[Xaeris]

And here we are, at the beginning of the end. I have to confess: some part of me is surprised that I made it this far, but a promise is a promise. So, let's talk about how this is going to work. Barring a forum wipe, this will be the last thread I make for this story, and likely, any story at all. However, what I'm posting right now is not the entire leg of the story, like with Reconstructions. That was fun, but the only reason I managed to pull that off was because it was NaNoWriMo. At the same time, I don't think the weekly serial format has served me well.

Instead, I've divided this last part of the story into three pieces. I will post the chapters of each piece in rapid succession, no more than two days apart each, and then take a break. For example, part I here will be finished about the first week into July. Then, I will vanish for a few months until I come back with part II. All in all, I expect the fat lady to be singing by the year's end.

Now, normally, I write these things such that reading the threads before it isn't absolutely necessary. I didn't do that this time. This time, this won't make a damn lick of sense without, at the very least, Reconstructions.

Well, enough yapping. Let us begin with chapter 1. Just for old times' sake, I'm going to try my hand at giving them titles again! Wonder how long it'll take for me to mess this up.

Chapter 1: The Little White Dress

My dress was amazing. Gurhal had been struck by the largest scale acts of terrorism it had ever seen and put on track towards an uncertain future, but nevermind that for a minute, I want to talk about my gown. Ever since I was a little girl, I’d dreamed of the day I’d take the title of Neudaiz’s empress. Of course, I knew at the time that it would be purely ceremonial, but all I cared about was the glamour, so that worked out fine. What I didn’t know, back then, was that when the time came, I was going to be at the head of a disastrous time in my planet’s history. But I still got my gown.

The tricky thing about my gown was that it couldn’t be more lavish than what the Divine Maiden wore, or it might have stoked concerns that I really was usurping the Communion, like some kind of opportunist. Still, the tailors did a wonderful job, despite that limitation. It was a one piece outfit: snug around the torso, and loose around the legs. It was white, if I can really say it that plainly; it was a kind of white that I didn’t think you could get on clothes. If the light hit it the right way, I could swear it shined sometimes.

”Oh my, the tailors do lovely work,” he said from behind me. I was supposed to be alone in the dressing room as I was putting myself together, so it should have startled me to have someone speak out of the blue like that, but I knew who it was. It was an impertinent person whose respect for rules extended only as far as their convenience.

”I feel silly, wearing something this fancy,” I said, looking at his reflection in the mirror in front of me rather than turn around.

”No you don’t. You want to appear that you do, but deep down, you’re squealing that you’re wearing your pretty dress,” he said as he closed the door behind. He was right of course. I hated when he saw through me like that, but it’s only natural that he could, I guess.

”Okay, maybe I do,” I said, turning my nose into the air. “But don’t you think this is a bit much?” I asked as I turned around to face him. I was talking about the gown’s bird motif, which made for a design that made it look like my bosom was caught in a clutch of feathers. Can I say that? Bosom? Ugh, memoirs are such a pain. Anyway, I said, “I think it’s great, yeah, but I don’t want to send the wrong message.”

Johann walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I can’t say it was tender, but he wasn’t rough either. It was a style all his own, the one he always used when interacting with us. Either way, he spun me back towards the mirror and asked, “do you like what you see, Keiko?”

I saw a pretty good image. The hairdressers had already done what they could with my short hair by tying most of it up save for two curled locks on the opposite sides of my head. The makeup artists somehow managed to put a few years of maturity onto my face, even if it did feel like I was wearing a few extra pounds on it. With Johann at my side, it was really a dynamic picture. It could’ve been the box art of a video game, honestly.

”Yeah. I really do,” I said.

”Then that’s what counts. If you can look at yourself in the mirror in the morning, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. He looked at the mirror too, and I think he thought the same thing about what a dynamic portrait it was, because he smirked and stroked his stubble.

”Hmm, thanks,” I said. “Zip me up?” I asked, turning my back towards him.

”Nope,” he said.

”Why not?!” I asked.

”I refuse to participate any further in this horribly clichéd scene,” he said as he took a cigarette from the inside of his coat.

”Ugh, this side of you will never change!” I said as I fumbled around for the zipper on my back. I was used to my clothes just melting right on by using a nanotransformer, so getting dressed the old fashioned way was getting to be a challenge. Why are those zippers so small?!

Just as to be expected from Johann, he was perfectly content to watch me stumble and fumble as I tried to get at the zipper. “You know, I don’t think we’ve talked about this, but there’s something you need to be prepared for,” he said.

