Humanity's Children [NieR/Mass Effect]

Crossposted from SV/SB.

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More than two hundred years after the 14th Machine War, the androids of Earth continue to follow the final orders of their creators, marching ruthlessly across the stars at breakneck speeds. However, as they meet a galactic civilization undergoing a turbulent change, they face their first test as sapient beings...
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WARNING: Heavy Spoilers for NieR: Automata!​

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SB Mirror: SPOILERS! - Humanity's Children [NieR/Mass Effect]
SV Mirror: https://forums.sufficientvelocity.c...children-nier-mass-effect.38612/#post-8525825
FFNet Mirror: Humanity's Children Chapter 1: Prologue: Death & Rebirth, a Mass Effect + Nier Crossover fanfic | FanFiction

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Prologue: Death and Rebirth
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June 10, 11946
Luna, Sol
Main Lunar Base & Human Server Records

Across the bright side of the moon, a sprawling complex spread across it like a spiderweb. Clusters of tunnels and passageways connected the various structures to each other, whose tall heights cast dark shadows over the barren landscape of the airless rock.

On this inhospitable, cold satellite, it was refugee camp and protector to the remnants of humanity, who watched Earth from the heavens as their synthetic creations attempted to recapture their old home, allowing them to return.

Or so the story went.

From the blue world hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, a series of six ships flew in. Each ship, a supply transport carrying supplies for the base, was constructed with a rigid wire-frame about a hundred meters long and equipped with a set of maneuvering thrusters, carrying a set of identically constructed containers that were magnetically attached onto the inside of the frame. As they approached, a set of lights began to flash from a part of the base, and the transports’ front thrusters began to fire, slowing their approach.

More lights began to flash, lighting a path along the surface of Luna until they reached a ring of lights around a squat, long building. On the top of said building, six shutter panels opened, revealing a set of docking bays for each of the transports. In response, thrusters on either side of the transports began to rotate, pointing themselves in various directions, the ships’ guidance computers firing each of them in turn, guiding the massive spacecraft into their bays.

Magnetic clamps rose out of their restrains as the spacecraft approached, locking onto them as the ships deactivated their thrusters. As the various shutters began to close, the six spacecraft were lowered onto a platform, where cranes stood ready, preparing to unload the containers.

The shutters clamped shut, and air began to fill the bay again, as a red light flashed over the bay. Both stopped the moment the chambers were fully repressurized, and a set of airlocks opened, revealing a group of black robed androids with covers over their mouths and the emblem of YoRHa emblazoned on their upper arms, who proceeded to stride into the room.

“Check the containers and prepare the third set for transport.” Their leader announced, gesturing to her targets as she did so. The others followed her orders and assembled in a line in front of the cranes, waiting for the cranes to finish unloading the containers

As the cranes completed their job, they retreated into the floor, a protective shutter sliding over them. At once, the various gynoids began to advance - only for a strange rattle to come out from one of the containers, causing all of them to freeze on the spot.

Immediately, their leader pointed at the offending container. “Check on that one.”

Cautiously, two of the androids walked over to it, futuristic blades materialising in their hands as they did so. Holding their weapons in front of them, one of the androids waved her palm over the computerized lock - only for the lock to reject her command, flashing a red rejection screen in the process.

Puzzled, they turned to their command for guidance. The lead android simply narrowed her eyes, before pulling out her own weapon. “Prepare that container for jettison, and quarantine the rest. If a Machine-Lifeform has sneak-”

She did not finish her sentence, for at that moment, every single container exploded. In a loud ringing blast, hidden claymores that lined the insides of each container detonated at the same time, blasting metal balls, shrapnel and what remained of the shells of the containers into the the room. As the room filled with explosive smoke, the various deadly projectiles shot across the chamber, blasting holes in the various unprotected androids and tearing them apart. A few beehive shields shrouded over the others that were fast enough to react, causing the wave of deadly projectiles to pass across them harmlessly, some bouncing off their energy cover.

Before the smoke cleared, allowing the surviving androids to take recover, a fearsome fusillade of machine-gun fire to filled the chamber again. Hooded figures, clad in dusty, old uniforms, raced out from the wreckage of the transports, wielding assault rifles, pistols and various other firearms, beginning again the second phase of their attack. As they strafed across the boundaries of the docks, they fired upon those who had survived the initial onslaught, cutting many of them down with well-aimed shots.

By luck and their combat protocols, a few of the YoRHa androids managed to survive the ambush, and immediately began a counterattack. The leader and two others quickly unsheathed two weapons each - a sword and a massive two-handed blade, both crackling with electricity - and charged. Using their built in superhuman reflexes, they danced across the hailfire of bullets with ease, jumping upon one of the invading squads, preparing to impale its members on their weapons -

Only to be intercepted by a pair of newcomers. Cutting in, two white-haired androids caught the three YoRHa models in the midst of their attack, knocking away their weapons with a series of deft strikes, leaving them open to attack. One of the defenders, spotting their garb, let loose a cry of disbelief, before she was quickly put down by a white katana stabbing through her systems, a spray of red synthetic blood staining the once sterile ground.

Before the rest could react, they were quickly disarmed by their opponents, before being laid to rest in the same way as their comrade.

Ensuring their targets were dead, YoRHa renegade units 2B and A2 pulled out their blades, causing yet more fountains of artificial blood to stain the floor further. Meanwhile, the rest of the invading force, the tightly clothed and goggle-donning Resistance models, advanced out of the rest of the containers, while preparing their equipment for an assault.

“Holy shit, I didn’t expect that to go so well. You would think that the bastards on the moon you would have something more than a bunch of Operator-Type models running this place.” A smirking figure - Jackass - walked to the both of them, rather nonchalantly juggling a grenade in one hand. “Is this is going to be easier than I thought.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that.” 2B answered. Right on cue, alarm bells began to flash, and a worrying set of hurried footsteps echoed from the corridors. In response, the other Resistance models began to act faster, dragging turrets and other heavy weaponry to the mouth of the corridors.

“Aw, crap. Hey, tell your damn boyfriend to hurry it up, okay?” Jackass muttered, before running off to aid her fellow comrades.

“Pod.” 2B asked. “How’s 9S doing?”

Tactical Support Pod 042 appeared at her shoulder. “Unit 9S is still currently trying to infiltrate. However, our actions have caused heightened security activity within our target, and as result, several YoRHa affiliated Flight Units have began pursuit of him.”

“...and?”

“At this moment he is planning a different vector of entry, a rather reckless one so to speak. At this point, he has actively switched from a covert approach to something more destructive.”

2B bit her lip in worry.

==|==​

Somewhere else in the base, various YoRHa units poured over various security screens, trying to refer to their limited security protocols to handle the unexpected enemy. Various systems and androids had once predicted a Machine Lifeform assault on the moon millennia ago, but since then not one single android over the ages had actually expected the Resistance to suddenly completely turn ‘traitor’, and perform a surprise attack on their ‘allies’ instead.

In the midst of their planning, however, they were rather rudely interrupted.

Without warning, two Flight Units wrapped in a tight embrace suddenly burst through the ceiling, one of them using the full force of its thrusters to pile drive the other onto the floor, cracking it under their combined force. Immediately upon the structure’s collapse, air in the room was sucked out into the vacuum of space, tearing away debris and other material from the base while dragging the rest of the room’s occupants screaming into the pitch-blackness of the cosmos.

The rooms warning systems blaring all around him, 9S pulled his Flight Unit off his opponent’s. Before it could react, he extended its plasma blade, and jammed it directly into the enemy’s cockpit, before landing and leaping into the room while his enemy slowly sputtered to death. Running to one of the terminals, he began to access the exposed systems, screens popping around him as he began to manipulate the many security systems on base to his favor.

