now plugging her nose as she looked around the room, her eyes wide and watering. The others blinked before the transformed Japanese destroyers began to sniff the air, they soon also scowling in disgust. "Ah! Over there!" Fukushima Urako called out, pointing towards one door.
By then, the aurors were picking up on the faint putrid odour drifting in from a special examination room the DMLE's local office often shared with members of America's equivalent to the Department of Mysteries in Britain. "What in Merlin's name…?" Stephanie Wilkinson garbled before she walked over, knocking on the door as she drew her wand to cast an air freshening charm. "Peter?! Are you there?!" she called out.
The door immediately opened, allowing a wave of that stench to explode out and nearly make everyone gag. "Whoa! That's gross, dude!" Naomi snapped as she waved her hand, sending out a pulse of power to clear the air and have it contained inside the examination room. "What type of weed are you smoking, man?!"
Hearing that question, the middle-aged man in the more modern clothing — complete with scientist's white smock — chuckled in embarrassment. "Sorry about that, Mama Cass!" Peter Candlewick apologized before drawing out his own wand to better contain the stench before he adjusted his glasses. "Damn…!"
"What on Earth are you examining now, Peter?!" Wilkinson demanded.
The arithmancer/technomancer who was one of the rising stars in the Magical Advanced Research Projects Agency's central team scratched his head. "Something magical from another PLANET Miss Black brought to us, Stephanie!" the native of one of the magical quarters of Boston answered, his excitement quite apparent to the others listening to this. "I thought I'd NEVER get the chance to look at something ALIEN unless I was seconded to Stargate Command!"
People blinked. "Margo-san?" Hinako wondered…
In reliquisynchronous orbit at the meridian of the city of Vale, two hours later (local time: Gaysaw 51 Treichleam, mid-evening)…
A moan escaped the man lying on the very comfortable reclining chair in the clean yet not hospital-like sterile room with the large window displaying the night side of Remnant, glows emanating from fires that swept through Vale City in the wake of the destruction of the Beacon Academy two hours before shining like hellish beacons in the background. A pair of dark brown eyes that shone with the wisdom of CENTURIES of life then slowly opened as his head tilted to and fro. As his vision cleared up and his mind began to fully awaken from being knocked out after being caught in the midst of the unleashing of the Silver Eyes, he noted the reflection of the well-formed face of Shannon Ozpin on the picture window dead ahead of him at about two yards' range, said features framed by the shaggy silver hair he was blessed with shortly after the immortal soul of the Undying Warrior Sage of Remnant fused into the young Vale native's mind when he was a teenager. Blinking as he considered that — by all rights, he should be dead and proceeding through reincarnation as he had been cursed to do over many times over the last two thousand years — he glanced over to see his glasses on the desk beside his bed. Picking them up — he was ultimately nearsighted, so everything beyond that window was a curious dark blur to him at this time — he slipped them over his eyes to look…
"Oh, ye FATES…!"
"That's correct, Professor. It's all true."
Hearing that voice, Ozpin's head snapped around…
…before he relaxed. "Mister Thomas," he breathed out before turning back to see his homeworld glowing in the evening, Remnant's shattered moon off to the right above the plane of the planet's equator and its home sun's light glowing from beyond the left of the window. "I'm in space…?" he then whispered.
"You are," the Wise Lone Sage of Yiziba answered. "I wasn't kidding when I told you and your co-workers that I'd do a lot to bring a considerable improvement to life on Remnant. Including…"
Ozpin blinked before he chuckled. "Letting us fly into space."
"Of course. On my home planet, questing into space is seen as exploring the true final frontier," Isaac Thomas then answered, his blue eyes twinkling. "And we've done it in several interesting ways. One of which — once we take care of your old lover, of course — could have you make first contact with distant cousins of Remnantians all over the known galaxy." He gave the now-former headmaster of the Beacon Academy a knowing look. "The Chappa'ai?"
A grimace crossed Ozpin's face on recognizing a term he hadn't heard in centuries. "What of the lar'beke?" he coolly demanded, spitting that word as a flash of disgust echoed in his eyes. "The 'Goa'uld' as they call themselves?"
"They're still a nuisance, but people from the Tau'ri homeworld — 'Earth' as it's called — are working to tame them," the younger man assured him. "It's also attracted the attention of people from Yiziba." Here, he gave the older man a knowing look. "We never met in our first lives. When you were busy with Ayono Ugadese being saved from the Two Brothers who wanted to kill the descendants of people they transported to Remnant from Earth, my first-self was busy trying to save lives in my homeland on Yiziba. I'm not sure what Master Ayono told you about our 'dawn of power'…"
"It was so catastrophic, it completely destroyed every nation on your planet and led to your people being engaged in some odd 'reality show' when they weren't just trying to survive and live their own lives," Ozpin finished as a wry chuckle escaped him, feeling an inner sense of relief that Isaac hadn't turned out to be something more dangerous than that, such as a hidden Goa'uld system lord who wanted to get a foothold on Remnant; prior attempts by the "children of the gods" when it came to invading the planet saw them and their slaves become food for the Grimm. "I simply couldn't imagine what it was like for Ayono and his friends in that time on that planet. I suspect what just happened within Vale City would just be a petty microcosm of what rocked Yiziba in those days."
"It was."
Silence fell as the two beings, both young yet mystically over two millennia old each, gazed once more on Remnant. Ozpin focused on Vale City for a moment before he asked, "How bad?"
