Chapter Text
It’s a short walk to Doctor Aoste’s office, and Anzeel spent most of her time ogling Zero, leaving me alone with my thoughts for a few moments. I was on my way to see a man who, quite possibly, created the Sirens. What would I say? What could I say? Could I divert the course of history, convince him to abandon his work, and spare everyone a bloody conflict? I quickly dismissed the idea. Unless the Reality Lens had somehow overtaken and overwritten the world back home, anything I change in here wouldn’t affect out there. Perhaps there was something I could learn from him. Some hidden weaknesses of the Sirens that I could exploit. In the end, what I was about to discover was beyond what I had hoped…
We came to the end of the hallway and a nondescript door that automatically slid open as Zero approached. We stepped inside, and what I saw took my breath away. The entire place looked like it had come from the far future, with holographic displays hovering in midair, marking areas where it was safe to walk, robot arms trundling back and forth as they carried out important tasks, and above all, a massive glowing orb hovering in the center of the room. Even the Sea of Stars, the Eagle Union’s most advanced facility, fell far short of this.
At the far end of the room, a man in a lab coat stood from his desk and turned to face us. His white hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and while he had a few errant strands, they framed his face in a deliberate, artful way. Compared to the disheveled Doctor Anzeel, Aoste seemed to be the total opposite.
He strode towards us and gestured to the ersatz TB. “That will be all, Zero. Go work on something else.”
“As you command,” the pale girl bowed and walked away.
Aoste waited, watching her leave before he turned his cool gaze to me. “So, Commander, what do you think of the new Antiochus? They put Anzeel's silly puppets to shame, wouldn't you agree?” His voice was controlled, dispassionate. I was beginning to see where the Sirens got their robotic charm from. Well, except Purifier.
I bristled at the comment, but before I could say anything, Anzeel quickly chimed in with her opinion. “All I have to say is that they're leagues cuter than the previous ones. I was getting tired of the white hair.”
If Anzeel wasn’t going to rise to the bait, I would try to limit my response, but I still wasn’t going to let a slight against the shipgirls slide, real or not. “I wouldn’t call the kansen ‘silly puppets’, given all that they’ve accomplished thus far, but I have to admit, this one is an improvement on your previous S-...Antiochus designs. I take it the running themes regarding appearances was deliberate?”
Anzeel gave me a grin and a wink as Aoste responded. “Yes. Reusing a tried and tested design is efficient. Unlike someone here, I don't concern myself with frivolous appearances.”
“Bite me,” Anzeel snapped and stuck her tongue out at the other doctor. “Anyway, let's get to the point. You didn't call us all the way here just to show off your new Antiochus, did you? Be honest with me here. You dabbled in some tech you don't understand, didn't you?”
Aoste took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “Indeed... The newest Antiochus model has something that the prior ones did not, something akin to your Wisdom Cubes. Just as the two of you have been trying to incorporate Wisdom Cubes into the Type II rigging, I have been applying a similar technology to the latest generation of Antiochus vessels.”
“You... You made these Antiochus with Wisdom Cubes?!” Anzeel finally blurted out after staring at him for a good minute. “How is that even possible? They don't even have hull data to pull from! Hull data stores the embodiment of human emotions associated with the conceptual existence of a warship... You can't just reach into a magic hat... How can you use Wisdom Cubes to give form to something from pure fiction?
Aoste patiently waited for Anzeel to finally calm down before he nodded curtly. “You're correct. Allow me to explain – the Antiochus are fundamentally different from your KAN-SEN. KAN-SEN draw information from the Wisdom Cube and are embodied as individuals with personalities based upon the concepts and emotions imprinted in their hull data. On the other hand, the Antiochus are simply androids with an anthropomorphized personality installed. In that sense, my creations are closer to puppets than yours. But that isn't important. What matters is that the Commander developed the Type II rigging using Wisdom Cubes not to create KAN-SEN, but to make a conceptual weapon capable of augmenting their hull data.
“That inspired me to devise a similar process. Using Energy Cubes, I tapped into the concept of a weapon that does not rely on core data, and manifested that instead. Just as the Commander managed to add information to hull data through the Type II rigging, I used a similar process to add information to the Antiochus using Energy Cubes. Furthermore, these new weapons are modular in nature and not locked to any particular individual. One of your more worthwhile ideas to borrow, Anzeel.” He gave Anzeel a grateful nod of his head before he turned his attention to me.
