Naruto x NIKKE with Stellar Blade x Others
Written by SoulEmbrace2010 and Castlecrasher009
The Ark.
In the dead of night, the Ark Central Police Unit's officers and mass-production model Nikke surrounded a building. The lights from the police vehicles flashed red and blue as the officers breached the building under the watchful eyes of the A.C.P.U.'s lead officers, Poli, a young girl with fluffy white hair dressed in a dark blue police uniform.
"Status?" she asked her fellow close officers, Miranda and Quiry.
"The team is going in. We still have yet to hear from the perps and their demands," Miranda, the twin-tailed brunette, reported.
"I still can't see…even when it's dark," the pink-haired Quiry piped up, squinting. "But I think I see something dark and shiny breaching our perimeter."
Poli frowned before seeing a dark car roll up to them. The officers nearby tried to detain the interlopers but backed off after seeing who was stepping out.
"Poli," Miranda whispered and whined.
Three individuals approached them, dressed in black suits, white shirts, black ties, and dark shades.
Quiry gulped. "Uh-oh, Poli, are those-"
"Yes, the suits. Wait here," Poli said and walked up to them.
When they met in the middle, Poli had to keep herself from shivering. The suits in front of her were rightfully intimating to the point that even NIKKE feared them and for a good reason.
"Ms. Poli. Quite the party you have," one of them said, with silvery-white hair and a black cloth over his eye.
"Hello, Agent Kakashi, Agent Itachi, and Agent Anko. As you can see, we have everything under control."
"Poli, the Agency had given you and the A.C.P.U. specific orders," the black hair, red-eyed Itachi said coolly.
"With all due respect, it's just a group of troublemakers. We can handle them no problem," Poli tried to assure them.
"The orders were for your protection so that you, Miranda, and Quiry wouldn't get exposed," the violette Anko shot back. "These people are not to be messed with. They've already caused the Ark's inner workings too much grief."
"Don't worry. The Public Security Squad surrounds the building, and two units escorting the perps down. We got this!" Poli said confidently.
Itachi frowned. "What units exactly?"
"Just normal units."
"Then those units are already dead," Kakashi said, gesturing to his team. "Let's go. PubSec Squad, with us!"
"Hai!"
Two Nikke in black and blue uniforms, one tall with black and red hair tied in a ponytail and the other short with long teal hair tied in twin tails, followed the three Agents into the building.
To the surprise of no one, many mooks dressed in red cloaks ambushed them, charging and shooting at them over the bodies of dead officers and even mass-produced Nikke. But they weren't able to touch the three suits, who all took them down with martial arts and knife skills, either crippling or neutralizing them permanently. The two Nikke could only watch as the suits effortlessly took down the assailants with awe.
"Cut off the escape routes," Anko ordered them, watching as they rushed to follow her order as she and the other two met the apparent mastermind.
"Ah, the Agents of the Agency. I was hoping you would be joining us," the mastermind, dressed in red armor and a cloak, goaded them in a distorted voice. Too bad you sent away your Nikke—oh!"
They immediately threw shurikens at them, the mastermind quickly blocking before Anko's flying kick sent them through a wall.
"Damn you, let me finish-!" they growled, shakingly getting to their feet before seeing a kunai knife at their throat by Kakashi.
"We already know your cells in the ARK. There's nothing you can give us."
"Impossible! We would die before giving you anything!"
"Not everyone is as indoctrinated as you. Now surrender," Itachi advised them. "We won't ask a second time."
"Screw you!" the cloaked master mind yelled and threw down a smoke bomb to escape. "This isn't over- ah!"
The two Public Security Nikke cut them off, with the short twin-tailed Nikke striking with her three-section staff while her partner covered her with her high-caliber pistol.
"Damn you, bucket of bolts! I'm not your enemy! These humans of the Ark are!"
"As if you're the better alternative," Kakashi asked, moving to uncover his eye.
"You will not get the better of me, Agent!" they shouted as they jumped back.
Kakashi smirked under his mask. "Made you look."
The mastermind turned to see Itachi, his red eyes now having three spinning tomoe in each eye. The mastermind groaned, swaying on their feet from the sudden dizziness, crumpling to the floor.
"Damn, now I lost a bet that we would kill them," Anko said and nodded to the two NIkke. "Good work, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi. Now, to see what we can get from this one."
"We're one step closer to discovering who the cultists are in the Central Government," Kakashi said as he unmasked the mastermind. "This one is the missing member of Heavenly Ascension."
"Great. Another Outer Rim assignment for our Agents and the Sons of Calydon," Anko complained and grumbled.
"The rest of the building is clear. Let's take her back." Itachi said, with Anko picking up the mastermind.
As they made their way out of the building, Kakashi looked around at the dead bodies of the officers, Nikke, and cultists.
"Yet again, another consequence of relaxing in a post-apocalyptic hellscape." he sighed.
Agents of NIKKE
An elevator landed on the bottom level of an abandoned facility. The doors opened to reveal a large, dark room illuminated by a few dim lights from tall shelves full of hardware. The slow humming of the machinery filled the room with sound, and footsteps echoed throughout.