"Casualties were heavy. Estimates of total deaths are over a thousand. The Academy is a total write-off thanks to what Miss Rose did to that wyvern that made its way to the CCT tower. Right now, everything within two miles is being blocked off by whatever local forces are available to keep the Grimm from overrunning the city." Here, Isaac sighed. "Sadly, due to the nature of what happened and what the reaction might be from who we know instigated this, I couldn't help any more than what General Ironwood did before Mister Black decided to play with his troopers' programming to turn them against the huntsmen. Now that Miss Salem will be distracted by the revelation of Miss Rose's special gift — not to mention Miss Fall going forth to claim the power of the other Maidens — I can be a lot more overt."
"You're precognitive?"
"No, just your average hyper-genius polymath." Much to the headmaster's approval, the native of Queens looked sheepish as he added, "Everything you see around you was built by me using nanotechnology powered by mesonium — the 'atom of true life' as I'm sure Master Ayono called it; the Goa'uld call it 'ra-naquadah' — since my Gifting. I do have friends who are able to allow me to see future timelines. Given what the people of Vale must now be thinking, revealing I'm an alien would drive up xenophobia to a level that will literally help Miss Salem win the war."
"Especially with your stance concerning the Faunus," Ozpin finished as he relaxed on the bed. "Given what you've introduced, you have won friends over, but the fear of the radical factions in the White Fang is deeply entrenched."
"True, especially given Mister Taurus' actions earlier this evening when he decided to renew 'acquaintances' with Miss Belladonna, not to mention what he did to Miss Xiǎo Lóng." At his guest's questioning look, the Wise Lone Sage added, "They're alive, though Miss Xiǎo Lóng lost her right arm above the elbow when she charged Mister Taurus head-on. Miss Xiǎo Lóng's father is now arranging to get a prosthetic for her. Miss Rose is with her family as well."
Ozpin slowly nodded. "Were you able to save Miss Nikos?"
"She's with friends of mine in a pocket dimension that Master Ayono made sometime after he met you," Isaac assured. "One of them being Master Ayono's current-self. Miss Polendina is with them as well." At the professor's surprised look, the native of Queens smirked. "I have a thing concerning sentient AIs being given the chance to enjoy true life."
A chuckle answered him. "I see…"
Somewhere east of Vale, that moment…
"He should have listened to me…"
A pair of eyes — the left a rosy pink, the right earthen brown — fluttered as a surprised gasp escaped the diminutive woman in the form-fitting clothing whose colouring reminded the current incarnation of a far-right preacher from the northern polar continent of Yiziba two millennia before of a very tasty type of frozen treat he often enjoyed on previous visits to Earth. As the now-dizzy native of one of the more affluent parts of Vale shook her head to clear the cobwebs from her flight of several dozen miles from the surface of an Atlesian airship not hours before, her current companion could only chuckle. It had been the luck of the fight scene that allowed Leno Lu'umlo to telekinetically save Roman Torchwick's chief assistant from snapping her neck falling at terminal velocity from a mile up in the sky.
As a raspy moan escaped the lips of the woman born Trivia Vanille, the man known on Yiziba as the Mad Prophet of the Future, Rimmim ("Millennium"), glanced at her before he turned to gaze once more at the starry night overhead. He could pick out the bright light of Kaeyu from this world, a planet that REEKED from the stench left behind by the arrogant "evolved" death-cheaters calling themselves "Ori" as a group. While he had doubts concerning finding people who could act as a proper counter-balance to whomever Isaac Thomas would soon see Gifted in his current training drive, Leno had to admit that the girl now known as Neopolitan had a metric tonne of potential. She was athletic to a degree that would make any incarnation of the Deadliest Woman Alive or the Mighty Maid of the Mountains green with envy, skilled with her remarkable "semblance" variation of a Gift as well as using her umbrella/cane sword in battle, emotionally apathetic towards everything and everyone save those who helped this poor mute girl during her life such as her late boss, wasn't afraid to mix it up when necessary and would kill without hesitation. Then again, given the presence of those wastes of energy called "Grimm", learning how to kill was a necessity on Remnant.
Leno's eyebrow twitched as his hearing picked up the snarl of several creeps from a nearby line of trees; he had picked this place near a deserted village that had been abandoned for a century or more thanks to the Grimm as a perfect locale where he could pitch his sales talk to Neo about making her something special. While the Mad Prophet was truthfully saddened at the loss of such a practical fellow like Roman, the fool made his choice to throw his lot in with the death cheater who ruled in the so-called "Lands of Darkness", not willing to explore more interesting possibilities.
Sipping the fine local tea which he obtained from a vendor in Vale City before things went crazy, Leno then glanced over his shoulder to see three of the arm-less beasts staring balefully at him from the treeline. He then perked as a shocked intake of breath echoed in his ear, indicating Neo was up and aware they were in danger. Taking a sip of the tea, the reborn preacher breathed out. "Calm yourself, Miss Neopolitan. You've dealt with these things before," he advised as an inviting look crossed his face. "There's not a single bruise on your body and your aura and semblance are at full strength." As she glared at him, he shook his head. "If only your friend had listened to me…"
That statement had been deliberate on the Mad Prophet's part.
The effect was instantaneous!