”What’s that?” I asked.

”There’s going to be porn of you on the Internet,” he said.

”What?!”

”You’re a high profile figure now. It’s only a matter of time,” he said, in that infuriatingly calm manner of his. “I’m just saying, you should be ready for half the male population of Gurhal to be thinking of you when they go to bed. It sounds trivial, but it’s actually quite a jarring reality to set into.”

I had stopped bothering with the zipper by that point. I was pumping my fists, and sputtering what I’m sure sounded like nonsense. “W-well, stop it! You’re my knight, it’s your job to make stuff like that not happen!”

”My dear princess, as an accomplished physicist, I can tell you that all the explanations that account for the phenomenon that occur in this universe boil down to five theories,” he said. He paused to tap some ash off his cigarette. “Quantum chromodynamics, quantum electrodynamics, electroweak theory, general relativity, and lastly, the most comprehensive of them all…”

Johann was an intelligent person that enjoyed doing impressions of a stupid person. As annoying as it could be, the result could be fascinating sometimes, in a morbid kind of way. “And?” I asked, humoring him.

”Rule 34.”

”Ugh. What’d you even come here for?” I asked.

”You’ll have to go straight to your speech once you’re finished in here. I thought you might do with a little distraction to ease your mind,” he said.

”Most people would just offer a shoulder massage or something.”

”Ha, well, I’m not most people,” he said. He pointed at my back and directed my attention to my zipped up dress. To this day, I still have no idea when the heck he did that. “I’m the Johann Launcher. You’ll do great Keiko. Just speak with your heart; it’s impossible to ignore.”

With that, he was out the door. He was right. I was slated to deliver a speech that day. I had rehearsed it enough times, yeah, but I couldn’t help but have butterflies in my stomach. After that conversation though, I felt fine. Well, not fine, but being irritated with Johann was such a familiar feeling, that it passed for ‘fine.’

There’s not that much to say about the speech. It’s historical footage now and it could be found anywhere. The idea was to make a big production of it, to rally the morale of the people. It was low level stagecraft, but it was the most sensible play to make at the time. So, we held the event overlooking the river that splits Ohtoku in two, with Mt. Ohtoku in the background. The weather was on our side that day too, and it was uncommonly sunny.

The officials of the Communion who had stayed on were assembled on the stage I would be speaking, and directly behind the podium itself was Johann. It was an impressive lineup, I think. I took my place before an immense gathering of people, plus cameras. I froze for a few seconds as it hit me just how many people would be watching me just then. If there’s ever been any question as to why my eyes fluttered as if I was looking for the on switch in my brain, there’s the answer.

The words came to me quickly enough, thankfully. Let’s see, I think I still remember the beginning by heart. “My dear countrymen. Three months ago, we were attacked. Not just us as people, not just our lives, but the very harmony which we’ve built upon each generation was assaulted. Every person alive today, and every person that has ever lived has made their contribution to the fabric of our society, and these barbarians, these Illuminus, took a match to that tapestry to light it ablaze.”

I remember the crowd being very silent. It stuck with me because I found it amazing that such quiet could exist in the same place as a vast sea of humanity. I went on, “these murderers will not go unpunished! We will find them, wherever they scheme, wherever they hide and drag them, squirming, into the light! We will show them, and all those who come after us, that the harmony our dreams and hopes built was stronger than they were.”

…Something, something, something…yeah, that’s the most I can recall. I’m getting old. Well, that much was enough to move the crowd at least. They were clapping and cheering, which made me smile. I had written the speech myself with my honest feelings, and while Johann did fancy up the words a bit, it was my baby and it was doing me proud. While the crowd was cheering, I paused, since I wasn’t going to be heard if I kept on speaking. During that time, I saw Johann dashing off in the corner of my eye. I wondered what he was doing, but I assumed it was important, so I didn’t think too much of it.

[McLaughlin]

Oh hell yes.

[Xaeris]

You're always there to sound the horn, Obs. I appreciate that. Next chapter goes up in a little while.

[Magus_84]

Oh hell yes, indeed.

And for those in need of a refresher...

Beginning: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126203

Topic two: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139275

Topic three: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165103

Topic four: http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184110

In-game chronology-wise...

It's after the colony drop that ended "vanilla" PSU and led, story-wise into Ambition of the Illuminus. The Aegii (Archetypical Guardians of the highest order whose combat abilities for the templates for all player members of the classes) are scattered, the Guardians broken.