A masked, cloaked figure walked down the long, open hallway of the room, taking in the sights of hardware and machinery as they walked toward their destination. As they continued onward, the floor lit their path to their destination, an object that rose from the floor as a giant screen activated at the far end of the room, reading as "AUDIO ONLY."
"Welcome to the Hall of Records, and the only Hall of Records where you'll find the truth of the world," an automated voice echoed.
"For thousands of years, Earth was the little blue-green marble that served as the home of humanity and the only known planet teeming with life in the Milky Way. Civilization and wildlife evolved until humans were at the top of the chain. We were clever in our smarts, intelligence, and ingenuity as we took over most of the land. United and/or divided, we humanity were here to rule the Earth, and it would sure stay that way until the sun gave out.
That is until everything changed when the mechanical alien beings known as Raptures appeared in our midst.
It is unknown where the Rapture's point of origin was. Whether they were built in a secret lab in a random country or came from beyond the stars was anyone's guess. While the mechanical beasts drew blood first, we attempted to communicate with them, but all attempts failed. It resulted in a massive war between flesh and metal that killed and displaced many, forcing humanity from all walks of life to put aside our petty differences and rivalries to establish the United Forces of Humanity. Despite this once-in-a-lifetime collaboration, the Raptures proved to be beyond anything the humans were prepared to fight. Even the use of nuclear weapons didn't stop their advance into our cities and neighborhoods to kill every one of us on sight, armed or unarmed.
Out of desperation to live to see tomorrow, we began doing anything we could to fight back, green-lighting many experimental projects and operations to salvage what's left of our kind. One such project was creating a godlike artificial intelligence called Mother Sphere to assist us in evolving and advancing the human race. Sadly, the warnings of many classic, vintage movies from years past came true when the A.I. turned against humanity after many failed attempts to gain ground against the mechanical menace. Deeming humanity to be obsolete, Mother Sphere seized unused resources to create androids called Andro-Edios to replace humanity and fight the Raptures on its terms. To add to humanity's woes, a UFH splinter group known as the Humanity Liberation Front, made from the project that birthed the now hostile A.I., swept the incident under the rug.
However, they made it their goal to redeem their mistake by eliminating Mother Sphere's growing army of Andro-Eidos and possibly creating new means to eliminate the Raptures. As such, they turned to bioweapon research, which was once considered forbidden and unethical.
But in the face of human extinction, every alternative is preferable.
Before the project's completion, Mother Sphere located their creator and stormed the underground laboratory upon striking an alliance with the Raptures. But instead of a new hope for our survival, they found former humans who gave up everything for strength and survival and transformed into monstrous, malevolent creatures called Naytiba. Due to their instability, they were supposed to be contained, as they couldn't identify allies and enemies. Still, the attack caused quarantine to be breached, and upon pushing back the Raptures and Mother Sphere's force, the creatures were set loose onto the world.
With the Naytiba being the newest menace to the world, the alliance between the Andro-Eidos and the Raptures broke down, and with humanity having no chance to retaliate, we were driven underground and splintered apart. Earth's newest Apex Predators warred with each other for control of the surface, resulting in Mother Sphere and its Andro-Eidos leaving Earth for a space colony that the AI secretly constructed. The Naytiba and even the Raptures managed to get to the Colony, only for Mother Sphere to jettison modules containing them and eject them back to Earth, with the crash landing either disrupting or destroying some of the Earth's ecosystems. Raptures and Naytiba now roamed the planet like wild animals, but the dream, the goal to take back the surface, persisted, even after more than a hundred years had passed.
In a world now ruled by Raptures and Naytibas, there was still hope.
Realizing the limitations of our flesh, the United Forces of Humanity pooled its smartest and brightest minds to create experimental combat cyborgs, putting human brains into machines to create a fighting chance. Through trial and error, coupled with the dwindling male population drafted into combat and necessary sacrifices, they created female cyborg soldiers who could finally give humanity hope in this time of darkness.
They were known as Nikke, the Goddesses of Victory, who granted them many victories against the creatures that now roamed the surface.
Or at least they were.
The Nikke was humanity's only hope in taking back the surface. It was all but inevitable, with modern Nikke possessing various specialized powers, specs, and skills. But the Raptures and Naytibas weren't the only ones capable of evolution, and the massive to take out the Rapture's Queen at the Rapture's orbital elevator, humanity was forced to stay underground, with most of them congregating to the Ark located in what once was the United States of America. Mother Sphere also sends down their "Angels" to wipe out the Raptures and Naytibas, not to save humanity but to dominate the Earth. Thankfully, their efforts were all but in vain.
And that is where we are at today.
Humanity has foolishly taken comfort in its new environments, and the goal of taking back the surface has become a fleeting dream. With most of them turning against their creators, human extinction is all but certain. But as I am dying, I still believe in the future where humanity will rule the surface again. All it takes is a group of selfless and open-minded individuals to make it happen. Sadly, I will not be there to see it. Hopefully, this message reaches beyond this faculty and to the one that'll kickstart the road to make it happen. The future is in your hands.
