Call of the Void

by llJaysimll

The Indifference; the greatest mistake of Albrecht Entrati. And the Drifter; the older, ill-fated counterpart of the very 'catalyst tenno' that made the deal to save the children of the Zariman - and the only one who could stop It's plans. Deciding the Drifter is too much of a threat to ignore, It banishes him to the other side of the universe... to a planet full of academies.

6. 6: Emancipation

STORY CRITICAL UPDATE - DO NOT SKIP

---

Up to this point, I have avoided doing anything major so I don't have to alter the foundation of this story in the future.
This safeguard is no longer in effect.

From Chapter 6 onwards, major canon deviation is now possible.

If you are the type of person who favors crossovers where the characters don't do anything to stray too far from the crossed-over story's laid-out path, you may become disillusioned by this story's direction in the future. On the other hand, if you're the type of person who likes seeing how authors do things differently from canon, then you may like the turns I take down this road eventually.

Warframe is a highly disruptive canon, primarily because of the Pandora's Box that is the Void causing Warframe to be the way it is. The Drifter/Hex are active characters, not passive ones like BA's canon Sensei; they're established characters already. And on top of that, they're the types to be involved in the action, instead of serving as a major supporting element like Sensei does.

It's time to reflect on how this story makes you feel before continuing on. Are you prepared to accept major deviations from canon?

If so, you can move on. And if you don't accept that? Well, thanks for reading up to this point anyways, and I hope you still enjoyed this brief journey.

—

There's one more thing.

For the Warframe side, the canon has been locked in at Techrot Encore (U38.2). Anything past Techrot Encore that isn't critical lore will not be included in this story to avoid playing eternal catch-up, and because of how the story was set in motion in the first place.

Equipment is a different matter. Primes have existed in the Warframe universe for thousands of years, so they are safe to retroactively include. This is why I brought out Styanax Prime—who is a year or two out—and why I also brought out Lavos Prime 3 months before he was officially revealed. Even though some primes don't technically exist yet, they inevitably will.

Everything else is a case-by-case basis, and I cannot promise equal treatment to these cases. It all depends on what DE does/did.

And always keep this in mind: I am writing this story for myself first and foremost. Everything else is secondary to this goal.

---

IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST, DO NOT CONTACT ME FOR COMMISSIONS! I DON'T WANT YOUR SERVICES, STOP SPAMMING ME!

---

Kivotos is in an uproar.

Leaked footage from the Black Market has revealed the spectacular robbery and destruction of the Stygian Bank. The Black Market's police force has been nearly wiped out in their attempt to stop the robbery. At the center of it was Sensei, backed by a group of masked students.

And two as-of-yet unidentified, halo-less male adults.

As of ██-██-████, fourteen (14) hours after footage of these events were leaked to the Kronos School of Journalism, Sensei has officially announced a stance of neutrality towards all recognized academies via Schale's official Z account. He publicly acknowledged the destruction of the Stygian Bank, ruling it "an unfortunate consequence of an official Schale operation to confiscate funds housed in a prohibited facility".

Soon after, he announced that these confiscated funds would be used to fund relief efforts for the ongoing Abydos civil emergency.

/break/

Gehenna's Pandemonium Society has voiced vehement approval of Sensei's actions in the Black Market (primarily the delightful chaos), with the Prefect Team expressing their very rare agreement (primarily enforcing order in an anarchy zone). This spectacle causes waves in its own right within Gehenna.

Trinity's Tea Party declines official comment on the matter. The Justice Task Force publicly thanks him for neutralizing "a grey moral threat". The Sisterhood completely ignores these matters, instead expressing gratitude for Sensei's decision to engage in friendly relations instead of hostilities. The Remedial Knights make no public comment.

Other student councils voice diplomatic approval or make no public comment.

On the opposite hand, Kaiser Group has publicly disparaged Sensei's actions, citing unnecessary force and asserting their legal right to conduct business as Kaiser Loans, and subsequently declares their refusal to do business with Schale going forward. They additionally demand the return of funds "illegally seized without due process and intended for legitimate and legal business", citing the potential for "further action" moving forward.

The General Student Council publicly disapproves of Sensei's abrupt actions and his failure to notify them of his intentions. They additionally launch a public investigation into the two masked halo-less adults, but make no further comment on the situation.

—

The greater Kivotos public, witnessing news of his decisive action against Kaiser Group and seemingly not caring about the dangers of angering such a large corporation, start talking about nothing but Sensei on the streets and on social media. They also begin endowing him with nicknames; some of the notable ones are "God of Gold", "Schale's Sheriff" and "Superman".

The reported rate of Student Applications increase following what has come to be known as the Stygian Reckoning.

The next morning, Drifter-sensei makes a public broadcast to all of Kivotos that would go down in history.
But some time before all of that had happened... The quiet party held at Shibaseki Ramen has just come to an end.

---

There's something deeply satisfying about making a difference in the life of someone who's lost all hope. When all else has failed them, you come along and make the kind of impact no one else has. Show them that you care and want to help them in ways that change them for the better. And when the world decides to throw more shit at them, you become their shield.

That is an intoxicating feeling. And I've seen more than a few Tenno get corrupted by it.

For all the rigorous doctrine they follow, reinforced by Teshin's teachings, some people are prone to flaws others aren't. I've known Tenno who humbly deflected praise given to them by people they rescued, only to turn around and demand more recognition for the same amount of work behind closed doors. And I've also seen Tenno who thank the people properly, but request their peers to be recognized too, not wanting even a single bit of the spotlight on themselves.

It's apparently been over 10 years since the Tenno first awoke, and about 8 since they remembered they were humans. It is my guess that there's at least a few expelled Tenno out there who became corrupted by the fruits of their good deeds.

That kind of positive gratitude for good deeds can make or break people. It all depends on the core of who they are.

As for me... I don't know how to feel about being praised for doing what's right.

—

The party is now over. I don't think I've ever seen them so happy and carefree, like kids should be. The five of them, plus Amir and Arthur, racked up a combined ¥60,000 bill. Once that bill was paid, the group of 7 exited Shibaseki Ramen with big smiles on their faces. And in the case of Arthur, he got so caught up in the mood that he drank himself out of commission. I watched him being brought out in a fireman carry by Amir.

You know... I say he "got caught up in the mood". But that's very likely an unintentional lie. If there's anyone who's going to take this predicament the hardest, it's definitely Arthur.

The Hex were the last thing keeping Höllvania stable. And now, they've lost both their leader and their mascot. I know them well enough to easily guess what they'll be doing now.

Quincy will cut his losses and run. And I hate to say it, but he's in the right if he has made that choice.
Aoi will continue to help the people, being the sweetheart she is, and Leticia will likely be right behind her.

Eleanor... I see two options. She either does a Quincy, except with the motivation of trying to find Arthur. or she remains at the mall and loses her motivation to fight her fate against the Techrot.

I bet Arthur realizes this too.

He had an excuse to drink himself unconscious, and I sympathize with that. All of his efforts to keep the good ICR fight going has gone up in smoke because of the Indifference. The Scaldra will win the fight to eliminate the people now.

Knowing him, he'll feel responsible for all the lives that'll inevitably be taken, even though this wasn't his doing. I think that might break him inside.

Amir, on the other hand, has taken this the literal opposite way. He is walking with a jump in his step like I've never seen before.
Either he's trying to bury his grief, or he is genuinely glad to be out of there. Maybe it might even be both. The only proof I have is him saying he's 'glad to be out of Hellvania'.

Nonetheless... The two of them have gone back to Abydos High School. I told them I still had things to do, and instructed them to keep the money safe until we'd bring it back to Schale.

But someone stayed behind. Hoshino.

For some reason, she also tells her classmates that she's got something to do before they get back. From their response, it sounds like this isn't the first time she's done this. So as we both watch them all walk down the street, I turn my head to face her.

"You're not going back with your classmates yet?" I asked as she took a seat on the bench next to me.

"...Nope." She answered back in a more mellow voice. "Not yet."

There was an extended period of silence after that brief exchange. Neither of us said anything, with both of us quietly enamored by the stars. I didn't have anything to really talk about, so I just let her sit next to me as I continued thinking.

"So... I've got a question." Hoshino begins after a couple minutes of stargazing passes.

"Yes?"

"I know the whole 'home country' thing is a cover story." Hoshino says succinctly. "I like that you're trying to keep the kids safe. Me though? Ever since you showed us that big machine gun of yours, I just knew there's no way you grew up on this planet. No-one would think to put gold on their equipment unless they had a lot of it."

"...You're the first person to point that out." I admit. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Well..." Hoshino continues, both of us still looking up at the stars. "...This old man wants to have a heart-to-heart with ya. No-one's ever shown any interest in helping us before. And then you come along and show me that there's still good adults in this world after all."

"Adults..." I trail off. "The way you say this word makes me feel like it means something completely different to what I'm thinking."

"Really? Well, I guess that ain't surprising. Most of the ones I've met likes to walk all over us. They use their power to exploit us kids for their own gain. They're also the ones who write the rules we all have to follow."

"Nevermind, it means the same thing as I thought." I correct myself. "It was the same back home. Except conflict of interests caused much uglier things to happen."

"...What is your home like?" Hoshino asks the golden question. "Please be honest. I want to know."

I pause for about 20 seconds. I consider my words carefully. "...Are you sure you want to know? The answer is complicated... very complicated. It's the type of ugliness I don't want Kivotos to know about."

"I can handle it." Hoshino immediately replies in a resolute tone. "I've-... I've seen more tragedy than anyone in Kivotos."

Yeah... She was probably here to see the district fall from grace. When I walk by the rotting skyscrapers, I get the feeling that this place used to be a lot more grand. Watching her home degrade like this must've left a mark on her soul.

"...Okay. But I have a condition; tell me what you went through. From the moment I met you, I could tell you've been through a magnitude of shit a kid your age shouldn't have. I want to know your story."

"..." Hoshino goes quiet for a solid half a minute. I wait patiently for her answer. "...Deal."

So... she really does want to know, huh.