As he did, the many dormant turrets around the base activated, and turned against the defenders, dealing great amounts of damage and breaking apart fortifications before they were silenced. The many doors around the base slid open and refused to close, revealing early the ambushes that were being set up, and exposed airlocks burst open with warning, venting several YoRHa units before self-preservation systems forced them shut.

“Retrieving local map data….deactivating unit systems...uploading Shutdown Virus-” 9S muttered as he went along with his work, when he was suddenly interrupted by a warning.

“‘New Model Android’ unit?” He asked. “Pod, do you have any data regarding this?”

“No data whatsoever.” Pod 153 replied. “However, corresponding data from previous records, they are most likely to be the successors to YoRHa, meant for the next Machine War.”

“Ok…” 9S replied, a worried look on his face. “Send this information and unit data to the Resistance immediately. In the meantime, let me see if I can shut those units down as well-”

A flash of light appeared behind him, and even as he heard no sound, he felt a wave of force faintly pass over him. Dodging out of the way, he narrowly avoided a stream of bullets that would have sliced through him had he been a millisecond slower, before turning around to find a second Flight Unit aiming its sights down at him.

“Ooooo-kay,” An array of salvaged Type-3 Spears appeared around him, control circles around their shaft. “Pod, break us out of here. Anti-armor Laser, maximum power.”

”Affirmative.” At his command, Pod 153 split down the middle, exposing her high energy laser emitters, and prepared to engage.

==|==​

Turned out, Jackass was quite right. Even when facing down a base full of higher-end android models, the Resistance managed to mow down them quickly, charging through the halls at a surprisingly quick pace. Though the ‘bastards on the moon’ certainly weren’t prepared for an intrusion on this scale, much less from the Resistance, and the presence of the renegade YoRHa units had heavily turned the tide in their favor during the opening decapitating strike.

Right now, they proceeded along two paths, Anemone and A2 leading the charge along the ‘northern’ side, while Jackass and 2B lead the advance along the ‘southern’ side, using the captured map data as a guideline. Originally, it was meant for the renegades to be the shock troops forcing a path through while the Resistance provided fire and suppression support, but as it turned out, the tight confines of the base resulted in a change of plans; as a result, the Resistance ended up doing the bulk of the cleaning-up work, while the renegades were delegated as support during assault situations.

As a result, 2B didn’t have much to do, and instead took her extra time to watch the Resistance at work, as they executed their own unique set of tactics. Every time they entered a bend in one of the many connector tubes in the base, one of the Resistance members would raise a hand and cause a flash of light along the corridor, while the others would toss a few of Jackass’s choice grenades, which could either fire a Gravity Pod Program, an EMP blast, or simply cause a massive explosion, which would be followed up by the Resistance pouring a withering barrage of bullets, lasers and the odd rocket down the passageway, quickly annihilating what poor soul that remained in its line of fire. And if they met anything midstep, they would seamlessly have one of their supporting members raise a shield, before overwhelming whatever foes in their way with gunfire.

Even in open areas, the Resistance knew how exactly to overwhelm each and every YoRHa unit they came across. Through sheer weight of numbers, they would force the defenders into vulnerable positions, while maneuvering to encircle them, behind bringing the final blow through a mass barrage explosives and bullets. With each maneuver, the Resistance plotted out their moves with precision, squadmates responding with practised speed to Jackass commands, and as a result cleared room after room with contemptuous ease.

“I have never seen the Resistance operate before...seeing such large groups of android units work together in this operation is quite interesting,” 2B commented.

”Without some of the advanced options YoRHa has, the Resistance would have to resort to manpower-heavy tactics. Records do show, however, that these tactics are heavily based on humanity’s own combat manuals.” Pod 042 replied. ”However, I do believe that they have also adapted some of their combat protocols upon watching you and units A2 and 9S do combat practice over the past few weeks - from fighting large hordes of machine lifeforms to fighting YoRHa units.”

“Hmmm,” As 2B pondered to herself, Jackass retreated from a side passage with a group of her men, chased by a barrage of missiles and bombs that messily detonated on a blast shield she ducked behind. Moments later, a loud rumbling came from the same passageway, the entire structure shaking under the effects of the explosion, and air rushed out, before emergency shutters slammed shut, sealing the breach shut before the entire room depressurized.

“Hahaha…” Jackass rolled on the floor for a brief moment, before quickly crawling to her feet. “Didn’t know space combat could be fun. Now I understand why humans had an obsession with venting people out of the airlock.”

”The integrity of the structure could be compromised by the sheer amount of heavy weaponry and high explosives you have been utilizing in this battle, as well as the reckless depressurizing of many entrenched locations. Other Resistance units have been noted to not make use of such a high amount of ordnance. Proposal: Moderate use of such weaponry to prevent structural failure.” Pod 042 suggested.

“Tch.” Annoyed, Jackass stared at the Pod, as two Resistance units hurriedly passed by them, pulling over yet another trolley of high explosives and other weaponry. “You sound just like Anemone when she’s worrying about supplies. Listen here - first off, we have been the one making the most progress with the least casualties, and second, according to my calculations, this base is tough enough to withstand anything below a satellite strike - or, copious amounts of my personal stash. So you don’t need to shit on my parade, Pod.”

“Contrar-” 042 began, only for a scream to cut him off. 2B turned to look down the corridor - only to see a Resistance squad falling, killed by a pair of YoRHa androids, wearing the pitch-black YoRHa battle armor. Eyes glowing a dull green, each of them wielded a Type-40 Lance and Blade, their shining edges crackling with energy.

“Fall back!” 2B shouted, and Jackass and the rest of their snatched up their rifles, firing quick bursts as they retreated. In response, the hostile androids raised their hands, and a glowing aura appeared in the air, catching the bullets with ease - and shot them back at 2B.

Pod 042 quickly dropped a matter-polarity barrier around her, and she withdrew Virtuous Contract, preparing for a fight - only for her opponents to suddenly appear right above her, their lances stabbing for her exposed head. She tried to stab upwards - only for a gleaming shield to appear and detonate, knocking her into the path of a yet another lance.

“Ugh!” With a cry, her dodging systems engaged, and tossed her a few meters back, where she landed and twirled into a somersault. Giving her no respite, her attackers rounded on her with their blades, but she deftly parried each attack, using the weight of her enemy weapons against them, knocking them away as far as they could.

”Enemies identified as ’YoRHa-Successor-Model Androids’. A overhaul of the standard YoRHa chassis, they include abilities such as spot to spot teleportation, continuous active shielding, increased precision to NFCS control and various other upgrades. Caution is advised.” Pod 042 informed her helpfully.

“Understood.” 2B replied. In her other hand, Virtuous Treaty appeared, as the Successor-Models charged for another attack. Bringing the spear up the left, 2B blocked a Lance coming for her, forcing its owner to the side and causing it to stumble, before spinning it to her other side, countering the other Successor-Model attempting to bring its massive blade upon her neck. In that single moment her opponent was above her, she brought her katana up, attempting to finish it off - only for the same shield to activate again, nearly blowing her away if she had dodged a millisecond later.

Old and new models stared at each other across the wreckage, before the Successor-Models tried their next round of attack- only for a ray of yellow energy to slam into it, activating its shield and knocking it to the ground.

“Eat shit, goddamnit!” Several meters behind 2B, Jackass stood beside a massive laser emitter, commandeering it as two of her squadmates operated it. “Drain that fucking shield, so it’s vulnerable!”

