Only Human (Goddess of Victory NIKKE SI)

[SongNai145]

Seeing that Snow White hunger kick in was a nice comedy palette cleanser.

I'm reminded of this dumb little meme.

- YouTube

Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.

youtu.be

 

[VATSTeen]

Man when he explains the sealing door massacre, Dorothy and Joe are both the same in their mindset from the perspective of Pioneer.

 

[Valthorix]

The plushie scene nearly brought me to tears. Poor Ellie...

 

[Vicentehuerta777dragon]

God they're adorable and deserve so many good things ,really hope rapi reconciles her past chaotic self with her present stoic self cuz she is wound up tight ,Joe may have done a little whoopies by calling her his rock cuz she really doesn't know how to let her hair down at all cuz say what you want about red hood goon self but she did know how to have fun.

 

[palacesound]

you think they could equip Joe with some custom doro merch for that meeting? doro shirt, doro hat , doro flag , doro underwear just to keep her from shooting the "imposter" due to sheer wtf 404

Click to shrink...

Picture him rolling up in a doromobile.

 

[NJesus]

Picture him rolling up in a doromobile.

Click to shrink...

kek nobody could convince her to not destroy the arc anymore dorothy turns heretic on principle...... and the rupture queen trolls her with her own doro tyrant class

 

[Gato]

Kinda glad that the meeting seems to take its time rather than rushing straight into getting the plot caught up. These moments where you can feel that they have a long history together, where the characters just grab you by the feels really makes me want to play the game. Then I realize it's an au and the game shoots my immersion by bringing 2B and Evangelion in.

Dorothys mental health might not actually allow her to see Joe as real since she did suffer from delusions in the game. That or she has an actual breakdown from the spanking Joe will deliver once he finds out she went rogue without him.

I'm really into this story right now. Someone save my wallet and tell me the game ain't worth it!

 

[NJesus]

I'm really into this story right now. Someone save my wallet and tell me the game ain't worth it!

Click to shrink...

you should mortgage your house for current never returning collab characters and skins

 

[Dasneaky]

you should mortgage your house for current never returning collab characters and skins

Click to shrink...

Isn't the like rate up for those characters and limited is like less then .01% or something and you need like 200 hundred pull just to get guarantee character? If I remember right for pity

 

[NJesus]

Isn't the like rate up for those characters and limited is like less then .01% or something and you need like 200 hundred pull just to get guarantee character? If I remember right for pity

Click to shrink...

nah like any special banner its 2% used 3 10x pulls just 10 minutes ago to get the last collab one

 

[Your Target]

It would be nice to get some more Moments with Anis and Neon after this is all over.
They and the Mass production Nikke's need more screentime.

 

[BakaSmurf]

===
Chapter 61 - The Ugly Truth
===

Pioneer laughed heartily, with far more levity and merry than any of them had in a long while.

Both because of how long it had been since they'd had the privilege of enjoying such a refined meal, and because they had been reunited with their long-lost Commander and sister—and because they knew that Andersen was also alive too.

For as dark and miserable as the lives of the former members of Goddess had been this past century, this day proved to them all that miracles did still happen.

It was especially heartening to see that, all this time later, while Red Hood was noticeably different now…

The Commander was taking single pieces of chicken nuggets, setting them on the palm of his hand, and smiling like a buffoon every time Snow White lunged forward to eat the nuggets from his hand like a dog would.

The more things changed…

Moreover, Rapunzel was staring at Rapi, visibly confused as she periodically gave the much smaller blonde a blatant once-over. After a while of that, Joe had to ask: "Is something wrong, Rapunzel?" He inquired.

"Rapi's breasts are smaller," she immediately replied without missing a solitary beat, at this point, very obviously staring outright at the red-and-black-clad blonde's chest.

Needless to say, everyone, save for a Snow White still chewing on a mouthful of food, sharply turned to look at Rapunzel in shock at once… Then to a mortified Rapi.

Joe, while thinking of how damn gauche it was for Rapunzel to just call that out as she had, was the only one that didn't outright leer at Rapi in reply.

Instead, he fell back upon the ancient, mystic technique all men eventually instinctively learned with age: to look without looking by focusing in on his peripheral vision.

…Rapunzel was right. Rapi was noticeably larger back during their days as Goddess. How did-

Loudly swallowing her surely only partially-eaten food, Snow White cleared her throat and interjected: "No they aren't," she declared matter-of-factually. "She's just wearing a compression top under her shirt." She declared before she began contemplating a whole, baked potato.

Blinking once, Joe had to acknowledge that yeah, if anyone would know that, it would be Snow, given that she'd stripped Rapi down to her birthday suit to perform maintenance on her.

After a few moments, Rapi spoke up, more than a little sheepishly. "...They get in the way, otherwise," she explained herself, visibly uncomfortable and shifting about anxiously with the scrutiny she was receiving.

Only then, did Rapunzel seem to actually process what she'd said. "I-I-I didn't mean that in a bad way or anything! I mean, you're still shapely and curvaceous and beautiful and striking and—And—And-!"

At once, the towering blonde turned neon red, her big blue eyes bugging out as she slapped her hands over her face and squealed like a tea kettle in embarrassment.

At that, Joe was smacked in the face with a distant reminder of how… Repressed Rapunzel was, and how she'd actually made him look remarkably less prone to spilling spaghetti by comparison alone.

The poor nun was down bad, and everyone inevitably wound up knowing it. He'd forgotten what it was like to not be the source of social pasta disasters. How… Nostalgic.

"Well, at least the Commander seems to be enjoying this tableau, should one account for his contented smile," Scarlet observed between swigs of her flask.

Indeed, Joe had started smiling at the byplay unconsciously, and immediately attempted to correct by raising a hand to cover his mouth-

"Nooo!" Cinderella, however, did not let him, her grabby little digits immediately striking out to prevent him from masking his features. "Don't try to hide your smile from us! It's been so long since we got to see it!"

As the silver-haired Nikke suddenly invaded Joe's personal space, a wide smile on her flawless features which stirred far too much in the man… His space was suddenly invaded from two angles at once.

Rapi immediately claimed one of his arms and drew him in closely, as if in an attempt to demand his attention over Cinderella.

Glancing Rapi's way, Joe noticed that the blonde was visibly frustrated and annoyed, attempting to pull him away from the stark-haired, even smaller woman.

Where this situation would have normally escalated based on Joe's memories of Goddess… Instead, Cinderella paused, blinked, and retreated back to her seat with a small, sheepish cough.

Cinderella didn't say anything, leaving Joe and Rapi in a somewhat awkward position, as the blonde continued to cling to a perplexed Joe possessively.

Backing off was hardly Cinderella's typical modus operandi, so the man was more than a little confused…

After a few moments, however, Joe shook his head as the break served to remind of the time and place, and the fact that they needed to address the elephant in the room.

Thus, he moved to return to his normal seated position—needing to turn to Rapi to address her, "Rapi, let go of my arm, we've got to talk about everything," he pointedly noted.

Though Rapi was more than a little hesitant, she did eventually relent and let the Commander go, glowering lightly as she did so.

The air around the campsite had shifted at Joe's assertion, which caused everyone to adjust their seating positions.

Even Snow White, who had shoved an entire potato into her mouth, attempted to look as serious as she could while she played the part of a whole roasted pig on a platter.

Glancing about, affirming that everyone was well and properly settled in for the discussion that was to be had, Joe took a breath and settled his elbows on his knees.