Signing off, Dr. Church.
The masked, cloaked figure stood there momentarily, taking in the message. Then, they looked at the green container before yanking it out, causing the facility to power down.
"It's been years since then, Doctor, and you're preaching to the choir. This is a new world. Humanity's returned to how it was in the old civilization, and we've already gotten too used to it. Thanks for the Hyper Cell, by the way. I'm sure someone will come and be that hero, but it won't be me."
With that, the figure hefted said Hyper Cell onto their shoulders and returned to the elevator. Activating the manual controls, the cloaked figure looked up as the machine returned them to the entrance.
Chapter 01: The World Outside the Ark
The Ichiraku.
It was a Firefly-class transport vessel with a mid-bulk freighter and a weathered hull patched in places with a sturdy, insect-like shape. The ship's most distinctive feature was its glowing rear engine that lit up like a firefly's abdomen when engaged. Two short wings extended from the side, housing the smaller maneuvering engines. The nose was rounded, and the cockpit was spacious, offering the pilots a panoramic view of Earth's terrain.
The figure, now in the light, was wearing a black hooded cloak draped over his body, along with black pants and boots. He pulled his hood back and lifted off his helmet with fox ear-esque antenna, goggles, and hazard mask attached, revealing spiky blonde hair, blue irises, and whisker marks on his cheeks. He carried the Hyper Cell inside the hangar area with the door closing behind him. Minutes later, the Ichiraku lifted off into the air just as the monstrous Naytiba bio-organisms started closing in on the ship. But they didn't get far as the gunners on board the vessel opened fire, blasting and exploding them into smithereens.
"One large Hyper Cell is secured," Scavenger Uzumaki Naruto said, setting it into the storage area. "See? I told you girls I could handle it. Quick in and out, like I promised."
He spoke to the three androids that were waiting for them, with the first having white hair, a black "blindfold" over her eyes, and wearing a high-slit black turtleneck dress with an open cleavage; the second being the same as the first but with inverted colors having brown skin, a white "blindfold," and white dress; and the third had a bit of a resemble the first girl, with long wild hair, blue-eyes, a lack of a "blindfold," and tight, black velvet dress.
The three were from the moon colony, run by a splinter cell called YoRHa that separated from Mother Sphere's main colony due to disagreements about humans. Androids like them were tasked with protecting the remnants of humanity and were also considered "Angels" like the Andros-Edios. Due to the moon colony doing its best to protect Earth from Mother Sphere's colony, its resources were stretched thin. All three were either saved or assisted by Naruto and his growing crew, leading them to join to continue their mission.
"A minute slower and the Naytiba would've been on your tail," the third one, A2, chided him as if scolding him.
"That's why we have gunners covering our asses. They weren't going to get far. Believe it," Naruto said with a smile and a thumbs up.
"I believed," 2P said confidently with her hand up. "These two were worried sick."
"As were you, 2P. I had to hold you back," 2B countered, albeit sheepishly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must collect my money from the bet."
"Betting on my survival. How cruel. What would've happened if I didn't?" Naruto teased him, earning him dirty looks from the three. "Oh, lighten up."
"Keep that up, and I'll work alone again," A2 said coolly until Naruto ruffled her hair.
"And miss all the action and fun? Perish the thought," Naruto said with a wink, slapping her ass before walking off.
"Lucky," 2B and 2P drawled, staring at her.
"What a pervert…" A2 blushed and looked away from her fellow androids. "Can't stay I hate it after all these years."
Naruto went upstairs into one of the ship's hallways, passing the turrets where the gunners were extracting themselves. The two were also young women. The first was a blonde like him, with short hair and red irises, and the second had red hair in pigtails and violet eyes.
"So who won this time?" Naruto inquired in amusement.
"Yours truly," the redheaded Hilda boasted. "You owe me dinner now, Ange."
"Eat me," Ange snapped back.
"With pleasure!" Hilda said gleefully and pounced on her.
"At least take it to the bedroom so you two won't hurt yourselves," Naruto said, sweatdropped as they tore each other's clothes off and went down on each other.
Ange and Hilda are two refugees from a long-destroyed settlement whose demise was self-inflicted. Even in an apocalyptic world, medieval methods such as a class system and slavery were seen as bad karma. The two and others were saved by the Ichiraku crew during a commission, with the settlement making the fatal mistake of trying to capture Naruto and his crew. Needless to say, they chose the worst time as a horde of Raptures invaded the settlement, allowing the Ichiraku crew to save the innocent while leaving the settlement to burn. And out of all those rescued, Ange and Hilda decided to come aboard.
"Hey, if we want your sausage involved, we'll ask for it," Hida said as Naruto stepped over them.
"Guh, Ange and Hilda are at each again?"
"Yep," Naruto said, shaking his head as the other gunner, another blonde with hair tied in twin tails and wearing a white and black leopard with glowing green bits over her shapely body, stepped over them.
"You two need to get your hormones under control! We're working, and Naruto doesn't need an erection!" Angela Balzac scolded the two and tried to separate them.