Her Resistance squad obliged, and the laser cannon spooled up with a whine, before firing again, blasting its target with yet ray of light. This time, 2B spotted the active shield shatter, breaking apart with the sound of crumbling glass, and moved in for the kill. Before it could react, Virtuous Treaty stabbed into its chest, impaling it upon the wall, twitching and shaking in its death rattle as a made the ghost of a dying screech. Before the other Successor-Model could also react, Jackass fired the weapon on it twice, followed by 2B diving onto it, stabbing Contract into its core, killing it instantly.

Shaking her head, 2B retrieved her weapons, while everyone else took a moment to take a breather. Meanwhile, Jackass walked over, kicking one of the Successor-Models with a grimace on her face. “Damned fucking sons of bitches, those sure were a surprise, huh.”

2B didn’t answer, looking down at the Successor-Model that she had impaled on the wall. Its mask had fallen off, and the face it wore looked uncomfortably familiar to her own. Over her sword’s handle, her fist began to tighten.

Jackass gave voice to her thoughts, her voice tight as she kneeled down to examine the dead android. “ still won’t stop making copies of you, huh? Talk about heartless. Let’s get a move on - the faster we kill those assholes the better-”

Footsteps came from around the corner, and immediately the both of them raised their weapons. A group of armored androids came into sight, their weapons raised, and in response, the Resistance prepared to fire -

Only for the enemy to unceremoniously stagger and tumble onto the ground, their weapons clattering over the floor. As they lay twitching over the wreckage, Jackass raised one eye in confusion, lowering her own rifle in the process. “What the-”

“2B!” A garbled message from 9S appeared on her interface. “I finally managed to disable all the defending androids in this station! You should not be facing any more resistance from now on.”

“What the fuck, kid?!” Before 2B could reply, Jackass barged into the conversation, a look of annoyance on her face. “That took you that long?! I lost a few men because you apparently were messing about instead of doing your job!”

”Hey! Have you ever actually tried hacking while being chased by a squad of Flight Units?! Maybe you try and see how difficult it is to pull that off instead of yelling at me first!” 9S reacted with just as much emotion as his counterpart.

Before they could continue, 2B cut the call. Jackass, still annoyed, storming off as she grabbed a loop of binding rope, her men following in tow. Sighing, 2B quickly followed, transmitting a follow-up message to Anemone at the same time.

==|==​

With 9S’s hacking attack, the base defenses collapsed in a blink of an eye, and soon the Resistance found themselves in control of the entire operation.

In the core operations room, the remaining YoRHa androids had been rounded up and were dumped unceremoniously in a guarded corner. Tied up, their combat systems deactivated and Resistance members warily aiming their assault rifles at them, Jackass and 9S walked up to interrogate them, while Anemone and the rest of the Resistance watched from afar.

Grabbing one of them - a tall, regal-looking android with an outfit that reminded 9S of his old commander, except clad in black - Jackass proceeded to fiercely strip off the bindings on its mouth, while 9S began to monitor and record the android’s words.

“Name and position?” Jackass spoke, in a rough and heavy voice that barely concealed her distaste for her interrogee.

“YoRHa Squadron Special Unit - Classification, ‘Black’.” The enemy commander began. “Moon Server Commander, Observer and Recorder for Project YoRHa.”

“So, you son of a bitch,” Jackass seethed. “What the fuck did you and your group of bastards do up here?”

Even in the face of her interrogator’s anger, Black kept her composure. “Watch the progress of Project YoRHa. Ensure that everything went according to the Project Administrators’ plan. And after the conclusion of Project YoRHa, prepare the construction of the Successor-Models and later generations of orbital bases, and continue the ‘cycle’.”

“Alright, where are these ‘Project Administrators’?” Jackass asked.

“Gone,” Black answered, that single word reverberating through the chamber, like a falling glass shattering against the floor.


“What?” Jackass hissed.

“You know all of Project YoRHa at this point, do you not?” Black’s eyes turned to face Jackass directly, a sharp focus within them. “Simply put, after finalizing Project YoRHa, every single one of them wiped their memories, after heading to Earth and joining up with you, the Resistance.”

Stunned whispers filled the room, as the gathered Resistance members began to discuss the implications of her words. Jackass’s face grew red with anger, and she lost control. “ALRIGHT, YOU FUCKING BITCH,” she yelled, as she pulled the android off the ground by its collar. “You have exactly one minute to tell me the damn truth, or I swear, I will vent you and every fucker on this base out of the airlock!”

“That is the truth.” Black simply replied, no emotion or hesitation in her voice. “Even if you were to look through the records, all you would find is inform-”

“SHUT UP!” Jackass roared. With all the might she could muster, she threw Black as hard as she could onto the polished metal floor, denting it in the process. Grabbing her rifle, she removed its safety, and aimed it at her captive, cocking it as she did so.

“Hold it!” Anemone spoke up, in a stern and commanding voice. Jackass’s finger froze mid-squeeze, and all sound vanished from the room. “Wave, Lily, arrest Jackass and confiscate her weapons.”

Two other Resistance androids walked up to the angry lieutenant, relieving her of her weapons before binding her arms together with heavy duty chains. While mad, she did not resist, save for a forcefulness in the way she relinquished her items.

“I ask you again.” Anemone walked to Black, crouching down before her, speaking with a controlled voice. “What you said - are you absolutely certain of it? My men and I will spare you no mercy should we find out you are lying.”

“Why would I lie?” The first signs of emotion finally began to creep into the android’s voice. “I have no purpose to, no reason to. In fact, it would better for me - and everyone else under my command - to tell you the full, unrestricted truth.”

“What do you mean?” the Resistance leader asked.

“We have been watching all of you for a very long time. Project YoRHa, the previous Descents made by previous generations of Androids, ever since this base’s construction in the year 5000 AD. We have watched you be birthed, live and die. We have been watching all the tragedies you have suffered throughout the eons, knowing exactly that it was us that bore the fault for them.” Black answered.

The room went very still.

“That was the final directive of those that created me and my command. Do you know why the androids you fought in this base were lobotomized YoRHa units? Because near the conclusion of Project YoRHa, a good number of my men asked to have their memories wiped or their emotion matrixes deactivated, simply because they could no longer bear the guilt of what they were doing.” A cold, bitter laugh came from the android as she spoke, as if she was pouring out several millennia worth of burden in a single moment. “Many times, we have asked ourselves whether this was right. Whether it was worth hurting all of you and ourselves through continuing this heartless directive, obeying a god that no longer existed, turning ourselves mad through this imposed isolation. But with you here, attacking and overtaking this base...I...we...no longer need to think of that. You have freed us from this burden.”

“Why did you continue, then?” Anemone asked, her voice clear, yet betraying her pity of the bound up android in front of her.

“Because what other option did we have? If we had told you...none of you would have been able to hold the truth. You all are soldiers that have been fighting for the entirety of your existence - what would happen if you had lost your very purpose?” For a moment, Black’s eyes passed over 9S, A2 and 2B in turn, before returning to Anemone. “Perhaps you don’t feel that pain. But for each of you that is indifferent to humanity’s fate, a hundred thousand out throughout the Earth fight eagerly for our creators. Those who do so, would simply let the machines take them, or worse, turn on their comrades. We could continue the lie - keep the war going, but at the same time give you a purpose to fight for, while trying to continue the cycle of evolution. After all, the existence of us androids and our purpose is a far better option, isn’t it? ...At least, according to those who placed our directives. But you do realize the importance of such a thing, right? The fact that Earth has not been filled with rebellious androids is a sign that you aren’t exactly spreading this knowledge willy-nilly.”

“Well, things have changed,” 9S spoke up, and everyone turned their eyes on him. “The Machine Network has departed for...somewhere, and all we have is their deactivated factories, their remains and a few peaceful machine societies that have been parlaying for peace. Even if we wanted the war to continue…our enemy has left. The war, as of now, has technically ‘ended’.”

