Chaos of Victory

Platinum?

My mind focuses on that single word, a word I didn't know was possible for tickets. If simply meeting him gives such a ticket, then that must mean he's important, right? I take a second to look into his eyes, wondering what secrets Andersen has hidden there.

Dude, your ticket.

Right, roll it, please. I notice the Deputy Chief eye me curiously for a moment as the roulette spins in my mind. I'm not sure I like being observed so closely.


[Dragon]

|Epic Familiar|

Worm - Not an actual dragon. Instead, Dragon, or Theresa is a hyper-advanced tinker-made AI who is capable of copying, imitating and iterating on existing existing technology to design her own. As an advanced, she is capable of directing hundreds of mechs with ease as long proper servers are supplied to her. But due to limitations on her code she is incapable of creating more AI.


I blink, and Andersen chuckles to himself as he reaches back to push some papers around. Did I just lose a staring contest?

Regardless, an advanced AI, in the Ark where most technology is advanced enough to be online all the time? That is a powerful familiar to have, especially since she can improve upon Nikkes, if I'm reading this correctly.

I don't get it.

Get what?

I thought I turned on classic familiars instead of all of them.

I am really glad these conversations happen quickly in my head. I wouldn't want to explain myself spacing out constantly.

So am I. Shit!

I barely suppress a flinch from the sudden expletive. What happened?

My settings reset when I switched to my tablet! Damn it! Ugh, I guess you're getting Dragon, I'm not rolling again.

Okay? The clearing of a throat draws my attention back to Andersen as he sits down. Shoot, did I miss something important? I hurry to sit down as well, not wanting to be rude. Glancing to my sides shows my squad also gathered their own seats, though theirs seem much more sturdier than my own.

"Now that you are done getting lost in your thoughts," he begins, flashing a small smile at me, "let's get down to brass tacks. I called you in today to do a little test." He raises a hand, likely seeing Anis tense up like I did. "Nothing too difficult. You can relax."

My eyebrows raise in surprise. Just a test? "What kind of test did you have in mind, Andersen?"

He nods, holding out his hand to me. With a raised eyebrow, I pull out the object I assume he wants out, and he accepts my cellphone. He taps on the screen a few times, making me really glad I haven't used it for anything compromising. "From here, go straight to the Simulation Room. There will be someone there to fill you in. There will also be someone there to take iDoll Ocean off your hands, if not right away." He hands me back my phone, with the map now updated with a route to take. "That is all."

Anis stares at the phone for a moment, a conflicted expression on her face. "You… called us here just for that?"

Rapi shoots her a stern look from the other side of me. "Anis."

She holds a hand up defensively. "What? I'm just asking!" I think we're lucky that the Deputy Commander is nice, or we'd be getting court martialed.

You know what that is, but not what a dog is?

Clearly my memory is patchy, thank you.

Regardless of what the byplay is, Andersen offers us a wan smile. "I simply wanted to meet you in person." He adjusts his cuff again, an action in starting to think is a habit at this point. "No other reason." Anis subjects him to the same judgmental expression she gave me earlier in the day. This man must be made of sterner stuff as he doesn't even flinch. "I believe we are done here."

As my friends move to get up, I hold up my hand to halt them. "May I ask a question, Andersen?"

He furrows his brow slightly, tilting the arm he's messing with to read his wristwatch. "I suppose I have time to answer one question. Just one."

The questions I have suddenly jump to the forefront of my mind. Why do other commanders treat Nikkes so poorly? Why wasn't I allowed to officially bury Marian? Why are there dimly lit slums around the Ark? However, the most burning question forces itself out of my mouth.

"Marian seems to have been corrupted while she was still inside the Ark." I can feel the eyes of everyone on me, some startled, others horrified, yet Andersen's expression remains neutral. As such, I have no qualms continuing my train of thought. "Do you know anything about that?"

Anis grips my arm, leaning close and whispering in my ear. "Commander, this isn't the place to ask such things!"