I gave that condition to try and deter her, but she's determined enough to hear my story that she's willing to accept my request. I get up from the bench and exit my warframe again, sitting back down as myself.

"Uhe?~ Why'd you do that?" Hoshino asks as I lean back with my left arm on the armrest.

"That armor isn't fit for such a serious moment." I reply from the heart. "If I'm gonna talk about something like this, I want it to be face-to-face. It's more personal that way."

"Even though we aren't looking at each other?"

"You know what I mean." I reply monotonically. "So before I start, you've gotta know one thing: My answer is multiple choice. Because my two friends are here, I'm gonna have to explain how I ended up meeting them... we might be here for a while."

"That's fine." Hoshino says that with unexpectedly low energy. "I just want to know."

"-sigh-... Alright. Only 'cause I know you can handle it. So, let's begin with answer one..."

And so, I give her the exposition of my "true origins".

I start with the Origin System and the celestial bodies that orbit its star, Sol. Then, I move on to the history of the Orokin Empire (that I know), the Old War and the Sentients, the Collapse, and the harsh brutality that arose from its ruins and persists to this day. I recount the return of the Tenno and how they are essentially the last bastion of righteous good in our solar system, and the various nightmare scenarios they stopped and continue to stop. This is what the bulk of my explanation is focused on. But from there, I continue to reveal almost everything: The Void, the nature of it's reality-breaking, and how the warframes have such powerful abilities because of the Void's influence.

I even tell her about the true nature of warframes, how they're essentially giant metal puppets instead of suits of armor, and the Zariman Ten Zero's void-jump accident turning adults into monsters and giving kids superpowers. I tell her about my Orbiter, and many... many other things. Not everything gets a detailed explanation, though, and I don't talk about the history my counterpart lived through. Too specific, and not as important as the overarching picture.

The only things I leave out are the Indifference, the Infestation (plus the Techrot), Duviri and the really ugly shit that even she wouldn't be able to handle. Oh, and my counterpart, too; that's a can of worms better left closed.

Once that's done, I switch to answer two; 1999. I explain how Entrati, the last surviving pure Orokin, enlisted my help for a very crucial plan of his. I reveal how I had returned to the distant past, the Hex (including the other four), and how we stopped a nuclear meltdown. I explain how we were basically the last line of defense against the Scaldra's tyranny, as everyone suffered under a superplague that killed almost everyone in Höllvania. I leave out some of the details about the Hex, like their more personal history or other things they would only disclose to trusted people.

—

"...That... is so much different from Kivotos..."

45 minutes later, the explanation was finally over. Hoshino, after a solid 5 minutes of not speaking, finally breaks the extended silence. I didn't rush her. To someone from a place as peaceful as this, what I told her could be boiled down to "I came from space hell".

I didn't respond immediately. I take a deep breath, and exhale. "...To me, Kivotos is so peaceful that it's unnerving. I'm too used to seeing the worst in people. That's why I jumped to help you guys. Your struggles resonate a bit too much with me."

"Like seeing a dead body everyday?" Hoshino responds unexpectedly harshly. "Or killing someone everyday."

I turn to face her and raise my hands. "I'm not gonna defend myself; you're right on both points. Things aren't as black and white as they are here."

"Yeah..." Hoshino suddenly relents with the pressure. "You've seen things I can't even wrap my head around. Sheesh, you really are an adult, huh?"

"That word doesn't have much meaning to me, you know." I admit while shaking my head. "In my eyes, what separates a kid from an adult is how well they can take on the unjust expectations of the world. Like you."

"Uhe~? But I'm only 17~" Hoshino replies in that carefree way I haven't seen in a while.

"Yeah." I look her dead in the eye. "A 17 year old who's taken on a workload that would break most adults."

Hoshino just shrugs at my retort. She really doesn't seem to care, does she?

"And... about the Void." Hoshino goes from carefree to serious again. "You're saying everything is possible at the same time because of the Void?"

"Yeah. Eternalism." I answer, gazing up at the stars. "Like I said, the Void breaks all laws of physics and reality. It is the concept of logic and illogical holding hands together, dancing a twisted dance because it can. I haven't even told you most of what it can do because we just don't know. The only thing we are absolutely sure of, is that it transforms time from a linear line into a cube. If the Void was here in Kivotos, I would be forcing every school to teach a class on the Theories of Time."

"...Huh. Okay then..." Hoshino trails off, seeming to half-grasp my words. "...Wow, you've been through a lot more than I thought. Kivotos wouldn't survive most of the stuff you've been through."

"Yeah." I answer honestly. "But it's this experience that'll help me guide you kids. I don't want to see any of you go through the things I did. You'll probably be the only kid I ever tell any of this, so I want you to keep it yourself. You're the only one I trust to handle the truth."

"Uhe~, really?" Hoshino puts a hand behind her head and gives me a dopey smile. "Aww, shucks... you're making me feel kind of important here. I'm just one kid in a sea of millions though..."

"Maybe. But I care enough about you to want to hear your story."

Hoshino suddenly blushed at my words, and looked at me like I just told her something she had trouble believing. But a couple seconds later, she gave me a genuine smile.

"...I guess it's time for me to honor the deal." Hoshino leans back further on the bench and returns to gazing up at the stars. I do the same. "It all began a couple years ago..."

Hoshino begins her own long winded explanation. She used to be a ruthless student who only cared about getting the job done, with her main focus being clearing the debt like now. She talked about watching Abydos slowly get taken by the sands, watching people leave her school and district alike, even though they tried to stay. And then, she talked about someone who she looked up to and cherished, who was no longer here.

Kuchinashi Yume. The former president of Abydos Student Council... late former president.

Hoshino then talked about her. Yume had apparently shown Hoshino kindness to such a degree that Hoshino went from being hostile to more coolheaded. She was initially able to disclose the fact that Yume had died, but as Hoshino delved further into the history she shared with Yume... She suddenly broke down, completely unable to continue. The last thing she was able to tell while composed was the canceled Abydos Sand Festival, something she apparently looked forward to a lot.

Damnit, man... I felt guilty for making that condition. Now I partially understand why she had that reaction to what I did.
So students can die in this world. And not only had this kid seen one of those rare deaths, it was her cherished friend.

...

"Hoshino."

Hoshino sniffled, doing her best to recompose herself. "...Y-Yeah?"

Instead of continuing, I outstretched both of my arms, and looked her square in the eyes.

"C'mere."

"..."

Hoshino looked at my arms, then at me, realizing what I was offering. Her face subtly flipped through a number of expressions, which conveyed an internal struggle. However, she ultimately moved closer and got right up to my chest. I brought my arms around her, intending to comfort her with a simple hug.

"Y'know... I think you're the only one in this city who's been through the things you have." I speak gently while placing one of my hands on her hair. "You're doing your part to make sure your underclassmen have someone to look up to, while also making sure Abydos still stands against the sands. As someone who's come from a rough world myself... I'm proud of you, Hoshino. You've done good."

Hoshino doesn't respond verbally. She just grasps a little tighter, and I can feel her shaking a little.

This kid's been through a lot, more than anyone her age should. At one point, she was the last remaining Abydos student before Nonomi and Shiroko came along. Can you imagine being the last person in the line of a great legacy, reduced to nothing but eroded sand? Not even I can.

I don't think she's had any guiding figures to give her the praise she deserves. She's that type of person to the students around her, but who's been there to recognize her efforts other than her peers? Something tells me she's never had a guiding figure of her own after Yume passed.

About time someone told her those long overdue words. I may not be able to see inside her like a warframe... but I can still try to take away her pain.

Eventually, Hoshino taps on my back to indicate to let go, so I do just that. She looks up at me while wiping her eyes with her sleeve, and then smiles.

"...Thanks, Sensei." She thanked me with her voice cracking. "I feel better now. I didn't know I needed that."

"Yeah. You should go back to your school now. I have one more thing to do tonight."

"Okay~ This old man still has a patrol to do, but when I get back, I'll tell the others not to wait on ya."

Hoshino then gets up and strides down the street in the direction of the school, leaving me back to my lonesome.

"Ordis, bring the Liset down. I need to switch equipment."

≪ Dispatching the Liset, Drifter. ≫ Ordis replies dutifully. ≪ T-minus 3 minutes. ≫

Now that I know what the oldest remaining Abydos student has been through, my resolve is unshakable.

Arona may have convinced me not to massacre everyone in the Kaiser HQ when I infiltrate it; but what I'm about to do tonight will make them my permanent enemy. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Abydos and its remaining citizens don't deserve this fate they've been assigned... and the ones saddled with the debt are just kids, for fucks sakes.

I don't care if it's too late to make a difference. For all the people who've left Abydos because of the encroaching sand... for Yume, who was claimed by those very sands... and for Hoshino, the kid who's made me realize there's still work to be done, even in a world that seems at peace...

I might be here a few years too late. But by my pride as a warrior trained by Dax Teshin, I will not let this injustice continue.

---

Holy hell, man... I haven't seen Arthur drink this much in a long time. Poor guy went straight to blackout drunk.

As the kids lead me into their school, they escort me to a makeshift lounge room to set Arthur in, and I plop him down on a couch. They then lead me to their club room, and I take a seat.

"Hey, uh, sorry about him." I say scratching my head. "Big guy's probably a bit homesick. He's actually a pretty nice guy when you get to know him."

"Hehe~ We know" Ayane speaks for the group as they all sit down. "Still... I've never seen an adult drink so much. Will he be okay?"

"It's fine, he's Britannic." I shrug with my hands. All of them give me a look. "...Oh, right... Ignore what I just said, 'kay?"

"Amir-sensei." Shiroko abruptly says my name. "You know Drifter-sensei?"

"Pshh, yeah." I throw out a hand. "He helped us stop a nuclear meltdown."

"He WHAT!?" Serika's jaw dropped to the floor. "A nuclear meltdown!?"

"Yeah. That was real ugly." I admit. "It happened on New Year's Eve. Fought a buncha bad guys who really didn't want us there for some reason. Y'know, this place kinda reminds me of back 'home'. Drifter was right there with us, helping us kinda like he's helping you girls. Just a lot bloodier in our case."