Clasping his hands together before his mouth, Joe contemplated the situation. "...Dorothy," he began. "Why isn't she here? Why are you all so… Wary to speak of her?"

There was a heavy pause before someone finally spoke up. "The situation with Dorothy is… Difficult," Cinderella darkly noted, anxiously rubbing her hands together. "She, um… She… Isn't aligned with humanity anymore."

Turning to face the silverette, Joe's brow furrowed heavily at the assertion for obvious reasons.

It was Scarlet that followed up, though. "We were informed by our handler in the Ark, that Andersen and thee had been executed by the Central Government for 'outliving thy usefulness.' The gate had been sealed behind thee, leaving Dorothy inflicted with a most ruinous sense of betrayal."

Having chewed through and swallowed her potato in record time, Snow White spoke up next. "Dorothy has declared her intention to cast down the Central Government, and destroy the Ark. Not unlike a Heretic."

"Dorothy isn't a Heretic!" Rapunzel declared, rising from her seat forcefully. "None of what happened is her fault! She just needs to see Joe and know that he's alive and well and she'll calm down!"

"You don't know that-!" Snow White started as she too rose to her feet, rapidly growing heated.

She was cut off by Joe and Rapi rising to their feet, reminding everyone that they were, in fact, present this time.

Pioneer fell into rapt silence, all eyes on the Commander as he stepped aside and away from the campfire. Joe settled a hand on his bearded chin, as Rapi remained stuck to his side, understandably concerned for obvious reasons.

The little blonde reached over and set a hand on Joe's elbow, more than a little uncertain. The man in question, however, was stuck pondering the situation. Dorothy, she hated the Ark and the Central Government. Understandably so.

Yet Snow White considered her to be a Heretic because of this. This was a complicating factor, but, given everything that he knew, Joe was firmly of the opinion that they couldn't, and shouldn't pull the wool over Pioneer's eyes.

From Joe's perspective, the best path forward would be to walk Pioneer through the situation, explain to them what had actually happened in the Ark on the Sealing Day. Then… Discuss contacting Dorothy.

With a nod, he gave Rapi's shoulder a squeeze, turning around and facing his girls once more, making note of how anxious the lot of them were.

"I don't think you're going to like what I'm about to say," Joe declared, crossing his arms and stepping closer to the campfire again. "But, clearly, it needs to be said. First off: your 'handler' lied to you. Whatever it is you've been led to believe about what happened on that day, was a lie."

"Then what happened?" Rapunzel asked, leaning forward, heart going a mile a minute in her chest along with the rest of her long-time companions.

"After I arrived in the Ark proper, I was called to meet with the Central Government council. The message they had for me was simple and clear: Goddess was to be disbanded, the Grimms which made it up 'deactivated' and disassembled to reverse-engineer the technology that went into their creation."

Walking aside, Joe had his back to Pioneer, looking out into the distance as he continued to speak.

"They wanted me to become their figurehead, to lead the charge to shifting the Ark into fascist rule, wherein everyone would answer to the Central Government, and anyone that was in with the CG would live like royalty."

Joe's voice was tinged with no small amount of anger. Anger which would never leave him; a deep-seated hatred for those bastards that would have seen his girls disposed of after all they'd done for mankind.

"I would lead Goddess to their deaths, because all of you had outlived your usefulness, and they wanted super soldiers they could control absolutely, not potentially contrarian heroes that might put their rule at risk."

Joe continued to look outwards into the horizon as he continued.

"Red Hood had been sneaked into the Ark, lured in ahead of everyone else, because Exceed was deemed to be the most valuable ability among those granted to Goddess. Then, in their infinite wisdom, they had allowed her to roam free while setting up her execution. This was the opening I needed, that we needed, to do what had to be done."

Rapi glanced back over her shoulder, making note of the mounting horror on the faces of Pioneer as Joe laid out the facts to them.

"Enikk, the Ark's central managerial A.I. overheard us… And immediately cut us off from the rest of the system to ensure we wouldn't be caught. She confided in us, informed us that the Central Government's immediate plans left humanity with naught but ten years before extinction."

That was the point when Joe turned around to face Pioneer, his expression grave as he too saw how mortified they all were. It did little to discourage him from continuing to reveal the ugly truth.

"Enikk served as our handler in the two-man operation to eliminate the council. Her intervention is the reason we succeeded, and humanity did not go extinct ninety years ago."

Silence reigned, Pioneer staring at Joe and Rapi in open horror. Doubtlessly, this was just about the very last thing they'd expected to hear from their Commander a century after their last meeting, back when they were all loyal soldiers of the United Forces of Humanity and the Central Government.

After an extended period of time, Cinderella was the first to speak up. "...Dorothy was right," she breathed, gaze becoming unfocused as it hit her all at once. "All this time, she was right…"

"-Bullshit!" Snow White all but screamed, on the contrary, eyes having gone wild as they snapped between Joe and Rapi. "That's not- No! No! That doesn't- You're lying! You wouldn't betray-!"

"Snow White, calm yourself," Scarlet interjected, pointedly rising to her feet commandingly. "If even the Commander and Red- Rapi have been driven to turn their sights upon the Central Government, then any betrayal would have been upon them by those we trusted—those who hunt us to this day, if thou shalt recall!"

As the pair stared at each other with considerable intensity, Rapunzel remained quiet, just staring at Joe and Rapi. It seemed, that of Pioneer, she at least had the wherewithal to wait for them to finish explaining themselves, and so they did.

"Our enemy is the Central Government," Rapi, notably, spoke up rather than Joe. "Not the Ark."

That caught Snow White's attention once more, the golden-eyed woman now keenly focusing on the smaller blonde.

"The Central Government is not the Ark," Rapi asserted matter-of-factually. "The Central Government has infested the Ark. It needs to be extricated, like a cancerous tumour, so that the Ark itself and the civilians inside of it may survive in the long term. So that we may one day reclaim the surface the Central Government has forsaken."

Joe just nodded in agreement of Rapi's clarification, very much appreciating that she was supporting him on this matter, and so well at that.

That seemed to give Pioneer no small amount of collective relief, though the tension in the air did not dissipate in whole.

This was exemplified by Scarlet's response. "So… Thou suggests that our purpose ought to be combating the Central Government, for the sake of mankind?"

Joe replied to that. "The Central Government are enemies of mankind. They have no interest in reclaiming the surface. They know the Ark's time is limited, that it is not self-sustaining and will one day run out of resources. The only thing they care about is ruling over it and what little remains of mankind until our species hits its expiration date."

The man was looking between the girls that had served under him amidst the Initial Rapture Invasion.

"Andersen has been among their upper echelons for years now as one of the Ark's Deputy Chief Commanders under a pseudonym. If anybody would know these to be facts, it would be him. Would any of you argue that it is not our duty to see the CG cast down, in light of these facts?"

As Snow White's hand balled into a fist, Cinderella anxiously wrung her hands together, while Rapunzel clasped her hands in uncertain prayer, and Scarlet rapped her fingers on the butt of Fleetly Fading.

They weren't going to get anywhere by sitting around and leaving everyone to brood and get lost in their own heads. So, Joe pressed the issue immediately. "Look me in the eye, and tell me that the Central Government is not humanity's enemy, despite actively and knowingly engaging in malicious behaviour they know will lead to the extinction of our species for their own short-term gain."

That only momentarily made Pioneer all the more visibly uncomfortable, shifting about with no small amount of mounting unease.