Neo's eyes went wide with horror as her pale skin turned a sickly white. Her mind flashed back to late the previous day, when she and Roman first met this fellow in one of the seedier bars in Vale concerning the situation stemming from the feud between the Immortal Queen of Darkness and the Undying Warrior Sage. How Roman hadn't bent an iota despite all Leno did to make the man see that siding with Cinder Fall was not the ONLY option available in these trying times for Remnantians, enticing him with the potential to become SO powerful that he wouldn't have to worry about the current incarnation of Ozma OR his old lover. Despite that, Neo WAS tempted. Just touching that jewel of "mesonium" the Mad Prophet showed her made her hair stand on end on sensing the sheer POWER within…and that had come from Leno forcing an iota of his near-cosmic abilities to make the mute fighter FEEL what she could be!
Now Roman…
Roman…
No…!
No!
NO!
A raspy yet guttural scream escaped Neo as she bolted to her feet, snaring her umbrella and snapping it open before charging the approaching Grimm. Leno remained still as the snarling beasts yelped in unwelcome surprise while the strange human with the multi-colour hair lashed out at them…before those angry yips turned into screams of agony as Neo's cane sword sliced open their bodies at the neck, decapitating them in an instant. That act saw more of the dark creatures who trailed the creeps lunge out from the shadows, most moving to overcome Neo while several lunged towards the middle-aged man with the dark hair and the brown eyes behind goggles, he in his traditional red jumpsuit with the purple belt and slip-on shoes covering his feet. As two ursas were hacked apart by Neo, she quickly spotted two more of the bear-like beings charge the man who just saved her life, a silent scream of warning escaping her…
…before her heterochromic eyes went wide with disbelief as two ghostly wolf-like beings with glowing silver eyes surged from the ground to snare the ursas by the neck and chomp down hard, making the Grimm shriek in mortal pain as the touch of the Atom of True Life burned through their bodies, rendering them ashes in an instant. The other dark creatures who had been bent on killing Neo reared in outrage on sensing these strange animals in their normal hunting ground, then they charged, leaving the mute Valean behind as they moved to eradicate these deadly beings.
Leno watched as the soul wolves slashed and bit at the charging Grimm, ripping them apart in less time than it would take for the reborn preacher to finish his tea. Now safe thanks to the fact that the Mad Prophet brought in two of Yiziba's legendary spirit hunters to clean up this one small tract of Remnant, all Neo could do was just stand there, slack-jawed in amazement as the ghostly beings did their work. In a minute, it was over; as the last creepy was disembowelled by one wolf, his brother trotted over to approach Neo, its nose flaring as it took in the mute warrior's "scent". Remembering past encounters with dogs, Neo remained still as the soul wolf completed its inspection of her before it moved to nudge her towards Leno, surprising the mute Valean with the gentleness of its touch.
"He likes you," the reborn preacher explained, making Neo stare in confusion at him. "Unlike some people where I come from, your practicality and willingness to fight for your life is something they automatically respect. And you're not tainted by the death cheater, not like your 'allies' are. They approve."
Neo blinked, then she moved to sit beside him, a sullen look crossing her face for a moment as tears brimmed in her eyes and a lump surging up in her throat. "It's alright to mourn, my friend," Leno calmly stated as he drew out another canteen of tea for her. "Your late companion had quite a practical outlook on life himself. Wherever he is now, he understands now he chose poorly." He gave her a knowing look. "You don't have to make the same mistake, Neo."
She gazed at him, then sighed as she opened the canteen to sip from it. After a moment, she drew out one of those PAA-like devices used here called a "scroll", tapping on in. Seeing the picture displayed there with the text message GUESS WHO, Leno shook his head. "Why are you angry at her?" he quietly asked.
That earned him an outraged look from Neo, such not phasing him as the soul wolves laid on the ground nearby even if their ears were perked to sense trouble. "Neo, be reasonable," the Mad Prophet warned. "He knew the danger, yet after you were blown off that airship, he was more concerned about taunting Ruby than keeping an eye on the battle space. I'm sure if he understood what was happening and chose survival over trying to press his vendetta, he'd be here where you could admonish him properly." He shook his head. "Regretfully, he's not. You've seen it before, haven't you?"
Her hand tightened on her cane sword for a moment before she blinked as the ugly truth behind her saviour's words sank in hard. Oh, yes, there had been DOZENS of times when Roman allowed his arrogance and his desire to win at all costs get the better of him, many of those incidents having happened thanks to Ruby Rose and her friends in Team RWBY. While the joy of fighting against opponents had driven Neopolitan to excel as she did on the battlefield — especially if such opponents stood against the man who had done so much for her in the last decade and more — she knew that all it took was one bad slip and you were seeing daisies from the OTHER side…!
Her thumb tapped the scroll, allowing another picture to appear on the holographic screen. Leno took note, then he snorted. "Oh, yes. The gift thief!" he scornfully declared, making Neo perk in confusion. "While you and Roman were busy entertaining young Ruby on that airship, Miss Fall charged in to seize the power of one of the 'maidens' that are so revered here. She killed the Fall Maiden while she was in a life support pod, then she killed the woman who should have received that Gift if Master Ozpin had been swifter!" He glanced into space where he knew a certain starship was now orbiting, it currently hosting the Undying Sage Warrior of Remnant. Sensing Neo wince in sympathy on hearing that someone had been struck down in her SICK BED — despite her apathy to a lot of things, the Valean mercenary had some ethical standards, things that would earn her many kudos on Yiziba even from the more hard-core heels — he smirked. "Miss Fall paid for her arrogance thanks to young Ruby and her 'silver eyes' Gift. Lost an arm and an eye." His eyebrow cocked as he gazed intently at her. "Care to eliminate the rest of her, Neo? To say anything of young Yáng's mother? The one you encountered when you were about to strike her down some storylines ago?"