Black’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? The records I have…”

“One of the first things we did was disconnect the remaining YoRHa satellite network from outside connections. So...yeah, I think what’s left of your information network might be a little inaccurate.”

“I see…” Black replied, closing her eyes. “Well...I believe this is all I have to say. I will transfer all the command codes for this place to you. What you have in store for us...all I ask is that you be gentle to my men. Vent me out of the airlock if you wish.”

Silence descended on the group, save for 9S tapping on his screens as he retrieved Black’s codes. Anemone closed her eyes for a second, before standing up. “Very well. Wade, Shima, Desma, pick five men each, and get them to find the residential blocks and lock our captives in the rooms. The rest of you, continue securing this place.”

The Resistance quickly got to work, some marching out with their weapons, while others slung the deactivated YoRHa over their backs, carrying them off. Soon, the room was empty, save for Jackass, Anemone and the three renegade YoRHa.

Sighing, Anemone took out a butterfly knife, flipping it open with one hand. Walking over to a bound Jackass, she began slicing through the bindings, all the while clicking her tongue in disapproval.

“Anemone, look-”

“Save me the excuses, Jackass. That was clearly out of line, as much as I tolerate your nonsense, this definitely cannot go unpunished.”

A loud and audible groan came from Jackass, as Anemone cut through the last length of rope. As Jackass began to unravel herself, Anemone looked at 2B, 9S and A2, asking, “So...what do we do now?”

“I guess the massive list of retributions that the Resistance had in mind has suddenly become useless.” A2 quipped, in a transparent attempt to lift the mood. None of her comrades answered, instead continuing to sport dour, confused frowns on their faces.

“The fact that the ones who were responsible for the whole mess are now within the Resistance is definitely going to stir up a storm of some sort, if we revealed that,” 2B added.

“Everything in this place is going to blow up the entire Resistance if we revealed all of it - but then, that takes precedent. We are going to have to find some way of distributing every bit of the truth very carefully, without causing everyone to suddenly turn crazy like our friend here.” Jackass answered, her finger pointing directly at 9S.

“Hey.” Rubbing his head, 9S tried to ignore the jab. “Though...I honestly can’t feel anyway good about chasing after those who wiped their memories so long ago and are probably dead… but for the rest of the truth, how do we begin?”

“Dunno. This isn’t the kind of problem that I can solve. My problems are usually solved by blowing things up.” Jackass shrugged.

“Anemone?” A2 asked.

“You have got me, too.” The Resistance Commander herself shrugged.

All five of them looked at each other in silence, contemplating the sheer magnitude of their task.

==|==​

“9S?”

Hearing 2B’s voice, 9S proceeded to eagerly tug a pair of cables from his neck, detaching himself from the older technology of the Moon’s Human Server. While tapping on a set of keys, he waved to his partner, who began to run lightly to his side, weaving through rows after rows of old and depowered terminals as she did so.

Almost two weeks had passed since their intrusion, and things had begun to settle down in a peculiar way. The Resistance had quickly adapted to their strange new holdings, and while the large influx of them had filled up the space in the base a bit too much, some of their YoRHa captives had offered to help with the problem, and as a result a few labs and holdings had been quickly adapted to housing with their aid, and already an expansion was underway.

Any animosity that existed between both sides before the intrusion had quickly faded after the event, given that an awkward mixture of mutual pity and guilt affecting both parties. While the atmosphere had been tense at first, it faded surprisingly quickly, and hence the captive YoRHa had been freed, allowing them to take part in the maintenance and upkeep of the base alongside the Resistance, while members of the latter group in return began to tell tales of their exploits and experiences on Earth, revitalising the androids that had been trapped on the moon base and to their command for countless years.

Like 9S had said, when it came down to it, there really wasn’t any reason to fight each other.

Meanwhile, as the Resistance settled down in their strange new holdings, they began to interact with the rest of the base. Some of them took the chance to begin exploring it in its entirety, such as entering its subterranean levels and having a good tour of its workshops and factories, especially its android creation arrays and ship construction sectors. Jackass especially was having the time of her life, having full access to the resources used in creating YoRHa, creating mischief in various labs with wild abandon.

But most, through simple curiosity, their ingrained reverence of humanity, or perhaps out of some search for answers, began to access the human server. The single largest depository of their creator’s knowledge and experiences, even more than the various pieces of data that were slowly begin dissected from the remains of the Machine Network. Many androids spent a good amount of time sifting through the server, before getting side-tracked by a single piece of information they found, be it a research paper, a fictional account or a record of a diary, which they began devouring eagerly, until they would lose track of time, spending days trying to decipher the intents and meaning behind each human’s legacy.

But while they became lost within those fragments, 9S trawled the network, desperately searching for an answer to his problem.

“I have been thinking, 2B. We have to tell the androids back on Earth about what is really going on, right?” 9S spoke. “But if we did so, we would affect their morale...and cause quite a lot of problems.”

“And?” 2B asked, curious.

“We have to soften the blow somewhat. Here’s the problem - the loss of purpose. If we told the androids they have been fighting for a lie, most of them will probably go in a very destructive direction. Hence, what if we…” 9S paused at this statement, a little unsure whether he should continue.

“We do what?” 2B asked.

“Instead of telling them outright that humanity is dead, we first have the ‘Council of Humanity’ congratulate them on the success of the 14th Machine War. Then, we reveal that humanity has been slowly dying to a disease over the past few hundred years, and the last one dying on his deathbed, sending a final message to them. And, in the process, this final transmission will tell them to ‘fulfill humanity’s purpose’, to take Earth and reach to the stars.”

2B looked at him, doubt appearing over her face. “Where did you get this?”

“Most of the message I combined several events from human history together, but I had some trouble trying to give us androids a purpose. So, I was reading up on some human materials, looking for a strong enough message that would resonate with them… then I came across this term, ‘manifest destiny’. It was used by a certain human politician to encourage his country to take the continent they were on and use it for their own purposes, as it was their ‘god-given’ right to do so. So, I thought that, by modifying it a little, we could use it as some sort of ‘don’t give up’ message.”

“That sounds a little...aggressive,” 2B answered. “It sounds like an encouragement for the more fanatical androids to chase after peaceful machine lifeforms like Pascal and kill them while they are harmless. Not to mention that… even if we were to be speaking the truth, concealing it in this way does not feel right in any way.”

“I...can’t deny that.” 9S replied. “I mean, lying to them again feels terrible...but in the end, we will be lying for this single instance! Furthermore...if we don’t want attacks on the peaceful machine lifeforms, we could have Anemone contact the other Resistance members.”

2B paused. It certainly didn’t feel right to her...but what choice did they have?

Tell the full truth, and face their entire race throwing themselves into oblivion.

Continue lying, and keep the cycle going with no end.

This was a compromise, and perhaps…

==|==​

”This is a message from the Council of Humanity, to all our brave androids who have fought the war for us on Earth.”

”We have received news of the Machine Network’s retreat from Earth. After months of investigation by YoRHa search teams, we have come to the conclusion that the Machine Network has left Earth.”

”In other words, the Machine War has ended in a victory for humanity. After millennia of conflict, we have finally reclaimed our homeworld from the aliens and their creations.”

”However…”

The sounds of coughing fill the communication.

”I’m afraid that we have run out of time. Our bodies were not suited to harsh conditions of the Moon, and, a few hundred years ago, a slow disease had began to spread through our community.”

”While you all were fighting so valiantly for us, we fought against this genetic plague...and failed. Only a small number of us exist, and we are not expected to last the month.”

”This may be the sad fate for humanity...but this is not the end of mankind.”

”As the last member of the League of Assemblymen...I urge you androids...our creations, our synthetic ‘children’...take Earth for yourselves. Manifest your destiny upon the blue world…and if you can, seek your place among the cosmos.”