"Amir-sensei, I have a question." Nonomi raises a hand.

"Aww c'mon, you don't need to be like that." I lean back in the chair and cross my arms. "You kids can just call me Amir. Sensei's a bit too formal for me. Makes me feel weird."

"...Right." Nonomi replies after a delay. "Are you and Arthur-sensei a part of Schale?"

"Yeah, starting today." I answer. "Though I think Drifter's supposed to announce it or something. If he's not back with Hoshino, he's probably out there doing his own thing. That's kinda his style."

"Yeah, I noticed that..." Serika grumbles.

I raise an eyebrow at her words. "Whazza matter? Sounds like he rubbed you the wrong way or something."

"No, not at all!" Serika frantically denies my words as she raises her hands in front of her. "It's just that... well... He put his life on the line for me."

"He did?" I raise my eyebrow even more, doing a slight head tilt at the same time. "Can you tell me the deets?"

"The what?" Serika tilts her own head.

"It means details." I answer. "We kinda have our own slang back home. He doesn't use it much, but me and Arthur definitely do. Anyways, tell me those deets girl~"

"Drifter-sensei defended me from an attack yesterday." Serika begins with a whopper of a line. "We were at Shibaseki. I was off my shift, he was talking to the head chef. We were jumped by the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang... and artillery."

"Whoa whoa whoa, rewind that!" I immediately go from leaning backwards to forwards. "There was arty involved?!"

"Yeah, a Flak 41." She answers straightforwardly. "He told me to run back here while he distracted them. I thought he was sacrificing himself, so I gathered everyone to come save him. He didn't even need our help... he destroyed them all."

"...Yup, sounds like something he'd do." I cross my arms on the table instead.

"What?! That's normal for him!?" Serika claps back with shock.

"Trust me. He's seen worse." I answer. "If he was serious, All of Kivotos would know right away. He is capable of some scary shit- Err, stuff. Sorry."

"He... That wasn't him at his most serious?" Ayane's eyes widened. "That is an unsettling thought to consider..."

"I... see." Nonomi noted my serious tone of voice. "Well, we are glad to have your help, Amir."

"Nn." Shiroko nods. "Three heads is better than one."

Just then, the club doors opened. In walked Hoshino, by herself.

"Hey look, it's the girl of the hour! Welcome back, Hoshino." I flash her a peace sign. "Oh, by the way. Where's Drifter?"

"Uhe~? What's with the warm reception?" Hoshino remarks in surprise, taking a seat next to Nonomi. "Drifter-sensei said he still had things to do."

"He's definitely gonna be cracking some skulls then." I lean back in my chair again. That got me a look from everyone. "...What?"

"Nothing." Serika answered for the group. "I guess we don't have to wait on him, then. I'm gonna go tuck in for the night."

"Me too." Nomomi got up at the same time as Serika. "Goodnight, everyone!"

The two of them exit the room, leaving me, Ayane and Hoshino behind. Before anyone else could leave, I had a burning question.

"Hey, uh... you wouldn't happen to have a spare mattress or sleeping bag?" I ask the two of them. "I am not sleeping next to Arthur. He snores like a train horn."

"Oh, um..." Ayane stammers, then looks to Hoshino. "Hoshino, is that futon still in the storage room on the first floor?"

Hoshino nods. "Yep. Come with me. This old man'll make sure you get a good night's sleep—I swear it on my pride as a sleep connoisseur~"

I get up out of the chair, following Hoshino out of their club room.
Anything is better than sleeping next to Arthur. I'll take what I can get.

---

The Liset. The Landing Craft all Tenno start with. And in due time, the one every Tenno eventually falls back on.

There's been many times where I'd switch to something else. The Parallax for its all-seeing eyes. Or the Scimitar, which can surgically bomb entire Grineer bases with nay but a single pass. And I've met a few Tenno who swear by the Xiphos, with its ability to hot drop a Sentry Gun onto the field for objective reinforcement and/or distraction.

But everytime I try one of these... I always come back to the Liset. For its greatest strength lies within the fact that Ordis is integrated into its systems more cleanly than any other. This allows him to directly assist me in missions with it.

Ordis may seem like nothing more than a Cephalon with split personality disorder. That couldn't be further from the truth.

He used to be the Beast of Bones, the deadliest Orokin-era assassin to ever live. He has millions of deaths to his name.
Even though he's now a Cephalon, he doesn't need a blade to do his handiwork. His surgical tactics, expert coordination, savage aggression and eagerness to help makes him not only my best asset, but also my best friend.

He is to me what Loid used to be to Entrati. The reliable right hand man. Without him, I wouldn't just be incapable; I'd be lost.

I only wish his Cephalon self could be cleanly merged with his Ordan Karris side, instead of flip-flopping.

—

≪ You have so many warframes... ≫ Arona remarks in awe. ≪ This manifest has so many lines! I haven't even seen a tenth of them yet...! ≫

I've returned to the Orbiter to swap equipment for the mission I was about to do. The other two got into a conversation the moment I stepped through the airlock, and they haven't stopped since.

≪ There are many warframes, Arona. ≫ Ordis explains. ≪ The Tenno specialize in a variety of mission types. Each of the warframes serve a unique purpose to the Tenno. Offense, defense, distraction, infiltration... the list goes on. ≫

While these two are talking as if I'm not here, I step onto the Arsenal platform and begin swapping equipment.

≪ Really? ≫ Arona comments as her hologram self. ≪ Do you have a favorite? ≫

≪ Hmm... ≫ Ordis pauses. ≪ ...I do not know. Ordis does not have a preference. However, I do have a favorite category. ≫

Now, this is gonna throw Arona for a loop; I switch from Atlas Prime to Ivara Prime, making her the first female warframe I will have used since I got here.

≪ E-Ehhh!? ≫ Arona is completely distracted from their current conversation. ≪ Y-You have female warframes?! I hope you're not thinking of taking advantage of her. ≫

Her remark derails my entire train of thought. I, as Ivara Prime, stare right at Arona. "...The fuck you just say?"

≪ E-Eh, ah, eh? ≫ Arona shrinks back at my sudden piercing stare and brusque response. ≪ N-Nothing...! ≫

"Yeah, that's what I thought." I responded harshly. "I take offense to whatever you're thinking. Those kinds of desires dried up years ago. Next time, keep that to yourself."

Arona doesn't reply. She just stares Ivara Prime up and down, admiring its oceanic-esque design. I, meanwhile, go back to adjusting my loadout.

Because my goal was stealth this time, I swap my Chakkhurr for the good ol' reliable Baza Prime, while I also switch out my Pyrana Prime for the Vesper 77, my most recent addition to the armory. And because I was very unlikely to face actual humans, I have a very peculiar choice for my melee weapon: the Rumblejack. I'll admit, I haven't touched that thing since the New War. But now, it might have a use again.

Just like last time, I also bring the Innodem with me.

For the most part, this loadout is actually kind of overkill. Ivara comes with her own bow, the Artemis, that can fire a variety of specialty arrows – And in the case of using it like a weapon instead of a tool, I have also reconfigured it to fire a singular but more powerful arrow, when it usually launches 7 at once. I can even set the arrows to explode on the fly, which makes it even scarier.

If she didn't have a specialty bow, I'd have probably brought the Daikyu. That bow was a monster in any situation that wasn't a horde fight.

"Alright, I'm done. Get the Liset ready again."

≪ At once, Drifter. ≫ Ordis answers right away.

And just as quick as I got here, I'm already heading back to the landing craft bay.

This was the first time I'd be doing stealth in this world. I hope the Parazon still functions.

—

These... ruins. Something about them feels off.

The first thing I noticed when flying in was how developed it looked. This used to be a major population center. In the past, there could've even been an academy here. Now, skyscrapers have rotted so badly that I've seen more than a couple of them bisected, with their top halfs leaning against another. The entire "district" looks like it's been subjected to centuries of natural decay.

There's not a single living soul on those streets. Only destroyed vehicles, automaton patrols and temporary encampments seemingly turned permanent. It's like Höllvania all over again—the only tangible difference is the lack of Techrot.

What really got my attention were those automatons: they appeared to be a lot older than Kaiser designed bots, but were built like brick shithouses. Some of them even had mismatched limbs, or looked like it was one rainstorm from rusting away. It's like the will of the district itself refused to die, wanting to cannibalize itself to see tomorrow's sunset.

Decay like this is the perfect place to make your permanent dwelling if you didn't want the world bothering you. I will begrudgingly admit: Kaiser Group was smart for this. I would've done the same.

...Would've? No. I probably still might. All I need is to find a suitable enough zone to set up shop. A hellhole like this is the perfect place to scavenge for resources. Maybe I might even find some lost secrets about this city.

≪ Arriving at deployment zone in T-minus 3 minutes. ≫ Ordis calls out over the comms. ≪ Drifter, you may want to pay attention to bearing 301. ≫

Inside the Liset, I redirect my vision towards the camera feed. The sight that greets me makes even my jaw drop.

"Hot damn..."

Their HQ was a superfortress of some kind. A black/red monolith stands in the center, only somewhat taller than a skyscraper but as wide as 9 of them put together. It's surrounded on all sides by a shorter but still skyscraper-high concrete wall, a plethora of searchlights illuminating a cleared out field of debris that itself surrounds the wall.

This sight reminds me of a game I played with Amir. Final Fiction Seven.

This fortress is almost beat-for-beat like Asgard. The only things missing were the suspended plates and the Soulstream reactors interspaced on the walls; In their place, curiously, appeared to be other office buildings that shared the concrete aesthetic as the wall. The entire superstructure was being patrolled by helicopters, with fixed-wing terrestrial aircraft taking off and landing from an airport within their HQ.

I am going to enjoy this.

≪ Reaching deployment zone in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Demagnetizing! ≫

Ordis deploys me mid-air, high above the clouds and directly over the base. To avoid detection, I avoid bringing out Odonata Prime, as the deafening sound of my warframe falling through the wind fails to distract me from identifying a landing spot. I choose one of the concrete offices, and maneuver my body to fall above it instead of outside the base.