Neo's eyes went wide before a message flashed across her scroll; the device was specially modified to help the mercenary relay her thoughts without getting sore thumbs: THE BITCH'S MOTHER?!
"Indeed. She's the actual Spring Maiden, in fact."
That made her blink before a wry smirk crossed her face. GIFT THIEF? she then messaged. Much that she didn't fully understand the origin of that term, it was easy to figure out its true meaning.
"She murdered her because she saw the woman as 'too weak'." Here, Leno snorted. "Then again, what would you expect of someone from her group? You've heard of the Branwen Tribe, haven't you?"
BANDITS FROM ANIMA, she affirmed before a questioning look crossed her face, then she sipped her tea before a smirk turned her lips. WONDER IF THE BLONDE FOOL KNOWS.
"She doesn't know her mother leads that group, much less possessing the blood of that lass on her hands. All Yáng feels concerning that woman is nothing more than abandonment."
CAN'T BLAME HER. She sipped her tea, then gazed at the soul wolves whose presence were protecting her and her new friend from the one threat on Remnant ALL had to be wary about regardless of their chosen trade. SO WHY ME? she signed. WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HELPING ME? YOU SAID YOU WERE A PREACHER OF SOME SORT. WHY WOULD A PREACHER BE INTERESTED IN A THIEF AND MERC LIKE ME?
"Balance, my dear Neo," the Mad Prophet explained. "Look up."
She blinked, then looked up towards the night sky…
…before her jaw dropped on seeing the image of the Remnant-sized planet now floating in the sky overhead; Leno created this effect using his psychokinesis to open a small warp gateway in the high atmosphere to cover the thousands of light years separating Remnant from Yiziba. "That is my home planet of Yiziba, Neo," the reborn preacher explained. "A world that is quite similar to your own Remnant in many ways…but with one clear difference. We Yizibajohei don't bow to beings who think they're our betters for whatever reason strike their fancy." He then leaned up to gaze directly into her eyes. "We KILL those who would force us to bow to them. Even beings like Salem, much less Cinder. But I know that as you are now, you won't stand a chance against them. You need help."
She blinked as her eyes picked out the many cities and villages overhead — she was looking now at the inhabited part of the northern polar continent near the once-location of the indigenous headquarters used by the three hyper-geniuses who saved Yiziba two sagas ago within the city of R'bem-eke — before she raised her scroll.
NICE PLANET. TELL ME MORE.
Leno smirked…
Aboard the Free Planetary State of Yiziba Starship Normandy, an hour later…
"So, you're all artificial persons?! Like Miss Polendina?!"
"We are, Mister Mata," Albert Wily declared after he rolled down his arm; he had shown the people from Remnant now aboard the Normandy the complex mechanisms that made him what he is. "Although on Earth, the terms normally used to refer to sentient artificial intelligences shaped in human forms are 'androids' for male-forms and 'gynoids' for female-forms." The replica of the chief antagonist in the MegaMan video game and anime series then cackled. "You people are rather lucky in that regard. While I know alternate gender preferences are quite common on Remnant, there are scant few transgender people — human or Faunus — now alive on the planet. It might change."
"Nowhere close to Hustaros, of course," his "rival" Thomas Light then advised before sipping his tea.
"What's that, Doctor?" Tara Tukson wondered. She, her brother and his fellow White Fang members who had intended to capture Isaac Thomas earlier this evening were now relaxing in one of Normandy's several guest lounges, the beautiful arc of their world visible beyond an airtight clear metal portal.
"It's a planet which is about five hundred light-years from Earth, Miss Tukson," Thomas explained as he tapped a control on the table separating him and his rival from the local therianthropic natives who had come aboard hours earlier. Immediately, a holographic projection of the local stellar cluster appeared, prominent planets marked out. With that, the silver-haired scientist pointed to one star quite a distance from the icon flashing SOL(EARTH/TRITON), to say anything of the icons marked OUM(REMNANT) or KAEYU(YIZIBA). "Inhabited by Faunus-like natives who share the same general physical features — a mixture of felinoid traits like what Miss Khan possesses with equine traits such as my assistant Mister Tanner — but have evolved into FIVE separate yet distinct genders."
"Whoa!" Scott Mata breathed out. "They have hermaphrodites on that planet?"
"Yes, they have," Albert answered before nodding as one of the gynoids assigned to the Normandy, Robyn "Roll" Ross, came with a tray of tea and snacks from the food replicator. "The other two genders are known as 'mems' and 'fems'. Mems are normally called 'she-males' while fems are quite pronounced tomboys." As the visitors from Remnant nodded — atop nodding to Robyn for bringing food — he added, "I doubt you'll encounter them when you finally get into space. They're a rather private race altogether, though not violently xenophobic by any stretch of the imagination."
"So, what made Isaac move to build you all?" Monica Khan wondered.
"He's an otaku," Robyn answered. "In other words, he's a passionate fan of many forms of entertainment that have appeared on Earth over the last several decades. Movies and television (live action and animated), video games, rôle playing games, novels (both written and graphic) and the like. We're all based on one particular series." She indicated herself, then her fellow MegaMan character replicas. "You can access information about that in the ship's computers."