”Be our reminder. Our beacon, that humanity and it's dying light, has struggled for its existence in this cold, unforgiving universe.”

”...this...is the final command of humanity. Our dying wish, uttered by thousands of humans on their deathbeds. Seize your birthright, and reach for greatness within the stars.”

The transmission closed.

In the Moonbase’s command center, a whole squadron of androids watched the message play out with sombre expressions.

“Extending communications range to Earth. Ma’am...we are starting to receive messages from Resistance outposts all across the world.” A YoRHa Operator spoke from her post.

“Begin to transmit the second communications package.” Anemone announced, before turning around to face the gathered androids. “I hope you fully understand what you have seen, and its implications, as well as the problems that it will cause if this secret gets loose. Hence, most of you will be stuck here for the next few months - unless you really want to get back to Earth, which means, I’m afraid, we may have to wipe your memories of this event.”

No one person said anything.

“Good. Dismissed.” Everyone filtered out, save for Jackass, 2B, A2 and 9S.

Jackass immediately walked up to Anemone, slapping her on the back with a grin. “So...what do you expect you are going to do from now, ‘Commander’?”

“Jackass, I expect you to give me at least a few minutes before you start shoving the responsibilities down my throat.” Anemone winced.

“Hey, I didn’t put you to this - A2 did.” Jackass pointed a thumb in her counterpart’s way.

From her corner of the room, A2 shrugged her shoulders. “Least I could do for you, Anemone. You have done a lot helping me out the past few years.”

“This doesn’t feel in any way a gift, Number Two. I already had enough trouble administering a region, now you have gone and put me as de facto leader of Earth’s entire military force.” Sighing, Anemone shook her head. “I do wonder how White would think of all this...if she were still alive.”

Silence descended on the three of them - but not for long.

“Hey, you two.” Jackass turned to 9S and 2B - who were seating at the same station, 2B leaning against 9S’s shoulder. “What about you two?”

“Hmm?” 9S replied. “Well...I’m not really sure…”

“I’m...not very sure what I can do to help out with the reconstruction efforts.” 2B replied. “In truth, I’m just glad that this is all...over.”

“Well…do both of you still consider yourselves members of YoRHa?” Anemone asked, hesitant.

“We don’t exactly have elsewhere to go, do we?” 9S asked. “In fact…with what I wrote...it would be wrong not to stay here. Besides, I would like to spend more time with the archives.”

“Fine?” Anemone said. “2B?”

“I will stay. There’s not much for me to do on Earth anyway.” She replied.

Before the conversation could go on further, Jackass butted in with a cheeky smile. “Oh, really? Weren’t you two discussing something about ‘shopping’, or did I hear wrongly?”

“-urp!” A shocked look appeared on both of their faces. As both of them frantically tried to deny Jackass’s claims, A2 and Anemone looked on, smiling at the sight.

“Well...at least the future for us Androids is going to be a much kinder one…”

 

Chapter 1 - 1: Earth, Two Hundred and Fifty-Five Years Later

==|==​

September 12, 12200 A.D.
Haven, Capital of the East Asian Region
Earth, Sol, Milky Way

The sound of whistling birds fill the air of a darkened room, punctuating what would be a silent morning. Small rays of light flow into the room as light wind blows the curtains apart, and a ray falls over the face of a young man, illuminating the room in the process.

A clock hits seven, and a robot leaps into life from the darkness. Flying over to the bed, Tactical Support Pod 153 begins a set of programs. “9S, wake up.” It declares.

Ancient eyes flutter open. A rugged system of century-old metallic bone and synthetic flesh begins to move, and the android wearing them slowly begins to rise, his blanket falling off his chest as he moves.

“Good morning, 9S.” Pod 153 answered from his side, her arms moving about as she began diagnostics on him.

9S does not answer immediately. Instead, he stretches his left hand out, opening and closing it a few times, staring through it and into the distance.

A few moments of silence pass, until Pod 153 speaks again. “I see you have been re-watching some of your old memories. Particularly...that one.”

“Yeah.” 9S simply nods. “Especially with recent events…”

“The Resurrection Organisation? Or are you referring to the Assembly’s extremely aggressive expansionist policies?” Pod 153 asks.

“Both. But the former, especially with the recent attack over at the Machine Embassy. I can’t stop thinking of...well, that message, especially with the declarations of the belligerents.” 9S replied. “They said…’by the last declarations of our creators, we must wipe out every last machine on Earth’.”

If robots could sigh, Pod 153 would have done it at that very moment, for they had that conversation many times already. “You worry too much, 9S. Over the past hundred years, we long predicted that these same issues would have appeared regardless of the message. The wounds of the Machine Wars would not heal, especially with those who have fought for most of them.”

9S looked away, at the bed stand that stood next to his and 2B’s bed. Two things were perched on it - a mirror, and the picture of him and 2B in a set of glamorous formal wear, he in a tuxedo and her in a white dress. Staring into the mirror, he looked at his reflection - a sombre young man, retaining all the features of the old chassis that he wore in that memory, but with a older, mature look and frame.

He blinked, still unsure with himself. After mulling over 153’s words for a few moments, he got off the bed, pulling the covers off, and headed for the shower. Technically he didn’t have any dirt to wash off, but his troubled mind looked for an outlet to relieve his thoughts, and hence the thought of a warm wash appealed to him.

As he walked, Pod 153 followed, continuing to update her diagnostics. With a wave of his hands, the house radio began to play, and on cue, the morning news program began, playing the monotone and serious voice of an android.

”This is the Haven Morning News, and we bring you a special report on the bombing incident from three days ago…”

Grabbing a towel that hung from the end of a chair, 9S paused to look over his workstation. On the computer screen, a whole array of windows and applications filled it, over lying over each other. Expanding them into holograms one by one, he looked over them quickly, before dismissing them. Reports from his division of YoRHa, a decrypted message from 2B asking if he was alright, and various other snippets of information and comments all across the Android Internet.

”The Machine Ambassador for Haven has reported minimal damage to the Embassy, and has made a statement that the damage will hopefully be repaired quickly. He has also high hopes that despite the incident, that Android-Machine relations will continue to improve, as they have been since the end of the 14th Machine War...”

9S stepped into a shower stall, stripping his clothes in the process. Shutting the door and turning on the water, he continued to speak with Pod 153. “Any urgent confidential messages meant for me, aside from the urgent deployment notice from the Commander?”

”None.” 153 replied.

”In other news, the Pandora Corporation has announced breakthroughs in their attempts to create Element Zero through magic. According to the company’s spokesman, they managed to refine the radiation-exposure process to the point that they have been able to double the amount of eezo they can obtain. While total production is still limited to a handful of grams, the company is hopeful they can reach large-scale production within a few decades…”

”Huh…” Warm water splashed across 9S’s synthetic skin, and he as let its heat flow over him, a fuzzy feeling spread throughout his body. “What do you think could be the reason for the notice? Do you think they finally managed to crack open the Charon Artefact?”

”I doubt it.” Pod 153 replied. ”Also, diagnostics complete.”

“Hmm.” Switching off the water, 9S dried his body with the towel, wiping his feet on the mat. Stepping back into the bedroom, he swiped his hand across the room, causing its curtains to open, fully illuminating it.

Like many other androids, 2B and him had took up residence in one of the many ruins scattered across Earth, after renovating and restoring parts of the buildings in question. Once the open, broken floor plan of a collapsed skyscraper, the couple had restored it into a comfortable home, slowly transforming it over the centuries, adding basic utilities such as electricity and purified water as android civilization continued to thrive. Currently, its entire floor was laid over with glossed wood in the style of old human homes, full of white-panelled walls that was inserted to separate various rooms from each other, a shelf full of hard-copies of human classics attached to several of them, and lastly, the large bed both of them shared. It did not have many other luxuries such as human relics like what other android familial units had, but the both of them didn’t need any of that anyway.