“Commander, as you already know, I am more interested in technology than playing with Anzeel's dolls. No offense to you, of course.” Again, I bristled at his dismissive attitude toward the girls but kept my mouth firmly shut. “At a fundamental level, the Antiochus are built with a sophisticated AI program at their core. These vessels, just like your riggings, can be freely replaced. All in all, I suppose you could say that I took advantage of a little loophole.”
When he finally finished, Anzeel seemed thoroughly impressed. “Wow... Have to hand it to you – well done, Aoste. I presume Devil back there has gear made from E-Cubes. She must be a lot stronger than the previous generation.”
Aoste nodded curtly. “That goes without saying. The last technical obstacle to their mass production will soon be solved, too, once I've finalized my theory. I can't tell you how close I am, I'm afraid. You'll see for yourself later during our joint experiment.” In what seemed like a rare moment of carelessness on his part, he started slightly and said, “Oh, forgive me, I never addressed your initial question, Anzeel. The reason I asked you both to come is that I need your help with this upcoming experiment. There's a risk I want to eliminate at all costs, you see.”
“I thought you'd forgotten after you went on that admittedly enlightening tangent,” she teased. “I will say... If you're actually able to get the Antiochus to the mass-production stage, they will without a doubt define the next era of warfare.”
“When that day comes, the true nature of their name will be realized.”
“Might go from eXperimental to Xenotermination if they'll be fighting aliens. Commander? You look like you have a question.”
Indeed, I did, but I felt like asking about aliens wasn’t the one I should be asking. Assuming that this is some sort of memory, and if I’m really talking to the creator of both the Kansen and the Sirens, then there was only one question I could ask. But was I ready for the answer? What if they tell me no? What if I’m told my quest is nothing but a fool’s errand, doomed to failure? I felt like I had just gotten hope back, to have it crushed again would destroy me. But that same hope pushed me on. "If a Wisdom Cube is damaged…” I began slowly, “Or a shipgirl is born with a defect in her hull data... Is it possible to cure those conditions using this technology?"
I managed to garner a look of surprise on both of their faces. “Wow, THAT came out of left field,” Anzeel commented before she gave it some thought. “I mean, theoretically, it should be possible, but would depend on the nature and quality of the damage.” She shuffles over to Aoste’s desk and taps in a few commands, the massive orb winking out and replaced by the rigging used by the Yorktown in this reality. “The Type II fusion-hull process pulls information out from a secondary ‘mainframe,’ embodies that information in the form of a rigging, and, as the name implies, fuses it with the original shipgirl's hull data. The presence of a secondary ‘backup’ Wisdom Cube not only strengthens the existing hull but also provides a way to bypass certain levels of damage to the primary Wisdom Cube.”
“Think of it as using a cloned liver to treat someone with renal disease,” Aoste added, much to Anzeel’s disgust.
“Eww, gross!” she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Although, that is a pretty apt comparison. For example, take Yorktown, who was given the Essex-class Type II rigging. That managed to postpone the issues we were experiencing with the original Yorktown-class hull.” Suddenly that dim flicker of hope roared to life. This was it. This was what I had been searching for this entire time: a cure for Yorktown and Lexington.
That good vibe was somewhat dampened by Anzeel’s next words. “Unfortunately, this method is only a stopgap measure. It cures the symptoms, not the disease itself. Just as in the case of humans, backups can fail. Under normal conditions, the sub-Cube will be able to compensate for damages caused to the main Cube. But if this damage becomes too severe, we likely won't be able to use this trick twice. Furthermore, it's best not to kick the can down the road too much. Once a Wisdom Cube has been irreparably damaged, even the Type II rigging won't be able to reverse its course.” As I listened, my excitement was tempered. While it wasn’t a full cure, at least it would get Yorktown back on her feet. It was a start, at least. And then Anzeel said something that set my hope soaring. “To truly rid ourselves of these aberrations requires nothing short of a miracle – and an enormous amount of Wisdom Cube resonance.”
Wisdom Cube Resonance. I’d heard it mentioned before, back during my time with the Northern Parliament. I don’t know if the me from this timeline had that, but I knew I did, or something close to it. But did I have enough? "Wait... So with enough Wisdom Cube resonance, there might be a way?"