"That's more than appreciated," Ken Tukson noted as he clasped his clawed hands in his lap. "But how in the name of Oum can we really trust you people? Sure, you all don't care if we're Faunus or not; that's something that's got people talking from Vale to Menagerie and everywhere in between. And if you're bringing your tech to Remnant that doesn't need Dust, all the better. But what the hell made Isaac come HERE in the first place? I'm glad his friend with that death touch Aura of hers connected something between Remnant and Earth." Ken and his friends all knew about Isaac hailing from the latter planet, seeing Yiziba as his adopted home world; they had been briefed on that by Thomas and Albert shortly after they had come aboard the Normandy. "But what's the game plan here?"
"It's because Isaac can get bored easily, Ken," Thomas noted, making Albert and Robyn laugh as the visitors from Remnant all boggled. "To really understand, you need to understand how Yiziba came to factor into everything. Fortunately, you have a fellow countryman who once met a Yizibajohei two thousand years ago who's alive today."
"Professor Ozpin, you mean," Scott noted. "We've learned he's actually the Undying Warrior Sage."
"I assume you received that information ultimately from Salem, Mister Mata."
Everyone looked, then they relaxed as Shannon Ozpin came in right before their host moved to join them. Seeing the headmaster of the Beacon Academy healthy — Scott and his friends got the briefing of what went down in the academy hours earlier when Cinder Fall moved to seize the power of the Fall Maiden — made them nod in appreciation. No matter their understandable questions concerning the Wise Lone Sage's quest on Remnant, they knew that Ozpin had always maintained an open arms policy concerning those who wished to come to Beacon to learn to be huntsmen; race didn't matter given the presence of several well-known people like Blake Belladonna and Velvet Scarlatina among the active local teams. And while they had been made to side against Ozpin by their leader Adam Taurus, they were open-minded enough to understand that the situation involving all the major players on Remnant was quite complex.
Having ALIENS come into the situation…!
"You actually met a Yizibajohei, Professor?" Monica asked as both Ozpin and Isaac took their own seats with Robyn heading over to offer them snacks and tea.
"I had that honour, Miss Khan. This was when I was in my 'pretend to be a god' days two millennia ago, around the time Salem and I broke up," the reborn warrior noted. As the former members of the White Fang and one's sister nodded, he added, "Around that time, the Two Brothers came back to Remnant to enforce their own control over the people then on the planet, human and Faunus alike. You wouldn't know this as Salem and I both moved to remove any references to their return from history books. During that time, Salem and I discovered the Two Brothers were NOT gods, but advanced humanoid aliens who evolved into such a state of being that they literally didn't require physical bodies. Because of their advanced evolution, neither Salem nor I could resist them even if the 'god' of Light was more sympathetic to Remnantians than his brother. While Salem was busy trying to maintain control over the Lands of Darkness, someone with power beyond anything the Two Brothers could counter came to our planet." A knowing look flashed in his brown eyes as he asked, "Do any of you know the phrase 'One Above the Gods'?"
"That's a legend among many Faunus, Professor," Monica answered. "A being said to have saved us from going extinct by forcing false gods away from destroying or enslaving us to humans." The niece of the current leader of the White Fang blushed. "My aunt told me that story once. It's always passed down by word of mouth, never recorded in words."
"He was real," Ozpin affirmed, glad that things could be accepted much easier among these people. If they could spread this news among their friends in the White Fang, it could ensure greater neutrality from the group if not a complete about-face in their stance concerning relations with normal humans. "His name was Ayono Ugadese. A native of Yiziba who developed the power to bend Reality Itself to his will during a catastrophic time in that planet's then-recent history. He became a virtual god among mortal beings, one who could do ANYTHING he wished." As the others shuddered on hearing the stern tone in the professor's voice, he added, "Because of that, he was forced to defend Yiziba from races who didn't care for natives of that world tapping into the universe's ultimate source of energy to evolve into what are known on Yiziba and Earth as 'metahumans', possessing powers akin to our own Aura abilities. Among those who tried to suppress Yizibajohei were the people the Two Brothers hailed from."
"They call themselves the 'Ori' as a group," Isaac added. "In truth, they're a splinter sect of a race known as the Alterans. They're humanoid as we are, but they developed on a world in another galaxy many millions of years ago. By the time they were interacting with the natives of this galaxy, they had evolved to the point where they didn't ultimately need physical bodies; shedding such forms to become a pure energy being in a process called 'ascension' was common among their kind." The Wise Lone Sage sighed, shaking his head. "Unlike most Alterans who believed it wasn't their business to interfere in the development of less advanced species, the Ori decided to pretend to be 'gods' to such species. The Two Brothers were Ori, though the 'God of Light' was — as the professor just indicated — quite the moderate for his kind; he wanted to help Remnantians evolve as the professor and his paramour were made to evolve and become virtually immortal. The 'God of Darkness' didn't care for that sort of thing, which made the two go to war with each other over the years. That's what brought Master Ayono into the situation two millennia ago. When he sensed the two were about to wipe out all life on Remnant, he BANISHED the Two Brothers from this universe, sending them into a universe that had evolved into nothingness…where they were left to literally wither and die."
The locals all winced as they tried to imagine the power necessary to pull something like THAT off. Considering that, Monica recalled learning from Adam Taurus that even mentioning the legend of the "one above the gods" that was seen as the true saviour of Faunus in Salem's presence was something the Queen of Darkness did NOT care for. Why…?!
"I take it Ayono was forced to do that to others of their kind, Isaac," Ozpin mused.
"Yes, he did. Yiziba was something that the Ori simply couldn't deal with. Makes me wonder if their original plans for your people wasn't in answer to what was happening on Yiziba then."
"That still hasn't answered our question, Mister Thomas," Tara then commented. "Why are you here?"