It's a good thing the Liset is specialized for cloaked insertions. This was a heavily fortified base, even by my world's standards. I've never seen something like this.

I land on one of the office building's roofs, softening my landing with Void energy to avoid transferring any sort of inertia to the concrete. Now actually in the perimeter of Kaiser HQ, I activate Ivara's cloak and briefly pull out her Artemis Bow, firing off a Dashwire arrow to the main building.

≪ T-That was so cool! ≫ Arona comments excitedly. ≪ It was just like in the movies! ≫

Because I'm laser-focused on the mission, I don't give her a reply like I usually would. I move at a brisk pace across the Dashwire towards the main monolith.

≪ ...Are you still mad about earlier? ≫ Arona asks, genuinely sounding remorseful.

"Not anymore. Just keep quiet for a moment, I need to focus."

True to my request, Arona doesn't give a reply. I reach the main monolith and take a second to admire the surroundings. This entire stronghold was the only lit place of infrastructure for kilometers after kilometers. As I look around on a full 360° spectrum, all I can admire is the shattered skyline of The Ruins. However, as I said, Kaiser HQ was surrounded by demolished buildings and rubble in a radius roughly eight times its size. They could see anyone coming from here.

Everyone except me, that is.

I carefully scale down the monolith, looking for any vents or other doors I could take. Unexpectedly though, I reached a platform I didn't catch sight of, one designed to accommodate helicopters. This had a usable entrance, so I carefully stalked over towards it. That is, until Arona broke her silence again.

≪ W-Wait, Drifter-sensei! ≫ She suddenly manifested in front of me, hands outstretched and stopping me. ≪ That door is equipped with intruder detection systems! Laser grids, motion sensors, even acoustic and electromagnetic sensors! They'll know you're here! ≫

"Ah. About that, Arona..." I pause for effect. "...One of Ivara's party tricks is that she does not care about any detection systems. Her invisibility is built for this kind of espionage."

≪ Really? I-I kinda doubt it... ≫ Arona murmurs as her halo turns kind of spiky, but remains the same color.

I walk past her hologram in spite of her (valid) protests. There, I stand next to the door, and pull out my Parazon from my right wrist. Come to think of it, I haven't told Arona about this yet... Anyways, I jam it into the keycard reader next to the door and interface with the lock. A couple seconds later, the door unlocks by itself.

≪ E-Eh? You weren't lying? ≫ Arona voices her surprise over the comms. ≪ I'm not detecting any alerts in their system... Wow, this is so cool! What did you just do!? ≫

"Hacking tool. Lethal to technology in my world. I guess it works here, too." I state objectively, leaving out the part where the Parazon is also lethal to people.

Arona audibly pouts over the comms. ≪ But you have me for that!~ ≫

I once again have to focus, so I ignore Arona. I carefully stalk through the hallways, trying to get a bearing on where I am. I pass by several unaware soldier robots, all dressed in military uniform and body armor whilst carrying some pretty mean looking guns. If I were in the Origin System, I would probably be doing some silent extermination. But this was a special mission; I wanted to avoid these scrap brains discovering their comrades' bodies and alerting the rest of the base.

I continue moving like a specter of the night down the halls until I reach an elevator, one that requires a keycard to operate. The Parazon makes quick work of that, resulting in the doors opening by themselves and the nearby security cameras being temporarily disabled. I walk inside and take note of the panel on the wall.

Many, many floors... but interestingly, several sets of underground floors.

What I was looking for was probably down there. So I jammed the Parazon in the keycard reader and pushed the button for 'B5', the lowest floor. Nothing happened.

≪ Let me help with that! ≫ Arona suddenly cuts in.

She manifests as her hologram form and waves her hand in front of the panel. Moments later, we begin moving downwards.

"Thanks for the assist. What was the problem?"

≪ The lower floors require a password that only a high-ranking official has. ≫ Arona answers readily. ≪ It changes many times every second. I think it needs a special device to interface with. Good thing I'm here! ≫

...Like a Razorback Cipher. Interesting.

The elevator continues descending for a mighty long time. I think it was a good 3 minutes straight or something before the doors finally opened again. When they did, I was greeted by a huge chamber of servers upon servers on one end, while on the other was a great big wall of bookcase—singular bookcase. This was not what I was looking for.

I went back into the elevator and pressed the button for the next floor up, with another helping of Arona's assistance. This time, I was greeted by a hallway furnished in wood and marble; the type of gaudiness I've only seen in Libertalia-made movies. At the end of the hallway was a large vault door, similar to the one in the bank I hit earlier. Strangely... it was unguarded. Were they so confident in their bases location and security that they didn't even bother to guard their valuables?

"Arona. Can you make sure those security cameras won't be able to see me? Maybe feed them a static image or something."

≪ On it! ≫ Arona replies cheerfully.

"I'm really counting on you this time. I want to be in and out like a ghost."

I made my way down to the end and interfaced with the combined keypad/keycard reader with my Parazon again, shutting off the security cams a second time. The vault door promptly unlatched itself with several resonant clunks, swinging open with a pneumatic hiss. Inside was a genuinely impressive sight; a deep chamber with entire piles of money up to the ceiling, along with stacks of various precious metals such as Platinum(!), Osmium(!) and a whole lotta Gold. But again, I wasn't here for this... even if it was tempting to "requisition" their Platinum.

However, as I walked into the chamber and the vault door closed behind me, I noticed that beyond the money were some storage drawers built into the walls of metal. All of them were labeled with a series of letters and numbers.

≪ So much money... ≫ Arona remarked in wonder. ≪ Could this be their entire net worth? ≫

"No. Only a fraction of it." I responded. "Companies like this diversify in more than just material wealth. Most of their assets are in owning other companies, property... people."

≪ O-Oh. ≫ Arona responds uneasily. ≪ Still... What do you think are in those storage drawers? ≫

"Bonds." I answered without hesitation. "Documents like that can be more valuable than money itself. If those drawers have bonds in them, then I'm where I need to be."

As I say those words, I approach one of the drawers. I pull it open—and sure enough, a stack of High-yield bonds greets me. Those would make even the Corpus nervous. Below that were some other types of bonds.

I had no need for these, so I returned them back to where they came from. Good to know I can destroy them this way in the future.

I continue to sift through various storage drawers, scanning over the majority of the contents therein. Most of these were bonds, but some also contained very sensitive documents that were probably supposed to be redacted. I even found a Bearer bond in one of them, but it appeared to be just as old as the outside ruins. In the interest of stealth, I reluctantly returned it to its home... but I was very tempted to burn it.

"Hm?"

I noticed a peculiar storage drawer right at the very end. Unlike the others, it wasn't plated in standard iron, but was instead made of Silver. Curious, I skipped over the rest and went straight to it. I grabbed the handle to the silver drawer and pulled, but the thing was heavier than I expected. Therefore, I pulled with a little more force: The drawer slid open, revealing naught but a single document.

I took it and began reading it. And as I did, I felt such a rush of catharsis that I almost started laughing like an evil villain.

"...Jackpot. We're done here." I state confidently as I close the drawer.

≪ What is it? ≫ Arona asks with childlike curiosity, manifesting in front of me as a hologram. ≪ It looks older than all the other ones you inspected. ≫

"Have a look for yourself."

I then showed it to Arona, assuming her vision was in the hologram instead of the Shittim Chest's camera. It seems like my guess was right; as Arona began scanning it, I saw her eyes widen and her halo go blurry, as if it were being smudged.

≪ Ehhh!? W-Wait! ≫ Arona stammers over her words. ≪ T-This is a Promissory Note! And it's for Abydos High School's debt! W-What are you gonna do with this!? ≫

"Simple. We're taking this home." I answer. "Now that I have this, we're gonna make a public broadcast to all of Kivotos. I want all eyes on me for what I'm gonna do."

≪ S-Sensei...? ≫ Arona looked at me cautiously, her halo turning spiky again. ≪ What about the announcement for Arthur-sensei and Amir-sensei? You still haven't done it... ≫

"I haven't forgotten, don't worry. That'll be part of the broadcast. For now, let's get out of here."

With the promissory note for Abydos' debt in my left hand, I began backtracking through their base in much the same way as I came. And they still didn't suspect a thing, even as I almost touched a robot soldier by accident on the way out onto the helicopter platform. I scaled back up the monolith to the room again, making my way towards the still-existing Dashline and sliding right down it. From there, I shot another Dashline arrow into the distance, using it to bypass a moat of landmines and other traps at the base of the wall.

Numerous automaton corpses riddled this no-man's-land. Very few, if none at all, were Kaiser made. I see remnants of firebombing, large shrapnel explosions, cluster bombs... a lot of nasty shit. Just what goes on in this part of Kivotos?

Eventually, I got to the end of the radius. A perfect stealth mission. And the funny thing is? It sounds like they just noticed something was wrong. Just a couple seconds after I escaped the no-mans-land radius, I began to hear a small network of mechanical air raid sirens going off. Either I fucked up, or they're being attacked on the other wall.

"Ordis, send the Liset down about 30 klicks my current heading. Sounds like they just found out they've been had, I'm gonna stay low with the Archwing to avoid the radar."

≪ Right away, Drifter. ≫ Ordis answered as dutifully as ever. But then, he continued. ≪ The Drifter would be pleased to know that I have utilized Arona's capabilities to breach their intranet while you were exfiltrating the complex. They possessed several digital backups of that promissory note. Ordis has- LIT THEIR BASEMENT ON FIRE- taken the liberty of erasing these backups. ≫

"...Oh, fuck. Thanks a ton, Ordis. You just saved my ass."

≪ It is simply my duty as the assistant Cephalon of the Oper- Drifter. ≫ Ordis replies humbly.

The benefits of having Ordis, ladies and gentlemen. He takes care of problems I miss with murderous excitement. He could've just deleted the files, but destroying the servers works too. Maybe he actually did both, which would work even better.

Combine his capabilities with some of Arona's, and vice versa? I can probably do some spooky shit I don't even realize yet.