But Joe wasn't having it. "That is an order," he dictated with anything even approximating a semblance of humour.

That caused the attention of the girls to all snap to Joe at once, wavering slightly, only to deflate more than a little bit at the newfound pressure placed on them.

Scarlet was the first to reply. "Nay, I cannot," the ashen-haired swordswoman said with a heavy sigh. "The Central Government, by thy own words, can only be construed as mankind's enemy, if they do be truly bettering their own purses at humanity's expense."

Cinderella replied next. "...If my father has been serving as a… A spy, I suppose, and he says they're evil too… Your word alone would be enough for me, Joe. If our next mission is to destroy the Central Government for humanity's sake, then so be it." Despite the clear conflict in her shimmering blue eye, the Commander could see that she was indeed truthfully putting her faith in him. He wasn't misleading her, so he simply nodded once in acknowledgement of her assertion.

"...I can't believe that… But Dorothy wants to destroy the Ark-!" Snow White began, only to be cut off by Rapi.

"We are not discussing Dorothy or the morality of her actions or objectives," the diminutive blonde asserted forcefully. "You are being informed of our newfound mission which, as all other missions we have engaged in, is for the sake of mankind. Not Dorothy, not Joe, not ourselves, not revenge. The Central Government is knowingly driving humanity to extinction. Is this acceptable to you, yes, or no?"

Snow White closed her eyes, visibly conflicted by the notion of knowingly and deliberately taking up arms against human beings. Yet… "...No," she growled out, demonstrably resenting that she had to vocalize such thoughts in the first place. She left it there.

At that, only Rapunzel was left, who was clearly lost in her own head. Muttering quietly to herself, periodically shaking her own thoughts, trying to sort something out on her own. Rapi didn't seem content with this, and so interrupted the towering blonde's thoughts. "Rapunzel? You've been asked a question."

Rapunzel jumped in her seat, large blue eyes going wide before she cleared her throat. "I-I hate the thought of bringing harm to humans. But… If the Central Government is truly deliberately working towards mankind's extinction, then there's only one path forward: bringing them to justice for the sake of the many to whom we exist to shield, from anything and everything that would threaten them."

She paused, lips still parted, gaze drifting aside for a few moments before she spoke back up.

"I'm more so thinking of Dorothy, though. She… It's as has been stated. We all left her, because she made it clear that she considered mankind to be the enemy, that the Ark had to fall, that she would see it fall for the 'sins' committed against us… How for what they did to you, Joe, that the Ark absolutely had to be punished, for profiting off of and benefiting from your 'murder.'"

That brought everyone to silence once more. Joe hadn't been expecting to hear that Dorothy had become an extremist after the Ark was sealed. Nor that she was driven to such hatred specifically by what she'd been told of his fate, which was itself a lie… He'd known that she cared deeply for him, but to the extent that she'd effectively stopped just short of Heresy herself for vengeance?

Speaking up, Joe vocalized his thoughts. "I can see why Snow White would accuse her of being a Heretic…" Though Rapunzel clearly disliked that, Snow White seemed vindicated by his assessment. "But… The thought of treating Dorothy as an enemy…"

Rapunzel was quick to speak up at that. "I think she would be calmed just by seeing that you're alive after all! She's far gone now, but only because of how much it hurt her when we all thought you'd died! She just needs to know that you're still with us, that you've been working towards a less… Extreme version of what she has been all along!"

While Snow White was still more than a little uncertain and uncomfortable with the notion, Joe was just disconcerted by the question of Dorothy's state, and furthermore… "Where is Dorothy, then?" He asked.

At that, the girls all shared collective looks of uncertainty, and Scarlet was the one that answered him. "Eden, Commander. Dorothy is in Eden."

Rapi's brows furrowed. "...Eden?"

At that, Joe too was confused, spurring a question that was far larger than he'd have expected.

"And what, exactly, is Eden?"

 

[Masayume]

Yeeesss an update! Finally the truth is out! Time to fish the Doro out heh, that or send one or two of pioneer to send a message to her. Hopefully Doro will agree to meet before dismissing Joe as a clone made by CG to get all of Goddess in one go.

 

[Nehef]

"And what, exactly, is Eden?"

Click to shrink...

My headcannon is in the past Red Hood telling Scarlet the way to win against Dorothy is to win in "bed wrestling" against the commander. Doro finds out after Scarlet's gloat and as easily provoked as she is, the challenge is taken and the cummander needs to deal with it too.

And the "plot twist" is that the cummander is the "strongest" in this scenario. (This have been in my head for so much time since, the interactions between Scarlet and Doro and the memories of Scarlet gloati- *ahem* talking with the commander about how strong she is and one of the answers is "I'm stronger")

... YES, SEGGS.

 

[Ace of Scarabs]

Joe better have his Doro doll ready to remind Dorothy that only the real Joe would remember that thing

 

[BakaSmurf]

===
Chapter 62 - Someone Else's Definition of 'Perfection'
===

"Eden…" Cinderella started, shifting in her seat warily, mulling over the question as she crossed her hands over her lap in consideration. "Eden is a human enclave on the surface, with a population in the low ten-thousands. It's hostile to the Ark."

Joe sharply turned to stare at the platinum-haired woman with wide, dumbstruck eyes. An expression shared by Rapi, who looked as though she'd just been slapped with a fish.

"A human enclave? On the surface?" Rapi cried out abject shock. "But that's not possible. The Raptures target and destroy any and all human habitation on the surface. It's impossible to stand against the endless waves that would be thrown at any established human population."

"Yes, tis' the truth," Scarlet noted simply. "Yet, still the truth: is that Eden stands, and has stood for decades upon decades at this juncture. Not as a mere outpost, a concrete bunker filled with naught but stale air and miserable fluorescent lighting-"

The swordswoman adjusted her stance to resettle her wrist, resting upon the butt of her sword as it was.

"-But as a true, self-sustaining arcology. A towering structure of crystalline glass and steel which casts a large shadow upon the environment in which it looms. This too, surrounded by rolling, verdant farmland in addition to those vertical farms contained within the primary arcology as well."

"And the living conditions for its inhabitants are fantastic as well!" Rapunzel interjected with no small amount of enthusiasm. "Though personal accommodations are somewhat on the… Cozy side, to ensure no space in the primary tower is wasted, everyone has large, wide windows that can be opened to let the sun and fresh air inside!"

The blonde spoke with no small amount of seemingly genuine cheer.

"And everyone receives a fair and healthy weekly ration of food and water! Entertainment is distributed for free, everyone lives in safety and security…"

"How could they be living safely on the surface?" Joe cut in, furrowing his brow as he considered the information presented to him, finding it far too good to be true. "Especially in a tower. What you're describing would be a cacophonous dinner bell to the Raptures."

"Eden is a… I suppose it would be most accurate to refer to it as a nation-state," Cinderella began in reply. "It's a technocratic meritocracy. Their technology is hundreds of years ahead of that which the Ark has. To the tune of their territory being enshrouded with a stealth field that makes the entire region appear as a barren, silent wasteland at a distance. By the naked eye, or technological means, the Shroud cannot be pierced except by stepping past its threshold."

Rapi and Joe, by that point, were staring in dumbstruck awe. Given the state of the Ark, how it had largely stagnated since it was sealed…

If Pioneer were being honest, Eden was not only advanced to the point of it being comical, but it was advanced to the point of having the means to permanently reclaim parts of the surface.