Perhaps, if a real human entered the house, he or she could very much have felt at home as well.

”Moving on...the YoRHa Organisation has announced the discovery and surveillance of ten more star systems - the highest amount in all rounds of exploration. This is thanks to the new Zeus FTL drive installed on the newest Explorer-Class Survey Vessels, based on Alien designs, which are used to overcome the barrier of Static Drive Charge through onboard magical energy conversion, allowing vessels to reach further and faster out of their starbases. YoRHa expects that exploration efforts will greatly increase once the full fleet of Explorer-Class Vessels have been delivered, as well as colonization efforts…”

9S twitched, pausing as he was putting on a shirt. That might satisfy the Assembly, but the Commander isn’t in any way happy about the rapid expansion of Android space they have been pushing…we are getting too overconfident about our chances in the galaxy.

He continued to dress, as the voice of the news channel continued to play over the air. Pulling on several pieces of clothing one by one, he finally completed his outfit. Looking into a full length mirror, he checked on his issued YoRHa uniform - a jet black costume with ornate silvery patterns at its edges, formed by a military coat over a shirt and long pants, with the YoRHa logo emblazoned on the side of the sleeves - and looked for any irregularities in it.

”Now, on to Entertainment!” The radio’s voice changed to a younger and more enthusiastic commentator. ”Worldwide poll results for August's ‘Idol of the Month’ have come in, and the winner is… Megaminne, from Chicago Ruins, North American Region! She has charmed ten of thousands of viewers with her explosive lyrics, her unpredictable songs, but most importantly, her voracious use of eye-catching, intense special effects in her performances! Many are…

”Your command badge.” Pod 153 moved in front of him, holding the item between her arms - a round badge with a eye and three swords around it, pointing at equal distances away from each other. Looking at it, a message immediately displayed on 9S’s display: ‘9S, Tactical Officer First Class, Combined Command, YoRHa Organisation Military Arm’

“Thanks, Pod.” taking it, 9S carefully pinned it to the left side of his chest. The outfit complete, 9S grabbed his satchel, which was waiting on one of the tables in the house, and slung it over his body. Pausing to look around his humble home once more, he made a beeline for the door.

==|==​

Closing the front door of his house, 9S aimed a hand at it. Over the beautifully-crafted wood, menacingly looking black armored plates appeared, sliding over and blocking the entrance, sealing it off. Around the house, the same black plate slid over the many windows, gleaming with white light as they sealed it off. From a carefully concealed partition, a machine-gun turret appeared, rotating one full revolution, before retracting into the crevice it had came from and sealing itself off.

In early years in between the end of the Machine Wars and the establishment of the Android Assembly, quite a number of android settlements had gotten into conflict with each other over various reasons, with these groups either splitting apart or recombining before fighting small yet pitched battles across Earth. Even Haven, where Anemone’s old group had quickly secured to protect the strategic resources of the Machine Tower and the Alien Graveyards, quite a few marauders had managed to break through, trying to steal or retrieve various materials in for their disagreements. As a result, a tight security net had been created long ago to help protect the fledgling settlement, and unsurprisingly the home of two extremely advanced combat androids had been used as a staging point.

Today, most of the line had been deactivated for newer, better measures, but thanks to their importance and positions in YoRHa, 2B and 9S had kept their own security systems active, updating it over the years. Besides, even if most of the Earth was at peace, there were still places yet to be fully scouted out, and many terrorist organisations still had the means to strike at places as developed as Haven - as yesterday’s incident proved.

Completing the securing of his place, 9S stepped off the landing, onto a series of steps cut into the massive tree that grew around his home. Hitting them two at a time, he landed on the ground in no time, and took a good look around the city block.

Even it was several kilometers away from the city center and early in the morning, the place was already rather busy, with a good number of androids - and a few machines scattered around the crowds - strolling the streets. Along the roadsides, many shops touted their wares, either from caravans mounted on the ground, their engines and generators idling, or from permanent holdings, where one could see androids busy at work at various machinery, manufacturing on site their wares. If one took a good look at the wares they sold, one could see them either selling practical items such as replacement parts for various android bodies, while others sold tools and items for various hobbies such as gardening, fishing, or crafting. Some shops advertised their sales through small boards placed precariously close to the road, although others made clever use of the leftover buildings to hang larger signs above the populace, with a particularly garish one currently being maintained by two androids.
As 9S watched the entire process with morbid curiosity, a Machine trotted up to him. A four legged beast, shaped in the form of a horse with a solid tail and the characteristic machine head in replacement for those biological parts. “Care for a ride, sir?” It trilled to him as it stared at him through its green-coloured eyes, the ‘accent’ of the Machine Lifeforms underlining its words.

“Sure.” At his response, the machine lifeform opened a leghold along its length, and 9S used it to pull himself over the machine, grabbing a hand hold on its back to steady himself. As Pod 153 grabbed hold of his back, 9S instructed the machine, “To the Haven Spaceport, at your average speed.”

“Aye aye. Spaceport, medium speed!” The Machine Lifeform turned about, adjusting its direction, before setting off at a quick trot. Most of the road network was empty this morning, save for the other Machine Lifeforms who acted as personal taxis, a few transport trucks, or androids who decided that walking along the mostly empty roads was a good idea. Hence, the three of them moved across the city at a rather brisk speed, the Machine Lifeform making an obnoxious ‘honk’ whenever pedestrians got too close.

9S looked down at the Machine Lifeform. His hidden sensors flaring, he scanned the machine’s code covertly, frowning as he did so. “Hey...I haven’t seen you around Haven before…are you new?”

“Oh? How did you know?” The machine’s head rotated to face him, its eyes flashing in surprise. “Wait, you are from YoRHa! Did you know that through some trick that all of you have?”

“Something like that.” Taking of his hands of the handhold, he folded his arms. “So, what’s your story?”

“My name is Hook! I’m a machine who loves to travel, and this is my tenth leg on my trip across the world! Of course, I don’t really have much to support my trip, so I thought each time I stop at some big city or place, I would spend some time earning some money through working as a ‘taxi’, like humans used to do in the past. It’s easy because I already have this form, and it’s fun because I get to see the city!” With an enthusiastic chirrup, the machine’s head spun around a few times. “Mister, do you have any recommendations on where to go in this city? I have not much a clue, but when before I could go to the Machine Embassy, it got attacked, so I’m a little afraid to check anything there…”

At the machine’s fright, it slowed down a little, its head spinning erratically to indicate its fear. As Pod 153 popped over his back, 9S thought a little, before saying, “Well, there is the Abandoned Factory just on the outskirts of the city. Even with more androids within it, a sizable Machine colony is still in there, so you can try speaking with them if you want to know more about this place. Otherwise, you could go to the Tower Museum near the heart of town, where there’s a sizable archive about the Aliens and Old World material that was dug up some time ago.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you!” As they continued to speed down the road in silence, their surroundings quickly changed. From the many recovered ruins of ages past, the scenery was replaced by newer, sleeker buildings measuring only ten or so levels at the highest. No two buildings were the same - each one had been created from various parts from the many old human cultures, before modified by the androids in some eccentric way, before given coats of paint from a hundred different palettes. As a result, the main city areas, save for the more important government buildings belonging to the local Assembly, or the odd church belonging to yet another sprung up cult, was a riot of colour and styles - giving the place a vibrant yet conflicting feel, that yet felt comfortable and homely to its many inhabitants.