Either way, the only copy of this document left was the one in my hand.

Personnel begin flooding out from their HQ to find whoever made a mockery of their security. Because of this, I maintain my cloak and move as fast as I can through the destroyed streets. I scale up the side of the building and roof hop for a couple kilometers until I'm sure there's no physical onlookers. Only then do I finally deploy Odonata Prime, which also breaks Ivara's cloak.

"Right, you better hold on Arona!"

≪ I'd better- WAH!? ≫

The moment my Archwing is attached, I take off on full afterburners towards the ground, hugging it as close as I can while maintaining my current heading. If radar worked like it did in my world, then they would be blind below a certain altitude. Thermals was another issue entirely—but I had several methods to counter that if they fired on me.

As I reach the halfway point, I breach the sound barrier and feel the supersonic cone move past me. That was a weird feeling... I still can't get used to it, and I don't think I ever will.

≪ Drifter, you have incoming aircraft from the direction of Kaiser HQ! ≫ Ordis calls out urgently. ≪ I am approaching in the Liset! Prepare to receive aerial extraction! ≫

Shortly after this callout, I see the Liset break cloak some distance in front of and above me. At the same time, I see the "INCOMING PROJECTILE" alert. They've definitely scrambled some fighters to intercept me; I avoid popping Odonata's Disarray countermeasures so I don't confirm my existence to them.

I blink forwards to just under the Liset and release the Archwing. At the same time, I am magnetized to the bottom, while the wings themselves fly into an open compartment that closes as soon as they're in. The moment I'm secured, Ordis pitches the craft upwards and sets the engines to full throttle, which sends us out of The Ruins in seconds.

A hot extract. Haven't had one of those in a long time. Now I remember how much that makes my nerves tingle.

The moment I'm swiveled into the interior, I am immediately on the comms.

"Ordis, set course for the Orbiter again. We're done for the night."

≪ As the Drifter wishes. ≫ Ordis answers back. ≪ Returning you to the Orbiter. ≫

Today was already a busy day. A bank robbery and an infiltration mission, with a party in between? I'm more tired than I realized.

Tomorrow's gonna be even busier. Ugh.

---

"Urgh... great, a sodding hangover."

I wake up on a couch in some school building, a pounding headache dragging me out of unconsciousness by force.

"...Fuck was I doing?"

I don't even remember half of yesterday. The last thing I can recall is walking to this hole-in-the-wall establishment to celebrate a good heist done. Everything after that point is blank. Was I a wrench and drank beer before liquor? Still in a haze, I look to my side and see my AX-52 and Cobra Prime leaned up against the wall, while my V77 was still on my hip. I also unconsciously reach for my beeper, until I remember it isn't there.

Right, whatever happened to that thing? It just grew wings and flew off one day. At least I still have my watch. I grab said watch and check the time. 0630; 30 minutes later then I'm usually up...

I groggily get up from the couch, but the action makes my headache pound harder, almost making me stumble to my knees.
Sol, this was a bad one. I need some aqua stat, or some acetaminophen to shut those damn pain nerves up.

"W-Whoa, easy there Arthur-sensei! Are you okay!?"

I look to my side and see the girl with elf ears. She comes rushing to my side and lends me an arm.

"Kind of. Think I might've had a bit too much to drink last night."

"You did." Ayane affirms. "Gosh, how can one person drink so much!? Amir-sensei had to bring you out in a fireman's carry..."

"I was carried out? Damn..." I bring a hand to my temples, pinching them slightly. "I'm sorry for the display. Normally I wouldn't drink anywhere near that, but... I've had a lot going on. Even before I was whisked away to this place."

"Really?" Ayane answers with concern. "Do you want to talk about it...?"

I shake my head slowly. "No, it's not something for a kid to hear. But if you could be a peach and get me some water, that'd help a lot."

"R-Right. Just stay here, please."

Ayane departs from the room in a speedwalk. Although I felt the need to go exploring, I listened to her and sat back down on the couch. Ugh, what a terrible first impression to give to some kids you're trying to help, Arthur...
At this moment, I decide to never ever do that again. I bet my Britannic ancestors would frown upon me for limiting my alcohol intake, but I made myself look like a right muppet yesterday. Hopefully I can control myself next time.

About 3 minutes later, Ayane returns with several bottles of water on a plate. Excessive, but very much appreciated.

"Thanks, miss." I express as she sets the plate down on the coffee table in front of me.

"You're welcome." Ayane bows. "Now that you're up, I have other business to attend to. I will see you later, Arthur-sensei."

And just as quick as she supplied some aqua, she was off to carry out some other tasks. I took one of the bottles of water and proceeded to chug the entire thing as if I were dehydrated—Now that made me feel alive. I dropped the now-empty bottle on the table next to the plate and proceeded to grab a second one, drinking it at a much more paced rate.

I'm lucky to have this aqua. It's like sodding gold dust in my time- world, actually. On top of every other problem the citystate has, the Scaldra also seize anything and everything, including what little necessities are left. So the only way to get anything necessary is to raid Scaldra FOB's.

Needless to say, Herr Major doesn't like that, and now has a kill-on-sight policy for anyone caught doing that. Never stopped us, though. If the civvies can't do it, we can do it...

...Used to do it. Fuck, now I'm remembering the whole reason I drank myself half to death.

Those civvies... there's nothing they can do now. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I was the one leading everyone and making sure everything was in its right place. And our morale lifeline, Amir, also got teleported with me. Then there's also Drifter... the man who can pull miracles out his arse.

My sister. She's not going to take this well. Aoi and Lettie might split off to do their own thing, and If Quincy doesn't jet, he'll probably tag along those two. But if there's anyone who needed both of us, it was dear Eleanor.

By Lua's darkness. She's gonna be taken by the end of next week, and there's nothing I can do about it.

When I'm through the end of the second water bottle, I get up and take the other two with me. Sitting on that sofa wasn't good for my mental. I needed to be moving, to be doing something. To try and distract my mind from this, I start jogging through the halls in spite of my headache.

I pass by the grey-haired girl with wolf ears, Shiroko, but only pay her a passing nod as I focus on distracting myself. I open the water bottle in my right hand with some carefully coordinated movement, even though my left hand was also holding a bottle, and get to work on the third bottle of water.

"What are you doing, Sensei?"

I abruptly hear a voice to my left, seeing Shiroko is now jogging alongside me.

"...Clearing my head." I answer after a brief delay. "Why are you jogging with me?"

"Can I join?" Shiroko asks with a hard-to-read expression.

"Really? First time anyone's asked."

"I have a route." Shiroko's eyes seemed to shine a little. "I can show you."

"Well, be my guest." I respond with a smile, handing her the other bottle. She takes it with an appreciative nod.

Shiroko takes the lead in front of me, and we do a full lap of the schools' first floor hallways before we leave the building. Then, she leads me outside and onto the front roads, picking up pace a little while I move to jog alongside her. We pass by several abandoned buildings, including a convenience store that looks like it was looted years ago. I even see a house that is turned upside down somehow.

I continue to follow her lead, taking a swig of water for every kilometer as measured by the pedometer I always carry on me. The real challenge to this routine was making sure to pace yourself; if you move too fast, you'll tire too early and burn through your refreshment. If you move too slow, you won't get the workout you need. Shiroko has a good pace.

...

Around 20 minutes have passed. The stuff from earlier was completely off my mind and I was feeling more refreshed than usual. For some really strange reason, the headache disappeared around 6km into the morning jog. Neither of us has said anything since we got out of the gate.

While that silence was nice, I imagine it was pretty rude. So I decided to try and initiate some discussion.

"Question for you, miss."

"Nn?" Shiroko turns her head.

"Drifter told me you're a cyclist. How long is your route?"

"70 kilometers." She states pridefully.

"Whooie... That's quite some distance." I remark with astonishment. "You must really enjoy it. Y'know, I used to cycle everyday."

"You did?" Shiroko looks at me, excitement evident across her face.

I give her another smile. "Yeah. When I was a kid, I liked being active. Helped provide a nice distraction from all the studies. And when the going got tough, I'd also go for a ride after a strength workout. It was my exit ticket to have some me time."

Normally, I don't like talking about my past. However, It wasn't really all that personal to talk about something positive like this—especially when I could have a student relate to it. As long as they're not asking too many personal questions, that is.

"Nn. We should do this again." Shiroko gave me a smile of her own.

"I'd be up for it. Can't promise it'd be everyday, but I'll make sure my schedule is open in the morning."

We then went quiet again. I've gotta say, this is a lot different than jogging with Amir. He can do it, but his version of a jog would be running to one end of Europe and back. This Shiroko kid didn't talk as much as him, wasn't as fast as him and also enjoyed the peace and quiet. Really, this is quite nice actually.

That said... the more I run, the more I see how hard-up this place is. It's one thing to see a residential building sticking out of the sand—it's another to see sand collecting on the streets, buildings lopsided like that one leaning tower, and places with cardboarded windows that look like they've been painted cream because of all the sand.

I'm feeling that instinct to help people again. From one pan-fire into the other.

...

Another 15 minutes pass and we've returned back to the school. Shiroko and I go through the gate and stand under the shade in front of the entrance.

"Good run, Shiroko." I hold out a hand for her to give a high-five. "We'll work out a schedule together. Need to get a phone, though."

She gives me that high-five and smiles. "Nn. I'll be here."

Together, the two of us go through the entrance. There, sitting on a chair reading a magazine, was Amir. He hears us coming through and flashes us a thumbs up.

"Yo, Arthur." He gives me his ever-confident smile. "You're looking a lot better."

►–►–►

"Yeah." Arthur replies. "Anything happen while I was out?"

I shrug. "Nah. The others are doing their own thing, and Drifter still ain't back. Hey, did you two go on a jog?"

"Nn." Shiroko nods quickly, looking happier than I've seen so far.

"We ran 20 kilometers." Arthur casually adds. "Helped clear my head of some inner demons."

"Damn, you must've been pissed or something. Feel bad for the girl." I remark jokingly.