"Even still," Scarlet continued to elucidate. "Should the Shroud be pierced by happenstance… As thy may imagine, Eden's Nikkes are truly awe-inspiring in comparison to the middling strength those produced by the Ark may project. They are not on-par with us Grimms models… Though they are far, far closer than what we've seen among the Ark's forces."

"In some ways…" Rapunzel began to add onto Scarlet's point. "They're even actually more versatile than most of us. Pioneer. When we left Eden, they were powerful, incredibly so, yes, but since then, in the rare times we've encountered Eden Nikkes since…"

"When we were with Eden," Cinderella started, a conflicted expression worn plain on her face. "We allowed them to study us, to reverse-engineer the technology that went into our creation. While some things are simply too heavily black boxed to be accurately or reliably assessed non-destructively, others, they were able to actually extract all the information they needed on. Such as my featherweight frame, and my anti-gravity capabilities."

"Many Eden Nikkes can fly," Rapunzel declared. "This, on top of their weapons technology being so terribly advanced… Eden can do everything the Ark can do with a small fraction of the same amount of Nikkes."

"If not for their middling numbers," Scarlet added on with a ponderous hum. "Eden would have all which was needed to begin reclaiming the surface, doubtlessly…"

Joe felt as though he'd just fallen down a flight of stairs. The Ark had been piddling along pitifully, not even able to truly claim the territory right on top of the Ark, while another civilization freely and safely existed on the surface. Not only existed, but apparently, thrived. Being outright invisible to encroaching Raptures, feeding and housing all citizens… "And yet, you all underwent this self-imposed exile from Eden…" the Commander noted.

"With the entirety of the adult population consisting of former Ark dwellers, abandoned and betrayed Commanders, Nikkes, and even former megacorp researchers… Eden considers the Ark to be their enemy," Snow White finally spoke up, after having been silent the entire time the nation-state was described. "In fact, so far as Eden is concerned, they are actively at war with the Ark, and behave accordingly in encounters with active duty Ark Nikkes and Commanders."

…Ah. Yeah, there it was.

Snow White continued. "Eden attempts to capture Ark Nikkes, as many as possible amidst any particular engagement. These Nikkes are then brought to Eden, and whereupon they are interrogated, and attempts are made to recruit them. Policy is that Commanders be simply executed in the field, barring particularly… exceptional examples. They are assumed to be not worth the effort in any regard. Dorothy emphasized this point to us by doing the deed herself the first time we encountered a Nikke squad alongside her, with such a serene expression on her face, no less…"

Silence fell over the group, Joe bringing his hands up to cover his face, taking a number of deep, bracing breaths. "'Execute.'" The man began. "Meaning, said Commanders were already captured?"

"Yes," Snow White pointedly forcefully declared without missing a beat. "There are numerous examples of Commanders being shot, even if they surrender-"

"Not every time-!" Rapunzel tried to interject.

"That it happens at all is beyond the pale!" Snow White cut her off angrily, sharply turning and gesturing towards the nun. "Executing captured and surrendered forces is a war crime! It was Dorothy that pushed for this policy! It doesn't matter that it wasn't her that initially proposed it, she was the one that pushed and pushed and so clearly takes pleasure in the act of murdering helpless Ark Commanders!"

There was another stretch of silence in which everyone had grown visibly uneasy, Joe still performing breathing exercises into his hands.

The average Ark Commander was, indeed, a wretch. An active, walking insult to the memory and efforts of Goddess… But that didn't mean that it was okay to commit war crimes against them! Execute them without a trail to prove it was deserved beforehand, after they'd surrendered and been captured!

It was one thing to kill a combative Commander actively attacking them, but what Snow White was describing was cold-blooded murder!

"As a reminder, Snow White," Scarlet spoke up again, not privy to Joe's internal narration. "We. Are. Not. Thy. Enemies. We left Eden because we agree with thee. Do not seek to snap and nip at us because we seek to give Joe and Red- Rapi the whole picture, over demonizing Eden in whole."

"Just as you'll tell the Commander all about Eden's wonders, I will tell him about its numerous maluses," Snow White darkly asserted. "Such as the fact that Eden pointedly houses no non-combatants."

At that, Joe finally tore his hands from his face, focusing on Snow White in a way that clearly indicated that he wanted her to elaborate.

"Everyone, be they human, or Nikke, is required to prove that they can personally, and directly destroy Raptures before they will be even allowed to pass through the Shroud without being slaughtered by Eden's border patrol," the silver-haired, golden-eyed woman declared with a grimace. "This not only contributes to every single inhabitant of Eden being a soldier expected to participate in combat, it means that countless humans have died simply attempting to qualify to even set eyes upon Eden in the first place."

"Even humans are expected to be able to destroy Raptures?" Joe echoed the assertion dubiously. "How?" Who the in the nine Hell's idea was that? How is that a reasonable expectation to even enter the place?"

"It was Dorothy's idea," Snow White stated matter-of-factually. "And she had the rule implemented 'to honour' you," she asserted darkly. "You, unlike the Commanders of the Ark, actually fought alongside us in battle properly. You took up arms, and, in one particularly extreme case, even managed to destroy a Tyrant, on your own, when separated from the rest of Goddess. When Eden had received information that the Ark's Commanders are hollow, insulting facsimiles of you, and how you led and supported us… She was very forceful about ensuring that the only human beings that would ever enter Eden would be those worthy of serving alongside Nikkes in the same way you were."

After a beat of stunned horror, Joe replied in mounting mortification. "...I'm a Hoplite. I would burn through Hoplons at a rate that was unsustainable in the long term just keeping up with you girls."

"Well Dorothy and Eden's most high-ranking officers expect all humans that inhabit that place to be able to do the same," Snow White all but growled in reply. "Initially, without the augmentation and mechanized assistance you had access to."

"Jesus fucking Christ…!" Joe just exhaled as he was forced to his ass, dropping to the ground as he was bombarded with this social darwinist horseshit, apparently being done in his name. "D-does Eden even have children!? If they don't have non-combatants…"

"Children born in Eden go through combat training alongside typical academic schooling from the moment they are capable of walking and retaining meaningful information," Snow White stated. "There are no non-combatants in Eden. Everyone is a soldier. Some are just mere Cadets before they reach the age to undergo qualifications for promotion to the rank of Private, and graduate out of the trainee phase of citizenship."

Snow White continued past that point.

"Eden has not been around long enough to have properly elderly citizens age out of being viable combatants, given the society's life extension capabilities. However, it is already established policy that women, if they had not already, are to undergo Nikke conversion upon reaching the age wherein their natural biological body begins to deteriorate. Men undergo extensive cybernetic alterations in much the same way even before this, in order to make them as capable of fighting alongside Nikkes in open combat as is possible."

That last fact caught Joe's attention in particular, for very obvious reasons.

Having noticed, Snow White elucidated. "Eden's technological development has granted them the means to augment men to a far greater degree than seems possible in the Ark. They are no Nikkes, nor Adonii… But the Epilektoi of Eden are capable of fending for themselves on an open battlefield against the most common Raptures, even if with no small amount of exertion."

Epilektoi, ancient Greek for the Chosen. Men capable of actually fighting alongside Nikkes properly, not just… Standing at their backs and cheerleading for them, but taking up arms and supporting them in battle. That, in a vacuum, sounded amazing to Joe. If they had opened with that, and left it at that, the man would have been demanding that they bring him to this place at once.