The native of Queens chuckled. "As Ayumu — who, by the way, is the current incarnation of Master Ayono — …" — he ignored the squawks from his guests as they realized they had been close to a being who had been revered by many Faunus for generations — "…told you earlier this evening, I'm an explorer. I want to see new places, help people I encounter live better lives, give people the chance to be the best they can be. I feel it's unfair that Yizibajohei have the corner on both high technology and metahuman power. In that, I'm following in the wake of a fellow Terran who's spent the last decade finding people on Earth to have them become metahumans, Tariko Katabarbe." He tried not to frown as he wondered what had happened to the future Trickster of the Show. The last thing he heard about her was that she found two candidates to be Gifted in her old hometown of Tomobiki outside Tōkyō back in September. Since that time, there had been nothing from her. She was alive; that much was clear. But as to what she had been up to…!
Shaking his head to get back to the here and now, he added, "If the chance comes, I'll introduce you to her. She's not fully empowered just yet, but when she does, she'll become a reality warper like Ayumu and Margo." He tried not to smirk on seeing Monica's upper ears flatten in fear on hearing the man mention the current incarnation of the Archangel of Mortality. "Even if I didn't come to understand what the Ori did to you all, I still would come here to help people."
"To which I am glad you did come, Isaac," Ozpin declared. "I wouldn't care to have my living soul forced down on someone else in case I died when Miss Rose unleashed the Silver Eyes on Miss Fall."
"That's Blake's teammate, right?" Ken wondered. "The weapons fanatic?"
"The same person, Mister Tukson," the older man affirmed. "She is blessed with a power that — now that I've met Isaac and been reminded of all I know concerning Yiziba — might be derived from Ayono's and Ayumu's so-called 'infinite wave' capability. If you didn't know, huntresses with the Silver Eyes could destroy Grimm in huge numbers." He gazed at the android scientists. "Have you shown then what happened at the Academy CCT tower, gentlemen?"
"Oh, we have, Professor," Albert answered. "That was quite a show on Miss Rose's part. Turning a wyvern into solid stone!" He then cackled. "I'd almost think Miss Rose has the power of a basilisk!"
"'Basilisk'?" Scott asked.
"A Terran magical serpent that has the power to literally kill by just LOOKING at its target, Scott," Isaac explained. "Very rare and seen as quite dark by magicals on Earth since they are THAT deadly."
Shudders ran through people's bodies. "So, what made Yizibajohei become metahumans?" Ken asked.
Isaac groaned. "Oh, the Dawn of Power…!"
Ozpin adjusted his glasses as the Wise Lone Sage began his tale…
That moment, somewhere…
A pair of evergreen eyes fluttered open. "What…?"
The ears of the native of Mistral perked as an up-tempo melody echoed through the air…
I'm singin' to the world,
It's time we let the spirit come in;
Let it come on in...!
I'm singin' to the world,
Everybody's caught in the spin;
Look at where we've been...!
We've been runnin' around
Year after year
Blinded with pride,
Blinded with fear…
"I truly like this song, Chiyo."
"I know, Penny-san! It's one of the best Mantilow-sensei ever sang!"
Huh…
Wait…?
What?!
"PENNY…?"
A gargled croak of air escaped Pyrrha Nikos as she sat up from the meditation bed, coughing on sensing that she now had a VERY sore throat. That made the other people in this one cavern within the Doll House spin around before the shorter of the pair gasped. "Oh, Pyrrha-san! You lay right back down! Don't exert yourself like that!"
As the four-time winner of the Mistral Region Tournament before she came to attend Beacon Academy gazed wide-eyed at a clearly alive and intact Penny Polendina, Mihama Chiyo approached the dazed woman's side and moved to lay her back down. Despite the understandable shock on seeing the Atlesian gynoid clearly alright — even if she was in a sleeveless crystalline bodysuit that hugged her teenage form provocatively in the Mistralite's eyes; much to Pyrrha's own embarrassment, she was now dressed in the very same model of uniform — she didn't resist as the current incarnation of the Bright Genius of the Young Guns, R'bemguo ("Prodigy"), helped her relax. "You just rest now, Pyrrha-san," the daughter of Itabashi's richest resident scolded. "You still have to mentally recover from having your soul shifted into your new body so suddenly! Just breathe in gently and let your mind relax! I'll bring something I made for you to drink to heal your throat, okay?" With a smile, the cute preteen headed off.
Pyrrha rolled her head to watch Chiyo walk into a tunnel leading into this cave-like place — the other end of the cave opened out into a vast mist-filled cavern — then she hesitantly turned to gaze once more on her opponent from the Vytal Festival. Gently raising her hand — given that she was about to become the new Fall Maiden before Cinder Fall had come into ruin Shannon Ozpin's plans, the Mistralite warrior was able to accept the concept of "shifting souls" mentioned just now without suffering a serious brain crash along the way — she made several gestures in the universal Remnantian sign language she had learned while attending the Sanctum Academy. «I'm sorry, Penny.»
A reassuring smile came back. "Please calm down, Pyrrha Nikos. In the end, according to the One Above the Gods and Chiyo, we were all tricked this evening when Cinder Fall and her allies attacked Vale. You must not worry, though. Everything will be repaired as easily as you and I have both been repaired. It will take time, but all will be made right."
Surprised at that statement, Pyrrha moved to speak, then winced as a rasp escaped her. She then signed, «Beacon's under attack! People are dying! Cinder's on a rampage! If I don't get back to help out…!»