"Actually, it was her who took the lead." Arthur replies with words that almost make me drop the magazine issue I was reading. "She's got a route all figured out. Knows the place like the back of her hand."

"Really?!" I remark with genuine shock, no pun intended. "Wow, a person who can actually keep up with Arthur's routine. That's a real kick in the head."

"Nn." Shiroko nods. "I really enjoyed the jog."

"Hey, well it's good to see Arthur already making some friends." I flash a thumbs up to them both. "Oh, right... You seen any abandoned Atomicycles on the way? We're sure gonna need some new ones."

"...Right." I can see Arthur mentally switch gears into business mode. "We are gonna need some. Can't summon them like Drifter can-"

"Actually, I can't."

A familiar voice speaks up behind Arthur and Shiroko, making them both jump. Drifter.
He's using a different warframe than yesterday. Think he called this one Lavos Prime or something?

"Whoa!" Arthur flinches a good foot or so. "Hell did you come from? Wait, why are you-"

"I just got here." Drifter answers.

"Nn. Welcome back, Drifter-sensei." Shiroko gives him a smile. "...You're wearing the suit of armor from the viral video?"

"Yes I am. Figured it'd be best to wear the Lavos suit for something I'm gonna do soon. So, about the Atomicycle..." he pauses to walk over and lean on one of the other chairs. "...I can't summon mine. Believe me, I tried. Had to get here a different way."

"You can't summon that thing? You serious right now, dude?" I ask, completely confused.

"Hey, don't ask me. I'm just as confused." He responds immediately. "Pimped that thing out too. Now I've gotta find something new and start from scratch."

"Sounds like we've got our plans for today." Arthur replies, sounding unusually passionate.

"Hold on a moment." Drifter holds up a hand. "There's one thing we've gotta do. Come with me; we're gonna host a public broadcast to all of Kivotos. Shiroko, you can go tell the rest that today's gonna be a resting day—"

"Wait." Shiroko interrupts. "We have something to talk about. We've finished going through the evidence. Hoshino is preparing a meeting... it's about something we found."

"Oh right! You guys did say you nabbed some documents." I say as I get out of my chair. "What kinda stuff did you find?"

Shiroko's gaze unexpectedly hardens. "You'll see. Follow me."

Shiroko starts walking off down the hallway. Me, Arthur and Drifter exchange looks with each other, and then follow after her.

...

"Ah, Schale's Sensei's! Welcome!"

Nonomi warmly greets us as we enter the clubroom. But as I look at the others, I can see she's clearly the odd one out.
Serika looks pissed, Ayane looks forlorn, and Hoshino looks frustrated. And I could just feel the quiet anger radiating off Shiroko.

Yeah, this definitely ain't the time for my usual song and dance.

"Morning, Sensei." Serika greets us politely as we take our seats at the table, despite her visible mood.

"So... What's the matter?" Arthur asks right away. "That's quite a few documents on the table there."

Hoshino taps her finger on one of the paper sheets. "This."

She then grabs it and hands it across the table to Drifter, who takes it and then begins reading it. I can tell he's taking his sweet time, too, cause he reads it quickly once, backtracks and starts again from a slower pace.

"...These are deeds to various plots of Abydos's land..." He starts, sounding baffled at first but turning into anger. "...Why are almost all of them except the school itself owned by Kaiser?"

"The Abydos Student Council." Hoshino answers coldly as Drifter passes the document to me and Arthur. "They have the right to do that, and so they willingly sold it away. This was way before the Foreclosure Task Force was a thing... It happened when I was still a first-year."

"And you're telling me they signed away your rightful land?" Arthur asks, sounding utterly baffled. "I'll admit, I still can't fully wrap my head around how all this works. But If I may risk sounding like an idiot... That's like selling a city hall, right?"

"...Kind of." Hoshino answers after some deliberation. "It's not as simple as that, but you're on the right track. Drifter-sensei, did you fill them in on the situation?"

He nods. "Yeah. Hope you don't mind."

"Nah, it saves us some time." Hoshino gives a slight smile. "If you trust them, I'll trust them too."

"So... this big corpo is trying to buy up all your land." I lean forward on the desk. "And they were the ones funding the attacks on your school? Hell are they after?"

"The school itself." Arthur cuts in, sounding genuinely angry. "They want to make Abydos their playground. Like the damned Scaldra."

"Scaldra?" Serika questions.

I turn to Drifter and give him a knowing look. "...You wanna tell them or should we?"

"You do it. Just keep it kid-friendly."

"Right, so...!" I immediately continue. "You already know Drifter's country is a collapsed hellhole, right?"

"Yeah." Ayane solemnly nods.
"I heard about it from them." Serika says, pointing to Hoshino and Ayane.
"Nn." Shiroko nods simply.
"Um, I also got the story later." Nonomi replies kind of sad-like. "My condolences..."
"Yup." Hoshino gives a knowing look to Drifter. Weird...

"Well, the Scaldra's the military of that country." I say bluntly. "They're tyrants. They take people's water and food, and then throw them to the wolves... If there were even wolves left. They're using the chaos to take control and break those people."

"It goes further than that." Arthur adds. "But if we got into detail, I think we'd make you kids a little too uncomfortable. Drifter here tells me that death and murder is unheard of here."

Those last words make the FTF members visibly tense.

"...Yeah." Nonomi answers uneasily.

Arthur leans his arms on the desk. "Then that's all we're gonna say about it. Gist of the story is this; they're evil. And I've had the misfortune of meeting their leader—we all wanna burn him alive for what he's done."

Once again, the Abydos kids tense. But this time, Drifter is the first one to speak.

"...Sorry, but I'm with these two on that. No promise of mine can save him from the karma he'll get coming to him. He is genuinely evil."

"Then let's leave it at that." Hoshino cuts in authoritatively. "So, we've gone through all the seized documents, besides that one. We're gonna hand them over to you guys."

"Alright." Drifter sets the paper in his hand back down on the table. "They might know we have all this now, but I'll find a way to use this evidence anyways. Anything of note?"

"Just the type of stuff you'd expect from a no-good lying company like them." Serika states hatefully. "But you might find something that'll interest you if you keep reading it. You have experience dealing with people like them, after all."

"Yeah. I already have an idea of how I'm gonna take action against them." Drifter gets up from his chair. "But in the meantime, I want you kids to do something for me."

"Yes?" Nonomi answers curiously.

"Lay low for a couple days." Drifter begins. "I've got some Schale business I can't put off any longer. Besides, I think we've all earned ourselves some downtime for now. But if anything happens... send me a message on this."

Drifter pulls the Shittim Chest off his hip and pulls up an application named "MomoTalk" on the screen. The other students' eyes widen, probably recognizing what it is.

"Uhe? You want us to add you on MomoTalk?" Hoshino gives a goofy giggle, the tension in the room seeming to dissipate in that moment. "Don't mind if we do~"

The kids then pull out their datapad-phones, doing something or other on them. Man, technology has moved fast.

"...And there we go." Drifter returns the tablet to his hip about a minute later, and gets out of his chair. "Anything happens, I'll drop whatever I'm doing and rush over here. Until then, I want you all to rest, okay?"

"Okay~" They all answer in unison.

"Right then. Amir, Arthur, let's go. We have shit to do, remember? And after that, we go get ourselves some wheels."

"...Oh, right." I responded after a delay, having to remember what exactly we were going to do. "Not sure I need one, though."

"Well I'm looking forward to finding some." Arthur also responds, sounding pretty excited by his standards.

"Wait, you're forgetting something."

Hoshino abruptly gets out of her chair, pulling something from under it. The money bag from yesterday's heist.

"Ah, right. Thanks for keeping it safe." Drifter walks over to her side and takes it from her hands. "We'll use this money in the relief efforts. That includes funding a steady supply of essentials to you all."

"Thank you, Sensei." Hoshino thanks him with a kind smile. "For all that you've done."

"I'm happy to help." He replies in a gentle tone. "Now, we'll see you kids later."

With that cue, Drifter leaves the room. Me and Arthur turn back around and wave at the kids, who wave back as we exit the room. I close the door behind us, catching up to the other two lickety-split.

...

"Y'know... You said we're gonna hold a public broadcast, right? How are we gonna do that?"

He points to the tablet as we walk. "This thing."

"Oh, right... That thing can do a lot, can't it?"

"Seems like it." Arthur comments dryly. "Didn't think computers would get this advanced so quick."

Drifter leads the three of us to a random room downstairs on the first floor. It looked like some sort of conference room in an office, with one giant table surrounded by a dozen swiveling office chairs. I gotta say, this made for a better clubroom then the one we were in. Why weren't they using this one instead?

"Right. Now you two, stand over there." Drifter points us to one of the walls lit sideways by the sunlight, taking position with the other one. He drops the money bag beneath the table and pulls the Shittim Chest off his hip, placing it on the table and deploying its inbuilt stand to help angle its camera towards him. "Arona, can you prepare a city-wide broadcast?"

≪ Right away, Drifter-sensei! ≫ Arona talks over the tablet's speaker. ≪ I'll start it when you're ready – just say when! ≫

"Sol, we're really doing this, eh?" Arthur voices wryly. "Never been one for public attention."

"First time for everything, right?" I reply, patting his shoulder a few times. "Y'know, I always wondered what it was like to be on this side of an official broadcast. Ooh, you'd think I'd make a good King of Britannia?"

"No." Arthur replied dryly. "Just thinking about that might make my headache come back."

"You had a headache?" I raise an eyebrow. "Uh, anyways, y'know I'm not gonna do that."

"Can you guys keep it down?" Drifter suddenly speaks while he's adjusting his posture. "Don't want the people to hear you muttering in the background. It'd ruin the surprise."

I snap my finger and point at him with a smile. "You got a point there. That'd suuuuck."

"Arona, start the broadcast with a 5 minute countdown. Make sure the audio is muted until it reaches 0."

≪ You got it! ≫ Arona replies cheerfully.

"Sheesh, what can't that thing do?" I whisper quietly enough for only the three (no wait, four) of us to hear.

Both Arthur and Drifter shrug. Really helpful, guys.