The man in front of me glances slightly in Anis's direction, but looks back to me so fast I almost did not notice. "Marian?" He starts, looking up as he searches for the name in his mind. His pensive expression relaxes slightly as he recalls my lost friend. "Oh yes, the other Nikke who fought with you, correct? The one who was…" He glances at the bisected Ocean. "…completely destroyed." I nod reflexively, and he focuses back on my face. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I have nothing for you. We're conducting an investigation into the operation as we speak." His gaze hardens slightly, and I get the feeling he is trying to communicate something he cannot say out loud. "The only thing we are certain of is that the Aegis Barriers are impenetrable." He stares at me for a second longer before he finishes. "Now if you don't mind, I have other business to attend to."

I feel dissatisfied by his answer, but if they are still investigating, there is no way to tell when they will get answers, much less if they will share them with someone so far down the chain of command like me. I nod gratefully for what he has shared already, standing up as we get ready to leave.

He taps his desk, the sound like thunder in the quiet office. His pointed gaze has my squad quickly file out of his office. "Let's say," he says quietly, glancing past me at the doorway as it closes, "someone did corrupt one of your Nikkes. Maliciously." He slowly stands, nearly matching me in height as his gaze bores into my eyes. "Let's say they were so powerful that you wouldn't stand a chance against them." He gestures broadly with his hands before bringing them back together, as if he were crushing a mosquito. "Tell me, what would you do?"

My fists clench at my sides, my jaw tightens as I contemplate the idea that someone out there is sending women out to die needlessly. To be left alone, scared, torn apart while they can do nothing but stand there and take it. I think back to Product 08, how she was horrified by what she had done, how her reaction implied that while corrupted, these poor girls are still conscious of their actions, their surroundings… their pain.

"With all due respect," I finally grit out, barely holding back my transformation, talons itching to push out of my fingertips at the idea of losing another of my flock, "I'd make them pay for every single life lost with a pound of their flesh. Each."

His eyebrows raise in response to the sheer vitriol in my voice. "Oh?" He says, sounding almost amused by my response. "You'd make them pay, is that it? Tell me," his tone walking the line between pity and ridicule, "what could a mere Commander like you possibly do?"

I feel my eyes shift involuntarily in my anger, and I grapple to bring it back under control. "What if I weren't a mere Commander?"

His eyes widen slightly, but it is not shock in his eyes. Instead, it almost looks like… recognition? He nods, schooling his features as he responds. "I'd very much like to see how you'd make them pay." He glances at his watch once more, then adjusts his sleeve again. "Too bad I'm on a tight schedule. You may leave now." He offers a slight smile, then turns away before I can analyze it, fiddling with an orange sphere on a nearby shelf. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

Further thoughts swim in my mind as I try to come to terms with what I just did. Why did he react like that? Is he approving or simply not caring as he is not in my way? Does he know something beyond who might have done this to Marian? I move out of the way as a slouching guy with a bowl cut shuffles past me and into Andersen's office.

With a click, the door is closed behind me, and I notice the squad staring at me. I smile weakly and offer a wave, grimacing as I realize my nails dug into my palm. "I'm fine. Or I will be, at least." I cover my eyes, grimacing slightly. "Hopefully I didn't just cause an issue."

They both instantly realize what I mean, as I had done the same thing not even an hour ago. "Commander," Rapi starts, gently taking my hand and inspecting the indents, "I don't understand why you did that. There's a good chance that he will tell others about what he saw."

"I know," I say, my shoulders drooping. "I couldn't help it. The idea that someone out there might treat you girls as sacrificial lambs… all I saw was red."

"Good to know you care," Anis says, her tone mildly skeptical. After seeing how that jerk treated Product 08, I really cannot blame her for not taking me at my word. "So, shall we head off to the Simulation Room?"

I nod, pulling out my phone and looking at the route Andersen put into my phone's map. "Looks to be a bit of a hike. Hope you're all ready." As they salute, I start walking out of the building, leading my group of four, including the surprisingly quiet Renamon and the amputee Ocean, carried by Rapi.