Angela was a human born on the moon from those who escaped Earth thanks to the androids and settled on the moon alongside the YoRHa. She was on Earth because she was sick of the moon's environment and ended up as the third member of the Ichiraku crew because Naruto and his second-in-command pulled her out of a tight spot. Due to her connections, the Ichiraku crew was one of the few Scavenger units on Earth that took commissions from the colony. Angela handles the weaponry and appraisal of relics and artifacts as part of the crew.
Naruto grumbled and continued on the cockpit, passing by the engine room. Some sparks caught his eye, prompting him to take a detour and investigate.
"Everything alright in there, Tron?" he yelled.
"Nothing to worry about, Captain. Our beauty here is still holding steady," assured the ship's mechanic, Tron Bonne, a young woman with long brown hair, green eyes, and blue and pink clothing. I'll need some parts, so I suggest we stop by Japan, yeah?"
She is a mechanical genius who was once an air pirate. She menaced other Scavenger crews for their loot until she targeted the Ichiraku, only to end up being outmaneuvered and embarrassed by Naruto. A few years of back-and-forth antics culminated in a bet where the loser would join their respective crew, and with Tron in the engine room, the winner was obvious.
"That's the plan after we leave Xion," Naruto said as he watched her and her little blue and yellow minion bots work. "A few successful commissions, and we can get that engine upgrade you're talking about."
"We'll need it to avoid running on a soon-to-be outdated engine," Tron said as she grabbed a welding machine. "Let me know when we arrive in Japan."
"Got it!"
"And then we can rent a room together!" Tron flirted, leaning forward to show off her drooping breasts.
"Are you sure you didn't throw the bet we did when it came to joining each other's crew?"
"Oh, how you wound me so saying after all the fun we had after November."
"I swear, my crew is filled with repressive horny girls…"
Naruto then passed the medic room, where the ship's doctor, 10H, looked through some files. She was a young woman with shoulder-length white hair, wearing the same black blindfold and dress as 2B. And just like 2B, 2P, and A2, she was an android from the moon. She looked up and waved at Naruto, who waved back and returned to her work.
He then arrived in the quarters, which served as a living room, dining room, and kitchen. Sadly, there was no official ship cook, so some crew members shared cooking duties and learned about the process. The quarters weren't empty, as there was an occupant on one of the sofas: a Nikke with long black and green hair, yellow eyes, and a black scaled-designed bodysuit.
She was playing with bubbles when she saw Naruto. She smiled at him and directed her bubbles toward him. He waved them away and winked at her, making her pout because she wanted to play.
"Don't worry, Little Mermaid. I'll come over to play later," he told the mute Nikke. "Gah!"
He was about to head up the stairs when Little Mermaid leaped onto his back, forcing him to carry her via piggyback ride. He didn't crumple under her heavy Goddessium frame, thanks to his super strength. He could only grumble but relent as he reached the neck area of the ship, where his first mate of the Ichiraku was waiting; the one who saved his life and was one of the founding members of the Ichiraku crew.
"I can only hope that we'll get payment this time," Claire Harvey, a young blonde human with twin tails in the style of drills, blue irises, and wearing a red military-style uniform, growled at him. "Not that we're in need, but we shouldn't let people take advantage of us."
"Claire, you know Xion's situation, right? They're in no position to pay us in their state. Most of their population is under," Naruto said as Claire started striding with him. "The best we can do is help. They can pay us back later."
"I know, but the last thing we need is rumors about our generosity. Yes, I know we can play dirty, but it's only a matter of time before people start asking for our services for free, and we'll have no choice."
"And if people refuse to abide by principles, then they can ask someone else," Naruto shot back as they entered the cockpit.
In the cockpit, Hansel and Gretel were piloting the Ichiraku. The two were twin Nikke members of the second-generation Grimms Models series, like Little Mermaid. Both had long, light-blue hair tied in twin tails and wore skimpy clothing over their busty frames. Hantel was wearing black with a bra top that was one size too big for her, long sleeves, hot pants, and leggings, and Gretel was wearing a white and blue dress with ample cleavage and a miniskirt.
The twins and Little Mermaid were found years ago in a junkyard that Naruto was looking through. Naruto took pity on them and brought them in to get repaired in the settlement of Eden. Naruto had piloted the Ichiraku himself until they joined his crew after getting repaired.
"How are we looking, girls?" Naruto inquired as he sat Little Mermaid down in an empty chair.
"Clear skies with no hostiles. We'll reach the city of Xion within the hour," Hansel reported, usually speaking for herself and Gretel, who was usually sometimes silent.
"Good. Afterward, we'll head to Japan to stock up. Heard?"
"Yes, Captain," Hansel said as Gretel entered the information on the navigation console.
"Here's to hoping we don't fall apart," Claire quipped as Naruto grimaced.
"Please don't jinx it…"
The Ichiraku was streaking across flooded cityscapes, deserted towns, the expanded desert, and a rocky wasteland in the country once known as Korea, with the North and South divisions no longer existent. Below, the mechanical Raptures and the bio-organic Naytiba were roaming their territories, either keeping to themselves and/or fighting each other for territorial gain. Humans were nowhere to be found, as they were underground or in isolated areas where the new rulers of the surface couldn't get to. The creatures looked up as the ship sailed past before returning to prowling about and left to their own devices.