---

"The Z post has been made, Makoto."

"Kehehe! Excellent, Iroha! The chaos Sensei has wrought on the Stygian Bank makes me, the Great Makoto, so proud!"

"-sigh-... Whatever you say, Makoto."

This entire week has been nothing but shows of power after another. Sensei has seemingly up and completely destroyed all of the Black Market's self-policing force while he was seizing that bank's funds. That was a sizable force he took out by himself, and he made it look like he wasn't even trying.

Honestly, she's kind of terrified of Sensei now.

If he, as a halo-less man, can do the type of damage the Head Prefect can... then as the tank commander of the Pandemonium Society, she might have actual nightmares of becoming his enemy. Although she didn't have the courage to say anything, she desperately hoped Makoto wouldn't do something stupid to try and get him on their side. He was better left alone.

Even though he just declared a stance of neutrality about 10 minutes ago, it wasn't like a non-aggression pact. A stance of neutrality could be revoked on a whim if they do something to antagonize him. It wasn't a written contract, after all.

But... if, daresay, he ever ended up fighting alongside the Pandemonium Society, then that would be the greatest day in their history. Trinity would be nothing but ash in days, maybe even hours.

"Makoto! Pencils, please!"

"Ah, of course Ibuki. Here ya go!"

Makoto reaches into her desk and pulls out some colored pencils for Ibuki to draw with. The sight of Ibuki's smile immediately dissipated the worry Iroha was feeling in her heart. There was truly nothing like a dose of Ibuki's happiness to wash away the stress.

-BAM-

Chiaki suddenly rushes into the room, slamming both of the large doors off the wall. The abruptness makes them flinch, and Ibuki quite literally jumps into the air. Iroha wanted to chastise Chiaki for that, but she ran full speed towards Makoto's desk with a serious expression.

"Makoto! It's urgent! It's about Sensei again!" she runs up to Makoto's desk, pulling out her phone. "Iroha, you might want to see this too!"

"Huh?" Iroha replies simply.

"About Sensei, you say!?" Makoto replies, eyes wide. "Well go on then, let's see what great feat he's pulled off again!"

Chiaki pulls out the remote to the projector, hitting two separate buttons to lower the screen and turn on the projector itself. She connects her phone to a cord in the drawer, which displays the video input from her phone. But the thing that pops up on the screen is unexpected.

A BlueTube stream from Schale's official channel. And it was counting down to 0 from 5 minutes. Right now, it was at 45 seconds.

"...A BlueTube stream from Schale!?" Makato leans forward in her chair. "Kehehe... This just got interesting. I must give this full attention."

"Makoto, look at what I drew!" Ibuki abruptly cuts in. She holds up a picture she drew of a tree, showing it off to the other three.

"It's beautiful, Ibuki!" Makoto's full attention is divided to the picture instead. She reaches down and pets Ibuki on the head. "You did such a good job! We'll pin it on the wall somewhere."

"Iroha, Iroha! Look!" Ibuki then shows it to Iroha.

"It's a great picture, Ibuki." Iroha praises Ibuki with a warm smile. "Maybe you're destined to be an artist."

"Wait, let me get it with my camera!" Chiaki brings out her camera, pointing it at Ibuki's drawing. She snaps a picture, and smiles widely. "Ah... That's going in my collection."

As Makoto continued to pet Ibuki on the head, whose own smile was outshining Chiaki's at the moment, the speakers in the office started playing audio. All present looked up to see Sensei on screen in some desolate office room. The light was shining on him sideways from a nearby window, which combined with the lack of overhead lighting felt... unnatural.

❪ Hello, Kivotos. ❫ He begins, arms crossed behind him. ❪ I am Drifter-sensei, current head of Schale, broadcasting from a spare room in Abydos High School. You might've noticed my office has been empty or staffed by my secretary. I've been here, helping these kids as part of my first official request. ❫

"He's wearing the same armor as that day..." Makoto trails off.

"Y-Yeah." Iroha nods unsteadily, "He is."

The same armor he wore in that viral video, in all its golden presence.

"Whoa, Iroha's freaked out!" Chiaki's eyes widened at Iroha's reaction. "Not that I blame her, though."

Before Ibuki could deliver some words of healing, Sensei continued talking.

❪ This district hasn't fared well. I've already made my thoughts known on Z, so I'm not gonna waste your time with that. The real reason I'm here is to make two official announcements. Let's start with number one; I hear the General Student Council has started investigating those two halo-less individuals who helped me on the Schale operation yesterday. Well... It kinda isn't necessary anymore. ❫

While Drifter-sensei is talking, Iroha and Chiaki take seats on some nearby chairs, while Ibuki takes a seat on Makoto's lap.
Iroha's initial uneasiness has mostly worn off by this point, but she cannot stop herself from shifting in her chair.

❪ As of today, I am no longer the only Sensei at Schale. Those two people were, in fact, fellow halo-less male adults that come from my home country; and it just so happens they're both my best friends. And now it's time for you to meet the two new Deputy Sensei's of Schale. Amir, Arthur, show yourselves off to the camera. ❫

"W-What!?" Makoto's jaw practically drops to the floor.

"Whoa... Two more Sensei's!?" Chiaki brings a hand near her mouth in shock. "That's gonna throw Gehenna into a frenzy again..."

Iroha just keeps watching the stream instead of saying anything. She already understood that she was watching history playing out right in front of her. On the screen, two more adults walk into the camera view and stand behind Drifter-sensei. Notably, they are wearing the exact same outfits as the two people everyone was talking about.

Holy hell, he wasn't kidding.

❪ Now, let's begin with the guy on my left. Stage is yours, Arthur. ❫

❪ Right. ❫ The man with a scar(!) on his left cheek speaks first. ❪ Nice to meet you, Kivotos; My name is Arthur Nightingale. Formerly in charge of helping the people of Drifter's home country after it collapsed. Now, formally inducted as a Deputy Sensei of Schale. You might see me around in places, helping people here like I helped those back home. ❫

His home country collapsed? That is... something alright. Iroha leaned forward slightly in her chair without realizing it.

Drifter Sensei nods. ❪ And he was very good at it too. Next up is Amir. ❫

The man wearing glasses gives a charismatic smile. ❪ How's it going, people? Name's Amir Beckett. Was part of the same group as Arthur, and then Drifter came along and really helped unscramble us from a bind we were in. Really like this city since I got here, so you'll definitely be seeing more of me. Hope you've got pizza~ ❫

Drifter-sensei places both his hands on their shoulders individually. ❪ I can give you all my word that these two are trustworthy. They, just like me, want to help you people. And as Sensei's, don't be afraid to ask us for guidance if you need it. Just know that we won't give time-wasting or trolling requests the time of day—but whenever it's being an actual teacher to the students, or satisfying a request for aid, we'll be there to help. I give you my word as the Head of Schale. ❫

❪ Yup, what he said! ❫ Amir flashes a thumbs up to the camera.

Arthur gives a kind smile to the camera. ❪ Just don't flood us with requests, yeah? We can only do so much at one time. ❫

❪ Alright. Now for announcement two... Amir, Arthur, you can go back behind the camera. ❫

The two of them then walk past Drifter-sensei and off camera. Drifter-sensei then clears his throat.

❪ Now, you might all know how bad Abydos has it here. If you've seen my post on Schale's Z account, you probably have a general idea. But it goes deeper than that. Although I am not sure if this is public knowledge, I'm going to reveal something... unfortunate. You see... Abydos High School, because of the lack of GSC-provided aid over the years, was forced to take out a loan well before I got here. That loan amounts to roughly ¥950,000,000 yen. And with only 5 students remaining in Abydos... I think you can tell how that's gonna end. ❫

Drifter pauses for effect, allowing those words to sink in. Iroha exchanges a glance with Makoto, one that basically amounts to 'holy shit, is this real!?'

❪ I'm not here to chastise the GSC, even though It's very tempting. And to the student councils, I am also not here to request you on their behalf to provide aid if you weren't planning to. Instead, I am here to talk about... this. ❫

Drifter reaches behind himself and pulls out a small piece of paper. He holds it out for the camera to see. A note payable? And it's for the debt that Abydos High School owes to Kaiser Loans. How did he manage to get that...?

❪ I have here the promissory note that represents the loan agreement between Kaiser Group, as Kaiser Loans—and Abydos High School, signed by the student council president some years ago. Now, here's what I'm gonna do. ❫

Drifter-sensei abruptly tosses the note behind him, and pulls out some sort of weirdly-shaped tan/red sidearm with an exposed glowing orange barrel. He fires right behind himself into the note, which immediately lights the note on fire while it falls through the air. He subsequently reaches down, and comes back up to show the almost-completely burnt note to the camera. The last of the fire takes what little remains of the note, burning away as embers.

❪ As you can see... that note no longer exists. This means the agreement is now null and void. However, assuming I'm actually wrong about that, I'm going to make my first executive decree as Head of Schale: As of this present moment, I—as the official head of Schale—hereby decree that the loan agreement between Kaiser Group as Kaiser Loans, and Abydos High School, is now null and voided. Additionally, I hereby issue my second executive decree: All ownership and land within the Abydos district currently owned by Kaiser Group is now forfeited to Abydos High School, effectively immediately. ❫

"Whoa... he doesn't even care about making them his enemy..." Iroha trails off, eyes wide in shock.

"Ke... Kehehehehe~!" Makoto cackles loudly, causing the other members to turn their attention to their leader. "Impressive, Sensei! A true example of a leader forging their own path by force! I must begin learning from his example at once!"

Before anyone could make a comment, Sensei continued again.

❪ I also have a message for Kaiser Group directly. I don't care if you acquired ownership of all that land through legitimate means. Abydos district land is the rightful property of Abydos High School, and even if the GSC doesn't recognize that, I do. I also don't care if your loan was perfectly legal; 5 kids should not be paying off a debt that large while you buy up all the property around them, and bide your time waiting for them to default and take their school building and it's land as security. ❫

The way Sensei says that part near the end of his message, those last words send shivers down Iroha's spine. She slowly looks to Makato, and sees even she is unnerved by Sensei's message to Kaiser Group. Her annoyingly confident smile is absent; she's looking at the screen completely seriously now, but her eyes are wavering slightly.