I glance over as Renamon catches up, gently nudging my side. "Are you okay?" She whispers, as though her voice might shatter me if it is too loud.

I consider my answer carefully, knowing that there is a chance we are being recorded, before I respond to her as truthfully as circumstances allow. "I'm… not doing the best," I admit, looking down at my phone absently. "I saw one of my team get killed in front of me. Then I saw a soldier, whose life I could've saved, get shot in the head." I sigh, rubbing my forehead as I feel someone trying to reach out of the familiar space. I'm sorry, I do not have the capacity for talking to anyone else, right now. The presence retreats for now, saving me a headache. "Does the Ark have psychiatrists?"

"None available, as far as I know," Rapi answers behind me. I turn and gratefully nod to her, even though it's not the answer I hoped.

I look at my phone once more, staring at the map blankly as I keep moving forward without thought. I feel whom I can only assume is my new familiar reach out once more, and I meet her halfway, hoping for something to distract me.

Almost at once, a face appears on my phone next to our route. If anyone had asked me, I would say that her face is… overwhelmingly average. Brown hair, brown eyes, a face that is neither pasty or tan, but somewhere in between. The kind of average that would get her overlooked by anyone who didn't know just who this woman is.

"Greetings," she says, her mouth smiling slightly at me. "My name is Tess Theresa Richter, but you can call me Dragon."

To her credit, Anis doesn't overreact to the newest member of our squad. "Oh, hey," she says, pressing against my tricep to look into the screen, "nice to meet you. Did you come from a different barrack?"

Tess understands immediately, tilting her head slightly to acknowledge our grenadier. "Yes, I did. I'm not able to do much in my current position," by which she means my phone, which I thought was roomy enough at one terabyte, "but I can do much more once I'm relocated to better working conditions."

"Well, we're lucky to have you on board, Dragon," I say gratefully. "For now, how about a bit of reconnaissance?"

"Will do!" She says cheerfully, her face disappearing from my phone's screen.

"She seems nice," Renamon says, sounding slightly jealous.

I reach out and pat her head, smiling as she leans into my palm. "She's going to be our operator when Shifty isn't available. You'll still be here with us," I point out, wanting her to know that she is not going to be replaced. Ever.

It appears she catches my meaning, as she hums happily, nuzzling into my palm briefly before she realizes that the others are staring at her. She promptly straightens up, visibly blushing in embarrassment.

Anis smirks cheekily at Renamon. "That princess treatment is hitting you hard, huh?" She cackles as the disguised fox covers her flushed face.

"Am I interrupting?"

A stern voice cuts through our camaraderie, and most of us snap to attention, looking forward to the speaker. A woman somewhere between my height and Rapi's stands before us, her expression severe as she practically glares at Renamon. My familiar hurries to get in position, visibly sweating under the scrutiny.

Her gaze sweeps over our group for a moment before she gives a reluctant nod of approval. "Ten seconds to settle in. Decent, but could be improved upon." She clicks her heels together, standing as tall as her above-average height will allow. "I'm Ingrid, your evaluator for today. Welcome to the Simulation Room." She turns and walks inside, forcing us to follow to avoid being left behind. I get the feeling she would be disapproving of that.

Meet Ingrid Harper, CEO of Elysion! Gain a Silver Random Ticket!

I roll it as we catch up, finding ourselves in a strangely barren room with white on every surface. There are visible seams, but only because of the uniform, bright shade.

I barely start reading when Ingrid starts in on us again. "This is where I'll be putting your combat skills to the test." My eyes try to find the words again, but they are already gone. Darn it!

Anis, hopelessly lost, turns to me for guidance. "Commander, what is this all about?"

I look at my shortest squad member, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean? Didn't she just explain?"

Rapi looks at her feet, her thumb rubbing against the strap of her weapon. "I've never heard of having our combat skills tested after a mission. They usually do usually do this sort of thing beforehand."