The ship continued on its route, flying through the rocky terrain until it reached a wide ravine. In the middle of the ravine was Xion, one of Earth's last known human settlements. It had a city-esque structure with buildings and signs all around and elevated pillars serving as its landing ports. The Ichiraku hovered towards one of the landing ports before coming to a complete landing. The door on its bottom front opened up, revealing its hangar area filled with boxes of supplies. Naruto left it and saw some of Xion's guards, Sentinels, crossing the bridge.
"2B, 2P, A2, let's go to work," he called out and returned to the hangar.
Joined by the android girls, they rolled out the boxes and supplies, set the delivery in their designated area, and were done by the time the group arrived.
"This, along with this beauty," Naruto said, setting the Hyper Cell next to the supplies. "It should be able to get you by."
The group leader, a man in a parka, nodded and jerked his head. At the motion, the others went to inspect the supplies delivered. After a while, they looked at the leader and nodded.
"This is adequate," one of them said.
"A few of our people can awaken with this. Once again, you and your crew have come through for us, Uzumaki Naruto," the leader said. "Would you be willing to join us in Xion for some refreshments?"
"Please, we have plenty. You need it more than us, especially the fresh fish we fished. I don't want my crew and I to sap your food and supplies, even with most of your population on ice," Naruto said, placing a hand on the leader's shoulder. "We'll be back in a month or so for another dropoff. And don't worry about the payment," he said, raising his hand. "Pay us later. It won't be useful where we're going."
"Understood. We wish you well," the leader said as another ship arrived and landed.
"To you as well. Now, if you excuse me, I need to say hi to my buddy over there," Naruto said, shaking hands with the leader.
"We'll inspect the ship while you talk to him," 2B informed him.
Naruto nodded. "Wheels up in 5."
Naruto walked over to the other port, where a man with short black hair, Korean features, and baggy black clothes worked in his workshop. The port served as his "safe house."
"Adam," he called out, getting his attention.
"Ah, Naruto. Back with another delivery, I see. And a Hyper Cell, too," Adam noted as he handed him an armor piece with neon blue lights. "Where did you find it?"
"A random archive with servers that touted the history of the world," Naruto said and cheekily grinned. "Only this time they mentioned…your greatest hits."
Adam sighed, knowing that he meant his…secret. "If the audio was talking about the truth about Mother Sphere, you should've kept it there."
"Even if I did, it won't make a difference. Interesting piece," Naruto replied flatly and handed the armor piece back to Adam. "It's not like we have a means to fight Mother Sphere. She's out of reach in Earth's orbit, the Moon colony is doing what they can to hold them back when they're not acting like jerks, and humanity can't gather enough resources to reach Mother Sphere's colony."
"...Maybe the Ark can do something?" Adam suggested, but Naruto shook his head.
"Rumor has it that they're working on replicating a space rocket. But the people have gotten lazy, and the higher-ups in the Central Government are more focused on keeping their power while pushing humanity and Nikke down. We can't count on the Ark. Eden? Maybe. But the Ark? Absolutely not."
"All the more reason to enact my plan," Adam said as he started working on a drone. "A hero to take on the Raptures, Naytiba, the Andro-Edios, and whatever future threat we might face. I can make that happen."
Naruto huffed and folded his arms. "You sure about that? Because that little thing you tried with Raven ended in absolute failure. And before you ask, I've been keeping an eye out for her after our last encounter, but she's nowhere to be seen in or out of Korea. We have no idea of the fates of her missing five Eve counterparts."
"Don't worry. Mother Sphere is sure to send a 7th Airborne Squad of the Eve Defense Force soon, and their Eve will be the one," Adam said as he stopped work and looked at Naruto. "This is one of the many steps to taking back the surface. There's nothing to be gained from standing still and doing nothing. The Naytiba and Raptures have been here long enough, and it's time to act. And you know it's not just them."
"Yeah, judging from those weird artifacts. Still, I wish I was as gung-ho as you," Naruto said with a light laugh. "Then again, I don't have much to make up for. Like you."
"Hmm. I know I'll never be forgiven for my sins once people learn about me, but it won't stop me from doing my part," Adam said, clapping Naruto on his arm. "And you, Naruto. I know that you'll still do your part. Given what I know about you, I can tell that you'll soon be on the frontlines in taking back our planet. Just believe in yourself."
Naruto looked at Adam before spotting A2 waving at him. "The only thing I can believe I can do is to protect my crew and my companions, the ones I hold dear. That's all you do in this broken world," he said before walking away. He then stopped and turned around. "Let me know when the 7th Airborne Squad drops."
"You'll be the first to know!" Adam said and waved to him. "Break a leg, just not literally!"
Naruto chuckled as he walked toward the Ichiraku, which was starting up. 2B, 2P, and A2 joined him as they entered the ship, the door closing behind them. "Hansel, Gretel, take us up!" he shouted.
"Yes, Captain," Hansel's voice said over the intercom.