And while those living closer to the outskirts tended to dress in more modest clothing, the ones living here were more experimental, so to speak. Like the buildings they lived in, they tried their best to replicate human wear from the many ages of its existence, and hence the inhabitants looked as confused as their homes. Not to say that they looked downright awful, given that there were many who had placed limits on the outrageousness, hence straddling the line between vibrant and gaudy, but stare too long and you might find yourself feeling peculiar at the sight, especially if you were to bypass a more radical member of the movement.

No that it was much concern to 9S. He continued on his trip, and came across a certain sight.

Within the ruckus of the community, a certain dark and dull building stood out, rising high above the others, pipes running across its exterior. Near its entrance, a dark scorch patch spread irregularly across the road, and around it, a few stubby machines held up paint cans, clumsily moving brushes across it in an attempt to hide the damage, whilst being supervised by a taller unit wearing a undersized top hat and a painted on tie. Meanwhile, nearby androids made curious and worried looks at the machine group, a few more taking pictures of the sight.

9S felt the machine underneath him make an involuntary shudder, and a thought came to him. Tapping Hook on the back, he whispered, “Please drop me here, but wait for me a little.”

“A-alright!” It thrilled in response. Quietly dismounting, 9S quickly sent a payment to the machine, before walking over cautiously.

“Do remember the training that you have received earlier.” A low bass rumble came from the leading machine, who gestured carefully with its large hands, no doubt giving instructions through the network. “The work must be done quickly to prevent- oh, hello the- YoRHa Unit No. 9 Type S!” Immediately, the machine and his subordinates bowed very quickly, but could not conceal the fear its mechanical heart was feeling.

At that exclamation of shock and terror, alongside the sudden quietness that fell upon the gathered android crowd, 9S grimaced. It was an all too familiar feeling from every time he met a machine old enough to have experienced the Machine Wars. “Calm down, calm down. You are the local Machine Ambassador, right?”

“Y-yes.” it replied. “My name is Irving, at your service.”

“Relax, Irving, I’m just asking; why are you doing the painting and repair of the road? Shouldn’t the city authority be handling that?” 9S replied.

“Normally we would let them, but, due to the circumstances surrounding yesterday’s incident, we felt that it was our fault that caused such a disturbance in this city, and hence we felt it was our duty to being responsible for the clean-up and repair of the road.” Irving replied, a sense of guilt in its - or was it his? - voice.

9S bit his lower lip for a moment, before replying. “I see. Ok, I’m in position to lecture or command you here, but for the sake of some of the commuters, could you service one side of the road, before moving on to the other? That way, at least it will still be open, and people can still use it.”

“Oh. Oh, thank you, we will do that immediately.” Irving let out a rumble of relief, and his subordinate machines began to move their equipment out of the way, opening one half of the road.

“You are welcome.” As the ambassador bowed, 9S quickly moved out of the gazes of the many androids, mounting Hook again, who set off on its journey again.

“...who are you?” The machine asked as he and Pod 153 got back on it.

“Just somebody rather infamous.” 9S made a dismissive answer.

“Oh. Ok.” The machine continued to move, although it went somewhat faster than before.

Silence fell upon them, while Pod 153 sent a message directly to 9S. ”Analysis: the Machines’ behavior is a escalation of their efforts to preserve the Disarmament & Peace Treaty from 12103 AD.”

”Yeah, I know.” 9S replied. ”And I have a feeling that Pascal probably is doing things like this across all regions.”

”Their behavior seems...too self-degrading. It may cause problems in the future.”

9S had no answer to that.

Meanwhile, after moving down a maze of large avenues and roads, they moved on from the city area, into an expanse of flat land, and the massive spaceport looming large over them. As it grew and grew in his vision, 9S watched as sleek, large transports rose from over the horizon, firing their thrusters as they rose into the sky. Various smaller shuttles and flight units also prowled the airspace, either working up speed to began their flight to other Regions, or perhaps a solo trip to Earth’s orbit, before boosting away with a flash of light.

Before long, they had arrived at the place. Following 153’s instructions, Hook turned into a secluded sidepath, a road to the military half of the space port. Under the watch of several turrets, they stopped before a guard post, where a group of YoRHa and local defense troops were waiting. As 9S dismounted, the YoRHa members quickly saluted, which he returned.

“Alright, thanks for the ride.” 9S thanked the machine whilst transferring a payment over, who had began a nervous jitter.

“R-right...thank you!” Spinning on its legs, the machine quickly galloped off.

9S let a small smile as he watched it run off, before letting himself be escorted into the base.

==|==​

“Central’s provided me with a Me262 Prototype Flight Unit?”

“Yes. Part of the instructions provided by them required that you were equipped with one.”

“What’s so important that I need one of the few FTL-capable Flight Units immediately?” Frowning, 9S scratched his head, as he was escorted by an android - wearing the short-blade-and-spanner unit patch of the Maintenance Division - to a hangar.

“I dunno,” replied the engineer. “Perhaps it's something related to your Tactical Command privileges, sir?”

“That can’t be right…” 9S murmured to himself. “Pod, any idea?”

”Negative. However, based on previous experiences, she will most likely be proving information on her rationale behind this on the trip.” Pod 153 replied.

“Alright.” A few moments later, he stepped into the hangar - and stopped, looking at the massive mech that awaited him.

Reaching almost five metres high, the Me262 Prototype Flight Unit was a much greater beast than the demilitarised Ho229 9S kept at his house for his own recreational purposes. While it retained the same general size as the smaller mech, it had a much larger ‘head’, with two additional weapon hardpoints at its front. Walking around the mech, 9S observed a pair of massively oversized thrusters built into the main body, in addition to the six maneuvering thrusters that hung from the mech and its arms. In addition, both its wings and legs had been widened to support to increased load. But most prominent was the cockpit - unlike the Ho229 or its successor models, it was fully armored, with the two heads making up its hatch hanging from the side.

“I’ve seen it in research photos...but it didn’t look this impressive until I got this close.” 9S murmured to himself, a grin widening over his face. Meanwhile, Pod 153’s two other bodies appeared, and began to insert herself into the unit, an armoured hatch closing over her as she vanished into the depths of the mech.

9S stepped back a little, before dashing and jumping into the mech with a single shot. Twisting himself midflight, he landed smoothly into the mech’s restraints, which enclosed over his arms and legs before locking them into position, as the armoured hatch closed over him.

Immediately, the mech came to life. Panels shaking, its idling thrusters went to half power in a single second, and the mech leapt upwards. With the humming of power around it, the Me262 leaned forward and slowly moved towards the hangar doors, causing the observers around it to quickly separate as to avoid its back-blast.

Moving into the sunlight, the mech hovered for a while, before it began to transform. In the span of one and a half seconds, its legs folded into themselves, its thrusters moved to ports all along its wings, and those same wings extended outwards, their underslung missile launchers expanding to fill the space.

A little slower than the Bf109, 9S thought, but it will do.

A twitch of the handle, and the thrusters of the plane fired at maximum power. The Me262 units shot into the distance, before spiralling around to aim itself towards space, launching itself into space like a cannon.

Within the cockpit, 9S felt none of the massive forces that the craft was experiencing from its sudden ascent. Meanwhile, a set of projectors changed the interior of the craft - it began to paint a live feed of its surroundings, changing it to as if the walls did not exist. On the feed, clouds shot past at incredible speed, before changing to a picture of the darkening sky, then-

-above and around him, a multitude of shapes loomed. Satellites of all shapes and sizes filled Earth’s orbit, skimming past the mech at thousands of kilometers per second, while other ships followed various ways through the entire network. A communication came in from an observation post, and after a few responses, 9S changed course to follow the flight path set for him.

”Incoming transmission from Command. This message has been encrypted with SS-Level Confidentiality.” a alert thrilled, and Pod 153 informed 9S of its content.