"And isn't that the CEO of Elysion?" I nod, despite the fact that Anis is likely not expecting an answer. "What is she doing here?"

The strawberry blonde turns her attention to her friend. "I believe it's her hobby."

The sound of a whip crack has us all immediately turn back to Ingrid, her hand in a pose that implies she only snapped her fingers. "No chitchat when I'm talking!"

I start to give a contrite nod when a curious sound reaches my ears. Even with how enhanced my hearing is, I can barely make out the sound of a bass drum filtering through the air. I look around, wondering where it is coming from as a different instrument plays at a higher pitch over top of it.

"Hey!" Ingrid calls, striding forward until she's mere inches from my face, glaring straight into my eyes. "Stop moving your center of attention!"

"C-can't you hear that?" I respond awkwardly, as something about this woman makes me extremely nervous.

"Stop making stuff up, you little-" The door behind us slides open, and now the music, for that is clearly what it is, fills the air.

"Oh yeah.~"

All of us turn to the newcomer, and I hiss and shield my eyes from the lights reflecting off the outfit before me. I barely make out the shape of a man hauling some sort of ball behind him. I squint, my eyes focusing enough to know, no, that is not a ball being dragged, it is a ball being worn, and the harsh glare is coming from what are essentially light boards in the shape of wings, of all things.

He beams and brings a hand up, his arm reaching around the most outrageous black and white ruff so he can touch his lips with a couple fingers. I focus on his face and the odd half-shaved haircut just to stop myself from glimpsing more of the black and gold leotard on his body. I like my sanity where it is, thank you.

"Bonjour, demoiselles et monsieur!" He cries out in a surprisingly rich, resonant tone, his gaze carrying across my squad to reach me. "I am Mustang, the leader of Tetra Line. Pleased to make your acquaintance, little sunbeams!"

Meet Mustang, CEO of Tetra! Gain Silver Random Ticket!

What, no last name this time?

Rapi stares at him blankly, which I have come to assume means she is stunned, while Anis seems torn between secondhand embarrassment and a glee that she cannot quite hide. I glance at Ingrid out of the corner of my eye, only to find an irate expression on her face.

I roll my ticket as she storms over to get in the bravely-dressed man's face. "Mustang," she hisses, poking him in the chest, "you know I hate when combat testing is interrupted! Why are you here?"

"Oh? Did Monsieur Andersen not let you know?" I swear his smile grew cheekier, somehow. "I am here to check on la santé of mis fils!" The switching languages mid-sentence is throwing me off-


[Pearl Jam]

|Rare Ability|

Allows you to imbue Pearl Jam into your cooking and improve it drastically. Depending on the quality of the food, its ingredients, and your power, the food you cook gains additional effects such as healing and curing illnesses and much more.


-almost as much as this roll, because just what is this power?

Better start looking up recipes.

Can it heal my squad?

…debateable.

"Oh my stars!" Mustang's voice cuts through my mental conversation, as he finally looked down and saw iDoll Ocean on the floor. "What happened to my poor girl?"

"Black Smith, sir," she responds, bowing her head and missing the blank expression that crosses Mustang's face. "My squad and I were caught, and the Commander rescued me." She traces a hand across her waist, grimacing slightly. "His squad brought me back here. I owe them my life."

The Tetra CEO is silent for a long moment; even the lights from his wings dim slightly. Then, in the most serious tone he has used thus far, he replies, "Then you wouldn't mind being part of his squad?"

Ocean lifts her head in surprise, then beams brightly. "Can I?"

"Ah, un mise en guard," he continues, his voice firm and uncompromising. "You have to follow every order of your superior," he gestures to the blonde to my left, "and of Demoiselle Anis, bien sûr."

I raise an eyebrow at the man before me. "Why Anis, if I may ask?"