Surprisingly, Aoste continued as if he hadn’t heard my question. “Which is a serious drawback compared to my Antiochus. They're only programs inhabiting artificial bodies. Their bodies and weaponry are expendable and replaceable ad infinitum. All they need is a functioning mainframe to take control of a new vessel. And if their mainframe is destroyed, they only need a replacement to reboot the program. Should an individual program suffer an error, it will be swiftly corrected as long as they're connected to another terminal. If a program is not connected, its access to key equipment is restricted. Moreover, rogue actors can be swiftly identified and neutralized.”
“Okay, but back to my-” I found myself quickly cut off by Anzeel.
“‘Neutralized’... Sheesh, that's extreme.”
“If I could just-”
“‘Neutralize’ is not always a euphemism for "kill," Anzeel. It simply means taking measures to ensure the safety of it and other programs.”
“Getting back to my-”
It’s like they were just recordings of that point, completely unaware of my existence. “Losing connection to the network in and of itself is an error. This expedites search and recovery efforts for programs in danger. Are you convinced by the Antiochus' potential yet, Commander? I'd love to have you on the project. I could even put you in charge of your very own team.”
Finally! Acknowledgment! Now I could-
“Hey! Stop trying to poach MY assistant!” Anzeel groused.
Or not.
If Aoste was disappointed, he didn’t show it. “Very well. Then, let's move on to the next order of business – the experiment.”
“Sure, but I want to have a few words with you. Can we leave the experiment to my assistant here?”
“Maybe you could-”
“That was my original plan. As I told you before, I won't interfere with the KAN-SEN in any way. Devil will manage things on the Antiochus' end.”
“Good,” Aoste nodded before he looked at me once more. “Commander, show us how it's done.”
Both of them waved and headed out through a side door that led deeper into the laboratory, leaving me shouting, “ QUESTION!!! ” after them.
Neither of them responded or even acted like they heard me screaming like a lunatic. Suddenly, that feeling of deja vu came over me again, as if I’d heard this conversation before. As if I’d been here before. But…that’s impossible, right? I was able to account for every second of my life, and I knew, with absolute certainty where I’d been. And yet…I couldn’t help but feel I’d been standing here before. That I’d heard this conversation before. It was unsettling, but I pushed it out of my mind. I had more pressing matters to attend to.
I rushed over to the desk and looked up at the Type-II rigging data being displayed above it. Here it was, the answer to all my prayers, and possibly, the cure for Yorktown. Even if it couldn’t completely cure her, it would at least allow her to live a somewhat normal life while we worked on completely fixing her. “TB, are you there?” I called out to the empty room. “TB, now would be a really good time to give me a sign you’re listening. I need this data uploaded to the Sea of Stars immediately . Priority One.” Only silence greeted me. She was either unwilling or unable to respond. “Fine,” I sighed as I looked around. “Want something done right, gotta do it yourself…”
Knowing my phone would be wiped upon exiting the lab, I looked around Aoste’s desk, hoping to find something I could smuggle out in my pocket. “Surely they’ve got thumb drives in the future…” I muttered to myself. Then I remembered what Anzeel said earlier. I whipped out my phone and began downloading the Type II data onto it, then emailed it to myself. I thought back to my discussion with Yorktown about time travel, about being careful, treating it like a minefield. But at this point, minefield be damned . This was my moment, and I wasn’t going to let it pass by due to an overabundance of caution. I didn’t care about the potential repercussions, I didn’t care about the security breach I just caused, I didn’t care about anything beyond getting this data back to the real world. Yorktown’s life depended on it.
Once the data was successfully on my phone and sent to my email, I slipped the phone into my pocket and looked up at the door Anzeel and Aoste went through. Somehow, I hadn’t noticed it before, but this door was red, a stark contrast from the pristine, sterile white that dominated the lab. I also felt a sense of…familiarity. Not the strangle, tingling-in-the-back-of-my-mind sensation I felt when I was “remembering” things from here, but a sense that I, personally, had seen this before.
Then it hit me. This was the door to the room with Recorder inside. Was this my way out? I placed my hand on the door and pushed. Nothing. It doesn’t budge. It felt like I was pushing on a wall. Before I can try anything else, to pry the door open, shoulder it ajar, or just plain kick it down, I hear a voice from behind me.