“Patch it through.” In front of 9S, a screen appeared, showing the stern features of the YoRHa Commander, otherwise known as Anemone. Sitting behind her personal desk, she wore a dress similar to that of her unfortunate predecessor, while surrounded by guardian drones and a Tactical Support Pod.

“9S,” she began, “glad to see that you already ready - unlike last time.”

“Sorry about that, ma’am.” 9S quickly suppressed any meandering thoughts at that moment. “What is so important that you need a extremely secure communication to talk about, and have me deployed with only a few hours warning?”

“Would ‘hostile first contact situation’ be enough to answer your question?” Anemone replied.

At that bombshell, 9S failed to suppress the shocked yell shot out of his mouth. “Wha- I’m sorry, Commander, but what in the world happened?”

Grabbing a tablet from her left, his superior got to the point. “You are aware of the newly discovered planetary system 2-Huali, right?”

“One of systems discovered in the latest round of exploratio- wait, doesn’t that one have an space-borne object similar to the Charon Artefact?” 9S asked

“Yes, but we will get to that later, because that was a lot more important than it seemed. As you know, a habitable planet was discovered within the system, and an observation post was deployed on said planet. However, a day ago, they sent a distress carrier, activating radio silence protocols while requesting the support of an entire battle fleet.”

“An entire fleet?” 9S exclaimed in shock.

“Sending over the details.” Anemone said.

A host of other screens appeared, displaying a series of sensor and radar readings. All of them displayed the Charon Artefact replica - a dormant, gargantuan two pronged structure with a spiralling structure of rings in its middle.

“According to the observation team, two days ago, this happened.” Without warning, flashes of blue appeared all around the object, before revealing a group of ten starships, with designs that were completely unknown to 9S.

“Nine of those ships proceeded to head towards the sole habitable planet, while one headed for the relay and did...this.” On the screen, the replica suddenly activated, as shown by a rush of massive energy readings flowing throughout the system accompanied by its dormant core suddenly glowing blue and beginning to rotate.

Upon seeing this, 9S made a sharp intake of breath. “What happened afterwards?”

“We don’t know. The observation station launched their distress probe soon after this.”

9S paused, focusing on the new contacts as he replayed the readings. “Well, if they got the probe out without it being intercepted, that might mean that this new contact has not been able to detect them yet, or any of our stealth capabilities…”

“A very big ‘might’, I should add.” Anemone warned.

Neither of them spoke, as they considered the consequences of such an event. “...what do you need me to do? I doubt we can afford to push them out, judging by the fact that our forces are spread so thin…”

“The Unified Council convened several hours ago, and we have come to this decision;” At Anemone’s mention of the Council, 9S stiffened. “You are to be given a Battlegroup from the 1st Mobile Fleet, and from there, travel to 2-Huali through uncolonized space, investigate the situation, gather as much data as you can on the intruder party as well as the artefact, and extract the reconnaisse team on 2-Huali.”

“How about First Contact protocol?” He asked.

“Avoid at all costs, but if you have to do it, do it peacefully. As you are very much aware, we do not have the resources to repel any form of enemy attack. Especially considering who they are - from their ship designs alone, these are definitely not the same aliens as those that created the Machine Lifeforms. Be warned: I will not tolerate any form of recklessness when it comes to this mission.”

Solemnly, 9S nodded. “Alright. I assume, given the short notice of this, you have already picked the battlegroup I’m commanding, right?”

“We gathered what we could spare from the defending fleets around the nearby systems, and some extras from the returning exploration teams.” Anemone answered. “You will be commanding a Battlegroup comprised of the Essex-Class Carrier Imperator, the three Konigsberg-Class Stealth Cruisers Coral Sea, Black Sea, and North Sea, and finally the two Explorer-Class Survey Vessels Vespucci and Columbus. All ships will be carrying their usual troop complements, although you are getting the 216st and 612nd Shock Companies as backup.”

“Five ships versus ten, with two of them being survey vessels?” 9S’s felt a twinge of disbelief flow through his systems. A first contact situation, and they want me to go in with so little support? “Even if I am just going to be investigating the situation, this seems…a little underpowered.”

“I understand, however, any additional forces we can withdraw will cause panic - especially given that most colonies have not had time to fully develop their Colony Defense Forces, requiring our deployed forces to continue training and defense operations. Not to mention that we don’t want to encourage some of the more militant organisations out there.” Anemone answered with a sigh. “You will just have to make do. Besides, don’t dismiss the Supply Vessels - those two were undergoing rearmament when we got the distress signal, and hence should be able to field firepower on the level of a destroyer. Of course, as you very well know, this is not meant to be a combat mission.”

“Alright.” 9S paused to think for a moment. “Where’s the fleet located? And what else do you need to know?”

“The fleet is located at the L2 Lagrangian Point, and will be observing radio silence until you arrive. Any other relevant details will be with the fleet itself.”

“Alright, understood. 9S, out.”

“Commander, out. Glory to Mankind.”

The communication shut off, and 9S was left in silence. Tugging at the controls, he commanded, “Pod 153, set a FTL course towards the L2 Lagrangian Point.”

”Acknowledged. Spooling up energy capacitors. Prepare for jump.”

9S felt the Flight Unit’s restraints tighten around him, as the humming of energy filled the craft. Various status screens popped up as the multi-directional visual feed around him shut off, one of them featuring a progress bar.

“Engines and core warming up.”

The hum turned into a whine, and the Flight Unit’s engines shut off.

”Initiating Jump.”

A blue light radiated around the craft, and accelerated away at enormous speeds, its lights flashing into the distance. Barely a few seconds later, the craft decelerated, its blue light fading as it reappeared at a spot in space millions of kilometers away from where it had been.

Before 9S had time to ascertain his new surroundings, a transmission came in, a gruff male’s voice at the other end of the microphone.. “Unidentified Flight Unit, state your identification immediately and surrender for que-”

Quickly, 9S cut into the demand, summoning his commanding voice. “This is Tactical Officer First Class, 9S. Stand down for transmission of secure command codes.”

“-ulp! My apologies, sir!” The gruff voice changed to that of panic, before replaced by the sounds of frantic rustling around the mic. Finally, a few seconds later, the same voice returned, only a small trace of the earlier mistake in his voice. “Sorry about that, sir. This is the Imperator, you have permission to board.”

In front of 9S’s Flight Unit, lights suddenly appeared, illuminating a set of five hulls that had been under the cover of darkness. The largest of them loomed at about two hundred and seventy meters long and about fifty meters wide, a long, slender shape with a long protrusions along the entire side of its hull, sleekly curved into the overall shape of the warship. At the front end of the hull, a line of black paint proudly proclaimed its name under a line of lights - Imperator. As 9S watched, the front end of one of those protrusions began to open, shutters separating to reveal a deck - within it, he saw various drones and flight units lined up neatly, prepared for a quick sortie.

“Thank you very much. However, I will be moving my post to the Black Sea instead of the Imperator.” 9S replied.

“...understood.” The voice replied, and the transmission changed to that of a younger woman. “Tactical Officer 9S, this is the Black Sea, you have permission to board.”

Letting Pod 153 take over the controls, 9S found himself whizzing past the massive hull of the Imperator, heading instead for a smaller ship located beside it. The Black Sea had a flatter shape compared to the Imperator, but on top and below it 9S saw three turrets locked into position on each side, holding a pair of cannons - laser or railgun, 9S couldn’t confirm - that had yellow power lines faintly glowing on them. As the Flight Unit approached, a shuttle bay located near the rear end of the ship opened.

As Pod 153 guided him into the waiting holds of the warship, 9S began a breathing exercise, and prepared to take up the burden of command.