The most recent topic continues from Keiko's point of view, covering the events leading up to the colony drop and her quest to find the rest of the Aegii. It's the one you'd most likely read to get back into the thick of the story, though the rest is awesome as well.

There's intrigue, drama, a fight with Mother Brain, and more! Also a blast from the past from his PSO fic days.

[Xaeris]

Chapter 2: A Black Eyepatch

This is ridiculous. It used to be that you could be out of commission for an entire disc and your main character spot would be waiting for you when you got back. I wasn’t even gone two months and I have to share. Bah.

At any rate, it was as Keiko suspected. During her speech, I got an alarm signal originating from the Pavilion of Air. Logically, you would think that would be a matter for the security on site to deal with, but it was originating from the deepest chambers, where the core of the Lattice Shield System was located.

I should explain, that during this time, myself and Keiko weren’t acting as Guardians. Though Keiko had retrieved all of the aegii, the fact was that President Dallgun was still dead and the Headmaster was unaccounted for. It’d still be a bit longer before the Guardians were a functioning organization again, so for that time being, Keiko and I were running our planet. Somehow, I found myself as head of security, among other roles.

This is all declassified information now, so I can say that the Lattice Shield System was fueled by the radiance of Maiden candidates, along with the Divine Maiden herself. Beneath the Pavilion of Air was where we kept the capsules that siphoned the radiance from the women and the machines that turned it into the shield that protected Neudaiz from SEED falls. Naturally, neither Keiko nor myself were particularly thrilled with this arrangement, but what can you do when you inherit a clusterfudge like that?

On my way down, I found the intruder. Wasn’t particularly difficult; after all, he had never been there before and Communion buildings resemble a maze. I always found it poor design myself, but, meh. The intruder was none other than the wanted criminal, Ethan Waber.

What can I say about Ethan Waber. He had become something of a phenom among the Guardians since he joined, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, he became a rogue. Well, later I came to understand his reasons, but I first encounters were…um…not good. So naturally, when I found the red headed lout in a secure area, I wasn’t too eager to give him the benefit of the doubt.

”You!” I said, quite astutely, I think.

”Launcher!” he said, whipping around to face me across the long hallway that separated us. I…can’t say with 100% certainty which of us drew his weapon first. I want to believe it was him, but when I look back at the scene, I can’t deny that it might have been me. Either way, he took out his double saber and I took out my Save the Maiden within milliseconds of each other and we charged down the hallway at each other.

The photon cages on our weapons met with a distinctive crash, like the sound of glass clattering. We met with equal momentum and neither of us gave up an inch from the initial point of contact; we were deadlocked. “What’s your reason for being here?” I asked.

”I could ask you the same thing!” he said.

”What? That doesn’t make any sense,” I replied. I stepped off to the side to break the deadlock and let Waber stumble forward. Taking the opening, I thrust at his back as he stumbled. He recovered quickly though, and turned his momentum around to parry my rapier thrust with a slash from his double saber.

”Oh, right,” he said. He thrust with his double saber, and I batted it away with a light swipe from my rapier. We went back and forth like that for a while, causing the sounds of glass shattering to echo in the halls. I have to say, I was in rare swashbuckling form that day. It would have looked like an elegant duel to anyone who had the privilege to watch.

I should confess, I wasn’t taking the fight that seriously. Yes, the Communion had put him on terrorist watch, but that was under Rutsu’s tenure, and quite frankly, anyone that pisses off Rutsu is an ally of mine. That, and in the fight, Waber just didn’t have any killer intent. To him, I must have just been an obstacle that popped up at an inopportune time. So, I never cast any technics in that skirmish.

”This is pointless, we’re at a stalemate,” I eventually said after one clash of blades that forced us both to back up. “Tell me seriously, what have you come here for?”

His grip on his weapon relaxed, but he still had it pointed at me. So, I lowered my rapier and relaxed my posture. Seeing that, he exhaled and did the same. “I want to see Karen, er, I mean, Mirei.”

”Uh huh…” I said. Naturally, I knew of the replacement act we had pulled involving the Mikuna twins. I still say that was the most laughably contrived scheme ever. “Why would you want to do that?”

”Huh? Oh, because…” He couldn’t quite finish the thought, but the bewildered expression on his face told me what I needed to know.

”Oh. …Fine then.”

”Wait, huh?” he asked just as I put my weapon away.