“Commander? Dr. Anzeel told me she put you in charge of the experiment.” I turn to find Memphis looking expectantly, and I can’t help but get the feeling she’s here to stop me from going too far. But is this my Memphis, trying to subtly guide me, or some sort of program the Reality Lens has put in to make sure I don’t stray beyond the bounds of its capabilities? Or maybe I’m just being paranoid as I slowly slip into insanity. “Everyone's ready to go. We're just waiting on you now. Come on, I'll take you there!”
I glanced back at the Type-II rigging display, wanting to stay, to burn those schematics into my mind as one final backup. But I had what I needed, what I had been searching for, and arguing with Memphis, real or not, wouldn’t help me with my next step: getting back to reality. So I played along and smiled at Memphis. “Lead on.”
We headed back through the research lab and up to the surface where we found all of the Type-II shipgirls waiting for us, along with the Arbiter, Devil. For a program hell-bent on wiping out Humanity, she seemed almost deceptively cheerful.
“So, before we get this thing started, a quick self-introduction,” she smiled and pointed at herself, striking a pose some people would call cute. “My model ID is The Devil XV, but you can just call me Devil. I'm a second-generation Antiochus specializing in battlefield support. Frankly, taking head-on fights isn't my forte. The purpose of today's experiment is to gauge how Antiochus and KAN-SEN fight both against and alongside each other. Mostly the former.”
“In other words, we do some target practice first, then we shoot at each other?” Hornet asked.
“Yep,” Devil nodded cheerfully. “Thanks for summarizing that for me.”
Yorktown glances around expectantly as if she were looking for someone else. “Are there any other Antiochus coming? Surely you don't mean it's all of us against you alone...?”
“I've got mass-produced weapons on my side, but apart from them, I'm the only second-generation vessel,” Devil shrugged.
“Guess we'll have to hold back. We don't wanna damage Dr. Aoste's beloved vessel.” There was a definite tone to Hornet’s voice. Guess I wasn’t the only one bothered by Aoste’s dismissive attitude toward shipgirls.
If it bothered Devil, she gave no sign. “Oh, don't worry; nobody wants you to take it easy on me. This is a test of my combat abilities, so give me everything you've got. I sent you data on the test plan as well as the specs of my vessel and weapons, so give it a peek if you want.”
That piqued Hornet’s interest immediately. “Ooh, let's see... Huh? Why isn't my communicator working? It's, like, overloaded or something... Northampton, can I have some space?”
Northampton looked at Hornet quizzically before she tapped a few commands on her own communicator. “Is it that much data? Okay, I've given you storage permissions.”
“Goodness…” Langley breathed, adding her own insight into the conversation. “I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is an enormous amount of data. I only glanced at the data headers, but it does indeed seem to be a detailed specification of Devil's vessel. No offense, but it seems a little difficult to estimate your strength on the spot with this… There isn't much reason for us to know every little detail about you, either.” She glanced up at Devil from her communicator. “We're just helping with the experiment anyway, and knowing too much might unduly influence the results. As for the drill plan – I consider it more of a drill than an experiment... Ah, there it is. Likewise, it's totally unreadable. The file's pretty big, sure, but this isn't an amount of data that should be exceeding your storage, Hornet. Northampton and I didn't have a problem with it.”
Hornet frowned and tapped a few more times on her communicator. “Huh, wonder what the problem is then. Maybe I downloaded too many of those movies Shangri-La recommended to me.” We all gave her a look. “I mean, we're on Dr. Anzeel's network. Might as well use her bandwidth while we still can!” When the stares of judgment continued unabated, she defensively blurted out, “Look, I didn't even pirate them! Aren't you proud of me?”
“Excuse me, Commander? Can we strike that from the record? If Dr. Anzeel hears…” Yorktown’s voice trailed off and I gave her a wry smile as I proceeded to trim the logs.
“I’ve got her covered.”
As I worked, Hamman rushed over to her and pulled on her skirt. “Y-Yorktown! Help me make sense of this data!”
I realized it would be a little while longer before the test got underway in full…
A/N-To quote Freespace 2: "From our long odyssey into Hell, we return with a gift..." A cure for Yorktown! Of course, he has to return from that long odyssey, and he’s not out of the woods yet, not by a longshot. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!