Just like that, his jovial disposition is back. "Because Anis is one of mis fils, naturellement!" He gestures broadly with his arms, his voice raising in pitch. "And one of mes premières filles, on top of that!"

I was starting to get a headache, so I simply nodded along. "So, does that mean you'll be able to help Ocean?"

"Naturellement!" He cries out, and it strikes me that I can hear his voice clearly over the music emanating from his being. "However," he turns and looks right at Renamon, who flinches. His frown deepens, as does his voice. "Who are you, impersonating one of my girls?"

"What?" She puts on a surprisingly good act of being hurt by the accusation. "Why would you say that, sir?"

"Because you're too short to be an iDoll Sun," he responds, and I blink, as I had not known that. "On top of that, you lack a proper identification chip. There were four who were registered as riding the elevator, and there are five of you." He leans forward, his sunglasses dropping to reveal his eyes, angry pools of brown staring directly into her soul. "If you are Heavenly Ascension, then you'll wish you were as durable as iDoll Sun."

"Hold up!" Anis says, jumping between the two of them. I notice Mustang's eyes widen slightly in surprise before he fixes his glasses. "She's definitely not them! Her neck was injured; her chip was damaged!"

He turns back to Renamon, who is shaking like a sapling in a storm, then back to Anis. "…forgive me, I didn't notice her injury. Have her report to Mana for a new chip once you're done here." He turns and opens the door to reveal a different model of Nikke behind it. "Milk, sois gentil and bring Ocean to get a new body."

"Right, boss," the short woman with black hair says, strolling inside and picking up the injured soldier. "Come on, let's get you good as new." She pauses briefly, looking up at me for a moment before smirking slightly. "You look tough, pal. Wanna box later?"

I stare at the girl who doesn't even reach my chest, slowly nodding. "…sure."

"Great! Catch you later," she says, turning to walk out the door, Mustang following her soon after.

"…what a spectacle," I say, as nothing else could describe what I witnessed.

"Very much so," Anis agrees, nodding quietly.

"Can we get back to combat testing?" Rapi almost pleads with the remaining CEO.

For her part, Ingrid seems eager to do so. "You will face a battle simulation in the Simulation Room," she starts, marching in front of us before turning back to stroll the other way, eyeing each of us suspiciously. "I can tell you, you better not be lax and think that it's just a simulation. The Simulation Room is the Ark's pride and joy. You can experience combat in reality here, thanks to state of the art holograph projectors and projectiles that simulate actually getting hit without debilitating pain or real injuries." She faces all of us, snapping her heels together. "It can simulate all kinds of battle scenarios, including fights against virtual Raptures. Tactics will be essential to handle these various situations." Her eyes almost glaze over before she refocuses, glaring at me specifically. "So, complete the test tactically. That is all."

I look back at her, thinking over what she said so far, and slowly raise my hand. "I have a question."

"No questions allowed," she growls, spinning on her heel to stride away, just to face us once more. "Before we begin, I need to know your Squad name. So, Commander, what is it?"

Easy enough. I want our squad to represent a way to defeat those that stand in our way. Strike at those who seek to do us harm before any damage can be done.

"Our Squad name is Counters."

Her eyes narrow at me slightly, then she taps the name into a holographic keyboard that appears before her. "Name confirmed." She finally crosses the threshold of the only entrance to this space. "Well then, Squad Counters, I'm looking forward to your superb combat skills."

As the lights start to shift, I switch out Wind Alteration for View Earth, as I know Ingrid will be watching. Between that and View Air, surely nothing can sneak up on us!

---

It turns out that holograms are not tangible. They are projections of light with no substance, and as such, they do not interact with the air or the earth. They have no feelings, and thus no malice in any amount. As such, we got our sorry butts handed to us for the first ten seconds of the skirmish.

After I cottoned on to these irrefutable facts, I started having to take a more proactive role in searching for these Raptures. I have Rapi go back to shooting single enemies that get close, while Anis goes after clusters and Renamon shoots those at a distance. We get into a steady flow, taking care of almost every Rapture that we come across. Almost every because one of them decided to leap at Renamon, exploding in light that causes her to collapse in pain. I promptly grab her and pull her back behind cover, not wanting her to be further targeted.