"Be calm, Pyrrha Nikos," the former gynoid insisted as she held up a cautioning finger. "The attack is ended. Yes, there were casualties, but Cinder Fall and her forces have retreated. Yes, the Beacon Academy is now occupied by the Grimm, but that will be dealt with as soon as Isaac Thomas can deploy the necessary equipment to drive them off the Academy grounds to ensure the Cross Continental Transmit System unit can be repaired." She then walked over to squeeze her former opponent's shoulder. "Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie and Liè Ren are all alive and well, Pyrrha Nikos."
Hearing that made Pyrrha blink before she breathed out, her head turning to gaze at the ceiling of this strange place. «Where are we? And who was that girl who was just with you now? She's very pretty…»
The Mistralite then gargled as her cheeks flushed, the surprise she clearly felt at the idea of taking note of Mihama Chiyo's cute looks before anything else apparent. "Yes, Chiyo is very pretty. We are currently in a pocket dimension created by the One Above the Gods two thousand years ago known as the 'Doll House'. Our bodies are synthetic humanoid entities called 'battle dolls' by natives of the homeworld of the One Above the Gods. They are primed to receive the Aura of a person who would have died to allow that person to have a better chance at life. The One Above the Gods was more than happy to agree to Isaac Thomas' request to save us both from what Cinder Fall instigated."
That made Pyrrha blink. «Okay, who or what is the 'One Above the Gods'?»
"It is a legend known among Atlesians such as me as well as among select groups of Faunus, which has been passed down from the time of the battle between the Undying Warrior Sage of Remnant and the Queen of the Land of Darkness which saw the current state of affairs between ourselves and the Grimm ultimately evolve as it did," Penny explained. "According to the myths Atlesians know, the One Above the Gods was an invincible warrior from a distant star who was able to stop the Two Brothers from destroying all life on Remnant when the feud between the Undying Warrior Sage and the Queen of Darkness was determined to have become too bothersome to continue. He was the one who banished the Two Brothers from Remnant once and for all time. It is often in the name of the One Above the Gods that many Atlesian soldiers swear their oaths to serve in the defence of humanity against the Grimm."
The other woman blinked several times. «Professor Ozpin never told me about that.»
"Hai! Dekimashita!"
Both turned as Chiyo walked up, carrying a tray bearing two large Neapolitan ice cream milkshakes, complete with cream and cherries. Setting that at the table beside Pyrrha's bed, the Bright Genius served them. "Hai! This will help heal your throat, Pyrrha-san," she bade as the Mistralite warrior took the offered shake. "You should be able to talk normally in about an hour or so. It's a good thing that Remnantian and Terran measurements of time are all the same."
Pyrrha paused before she gazed at Penny. "Chiyo is speaking of her planet of birth. It is called 'Earth'; the demonym used to address natives of that world is either 'Earthling' or 'Terran'. It is the third of nine planets and minor celestial bodies in the constellation of Burnie; it's the golden star in the left hand of the constellation formation." As the Mistralite's eyes went wide on hearing that, the adopted Atlesian added, "She possesses what is called a 'Gift' from the homeworld of the One Above the Gods. That is a planet named Yiziba, third of ten planets in the constellation of Gorgo; it orbits the blue-white star in the right eye. Chiyo is best friends with the current incarnation of the One Above the Gods, who is named Kasuga Ayumu; she is also originally from Earth." She gazed in confusion at Chiyo. "Thought I cannot understand why you insist on calling her 'Miss Ōsaka', Chiyo. She was born in the city of Wakayama and matured in Kōbe and Ōsaka before she came to join your class in Tōkyō…"
"DAMN IT, ŌSAKA! JUST BE ŌSAKA!"
Chiyo sighed while Pyrrha and Penny looked around. "It's a long story, Penny-san..." the Bright Genius then confessed.
"Tomo-chan! How can I be 'just Ōsaka'?!" a voice that made Penny's eyes widen in delight echoed as a human-shaped shadow appeared in the mist beyond the cave, that turning into the living body of the being known on the World of the Forge and elsewhere as the "Goddess Who Walks Among Men". "Penny-chan's right, you know!" she called out over her shoulder. "I was born in Wakayama and raised in Kōbe and Ōsaka!"
An outraged shriek echoed from Kasuga Ayumu's classmate as Chiyo shook her head, slumping. As Penny bowed in reverence to the incarnation of the man who saved Remnant two millennia before, Pyrrha gazed upon the newcomer with her own special aura sight before her eyes went wide on seeing the supernova-like levels of power contained within this slender teenager's body. "Oi! Pyrrha-chan! Don't do that, okay?" Ayumu then cautioned as she walked up to gaze intently at the native of Mistral. "That hurts you when you do that, even if you're a battle doll now."
"What is she doing, Ōsaka-san?" Chiyo asked.
"She's using her own form of mage sight on me, Chiyo-chan. Sorta like what Penny-chan's boss did to Isaac-kun when they met in that super-cool floating coliseum of theirs late last night."
The Bright Genius gasped, then she waved her hand in front of Pyrrha, making the Mistralite gasp as she gazed on the fretting genius. "Don't do that, Pyrrha-san! Ōsaka-san's right! You're just going to hurt yourself! Just relax, okay?!"
An embarrassed smile crossed Pyrrha's face, then she signed. "She apologizes, Chiyo," Penny then translated before a curious look crossed her face. "Was that Takino Tomo that just demanded that Mistress Ayumu 'just be Ōsaka'?"
"Hai, Penny-san!"
«Who's that?» Pyrrha then inquired.