But it wasn't just that one, positive point. Eden wasn't just men fighting alongside Nikkes in combat meaningfully, not forcing the women to shoulder the burden of war effectively on their own. It was also… Everything else that had been mentioned.

Joe saw meritocracy as a good thing. People should be awarded as per their personal accomplishments, in accordance with their ability to live up to their own ambitions. Too often, did fools and worthless sacks of flesh unworthy of much of anything find themselves in positions of power, positions which should be held by those who have earned their place in the leading roles of society, that have proven they can lead and make life better for the many they serve.

But this? This was just social darwinism. Forcing children to learn to fight, putting the 'unworthy' to the blade, taking no prisoners who could not potentially be converted to their way of thinking… No fucking shot that Eden didn't also bombard their citizens with propaganda extolling the virtues of the state, that their way of life was the way of life, and that the Ark was a society of 'unworthy' weaklings.

A soldier's purpose was to protect civilians. A soldier's duty should be defending the weak, ensuring those who could not fight for themselves, could live in peace and prosperity. A society without civilians… A society wherein the weak were treated as chaff to be discarded…

For all the Ark's problems, for as wretched a place as it was, for as much as Joe hated the culture the Central Government had cultivated… The Central Government didn't actively cull the Ark's civilian population. The Ark still had civilians. The young were allowed to be children, the weak were allowed to live. The elderly were not forcibly conscripted and augmented to justify their continued existence… At least, not to the point of leaving no civilian class to speak of.

Yet, worst of all… "...And Dorothy contributed to this culture?" Joe inquired with dread bubbling up in his gut. "She directed Eden to develop into this Neo-Sparta?" He spat out the term, openly disgusted by the notion.

"She did," Snow White declared as the rest of Pioneer looked halfway between relieved and anxious. "She even refused to budge, so much as relent in the slightest on her beliefs and newfound ideals, even when we all told her on no uncertain terms, that we would not continue to support Eden if it did not change its ways. So… We left. And never looked back."

Joe pinched the bridge of his nose, rising to his feet with a heavy, bone-deep sigh. "Meaning that Dorothy is so damned stuck in her newfound ways, that even driving off what remained of Goddess at the time wasn't enough to deter her from continuing down this path…" This path, which involved the execution of captured enemies and radicalization of Eden's people against the Ark, no less! "...I can increasingly see why Snow would compare her to a Heretic."

As much as it clearly hurt Rapunzel to hear him say that, Cinderella and Scarlet just averted their gazes uncomfortably, while Snow White huffed, evidently not quite finding the statement as vindicating as she did previously.

Such did not stop her from replying in earnest, regardless. "This is why she can't be trusted. This is why she is a danger, not just to the Ark, but to you. We don't know what she would do if she knew that you were still alive."

Joe didn't reply to that, remaining quiet as Rapi gave him an uncertain look, clearly herself unsure of what to say,

Rapunzel was the next person to speak up, regardless. "And how do you know that knowing Joe is alive won't be the hook we've needed to pull Dorothy back from the abyss?" She inquired, giving Snow White a reproachful look. "It was his 'death' that pushed her over the edge. You know it, we all know it. We were all there when it happened. We all had to watch her break. We all had to stand by, knowing we could do nothing, watch her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, helpless, inconsolable… Crying, begging Joe for forgiveness, for failing him, for letting him down when he needed her the most…"

The Commander, at that, turned to focus on Rapunzel, his expression having fallen considerably, these assertions flew in stark contrast to all of his memories of Dorothy. Dorothy: strong, unbending, unbreaking. A rock, an anchor, a lighthouse in the dark… She had been all of these things to him. Now, Joe was learning that, all this time, he had been the same to her? How? Since when? How was he allegedly so damned important to her? How did losing him… Turn her into a monster that would see the Ark burn in retaliation?

Snow White firmly affixed her gaze to the fire, pointedly not looking Rapunzel's way. Cinderella fidgeted in place deeply uncomfortably. Meanwhile, Scarlet rapped her fingers on the pommel of Fleetly Fading, expression suggesting she'd just bit down on something sour.

The towering nun, at that point, turned to face Joe directly, her expression projecting no small amount of sorrow. "Joe. It may or may not have been romantic, it may have been more complicated than just the feelings a man and a woman may share for each other… But Dorothy loved you. With all of her heart. When we were told you died, when she was led to believe that we'd all just let you walk into the jaws of the beast that took you, it…" Rapunzel had to take a steadying breath, the motion producing a half-choking sob. "A piece of her soul died with you. Seeing you alive again, it just may bring that lost piece back."

That gave Joe no small amount of pause, his expression becoming deeply uncertain and pained. If Dorothy had actually been pushed to such terrible depths because they'd lost him… Would it really be enough to bring her back, knowing that he wasn't truly gone?

"She deserves to know, Commander," Rapunzel all but pleaded with him, lightly clasping her hands together, eyes shimmering with budding moisture.

At that, the man just let out a low sigh. "...Yeah, she does," he admitted, wary of the notion, given how far she'd fallen, yet… It was Dorothy. He couldn't just… Abandon her. "But, we can't go off half-cocked on this matter. We have to make sure we aren't setting ourselves up for failure of any kind. No stumbling into this blind."

Though Snow White was clearly displeased with the notion, she didn't protest further. Cinderella let out a weary sigh, while Scarlet rubbed her eyes, evidently finding some measure of relief at the finality of Joe's decision. It was his decision to make, after all.

Joe continued on the matter of Eden. "For starters… Where even is Eden?" he inquired.

"The Okanagan Desert," Cinderella answered simply. "Due East of the Ark."

"That's…" Joe paused, brows scrunching up in surprise. "A lot closer to the Ark than I'd have expected… Even in the same province, unless it's on the American side of the border…"

"Dorothy did say something about keeping one's enemies close," Snow White gruffly grumbled. "It's on the Canadian side, for all the difference that makes at this point."

Joe just nodded, rubbing his bearded chin contemplatively, pondering the notion of just how they'd get in contact with Dorothy, in as safe and controlled a manner as was possible.

"...Joe?" Cinderella, however, spoke up, no small amount of curiosity lining her tone. "We've been wondering, ever since we discovered that you were still alive… How are you not an old man?"

"Yes, that was… Something of a sticking point," Rapunzel added. "We know that the Ark's food has life extension additives in it, but, we also know that it only slows aging, meaning that, a century since we'd last met… You should be far physically older than you are. Yet, you clearly haven't aged a day…"

Ah. Right. That. "I've been in cryogenic stasis since shortly after the Ark was sealed," Joe explained the situation quite simply. "It's actually only been… Like, two months since then, from my perspective?" He turned aside to Rapi inquisitively, though she could only shrug in reply. Time was something that sort of slipped away from the both of them, given all the shit they'd had on their plates lately.

"Ah, that would explain it…" Rapunzel accepted the answer easily, gazing up at Joe somewhat forlornly. "Rapi was in a similar situation?"

"...No," Rapi answered flatly. "I've been active almost the entire time since then. I only just started to remember our shared past together… Not very long ago," she declared with no small amount of discomfort.

Pioneer shared a look of mild dismay at that, but just allowed the topic to fall by the wayside. If they were to get into the matter of Rapi's career post-Goddess, they'd clearly be talking about it all night.

For that matter… "...Joe," Rapi started, looking out to the horizon as the evening wind caught her silken hair and scarf. "We should set up our tent. We're clearly going to be spending the night out here."