We make it through our first simulation, and our squad walks out the doors, the disguised fox leaning on my shoulder for support. I pat her head, quietly assuring her that she did her best.

Finish your first Simulation Room session! Gain a Bronze Random Ticket!

"Argh," Anis groans, stretching her arms up in the air, "so tired."

Rapi stands a few feet from the door as it closes behind us, ever the responsible one. "The operation results have already been reported. She told us to wait here."

The grenadier lets out a heavy sigh, one hand on her hip. "Rapi, what do you think this is all about?"

"Just as she said," she responds, not looking in her direction, "it's a test. Apparently, our performance was good enough to arouse suspicion."

Anis groans even louder this time, rolling her head back to stare at the ceiling. "You do poorly, they give you a hard time. You do well, same thing." She throws her hands in the air, exasperated. "You can't win!"

"Maybe if we do well enough, we'll get a bit more agency?" I suggest, hopeful, while subtly gesturing forward with two fingers.

"Ha, I wish," she shoots back, staring at me with a frown, clearly having caught the hint. "You're too optimistic."

"That isn't a bad thing," Renamon weakly responds.

Rapi tries to undo our derailing, bringing us back to the earlier topic. "It's not a bad thing to do well." Her hand grips her weapon's strap just a bit tighter. "Doing our part for the cause and all that jazz."

Anis lets her shoulders drop. "I suppose so," she concedes, glancing over at me. "Did you get anything?"

"Not yet," I say as I set it to rolling. It finishes surprisingly quickly, and it offers me a single item.


[Cookie Jar]
|Common Item|

Cookie Clicker - One of the flagship products of "The Bakery", a glass jar that contains a practically limitless supply of perfectly warm and fresh chocolate chip cookies, endlessly produced by the compressed universe contained inside the jar, optimised solely for cookie production. Note: DO NOT BREAK THE JAR. Note2: DO NOT BREAK THE JAR; THE BAKERY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONSEQUENCES OF BREAKING THE JAR.


Well that feels like a dud.

Tell her about the ball you got.

I furrowed my brow slightly, searching through my item storage for this ball Nandi was talking about. I put my hand in my pocket and then summon the item into my hand, pulling it out to reveal an orange glass orb that fits neatly into the palm of my hand, four red stars slowly spinning around its insides. Nandi helpfully puts the text for it back up for me to read.


[Dragon Ball]

|Uncommon Item|

Dragon Ball - A singular Dragon ball. If you gather all 7 you can summon Shenron to grant you a wish that is within his power or give yourself any ability below a 6.9 rating.


Where did this come from!?

Yeah, the ticket from Ingrid gave you that one.

My eyebrows raise into my fringe, and I open my mouth to start explaining when I hear heavy footsteps rapidly thundering down the hallway adjacent to ours. We all turn as one to whomever is running just as they turn the corner.

Long white hair flutters in the breeze caused by her sprint, a surprisingly dainty face turning to our group. My eyes briefly drop to the police vest and skirt before jumping up to her face, hoping she did not notice. Glowing ruby red eyes glint as they land upon me, and my heart skips a beat in fear.

"Commander Nexus!" She calls out with a glitching voice, her shotgun level with my chest and her finger tightening on the trigger. Her head twitches to the side twice before she continues, "You are wanted for several crimes in the Ark. Come quietly or there will be trouble!"

---

AN: So yeah, cliffhanger. It was already getting long, for my tastes, and it felt like a good place to end.

Also, Milk was my first SSR Nikke and Poli was my first Nikke to get Three-Starred. I'm very attached to both of them, especially after they both got Favorite Items.

Thank you for reading, and please tell me what you think!

Someone requested an informational post with the rolls acquired so far, so here they are, divided up by chapters.