"At ease, girls. I know you're androids, but rest up," Naruto ordered the trio, who nodded and went through.
As the Ichiraku flew away, Naruto entered the common area and accessed the analog and wireless database of commissions. As a Scavenger, he was a freelancer who took on the occasional odd job to get by and help others worldwide. He would seek payment in a more successful settlement, but in a struggling community like Xion, payment and even a celebrity feast as thanks weren't necessary.
"...Not. Again."
Looking through the commissions, he stopped and sighed as a familiar name appeared. He remembered them from a prior commission years ago, and it looked like they had escaped their punishment again. The reward had doubled, and it looked like the target was heading to the southern land of the once-United States of America.
Where the Ark resides.
"...Hopefully, he hasn't gone too far," Naruto muttered as he accepted the commission with a click of a button, just as Claire walked up, seeing what he did, and was none too pleased.
"Are we seriously going back to America to catch that guy? Since he escaped again, he might as well be dead," Claire growled at him. "Plus, won't this put us in the Ark's territory with their elevators?"
"It'll be a quick in and out to confirm his status. If he's alive, we put him back under lock and key. If he's dead, he's dead. Remember, the settlements outside the Ark's elevators don't want them to know about them, and I, for one, agree," Naruto stated flatly. "Now, let's get this done."
"We're not exactly hurting for credits, you know," Claire said and sighed. "Fine, I accept this decision. That guy needs to be dealt with anyway, given everything he's pulled. All the more reason to resupply since we'll be in America. You never know what might happen out there."
"Hah, you worry too much," Naruto said and nodded to the twins. "Girls?"
"We'll reach Tokyo, Japan's underground city, in 3 hours," Hansel reported for Gretel.
"Excellent. Now for ramen," Naruto said, clapping his hands together and leaving the cockpit.
"You and ramen. Seriously, pick something else to eat before you lose those abs!" Claire said as she followed him out.
"It's either ramen or one of you girls pulling me into your rooms."
"As if you would complain."
"Touche."
After an "uneventful" resupply stop in Japan, the Ichiraku flew across the Pacific Ocean in the upper stratosphere. Ammo was limited, and the Tokyo Underground could only spare some since Naruto's crew weren't the only Scavengers (and mercenaries) in town. That and they had to mind the weight that wouldn't sink the ship and pull on its engines.
Thankfully, no flying creatures were in their way as they entered the former USA's airspace. The ship had to maneuver around the Naytiba bombardment and clusters of Raptures to get through. Ange and Hilda were on gunner duty, but thankfully, they never had to use them, which would have drawn more attention.
"Okay, looks like we're all clear," Naruto said from the cockpit.
"I still think you should've haggled them for a bit more ammo," Angela called over the open comms.
"It pays to be nice, Angela," Naruto chided her through the comms. "That's why we're so successful in what we do."
"They're still freakin' stingy!" Tron called out.
"To you, Tron, definitely and deservingly so."
"Hey! Sometimes, we gotta flex our muscles before they take advantage of us!" Tron shot back.
"Settlements know not to take advantage of Scavengers. We're the lifeblood of this damned world. Remember what happened to that one place in Canada that tried to control Scavengers recently? That worked out so well for them," Naruto noted with sarcasm. "Now, the Ark? They can get away with that if they want."
The Ichiraku continued on its way as its crew hunted the bounty. Just like in Korea, the landscape was no longer vibrant. There were empty cities where people used to hustle and bustle, and they were now filled with either Raptures and/or Naytibas. It was the same for the roads and highways, where the infrastructure was nonexistent, with bridges barely intact and falling apart. And while the forest areas looked peaceful, they were filled with danger, as you never know what's in there: Naytiba, Raptures, or even wild and insane humans trying to survive by whatever means necessary.
"Captain, a distress beacon pinging several clicks from us," Hansel reported with Gretel at the radar.
"It might be our guy," Naruto said, pressing the intercom. "Ready yourselves. We might see some action."
The Ichiraku moved in on the signal with the turrets popping out, ready to unload hell. As it entered the area, they found Raptures and Naytiba duking it out and ripping each other apart. The Ichiraku zoomed forward and opened fire from above, the high-caliber anti-Rapture and anti-Naytiba bullets tearing through the creatures' bodies. Thanks to the turrets and the guns in the front, the creatures had no way of fighting back. Soon, they were all neutralized, allowing the Ichiraku to land.
"Hansel, Gretel, are you sure the signal came from here?" Naruto asked as he, Claire, 2B, 2P, and A2 walked out of the hangar doors and into the carnage.
"Affirmative. The signal came from within that crowd of Raptures and Naytibas."
"I…think I can see why," Claire said, pointing ahead.
The crew investigated and discovered an unrecognizable, mauled, torn-apart corpse dressed in a red cloak surrounded by the dead creatures.
"Is that him?" Naruto asked as 2B took a blood sample and inserted it into the reader she had.
"...Affirmative. It's Jared Tucker," 2B said, making Naruto sigh.