Glancing up, Joe noted with mild disinterest that, yeah, the sun had started to set. "Guess so…"

Notably, Snow White heavily rolled her eyes. "Figures that you two would still be sharing a bed, even after all this time…"

While Joe just grimaced at the insinuation with some minor discomfort… Rapi's entire head turned the same colour as her scarf and jacket. Harshly turning on her heel, she took off without a word, fleeing the scene with a purpose.

That caught Joe, and especially everyone else off-guard, to say the least.

"...Rapi is not the same person she was back then, Snow," Rapunzel noted a little reproachfully. "Please, relent, given that she clearly is not even as half as… Red Hood as she used to be."

While Snow White at least had the decency to look somewhat sheepish, Cinderella, meanwhile, just stared at Joe with uncertain longing. Her sole visible eye focused on him, wordlessly measuring him.

Recalling how Cinderella had just… Backed off of him, rather uncharacteristically a little earlier, Joe had to wonder what exactly was going on with the twintailed beauty. She had made it very clear that she was very romantically interested in him back in the day, and while he'd have just shrugged it off as her moving past her crush… He recognized that look well. That quiet jealousy she held when regarding the relationship—however casual it had been—he had with Red Hood.

Of course, with the reunion of most of Goddess, Joe's personal life would become quite a bit more complicated again…

Regardless, he moved to his backpack to begin the process of setting up the tent he'd packed for himself and Rapi. It was all the Commander could do to sigh, and not let the attention of literally the most powerful women to have ever lived, to say nothing of the ongoing discussion about Dorothy's so-called 'Eden,' get to him.

Such was the life of the Legendary Commander of Goddess.

 

[JamesAsmodeus]

...Okay, Jesus. Eden's one hell of a place to live in, Good Lord. Dorothy's meeting with Joe is going to be as complicated and complex as it is going to be heartwarming and heartbreaking. And Joe's definitely got some choice words for the state of Eden, fr.

 

[AldariSiradla]

Behind the beauty of Eden, an Elysium reborn...
Layeth the harsh brutality of technologically advanced Sparta.
Damn, Joe's got a lot to deal with when he sees Dorothy again.

 

[Nomad-117]

It may sound like a meme, but having Joe tell Dorothy that he isn't mad but dissapointed would probably hit harder than anything else he could say.

 

[Nehef]

Of course, with the reunion of most of Goddess, Joe's personal life would become quite a bit more complicated again…

Click to shrink...

Snow White invading the Outpost to raid Joe's fridge (Drinking all the sodas Anis hid from the squad)

Scarlet invading to kidnap Joe for drinks and secret encounters.

Rapunzel invading to find Joe's secret stash of encounter type magazines.

Cinderella invading to get hair products and beauty products... And also sneaking on Joe's bed.

...

Marian best not lose her memory... The competition is going to be fierce and she will need every advantage she can get.

 

[Gato]

I mean, I'd take Cyberpunk Sparta over extinction even if I'd be the guy in the tutorial cutscenes who gets murdered by raptures. Though it does underline why Joe gets to be legendary. Everyone else seems to have taken the rational, or sometimes dumb, decision to prioritize survival over morality while Joe has his idealism.

Also, Ingrid is gonna have a heart attack once she hears about this.

An expedition to Eden seems a bit risky for any human so maybe they will just send Goddess to establish contact? Feels like it's time for some side quests and grinding.

Looking forward to next time!

 

[BakaSmurf]

===
Chapter 63 - Pillow Talk, Ruminations, and Deliberations
===

"...Joe?" Rapi's voice quietly spoke up from his side, a low breath uttered in the dark confines of their small tent.

Turning his head towards the sound of her voice at his side, despite it being far too dark to see her, the Commander responded in a fatigued whisper. "Yeah, shorty?" He inquired.

There was a long beat, to which Rapi too replied: "...I'm not short," she damn near audibly pouted, a fleeting hint of Red Hood shining through in her tone.

"Yes you are," the only slightly above-average-sized man an entire head taller than her asserted, audibly smirking. "And it's wonderful."

Again, a significant pause punctuated Joe's declaration. Rapi eventually replied a little warily: "...You like short girls?" She asked.

At that, Joe blinked, shifting in his sleeping bag slightly. Did this never come up back in the days of Goddess? "This is a short girl supremacy house," he asserted matter-of-factually, ignoring the fact that they were in a fabric tent.

Shortstacks were compelling evidence that God was real and loved humanity, after all. Hence the danger Joe was constantly in, surrounded by the weirdly abundant shortstack Nikkes in and around the Ark.

Speaking of, he was kind of starting to miss Privaty…

Regardless of the Commander's internal musings, in the dark, he couldn't see Rapi's expression become incredibly smug and self-satisfied.

Happy with that unexpected revelation, the little strawberry blonde let out a shallow sigh before refocusing. "All of this business involving Dorothy, and Eden. How do you feel about it all?"

Mood immediately sobering, Joe inhaled deeply before responding. "I hate it."

Rapi shifted in her own sleeping bag somewhat. "...Is that all?"

"What else were you expecting?" Joe asked. "Dorothy was my rock, back in the day. She was always the most dutiful and reliable member of Goddess. She was there first, standing firm at my side from the moment the squad was formed…"

The man hummed in naked discontent.

"I hate the idea that we have to approach her assuming that she may be hostile. I hate the idea that we may not be able to trust her."

"I hate the idea that she might've misunderstood me so badly that she'd thought I'd have approved of the creation of a Neo-Sparta. I hate it. There's nothing about it that isn't miserable and soul-crushing."

There was a beat in which Rapi mulled over Joe's blunt, entirely honest words. From what she could remember of Goddess herself, his words felt right. About as expected. Dorothy and Joe had been nearly attached at the hip from the very first moment Rapi had set eyes on them.

But, that aside… "What of the rest? Of… Pioneer, as they go by now?"

The man fidgeted in his place, mulling over the question before responding with one of his own. "What about you?" He asked. "How do you feel about everything that's happened with Pioneer?"

That gave Rapi no small amount of pause, having, for some reason, not expected the Commander to turn the question around on her. "I… I'm not sure."

She admitted, the fabric laid over her diminutive form lightly sounding out in time with her shifting.

"It's… It's been been so long for me. Even with my memories having come back recently… I was in the Ark, serving as a member of Absolute for so much longer than Goddess…"

Lightly gripping at the bedding of her sleeping bag, she frowned slightly.

"I feel detached, disconnected from them. It was so many lifetimes ago. It makes me uncomfortable when they treat me in such a familiar way. Especially since… I'm not the person they knew. Literally."

Joe pondered Rapi's assertion. Indeed, for Joe, with his memories gradually returned to him, it had only been a few scant months since having been separated from Goddess.

This, in stark contrast to Rapi having been active for… Decades upon decades since.

No wonder she would be uncomfortable interacting with them, especially with Snow White trying to just… Keep treating her like Red Hood.

"It would only make sense for it to feel awkward for you, yeah," Joe acknowledged Rapi's point of view. "I'll talk to them about laying off a bit later on."

Sighing, Rapi quietly appreciated the concern Joe showed for her. She knew that, obviously, she would have to eventually fall back into her old role—a member of Goddess.

But… She would rather not have that forced onto her just yet. Not when she was only just starting to remember her original life; after having lived an entire life separate from them.

"Thank you, Joe," the little blonde said gratefully. "But… Still, your thoughts on the situation with Pioneer?" She pressed.