”You want to see her right? I can tell you’re lost, so follow me,” I said. I had already started to walk down the hall, but I could hear his confused gurgling from behind me, so I paused and looked over my shoulder. “Problem?”

”You’re going to take me to her just like that?” he asked.

I regarded him for a few moments longer over my shoulder, and then turned to continue walking. “Why not? You barged into a heavily guarded, secure facility to see the woman you love. You’re hardly one to talk about rationale.”

“…All right,” he said. He stowed his weapon in his nanotransformer and followed after me. Just like that, we were on a leisurely stroll after a spirited clash of whirling blades. I don’t think he had quite finished switching gears, because he was keeping a healthy distance from me as we walked.

”Why did you leave the Guardians?” I asked. He turned to me with a puzzled expression and I said, “just killing time.”

”It’s probably different for an Aegis, but for a regular Guardian, there’s a lot of places I can’t go. I need the freedom I have a rogue, at least for now,” he said. “It started when I was on a security job on Parum, with Leo…” Eh…he told me about how he got blackmailed into trying to assassinate the President, blah, blah, this is really someone else’s story to tell. I believed him, for the most part.

”We’re here,” I said as we came upon the door to the chamber. I opened it up and in we went. As I described, there were capsules hooked up to machines, most of which had a newman woman inside. Immediately, Ethan’s eyes darted around the room, and he found who he was looking for. He darted to the middle and pressed against the glass capsule with Mirei…Karen, inside.

”Is she okay?” he asked as I walked up behind him.

”I can’t say definitively, but from what I understand about this system, she, and all of the other women here, should be fine,” I said. I’ve been told that I have a long winded way of answering yes or no questions. I don’t see it. “However, as you can see, she’s comatose. You can’t speak with-“

And just then, so much bullocks; Erra started to wake up in her capsule. Her murmurs were quiet, but I’d heard the murmuring of a sleepy woman many, many times by that point, so I picked up on it immediately. I peered over into the glass, and sure enough, her eyes were opening and her arms were scraping around in her confinement. “…The hell?” I said.

”Sh-she’s waking up!” Waber said.

”Yes…” I was rather dumbfounded myself, so I didn’t give that statement of obvious fact the witty retort it deserved. Instead, I just hit a button on the panel to pop the lid of the capsule. Erra rose, still seated, and looked around. Immediately, her eyes found Waber.

”Ethan!”

”Karen!”

And then there was some lovey dovey nonsense, I wasn’t really paying attention. …Well, I say that, but looking back, I think I may have been a little jealous. After all, the woman I loved was still lost to me. …Nah. At any rate, after a few minutes of that, I cleared my throat for attention.

”I hate to ruin the mood, but I feel like I should remind you that you’re still an intruder, Waber,” I said.

”No, he’s not,” Erra said. She rushed to get out of the capsule, but having been comatose for so long, her legs gave way as soon as she put them on the floor. Naturally, Waber caught her by the arm for support. Damned white knights. “Ethan is welcome on Communion grounds, if I have any say in it!”

”Yeah…about that,” I said. “Maybe you should sit back down before I bring you up to speed on recent events.” I told her about Keiko’s coup. It should be appreciated just how critical it was that the situation be handled well. I believe Keiko covered this already, but it’s worth reiterating. Neudaiz, and Gurhal, are loyal to the Divine Maiden before any government; they’re stupid in that way. …Oh hell, is that going in? Blah, whatever, I’m retired anyway.

If Erra wouldn’t give her blessing to Keiko’s actions, then her reign would go straight to hell. It was absolutely imperative to get her on our side. As soon as we returned from Parum, I had already been thinking about what the best way to handle the situation when it arose, would be. I confess, I briefly considered assassinating her and just calling it a day. It gave me that much of a headache.

”And that’s where we’re left now,” I said, once I reached the end of my summary.

”You just usurped the Communion?!” she said.

”To be fair, Rutsu was kind of a douche,” I said. I never liked that guy. Though, if I knew he would get his arse whupped by a sixteen year old girl, some of that loathing would have been pity instead.

”It’s true,” Waber said with a nod.

”I understand how it looks, but I need you to understand, that the girl sitting on the throne right now isn’t a person with any lust for power. She did what she did because she genuinely believed it was the right thing to do,” I said. Did I mention how important it was that this worked out in our favor? “If you give her your support, I honestly believe that you will not regret it.”

…Yeah, so then I got down on my hands and knees. I said, “so I’m asking, please, help her.”