Ibuki, too, is now watching the stream. Though thankfully, she doesn't seem to have been paying attention to it, because she sometimes flips between drawing and watching.

Finally, after a good 8 seconds of tense silence, Sensei continues.

❪ That's the second announcement done, and it's all I have to say for now. Thank you for tuning in, Kivotos, and I wish you all a good rest of the day. ❫

And like that, the stream ends like that. A very tense, unnerving and extended silence follows.

...

"S-..." Chiaki trails off, but fumbles. She takes a deep breath and starts again. "...So... what do we do now?"

"Nothing." Makoto answers seriously. "This is not our matter to be involved in. It is between him and Kaiser. Our place is to sit and watch like the spectators we are."

"...For once, I agree with Makoto." Iroha adds. "We don't have to focus on that. There's other things we need to pay attention to. Sensei's beef with Kaiser isn't a Gehenna matter."

"Iroha, headpats!" Ibuki suddenly gets off Makoto's legs and runs up to Iroha, giving her a pleading expression.

Iroha smiles warmly. "Of course. C'mere, Ibuki."

Iroha gives Ibuki her requested headpats, earning her a very wholesome smile from Ibuki. And of course, Chiaki snaps a picture of the moment.

...

—

❪ That's the second announcement done. Thank you for tuning in, Kivotos, and I wish you all a good rest of the day. ❫

...

"...How DARE they...!"

The Kaiser PMC Director slammed his hands on his desk, observing their great company being made a mockery out of by that Sensei. And now, he's even recruited two more!? Where do they even find these people...!?

"Calm yourself, Director." The man with a cap spoke up from the seat across the table. "Somehow, Sensei has managed to locate and infiltrate our headquarters without us noticing. This will not happen again."

"'Not happen again'!? He infiltrated our VAULT!" The Director screams out in rage. "He took our leverage over Abydos and BURNED IT ON CAMERA! And then he had the gall to declare our land is now back in Abydos's hands! That MOTHERFUCKER!"

The General brought a hand to his head and sighed. "...Yes. In light of what has happened, we have strengthened anti-air defenses substantially. In addition, we've reinforced our base and its perimeter with the best technology Kivotos has to offer. If Sensei somehow returns, he won't escape."

"But the damage is already done, General." The Director snapped back. "Public trust in Kaiser Group has already fallen. We are already trending negatively on social media, and various companies are going to nullify our defense contracts within the hour. The President is displeased with all of this, and the blame falls on US for failing to defend against infiltration!"

"...I have a suggestion." The General looked at the door behind him, making sure it was truly closed. He then leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I have a certain... contact in the General Student Council. She will likely be just as displeased with Sensei as we are. She may help us strike back at him directly."

"...You have a connection within the GSC?" The President asked under a hushed voice. "You may contact her. Now be on your way, I have things to do."

"Understood. Please excuse me."

The General got up from his seat, bowed, and exited the Director's office. He made his way down the halls, passing by several patrols who saluted him in turn as he made his way towards his own office. The General pulled out his security card, using it to unlock the door to his office, then taking off his coat and hanging it on a nearby coat hanger as he entered.

"-sigh-... about time."

The General walked over to his desk and sat down, getting comfortable in the chair. Instead of turning on his PC like he usually would, he instead reached over to his landline and began dialing a number.

...

...

...

"Hello, this is Shiranui Kaya of the General Student Council's Defense Office speaking."

"Greetings, Kaya. This is the Kaiser PMC General."

"Ah... it is you. I suppose this is about our 'pact' then?"

The General shifted in his chair again, leaning back to get even more comfortable. "Indeed. Have you seen Schale's recent broadcast?"

"Of course I have." She answers immediately. "I am still biding my time, awaiting the right moment. This setback you face may have delayed the inevitable, but fate will arrive all the same. You will continue to have my support in spite of recent events."

If the General could smile, he might. "Thank you. If I may, I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I require the services of your 'associates'. Sensei cannot be allowed to get away with antagonizing and damaging Kaiser Group like this. He is too problematic a variable to our mutual plans... he must be dealt with. Killed, detained, whatever it takes to get him out of the picture."

"Hmm..." Kaya paused for a while. "...On that front, I concur. He does extend his reach too far as the head of the extrajudicial club founded by the former General Student Council president. I will arrange something in the coming days. Do remain in contact."

"It must wait at least several weeks." The General stated seriously. "If Sensei is attacked too soon, it will look like it was our doing. That is an unacceptable risk to Kaiser PMC's integrity."

"...Understood." Kaya responded, sounding slightly frustrated. "Then we will revisit this matter once you've made up your mind."

Kaya then hung up the call from her end, leaving the General to his lonesome. He corrected his posture and pulled open one of his desk's drawers, pulling out a cigarette and lighter. He lit the flame. Although he had no mouth to smoke it with, he could still smell and inhale its smoke. The mere act of doing that had the same effect as if he were to inhale it like a human.

The arrogance of Sensei was noted. He would face punishment for his hubris in due time.

—

Another batch of paperwork, another set of duties to complete. Another conference call to be made, another directive to review.

This work was endless and repetitive. But it must be done. Rin favored some work over the other because it was straightforward and rational. Sometimes, a stupid request would make its way all the way up to her station, which then necessitated a meeting with her peers to instruct them on how to pay attention. Or, someone would submit a document in Arabic numbers instead of Chinese, and she'd have to refuse it even though everything else was perfectly in line. Overall though, all this work was fulfilling. It was for the greater good, after all.

Today though, a rather interesting request has made it to her desk. A request by Kaiser Construction to evict some former SRT students occupying Kousagi Park. It seems these students were protesting the closure of SRT, and Kaiser wanted Valkyrie to intervene and evict them by force. It already had Shiranui Kaya's approval, and all the necessary credentials checked out.

Rin pulled out her business phone and dialed the number of Valkyrie's Public Security Bureau.

...

"Valkyrie Public Security Bureau's non-emergency line, Ogata Kanna speaking."

"Morning, Captain. This is Nanagami Rin. I hope you are well."

"Ah, Acting President." Kanna said with a little surprise. "Thank you for your concern, I am doing fine. What can I do for you today?"

"We've received a report of former SRT students occupying Kousagi Park, with the aim of protesting SRT Academy's closure. The General Student Council requests you to evict them from the park, as the area is currently slated for redevelopment."

"Understood." Kanna replied as cooly as always. "We'll send units there soon. Is there anything else to note?"

"If they are SRT students, it's likely they've reinforced the area. Proceed with caution."

"We will."

Rin then hung up the call, and grabbed the stamper next to the paper, giving it her official mark of approval. With the document approved, she placed it in the complete pile and grabbed the next one. It was a document from Schale, one of the important ones signed by Drifter-sensei instead of ever-diligent Yuuka. And right away, Rin could spot a problem; they were signed in Arabic numerals.

Another call to make, then. She grabbed the phone once more and dialed Schale's number.

...

"Federal Investigation Club Schale, Hayase Yuuka speaking."

---

-Postscript-

Remember when I said major canon deviation was possible? And that I wasn't following any potential official chronology? I wasn't lying.

I've got a few things to talk about this time.

You might've noticed I've been giving Hoshino a lot of attention. To me, Takanashi Hoshino is not only one of my favorite students, but is also the most compelling Blue Archive character and one of the top 3 best well-written of them all. There is a lot to explore with her character and individual story. She's saddled with a unique burden that—to my knowledge—no-one else in Blue Archive shares, while also fighting off circumstances put upon her by the previous student council. All while trying to be to her underclassman, what Yume was to her.

By this point, I've almost completely caught up with the entire main story... and Volume 1 is still my favorite solely because of Hoshino.
This directly leads me to my next point, the elephant in the room. Yeah, I imagine I might've ruffle some feathers with that.

The first major canon deviation has happened: The Abydos debt has been eradicated.

This was the point where I wanted to unquestionably establish that the Drifter is a different person in the same position as canon Sensei. He might have the same end goal as canon Sensei, but they are not the same person. I also wanted this to be the moment that differentiates Drifter from other crossover story protagonists, like the Courier from A Courier for Kivotos, or the Agent from The Divide. They, too, are similarly hands on and helped solve the conundrum Abydos finds itself in... but they didn't solve the root of the debt problem.

That's not to throw shade at those characters (and by extension, those authors); they're some of my direct inspirations. They're smart for playing it safe.

I like to explore what would happen as a result of the characters different decisions. Whenever it's the Drifter nullifying the Abydos debt, PS68 choosing to avoid engaging Abydos because Sensei is there, or Hina choosing to provide aid to Abydos because of Sensei's announcement (and to establish rapport). The protagonists and most students are active characters: Ergo, the story is actively in motion with several moving cogs.

—

Now, on a more personal note... I want your opinion, reader. I've got a bit of a problem.

Remember when I said I didn't have an answer for Volume F? I still don't. However, I've given it serious thought now that I've read a good majority chunk of the main story. I know it's probably a bit early to be thinking about it, but it is something that I have to carefully consider. And assuming it does happen (and if I get to that point at all), I have special plans for it. What I want to know is this:

Do you want to see Volume F happen in Call of the Void? I don't want just a yes-or-no answer, I want to see some reasoning with your response.
Simple yes-no answers will be disregarded.

Your input will help me make my choice. Leave your thoughts known in both the reviews and AO3's comment section. For the record, I am not biased for or against Volume F: I could go either way. This is because when it comes to some specific things, I still intend for them to eventually be present at some point. You can probably guess what I'm alluding to.

Just know that Volume F may go a lot differently then you may think, if it does happen. Make your thoughts known. I will be listening.

—

The next few chapters will likely be calmer then usual—we are now in an interlude arc. In addition, you might see some MomoTalk chapters; these will be at least 1/3rd of normal chapter length.

Editing mistakes may have slipped through the cracks again. Please forgive those until I remedy them.

-llJaysimll