At that. glancing aside, out the transparent plastic window that granted a view of the distant night sky, Joe lightly clicked his tongue. "I feel relieved. Remembering so many things, so quickly, as I have… I remember them. I remember you all."

The Big Dipper stood out starkly against the inky black cosmos that night.

"Given that I've been in stasis for so long, to me, it just feels like a reunion after a relatively short separation. I know that, in fact, it's been an entire century for everyone else, but…"

Closing his eyes, the man hummed contemplatively.

"It doesn't help that everyone's still dressed the same way they used to be. You presented yourself so wildly differently across the board, even down to actually brushing your hair straight, you did kind of feel more than a little disconnected from Red Hood."

"Yet, having taken up your old rifle, jacket, and scarf…" He turned aside to the place he knew Rapi was laying in, despite being blind in the dark. "I keep seeing bits of who you used to be shining through too. Even just hints, but it seems to me like you've still got some Red Hood, hidden away in there."

Feeling something stirring in her, thinking on that, Rapi reflected on her initial days with Absolute. At first, she was quiet, uncertain, wary and distant. She almost never interacted with Vesti seeing as how they were both so withdrawn, Emma had treated her as almost being a second Vesti that needed to be similarly babied, and Eunhwa seemed split between annoyed at her shyness, and pleased by her professionalism and competence despite that.

But, thinking more on how all three eventually came to see and look at her… Rapi realized that, for the sake of bettering the squad and her role in it, being the beacon they needed, she had taken a few steps back towards behaving like she had when she openly carried her Goddess code name. Eunhwa grew to treat her as a trusted, cherished confidant. Vesti looked up to her like a peerless hero. Emma trusted her implicitly in keeping Vesti and Eunhwa in good spirits. She was trusted to keep morale high…

She had put on a mask. A mask of her forgotten past self, without even being aware of it.

Then, she screwed up. She killed a human. In the arrogance she hadn't even noticed she'd developed, she killed a human, and the realization that she didn't care broke her. Then, rather than… Simply talk to Absolute, discuss what had happened, how it had affected her… She left. Without a word. Without saying anything to her newfound comrades who had come to trust and value her as an invaluable anchor.

She avoided the uncomfortable interaction. She ruined among the few good relationships she'd had in her time in the Ark to avoid admitting to them how she felt. Telling them what sort of person she really was, in stark contrast to the pedestal they'd placed her on…

In the days of Goddess, it had been much the same. Everyone looked at her as a cheerful fool. The squad jester, there to keep everyone's minds off of the direness of the war. She had been appreciated for her ability to keep spirits up. All the while, nobody knew just how troubled, even haunted she truly had been beneath the mask. A hopeless sad clown, putting on a show for everyone else, even to her own expense…

She was trying to do it again now, wasn't she? Hoping to avoid interacting with Pioneer, despite their storied past together. Because… She found the idea uncomfortable. Always, every time. She ran away from situations that might make her uncomfortable. Both in this life, and the last.

Rapi knew that she couldn't keep doing this. She had promised Joe that she'd be better than she was, all those years ago. She had promised him that. She couldn't be the person she was back then anymore.

"...Rapi?" Joe inquired, rolling onto his side to be closer to her. He was more than a little worried by her response being, after an awkward-seeming silence, a long shuddering sigh.

"I-" the strawberry blonde started, catching herself just as she could tell her voice was about to break. "It's nothing, Joe. Just…" She tightly gripped her pillow, grimacing heavily to herself. "...I'm realizing that there's some things I need to do, things that I need to stop running away from."

At that, Joe blinked owlishly. "You haven't struck me as the type to run from things," he remarked with some confusion.

If only he could see the pained expression worn on the Nikke's face. "...Running is what I'm best at," she asserted grimly.

Joe didn't like that, shifting in a futile attempt to spot her in the dark. "Rapi-"

"Not-" the blonde began, almost a bit too loud, reining herself in as she continued. "Please, not here. I don't want to have to talk about stuff like that when we're out here."

On the surface, meaning. As much as the Commander didn't much care for that… "Okay." A tent wasn't exactly the most private place in the world, so he would allow it. Instead of pressing that issue, he shifted onto something else he'd noticed. "...Y'know, I'm surprised that you didn't volunteer to stay up all patrol the camp all night with Snow White. I'd have assumed you'd want to do guard duty."

"I am doing guard duty," Rapi somewhat forcefully asserted, not at all keen on making the mistake of leaving him unattended in a tent with room for two with much of the old squad reunited as they were.

For his part, Joe didn't really understand what she was getting at, and so shrugged as he replied: "If you say so…" he wasn't particularly feeling up to interrogating what she meant by that, and so simply allowed the topic to fall by the wayside. "Anyways… Was there anything else?"

Humming, Rapi contemplated the question for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "I should actually let you get to sleep. It's already dark out, and unlike the rest of us, you need consistent and proper rest. So… Goodnight, Commander."

"Alright then," Joe made an attempt to make himself as comfortable as he could in reply. "'Night, Rapi."

At that, silence fell in the tent, little other than the sounds of wind and distant night critters to break the silence of darkened open wilderness.

---

The following morning, everyone clambered out of their tents, a bit of sniffling occurred when it was once again confirmed that Joe and Rapi were, in fact, back, and their return hadn't been a sweet, delusional dream.

Breakfast had been eaten, everyone got their engines spooled up, and…

"Do you… Really think that's a good idea, Commander?" Snow White asked warily, adjusting her wrist's place where it rested upon Seven Dwarves. "I mean…"

"The CEO of Elysion is on our side," Joe declared to head off the concerns already being presented to him. "She's already demonstrated that she's willing to alter records to suit our needs, hence the reason I'm not being harassed for not actually being a licensed Commander-"

Rapi scoffed heavily at that.

Though Joe didn't let her interruption phase him. "-I've already worked out a simple enough idea. Pioneer are an Elysion Black Ops Commando unit, and have been assigned to the Outpost by Ingrid specifically to bolster Counters' operational capabilities."

"...This doesn't seem wise, Joe," Cinderella noted, brows furrowed in naked concern. "That excuse seems really… Flimsy. Wouldn't the Central Government see through it really easily-"

This time, Rapi and Joe both snorted in open derision of the notion. "No," the man declared. "They won't."

While Pioneer looked more than a little dubious of the notion, Rapi backed him up. "The Central Government's incompetence has to be seen to be believed. And you'll see it…"

Rapunzel hummed warily, delicate lips pursing as she wrung her hands together in uncertainty. "You two… Suggesting that we just, go along and live in the Ark-"

"The Outpost," Joe corrected her. "The Outpost isn't a part of the Ark, and I'm the Central Government's primary contact there. Do I have to note that you can trust me to not turn you girls in to them?"

"Of course not!" Rapunzel cried out, upset by Joe even feeling the need to make note of that. "But-"

"And everyone else in the Outpost can be trusted?" Snow White interjected. "Nobody there will see us, and report us to the CG for being suspicious?"

"Again, I am the CG's representative in the Outpost," Joe asserted as he adjusted the strap of his backpack. "Anyone that gets suspicious will report such suspicions to me, and I'll respond by opening a line to Ingrid to have them explain to her why they're poking their nose into top-secret Elysion matters that do not concern them."

"...Somehow," Scarlet began, "I doth suspect there is some matter you are not considering, Joe. This feels as though it would be entirely too easy."

"As easy as the High Commander of Goddess infiltrating the Central Government and becoming one of the highest-ranking members of its military, full-stop?"