"Looks like his luck ran out. Oh well. Let's take a picture, mark him dead, and get outta here," Naruto said as he returned to the ship. "Thankfully, no one needs heads for proof of life. He did make himself a bullseye with that red cloak…"
"Naruto, he had this on him," Claire said, dragging a bag on the ground.
When they opened it, they found some folders and an odd, quite heavy object. It was metallic bronze and silver with blue light bits. A single handle connected to the object's body made it seem like a firearm, although they could not confirm this because they had no idea what it was. The object was old as dirt and looked like burnt-out parts.
"This reminds me of the armor bit that Adam found," Naruto said as he examined it. "It…doesn't look like Rapture tech."
"Didn't we find something similar a few months ago? The bulky slab of metal that you fit your arm into?" A2 piped up.
"Now that you mentioned it, it kinda does," Naruto said, looking at the corpse. "The question is, what was he doing with it?"
"Captain, I have hostiles closing in on my radar," 2B said, pointing toward a herd of Naytiba was closing in.
"Right. Let's investigate later."
The crew quickly boarded the Ichiraku and lifted off in time. Ange, Hilda, and Angela shot at the Naytiba as they tried to leap towards the departing ship.
"Oh well, so much for the bounty. The guy learned his lesson permanently. At least he won't be an issue anymore," Naruto said, looking through the files before frowning. "Tch, this bozo was heading for the Ark. He was going to meet with someone to deliver information on the West Coast settlement, as well as this artifact here."
"Why would the Ark want to know about them?" Claire wondered since the Ark mostly kept to themselves.
"Probably to expand their influence…or the Cult of Red Shoes finally made its way up the ladder…" Naruto said, snapping the files shut. "Let's get on the horn and warn the American settlements before-"
"Captain, there's an emergency SOS pinging on an open channel several miles from our position," Hansel reported over the intercom. "It reads as an Ark frequency."
"Guh…and Bancho's Sushi was right there on the West Coast, too," Naruto groaned and called out. "Set a course for the SOS, girls! "
"Yes, Captain. Making a beeline now. We'll be there in a few minutes."
"Oi Naruto," called out Ange. "Are you sure we should be close to the Ark? Even for a rescue operation?"
"As much as I don't like the Ark, it doesn't mean we should damn its soldiers and inhabitants," Naruto said before setting the new artifact in nearly the armory area of the hangar area. "Angela, we brought you something, by the way."
"Another weird weapon for the vault?" Angela asked as she exited the gunner position and entered the hangar to examine it. "It feels like a cannon. I'll examine it after we finish this rescue," she said before taking it away.
"You might want to get your mask for this," Claire advised as everyone moved out of the hangar. "If the Ark finds out you're still around-"
"I'm the least of their worries," Naruto waved it off. "Unless they do something to piss me off, that is."
"That's what I'm afraid of…" Claire said with a sweatdrop.
"We're coming up on the SOS," Hansel said over the comms. "Looks to be… a few downed transport ships. Raptures are closing in on the crash site."
"Scans?" Naruto inquired as he prepped his high-tech katana with a silver blade and red edges and stored it in his equally hi-tech sheath.
"Two signals. One human and one Nikke," Gretel reported softly.
"Get 10H down here," Naruto said, slipping on his helmet and opening the hangar door. "2B, let's bring them in."
Smoke and fires billowed about as Naruto and 2B entered the wreckage. The dead bodies of Commanders and Nikke were either intact, torn apart, or burnt beyond recognition. Most of the Nikkes were mass-produced models of Nikke, females who weren't compatible enough to be a high-performance model Nikke and mainly served as cannon fodder. Still, it was unnerving to see them dead, as despite being Nikke, they were still human as their brains were jammed into cyborg bodies made of heavy Goddessium metal and recycled Rapture tech.
Sadly, the 'still human' part was lost on most of the denizens of the Ark, which is why the Ark isn't well-liked outside their territory.
"Over here! Hey, over here!" a voice called out. "Please, help us!"
Naruto looked over to see a Nikke with long brown hair, a small ribboned cap, brown irises, and blue and white clothing. She wore a short cape and black stockings over her shapely body, and a small SMG was hanging off her shoulder. She was also hovering over a female Commander who was bruised up and coughing.
"Is it just you two?" Naruto demanded as he and 2B examined them.
"Yes. We're the only survivors," the Nikke reported.
"Naruto, you might want to bring them in now. Raptures are closing in!" Claire shouted as a sudden electronic roar echoed through the area.
"Time to go!"
The Ichiraku duo picked up the two survivors and returned them to the ship. The Nikke was shocked that the blindfolded girl was carrying the surviving Commander while the masked man was carrying her, the latter even more so because her body was as heavy as a motorcycle. As they entered the hangar, they looked behind them to see the mechanical menaces speeding towards them.
"Don't lift off yet; we have a problem! The engine is trying to flood!" Tron reported from the engine room. "I can fix it, but it will take a few minutes!"
"Are you serious?! Girls, open fire!" Naruto commanded as he slammed a nearby button, with a cover barrier popping up near the hangar's entrance and several auto-turrets unfolding from the sides of the hangar door and setting down the Nikke he was carrying. "Nikke, what's your name?"