"Takino Tomo is a most foolish person, Pyrrha Nikos."
"HEY! I HEARD THAT, YOU DUMB FEMBOT!"
Penny blinked. "'Fembot'? What is a fembot?!"
Chiyo moaned. "TOMO-CHAN NO BAKA!"
As Pyrrha's eyes spiralled in confusion, Ayumu gave her a shrug as if she wanted to say, "What can you do?" while Chiyo ran to the cave entrance and began shouting a lot of not vile things at the current incarnation of the Wild Warrior of Passion, Rimbo'o ("Warwind"). As that happened, Penny walked over to the small entertainment unit and tapped a control, allowing the wonderful tunes of a song introduced to her by the Bright Genius minutes before to play again…
But it's daybreak!
If you want to believe
It can be daybreak!
Ain't no time to grieve
Said it's daybreak
If you'll only believe
And let it shine, shine, shine
All around the world…!
As the transformed gynoid bounced to that music while Ayumu moved to get some food and Chiyo screamed away at her classmate, Pyrrha slumped as her mind whirled over what had happened to her before she came to this weird place. After a moment, her eyes misted as the images of her friends from Team JNPR flashed before her mind's eyes.
Jaune…everyone…please be alright…!
To Be Continued…
WRITER'S NOTES
Introducing the shipgirls "salvaged" by Saeru Hinako (Suiki) (of Sister Princess fame) appearing or mentioned here:
Fukushima Fujiko-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Fubuki [KK-156])
Fukushima Shirayuki-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Shirayuki [KK-157])
Fukushima Hatsue-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Hatsuyuki [KK-158])
Fukushima Miyuki-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Miyuki [KK-159])
Fukushima Mayako-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Murakumo [KK-160])
Fukushima Itsuko-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Isonami [KK-164])
Fukushima Urako-chūsa DNTK (Tennō Heika Gunkan Uranami [KK-165])
All seven girls mentioned above take after their Kantai Collection interpretations. In Fred's stories, all Japanese warships from before 1945 get the ship prefix THG (short for Tennō Heika Gunkan ["Warship of His Majesty The Heavenly Sovereign"]). Also in Fred's stories, Japanese warships use their own indigenous hull classification code system based on native language terms; KK means Kuchikukan ("destroyer"). When summoned as shipgirls, destroyer kami are given the automatic honorary rank of Nitō Kaisa (literally "second rank sea commander") in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force; out of respect for their prior service, the traditional rank title Chūsa (literally "mid-rank field officer") is applied. Both ranks are the equal of a Navy commander (NATO rank code OF-4) in Western maritime services. Finally, their prior service in the Imperial Japanese Navy (in Japanese, Dai-Nihon Teikoku Kaigun, abbreviated in Latin as DNTK) is acknowledged for service and gallantry awards.
As for the shipgirl summoned by the Americans:
Captain Ellen Naomi Michelle "Mama Cass" Haight-Ashbury USN (United States Ship Long Beach [CLGN-160, then CGN-160, then CGN-9])
A shipgirl version of America's first nuclear-powered surface warship was first introduced by IJNFleetadmiral in his fanfic Gaijun Teitoku, marked as one of Fred's favourites (and can also be found at Fanfiction under story ID 11930970). This version of USS Long Beach as a shipgirl is named in tribute to the female singers of the Mamas and the Papas, Michelle Phillips and the late Cass Elliot (born Ellen Naomi Cohen). As for her physical looks, Naomi takes after the original art done by Bokuman that can be seen on Danbooru at entry #1377452.
The history of the magical government of the United States of America as depicted here can be read in Fred's Magic and Canada.
The Tokubeppō ("Special Code") was first introduced in Part Eighteen of the first draft of The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei (Fanfiction story ID 12315177).
Translation list and source language: Junsabuchō — Police sergeant (Japanese); Lar'beke — Snake leech (Yizibajohei); Ra-naquadah — Literally "naquadah of the soul", the Goa'uld name for mesonium.
RWBY character notes: The choice of given name for Professor Ozpin is Fred's; it's based on the voice actor for the professor, Shannon McCormick. Ozpin's first-self, Ozma, was first mentioned in "The Lost Fable" (volume six, third episode). Yáng Xiǎo Lóng's birth mother Raven Branwen first appeared in "No Brakes" (volume two, eleventh episode); her proper appearance was in "Family" (volume four, fourth episode). The use of the name of the late creator of RWBY, Monty Oum, in naming things is a common trope in fanfic stories, hence Fred's choice of using the man's family name for Remnant's sun. Finally, Neopolitan's birth name, Trivia Vanille, was confirmed in the recent novel Roman Holiday by E.C. Myers, which was released in 2021.
Millennium (Leno Lu'umlo) first appeared in Regina Magia's omake A "Quiet" Time in Delaware. The "Deadliest Woman Alive" would first appear in the side story of the same name (Fanfiction story ID 12925680). The "Mighty Maid of the Mountains" first appeared in Part 13 of Boy Meets Girl Meets Metahuman. The race that Albert Wily and Thomas Light speak of early in the fifth scene, the Hustari (home planet Hustaros), first appeared in The Senior Year story "Dakejinzō's Story". The given name to the replica of Roll from the MegaMan series appearing here is based on her English voice in the American-made anime series, Robyn Ross. The two constellations mentioned by Polly Polendina to Pyrrha Nikos in the last scene are named after RWBY producer Michael Justin "Burnie" Burns and Fred Herriot himself ("Gorgo" was his original pen name) respectively.