Joe countered, crossing his arms as he did so.

"As easy as the Legendary Commander of Goddess just reappearing from the aether, becoming a Commander in the Ark's Armed Forces despite never having attended the Commander Academy, and having nobody actually look into his history at all, despite the fact that he should be the CG's public enemy number one?"

He pointedly continued.

"As easy as the Legendary Commander being given control of a forward operating base that functions as a small town in its own right, with no Government oversight as its administration is entirely delegated to the megacorps backing said Legendary Commander?"

He nodded aside to Rapi.

"As easy as Red Hood having been actively serving in the Ark's military for decades, as a member of the most successful and famous Nikke squad in the Ark, full-stop, without ever being so much as suspected of being a member of Goddess?"

Pioneer went collectively quiet at that. All four sharing somewhat bamboozled looks.

"Look, I get it," Joe started once more with a sigh. "Everything's been so shit for so long, that it's difficult to imagine that something can just be good. If you girls are really so worried, Rapi and I can return to the Outpost on our own, and we can get back in contact with you once everything's been already set up ahead of time. But I don't think you should remain on the surface, living like homeless drifters, wandering from fight to fight all but aimlessly."

The Commander uncrossed his arms to set his hands on his hips.

"We have a home, meaning you have a home again too. We have the means to get you girls sorted into the Outpost's ranks unnoticed. I don't see why we shouldn't take it and have us all back together again from now on." He looked to Cinderella in particular. "It'd make it a lot easier for Andersen to pop in for a visit if you're all actually on hand too, y'know."

Cinderella, at that, visibly swayed quite heavily in her stance against going to the Outpost, lifting the plushies of herself and her father to gaze forlornly upon them. She didn't say anything, but it was clear that the argument had moved her by no small amount.

"...It would be nice to have a warm bed to sleep in at night again…" Rapunzel mused quietly, "And have things to do aside from just… Wander. Wander amidst ruins, and death…"

Scarlet hummed, drumming her fingers on the side of Fleetly Fading's scabbard. "The ronin act has grown more than a tad trite, to be wholly truthful… Yet still, a proper home in a community again would mean access to easy food, and showers…"

Snow White's eyes grew wide, her face going slightly gaunt as she sucked her cheeks in to lightly bite down upon them in anticipation at the notion.

It was Joe that spoke up next, to add onto Scarlet's point. "More food than you could handle," he declared as Snow White's eyes went as wide as saucers. "Of the many issues the Ark has, hunger isn't among them. To say nothing of the fact that our Tetra Line sponsors ship us the good stuff on the regular too…"

"'The good stuff…?'" Snow White all but breathed, her lips beginning to quiver.

"Rapi and I are conservative in how we eat," Joe remarked to the monochromatic engineer. "What we brought here was a small fraction of what we have back at the Command Centre. A fraction of the 'boring' stuff at that."

Snow White was visibly fighting the urge to begin drooling outright… As her stomach audibly growled despite that.

As ever, it was the promise of common creature comforts that would really sway them. Easy access to complex meals, running water, and entertainment went a very long ways, especially to someone whose every living day was a miserable struggle for scraps.

Joe knew that they were all but convinced. So… "If you girls really want to hang back until everything is already set up, then so be it, Rapi and I will come back after-"

"A-actually," Rapunzel stood up. "M-maybe, even if we maybe shouldn't hang around until, yes, you've had everything set up for us… It might not be so bad to come and at least… Pop in, to get an idea of what we're signing up for," she glanced at the rest of Pioneer. "Right?"

"It would be nice, to walk among a living civilization again," Cinderella mused quietly, making no attempt to mask her longing to do so. "...Maybe even visit a café… Go shopping… It's been so long since we've been able to enjoy even something like coffee..."

Scarlet gasped, eyes suddenly widening as they locked onto Joe. "Does the Outpost perchance house a tavern, or liquor store?" She eagerly inquired. Because of course that's what would get Scarlet visibly excited.

"I'm not sure," Joe shrugged. "But we certainly have beer at the Outpost, given how someone has to keep telling Anis to toss her cans when she's done with them…"

"...Let's go," Snow White finally sighed in defeat, capitulating despite her misgivings. "We can justify it as a supply run before returning to the field to complete a mission, I suppose. In and out before the end of the day."

Nobody protested, Pioneer seeming to have been successfully swayed to at least visit the Outpost, if not move in right away.

As the wind picked up somewhat, causing everyone's hair and clothes to slightly billow about, Joe nodded in acknowledgement of the affirmation that Pioneer would be, at least for now, following himself and Rapi back.

"Okay," the Commander gestured over his shoulder the way he and the red-clad Nikke had initially arrived. "Let's get along and mosey on then."

There was a beat, eventually broken by a grinning Cinderella replying with a declaration of: "Giddy up, pardner," she teasingly poked fun at Joe's backwoods country boy lingo everyone present damn well knew was far more natural than he'd like anyone to know.

"Boy howdy, it gon' be a long ways, riding along that Oregon trail..." Scarlet gently mocked the Canadian from the boonies.

"It'll be high noon around the time we get hoofin' it at this rate," Snow White 'seriously' mused with a hearty hum.

"E-easy up there, little doggy," even Rapunzel started to pile on, a small, entertained smile finding purchase on her gentle features. "Ain't no need to go hopping about like you got a snake in your boot now..."

At once, even with Rapi being kind enough to not join in on the ribbing, the man's bones rattled in dreadful defeat.

In stark contrast to the walk to Pioneer's camp, Joe knew that this was going to be a long ass hike back the way they'd come.

 

[JamesAsmodeus]

Yaaaaay, they're finally coming back to the Outpost! If anybody asks, we can put on some Groucho Glasses for them and change their names to Enrique.

 

[Slamm-O]

Anis will probably have "i'm done with this shit" look same fore Liter come to think of it.

Also Neon will scream her status from the mountain tops.

 

[Valthorix]

Yaaaaaaay goddess squad (minus 2) is finally coming back into the fold. I really hope they don't get jumped by a tyrant on the way back and separated, again.

 

[Nehef]

Snow White was visibly fighting the urge to begin drooling outright… As her stomach audibly growled despite that.

As ever, it was the promise of common creature comforts that would really sway them. Easy access to complex meals, running water, and entertainment went a very long ways, especially to someone whose every living day was a miserable struggle for scraps.

Click to shrink...

Fucking depressing, someone plox give some food to ma gurl.

 

[Your Target]

Damn my jaw hurts from smiling, this chapter was so good.

 

[Slamm-O]

Fucking depressing, someone plox give some food to ma gurl.

Click to shrink...

Just don't give her Emma's cooking, by the gods it would scar poor snow.

 

[Nehef]

Just don't give her Emma'd cooking, by the gods it would scar poor snow.

Click to shrink...

You pointed something interesting... What would happen if Snow ate Emma's food? Emma cooks borderline inedible things but on the other side Snow White eats bugs and other inedible stuff.

It really reminds me of that paradox about how the "Indestructible Shield" and the "Spear that can pierce anything" can't exist at the same time.

 

[NJesus]

God I love this fic
now we only need a run to Eden for Doro and the chances to get Marian back without the canon fuck up gonna skyrocket
all the time saved on not having to look for info on stuff like vapaus is also great

Rapi is best girl on guard and I'm going to write a vaguely threatening passive agressive email to Shift up to finaly give us a proper SSR version , fuck cinderella on anniversary gib me Rapi