"Uh, Marian!"
"Marian, I know I'm not a Commander, but help out and get to shooting, please!"
"Hai!" Marian said, pulling out her SMG and opening fire on the approaching Raptures. "Engaging!"
2B and 2P ducked down on either side of her with their custom weapons, the Virtuous Rifles, and began to fire down range. A2 was in front of the cover and entrance to the hangar, swinging her greatsword about and producing shockwaves to keep the Rapture hoard back.
"Ha, I got it!" Tron cheered through the comms as the engine roared to life. "You can lift off now! Go! Go! Go!"
The Ichiraku finally floated above ground and flew away just as the hangar doors closed. The Rpatures tried to leap at the ship, only to be gunned down by Ange and Hilda.
"Good job, everyone," Naruto said. "Ladies, set a course for the Ark so we can drop them off-"
"Wait!" Marian suddenly piped up. "It's not just me and the Commander! There might be other survivors around here- ah!" she dropped to a knee. "My leg!"
"Where's 10H?" Naruto called out. "And girls, do a scan of any surviving human or Nikke life in a 10-mile radius!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"I'm here, Captain. Sorry for the delay," 10H apologized as she started looking over Marian.
"I'm fine. It's just a malfunction. It shouldn't affect my mobility," Marian told her.
"But you still need assistance," 10H countered as she scanned and examined Marian's frame. "Hold still."
"Let me help!" the recovered female Commander coughed, running over to them while taking out a personal first aid kit.
"She's a Nikke," 10H said as the female Commander started bandaging Marian's wounded leg. "She doesn't need…it…what?" 10H looked at the Commander's face and stared at her. "You're?!"
"What?" the Commander asked in confusion.
"Captain, over here. You may want to look at this one."
"Yeah?" Naruto asked, looking over and seeing 10H and the Commander who… "Wh-What?!" he yelped, taking off his mask.
"Hmm?" the Commander looked up to see Naruto and now looked dumbstruck. "What?!"
Blonde.
Blue irises.
Whisker-marks.
"No way," Claire gasped, looking at the two.
"Whoa, are you seeing this?" Angela asked, arriving with Ange and Hilda, who all looked floored at the blatant similarities between her Captain and the Commander.
Apart from the long pigtails, the Captain and Commander stared at each other, seeing they looked just like each other. The skin tone, facial structure, and expressions… were all there.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" the two yelled, pointing at each other.
End of Chapter 01
Next time: After rescuing the Commander and her NIKKE, Naruto and his crew help them complete their mission; only things to go horribly south as they fight for their lives.
Chapter 02: Corruption
Ichiraku Crew
Uzumaki Naruto
Claire Harvey (Hundred)
Hansel and Gretel (Nikke: Old Tales)
Little Mermaid (Nikke: Old Tales)
Angela Balzac (Expelled from Paradise)
Tron Bonne (Mega Man Legends, Cobatsart version)
Ange (Cross Ange)
Hilda (Cross Ange)
2B, 2P, A2, and 10H (Nier Automata)
Ark Commander Squad
Naruko Uzumaki
Marian
Rapi
Anis
Notes and References
This was originally one massive chapter, but it felt like it was dragging, so I decided to split it. The rest will be in the second chapter.
The opening with the Agents is an abridged opening to The Matrix.
It was fun to combine NIKKE, Stellar Blade, and Nier Automata using NIKKE as a base. However, I know more about NIKKE and Stellar Blade than Nier Automata, which will change as soon as I watch the anime and play the game.
I love Firefly, and I always wanted to use the ship for a story, and here it is. The name Ichiraku is from Naruto's favorite ramen shop.
The events of NIKKE and Stellar Blade will be running alongside each other. Here, this is before our Eve arrives.
The ancient technology uncovered has an origin yet to be revealed.
The Abnormal Manufacturing Company will be used in the story, and its Nikke will be from Zenless Zone Zero.
Also, regarding the current Nikke event as of this writing, I chose Naruko to be the Commander BEFORE Wisdom Spring. If you know, you know.
Released: Sunday, January 26, 2024
At the Ark's Outpost, where the Agency's headquarters is located, a woman with red hair in a braided ponytail spoke to a large, muscular man with slicked-back hair and glasses.
"So…has the so-called Mastermind said anything yet?" the redhead asked softly and serenely.
"Hah, nothing yet, but it's only a matter of time. You should've seen the fear on her face when she saw that we removed her cyanide tooth." the big man said roughly with a grin.
"I will need her information before the next meeting with the Central Government. Those fools are doing what they can to dismantle the Agency."
"All because we're ruining their fun when they should be doing their damn jobs. If it weren't for us and Oswald, the Ark would've fallen to the likes of Heavenly Ascension several times over."
"Only for this Cult of Red Shoes to get further than them, and now they're within the Central Government."
"They won't get far."
"On another note, has the Phi Gear been found yet?"
"We'll have to consider it a loss. Some dumbass nepo baby who became a Commander made off with it. He's on a mission now, but if he's not dead by some miracle, our Agents will detain him and retrieve the Gear."
"I guess…all we can do now…is wait…"