Erra was quiet. I felt like she and Waber were trading looks, but I had my head squarely pointed at the ground, so I couldn’t say for sure. “It’s weird seeing you like this, Aegis Launcher,” she said. I had to suppress a smirk. That was my plan after all. My reputation as a Guardian, unsurprisingly, was one of unshaken conviction and undying pride. Other people may not have used such romantic words for it, but screw them, they write their own memoirs. Anyway, I figured it was a good enough cause to cash in the capital I had built up as a result to impress upon Erra how serious the situation was.

I’m a magnificent bastard.

”I’m still not sure about everything, but Neudaiz still needs the Lattice Shield System, doesn’t it?” she asked. I hesitated. The answer was an unequivocal ‘yes,’ of course, but I can imagine how Waber felt.

”It does,” he said. His voice broke slightly, but he said it resolutely. “I’m glad, I got to see you again, Karen.” And then some more lovely dovey nonsense. Blah, blah, blah, no one cares.

”I’ll leave it in the empress’ hands for now, Aegis Launcher. Please come get me as soon as you can spare the shield,” she said. I nodded and rose to my feet.

With that, Waber and I left. I’m not sure why, but on our way out, I asked him, “are you all right?” Again, it may have just been sympathy for kindred spirit. …Nah.

”Yeah…I mean, I just wanted to be sure she was safe,” he said with a heavy sigh.

”Shame I was there though. If you two had been alone, you could have had a proper reunion,” I said. That got him sputtering. Classic virgin. “I’m joking. Seriously though, what are you planning on doing now?”

”I’m on my way to Parum now. I need to find Laia,” he said. My raised eyebrow was reply enough, and he went on, “in the president’s last message, he said he wanted her to become the new President.” My eyebrow arched further. “I know, I know, I thought the same thing at first, but I think it’s actually a good idea now.”

”Well…that does save me the trouble of guilt tricking Eustace into doing it. Do you have any leads?”

”I’m hearing that she’s holed up in Rozenom, but it’s just a rumor. It’s the best I have though, so it’s worth checking out,” he said. His expression lit up and I had to take a step back when he stepped forward with his arm flailing. “Hey, you wanna come?”

”When the hell did we become such good buddies?” I asked. “Bah. Regardless, I can’t. I have my hands full here on Neudaiz.”

His flailing hand calmed and he extended it to me for a handshake. “Thanks for your help, Aegis Launcher!” I stared at his open hand for a few moments, then lightly met it with my own for a light, but polite handshake. “I’m glad we’re on the same team now!”

”Meh.”

”Hey, by the way, where’d you get that eyepatch?” he asked. Ah, my eyepatch. It was a great accessory. It was held over my left eye by three thick straps and fit over the shape of my face like a second skin.

”It was a gift from a sweet huney,” I said.

[Seth Astra]

Hmm... I read a brief bit of a previous fic of yours. However, I realized how many you had, thus I didn't continue. However, now I have something to read over the summer. Thanks. Be prepared for comments once I catch myself up.

[McLaughlin]

Sweet huney indeed.

[Xaeris]

Good luck Seth. It's a pretty large undertaking, and honestly, the story starts out kind of rough, looking at it in hindsight. I hope you find that it hits its stride in good time though.

[CupOfCoffee]

I've never had a PSU character that got higher than Lv10, so I think a lot of that went over my head, but damn, I really liked it anyway. The writing is engaging and lively, and each narrator character (that we've met so far) has a very unique voice and take on his/her surroundings. In a way (and this may just be my having recently read your "user title," but I'm going to say it anyway) I'm reminded a little of The Princess Bride. The movie version, I mean. Lighthearted duels, lovey parts being glanced over as "blah blah blah," et cetera. And it works! Good show, old boy—I'll be looking forward to part three!

[Magus_84]

Originally Posted by CupOfCoffee

I've never had a PSU character that got higher than Lv10, so I think a lot of that went over my head, but damn, I really liked it anyway. The writing is engaging and lively, and each narrator character (that we've met so far) has a very unique voice and take on his/her surroundings. In a way (and this may just be my having recently read your "user title," but I'm going to say it anyway) I'm reminded a little of The Princess Bride. The movie version, I mean. Lighthearted duels, lovey parts being glanced over as "blah blah blah," et cetera. And it works! Good show, old boy—I'll be looking forward to part three!

Reading through the last topic I linked in my post will probably catch you up pretty well. It's a fun ride.